Practical report in molecular biology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Practical report in molecular biology - Essay Example DNAs that are prepared in this way may then be analysed by a method called gel electrophoresis. This involves the use of electric currents to facilitate the separation of linear DNA molecules through a gel support, usually consisting of the polymer agarose or polyacrylamide. These polymers form a molecular sieve that permit the DNA to pass through at a rate that is approximately inversely proportional to the log of the molecular weight as measured in kilobase pairs (Kb). The current initiates the movement of DNA from the site of application to the positively charged cathode as the negatively charged phosphate groups in the DNA molecule are drawn to the cathode by electrostatic attraction. If DNA fragments of Known molecular weight are electrophoresed simultaneously thre molecular weight of the DNA fragments generated by restriction enzyme digestion may be ascertained by comparing their rate of mobility with that of the standards of known molecular weight. This is usually calculated b y preparing a graph representing the log of the molecular weight of DNA standards versus the measured distance traveled beach band in millimeters (mm). The distances of the unknown fragments is measured and their molecular weights are determined by locating the position these measured distances are located on the graph. Restriction enzyme digestion of DNA followed by gel electrophoresis is a commonly used method for preparing DNA maps and determining the molecular weights of unknown DNA samples. The DNA used in this experimental protocol was obtained by culturing bacteria (E.coli) that contain plasmid DNA. Two types of plasmids were prepared from E.coli, designated plasmid X and Y. After the plasmid DNA was extracted from the bacterial cells, it was then digested with restriction enzymes, which are capable of making double stranded cuts in DNA molecules at specific

Discuss how the entry of foreign banks may prove growth-enhancing in a Essay

Discuss how the entry of foreign banks may prove growth-enhancing in a developing country - Essay Example This essay discusses the concept of globalization that gained increasing acceptance among countries across the world. It encourages nations and their authorities to consider themselves as a part of the international community. It urges countries to increase their contacts with the outside world and engage in various economic exchanges in the global market. Accordingly, nations have undertaken various measures to accomplish this goal. The concept of globalization has also pervaded the international financial sector. An increasing number of international banks have expressed the desire of expanding their business activities across the globe. Their preferred target of location has been the economies of the developing countries. Most of the developing nations used to operate as closed economies and were served only by the domestic indigenous banks. The operations of these domestic banks were restrictive in their scale and could cater to the financial requirements of a limited section of the population. Thus, the international banks found these economies as ideal locations for establishing their business activities. Foreign bank entry in a specific country is defined as the procedure by which international banks establish their operations in an economy. This is primarily accomplished by introducing a new branch or by setting up a subsidiary bank in the host nation. Tschoegi has observed that the current trend of globalization has also been observed in the international banking sector. ... According to the World Bank Report (200), over 50 per cent of the banking sector assets of these nations are owned by international banks. The foreign banking institutions have also expanded their business activities in the developing countries of Asia, Africa, the Middle East region and the Soviet Union. However, the rate of expansion of the banks’ operations has been comparatively slower in the second group of nations. Economists have been tempted to question why the foreign banks have found the developing economies to be suitable locations for expanding their business. Analysts have also evaluated the effects of the foreign bank entries on the developing nations. This paper has attempted to examine the microeconomic impact of the entry of international banks as reflected upon the developing nations. (Clarke, 2001, p.1-5) The Transition Efforts of Developing Countries Ever since the industrial revolution in Europe in the 1780s, countries across the world have experienced dif ferent degrees of industrialization and hence economic development. The rate of economic development of a nation depended on how effectively it adapted its existing economy to the new machine methods of industrial production. Countries which rapidly integrated these new technologies into their prevailing production processes witnessed a high rate of economic growth. Contrarily, nations which were slow to adapt to the innovative production technology experienced a much lower rate of economic progress. In this way, the rate of economic development has varied between the different countries of the world. Economists have classified the countries into three main categories based on their present level of economic development: the developed countries (DCs), the developing countries

Current Strategies And Business Model Marketing Essay

Current Strategies And Business Model Marketing Essay This study is considered about the AstraZeneca Plc Company by applying more strategies to their business growth. In this review it considered the key opportunities and challenges of AstraZeneca Plc Company for business growth by using more strategies. This study is required to increase their research and quality conscious of medicines. It analysis the internal organization to produce more quality and cost conscious of the product and also it analysis the strength and weakness of the company. It leads to more growth, sales and revenue of pharmaceutical industry. Table of Contents S.No. Particulars Page No. 1. Introduction 3 2. About AstraZeneca 3 3. Task I 4 4. Task II 11 5. Analysis of AstraZeneca 16 6. Recommendations 16 7. Conclusion 17 8. References 17 Introduction: The pharmaceutical industries are leads to more growth in the new product development. Nowadays there are more new medicines and drugs are created by the biological researchers. There is more business strategy and marketing strategies are used to develop their market and demand in the pharmaceutical industry. Here AstraZeneca Company has recommended to applying the more strategy to this study. In this study we are using descriptive research to this review. For this study, the reference has taken from various sources like journal, article, net links, magazines, textbooks etc. About Astrazeneca: AstraZeneca is one of the leading pharmaceutical company in the world. The company has formed in the year 1999, after the merger of Swedens Astra AB and UKs Zeneca Group plc. David Brennan is the CEO of the company. The head quarters of the company are in London, UK. The AstraZeneca has come across number of new product into the market. AstraZeneca is one of the Third largest pharmaceutical company in the world. There is largest Research Development Centre has formed and it invested about 16 million for every day. The research and development has produced lot of new product for cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal etc.. after the company has merged and it produces a lot of new products and medicines for the patients and doctors. It has aimed to produce a great quality medicine and to innovate more medicines for lot of diseases. And it have objective to improve corporate responsibility to the society and shareholder. http://www.astrazeneca.co.uk/about-us/ (date: 11-01-2010, time: 3.15p.m) There are 66000 employees are working in the AstraZeneca among Europe, Asia, US, Africa etc. The AstraZeneca has 29 manufacturing Sites among the 19 countries. In 2006 the company has achieved $26.5 billion of over all profit. In 2008 the company has achieved and improved $31.5 billion profit. http://www.astrazeneca.co.uk/about-us/keyfacts?itemId=4142279nav=yes (date: 11-01-2010, time: 3.35p.m) TASK I Challenges faced by the AstraZeneca: The AstraZeneca is a largest pharmaceutical company in the world. It works around 100 countries in the world. There are more competitor for pharmaceutical industry. The competitors are Johnson Johnson, merek co, Novarties, Pfizer etc.. the competitor are in world level. So the company has compete world wide, and it challenges to other competitor in new product and development and research. There is more challenges the company has faced by the other outer environment. So the AstraZeneca has develop new medicines for cancer and other diseases. It must aim to give pain relief to the society. http://www.computing.co.uk/computing/news/2255053/case-study-astrazeneca (date: 11-01-2010, time: 4.12p.m) The AstraZeneca has innovate new products and it provide drug pipeline for cancer, cardiovascular and other diseases. So it aims to reduce the cost and it improve drug pipeline for challenging the competitor circle. AstraZeneca has improved its challenges by the way of reducing the cost of medicines and improving the drug pipeline for various diseases. They increase their research and Development centre to the world and it increase product innovation in medical field. Their vision to increase their market to world wide and innovation of great medicines and it must increase the stakeholder value. Mostly AstraZeneca research development is in Sweden, U.K and U.S. because there is more drugs and raw material has available in the particular place. And also they has more talented person in a biological fields. Strategic Research and Development Issues for challenging competitor: The RD manager is only the responsible for the suggesting and implementing the new medicines for the diseases and it must increase the drugs pipeline for the patients. They are improving their new product development by merging the RD department and technologies. The RD managers Job includes: Choosing among alternative new technology to use within the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical company, Development new methods of embodying the new technology in new products and processes and It deploying resources so that the new technology and medicines can be successfully implemented. Research Development Intensity: The company must make available the resources necessary for effective research and development. The AstraZeneca has spend around $3.9 billion for its research and development. The AstraZenecas R D Intensity is a principal means of gaining market share in global competition. So the R D department has focused the drug pipelines for different diseases and it give pain relief to the patients. The research and development has providing more innovative medicine for the patients to give more effective protection for the diseases. Technology Competence: The technology competence is used for both development and technology development in the R D department. The AstraZeneca has more technology to improve its each drugs pipeline to lead the pharmaceutical market. The R D department has improve their technology development for the growth full product of Arimidex, Crestor, Nexium, Seroquel, Symbicort etc., the product which develop in R D department for cancer, cardiovascular, gastreointestinal diseases, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases etc., So it have the more technology competence for leading the market. http://www.astrazeneca.co.uk/about-us/keyfacts?itemId=4142279nav=yes (date: 11-01-2010, time: 6.19p.m) Technology Transfer: The Astra and Zeneca pharmaceutical company has merging together for improving its R D department and innovation of medicines for disease. So it transfers the technologies to improve the research and development process of each company. The technology transfer has given more challenges towards competitor of other pharmaceutical industry. Research and Development Mix: The R D mix has includes everything that would help to sales, quality control, different medicines and technology development of the AstraZeneca pharmaceutical industry. The company has increase its growth of new product and at the same time it maintain quality control of the medicines. The AstraZeneca R D development has got license to innovation of new medicines for the patients and it has intellectual property rights towards its new products. The R D department has maintain more valuable quality control from biological lab with using effective technologies, sales growth, technical laboratories, development of biological labs and more research information of medicines etc.. Strategic Marketing Challenges: The AstraZeneca Companys marketing manager should be focus the customer wants and product cost. Here the marketing manager must introduce the market position and segmentation, marketing mix and the product life cycle for facing leading competition among the world. Market position and Segmentation: This pharmaceutical industry has focus the hospital and patients who are really affected by the diseases, for new research development and it must increase the focused sales among competitors. The AstraZeneca has increased its sales in selected areas. The market has segmented by the new product and new medicines for the patients. Marketing Mix: The marketing mix is like 4 Ps. Promotion, Price, Place, Product are the marketing mix. The AstraZeneca product has more competition, and it have marketing mix to improve the quality and reducing the cost of medicines, which have the suitable place to sell the medicines to the customer. Product life cycle: AstraZeneca has a product life cycle. In 1999 the Astra and Zeneca Pharmaceutical company has merging and it has a introduction stage of the medicine. In 2000 it has an effective growth towards its medicines especially the product of Arimidex, Crestor, Nexium, Seroquel, Symbicort are have efficient growth. After some period it reached the maturity period and in summer time it has a declining stage of the product. This pharmaceutical company has product life cycle, it depends upon the environment and competitor. If it have various new product development means it have more maturity period of this laboratory industry. Source: Philip kotler Gary Armstrong, Principle of Marketing, Prentice Hall of India, 2007. (date: 10-01-2010, time: 7.13p.m) Key Opportunities of AstraZeneca: The Astra Zeneca has innovate more product and merging with other leading pharmaceutical company for developing more new product and medicines for leading future market among competitor. The AstraZeneca has developing its more valuable new product development and improve drugs pipelines. There is using more technologies and using developing more biological labs for developing its new medicines for the product. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/the-player-tom-mckillop-chief-executive-of-astrazeneca-creating-the-right-chemistry-1130990.html (date: 11-01-2010, time: 5.33p.m) Opportunities in Research and Development: There is more opportunities for providing new product and medicines to the customer from merging the pharmaceutical company and other biological labs. There are 22000 employees and they were expert in biological medicines are working research and development field. So they able to dedicate more new products and medicines to the rare diseases and it able increase its sales growth. AstraZeneca has improved its new pharmaceutical product of its continuous process. It must build more biological and innovation activities towards its new medicines. The AstraZeneca laboratories have more building capabilities towards its biological labs and build to research in new medicines from agri-chemical industries. This pharmaceutical industry has very talented in biological laboratories and agricultural chemical business for new medicines. So it have more valuable resources and talented employees in biological industries for the process of future development. This deliver that it develops more opportunities for its continuous growth in new product development and sales growth. Sustainable development of AstraZeneca: AstraZeneca has focus to sustain the continuous new product development. AstraZeneca has improved its research and development centre to the world wide for it sustain to increase its new medicines and innovation activities in pharmacy industry. Economic: The pharmaceutical industrial has impact on economic for increasing its economic value from its new products. So AstraZeneca Plc Company has more depended upon the economic and also in 2004 it increases its economic growth to the country. It has more opportunity to improve its economic development of the new product. Social: AstraZeneca has more value in social responsibilities and to give effective and protected medicine to the patients. So it has a impact in social and other things among the pharmaceutical company. Environment: The Company has environment impact towards its new medicines and research in biological industry. The environment should have the awareness about the diseases and new medicines of its protection. So the AstraZeneca has impact and opportunity in environment level of its new product development. Krishnamoorthy, Environmental Management, published by PHI, 2006. (date: 10-01-2010, time:8.23p.m) TASK II Internal and Organizational Analysis of AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical Industries: It must look at the environment, which AstraZeneca has to face in the market and the opportunities and threats that arise from it. It has an analysis towards its internal and organizational factors to improving its efficiency among competitor in world wide. The organization is depending upon the strength weakness of organization and it turned as opportunity for future. Historical: The AstraZeneca company has more sales after the period of 1999. Because the two pharmaceutical company has merging together and it gave a lot of new products and researches to the society. It 2006 the sales growth is $26.5 billion and in 2008 the sales growth has come around $31.5 billion. The companies profit also increases and it beyond its growth level. After 2008 only it became a down in share market and share value of the product. In that summer time the demand has decreased and the profit has slightly down. Normative: This criterion make use of the judgment, what ought to be the level of performance to classify and element as a strength or a weakness?. Based on industrial practices and personal opinion, norms for evaluation can be developed. The research and development has continuous growth of new product and in 2008 the revenue is $31.5 billion. So if the process of new product stage is declining in the research, then it will be says as weakness. The AstraZeneca company has continuous process of new product. It has a sustainable environment to market their product to the customer. AstraZeneca has come across number of new products and medicines for the cancer, cardiovascular, intestine etc.. Competitive Parity: This criterion was the action of successful competitors or potential competitors. The new medicines are produced by the usage of drugs and some other agri-products. The drugs must used in a certain level. It should not go beyond of the level of drugs in to medicines. The new product will be in quality conscious. Critical factor for Success: Each business is unique and has a set of minimum objectives (i.e) to improve their drugs pipeline and they can set minimum factors of medicine, which should give more effective to the patients. So they are the strength of the company. The critical factors are considered in the pharmaceutical industry and it has able to give continuous growth to the society. This will consider to over all strength to the resources of this pharmacy industry. Pearce, Strategic Management, PHI, 2006 (date: 12-01-2010, time: 3.15p.m) Strength and Weakness of the AstraZeneca Plc.: Internal Factors: Strength Weakness More research centres are in various countries. Brand Name Having skill, experience and quality of their researchers and lab staffs. Agricultural chemical industries are working towards it. Efficient development of R D investment. Key product Development Utilization of various technologies into the biological labs. Competitors are in world wide. The shareholder value is less when compare to other competitor. They invest $16 million to R D for every day to day work. They are dumping their investment to their research itself. Major competitor are Johnson Johnson, Pfize, Bayer, Abbot Laboratories etc.. In AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical industry has more strength of this company is, investment of research and development and continuous growth of new product development. The major weakness of AstraZeneca is a competitor. It has works over 100 countries around the world. so they are marketing their products in the International market. this pharmaceutical industry has compete their compete their competitor by the way of merging their industry. AstraZeneca is a largest pharmaceutical company in the world. The market has more competitors in pharmacy industry. The major competitor are Johnson Johnson, Bayer, Pfize, Novarties, Abbot Laboratories etc.. AstraZeneca has sustained their product by producing new product and medicines by the activity of research and development. http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/fm/pme/2006/00000003/00000002/art00009 (date: 12-01-2010, time: 3.45p.m) Research and Development is a strong basement to this AstraZeneca pharmaceutical industry. They are investing around $ 5 billion in 2008, for the research and development activities. They are actively participated in improving drugs pipeline and they aim to achieve major great medicines in 2010. They are launches two new molecular Entity to the develop their new medicines. Attribute measures of its strength and weakness: These refer to statements developed to identify or list a characteristic or quality, an organization possesses or likely to possess in the near future. Our key strength is the having sustainable growth in new products development in the R D department. Our key weakness is investing more money to research and Development. Here the strength is the research and development has a innovation of new product and development in a biological industry. But at the same time the weakness is to investing more money to the R D. AstraZeneca has dumping their money to R D centre rather than other department. So it should balance the investment to other business and other factor. But at the same time, it should concentrate is R D to improve new drug pipeline. Implementing Porters competitive strategies: It should compete on the basis of low cost, or should us different our medicines on some basis other than cost, such as quality or service. It should we compete head to head with our major competitors for the biggest but most sought after share of the market. The porters competitive strategies are based on the Lower cost strategy and Differentiation strategy. Lower cost strategy is followed by this pharmaceutical company, it has an ability to design, produce, and market a comparable product more efficiently than its competitors. Differentiation Strategy is focused the company, it ability to provide unique and superior value to the buyer in terms of product quality, special features, or after-sales service. The competitive strategies are followed by different types by the way of competitive advantage and competitive scope of the pharmaceutical company. The cost leadership is considered that the pharmaceutical company has aims to broad mass market and requires aggressive construction of efficient-scale facilities, vigorous pursuit of cost reductions from experience, tight cost and overhead control, avoidance of marginal customer accounts, and cost minimizing areas like R D, service, sales, force, advertising and so on. These companies have done in a marketing department and achieve its goal among competitors. Differentiation is aim to broad mass market and involves the creation of a product or service that is perceived throughout its industry as unique. This company has differentiated their product, medicines, its quality, technology, agri-products, and features of the medicines among other competitors. Cost focus is considered to focus the primary buyer group or geographic market and attempts to serve only this niche, to the exclusion of others. This company has focus the cancer, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, infection neuroscience and respiratory and inflammation patients. They founded by hospital and they improve their quality services at the same time low cost to the patients, Differentiation Focus strategy is concentrates its particular buyer group, product line segment, or geographic market. AstraZeneca has manufacturing its different countries and it focus some diseases group, which cant get the medicine easily for particular disease. So it focus differentiated among the competitor. These are competitive strategies has adopting and implementing to the AstraZeneca Pharmaceutical industry. Neil Ritson, Strategic Management, PHI, 2006 (date: 12-01-2010, time: 4.35p.m) Analysis of AstraZeneca Plc: AstraZeneca has mostly focuses on their new medicines and their development. They are developing their new drugs pipeline for various diseases like cancer, cardiology etc., There are 19 research and Development centers are available at various countries also focuses in Social responsible activities and they are increases their stake holder value. The future investment of research and development and new product development must balance each other. From these analyses, this pharmaceutical company has more strength rather than the weakness. So the company has performed well in the past records. More strategy has adopted in the review. It should used in a marketing department and it should develp these strategies for marketing department. http://www.healthlinks-events-bpc2009.co.uk/presentations/brent_vose%20tues%208th%2011.25%20Astra%20Zeneca%20Plenary%20-challenges%20and%20oportunities.pdf (date: 12-01-2010, time: 5.25p.m) Recommendations: AstraZeneca the pharmaceutical industry has investing more money to research and development, it means to they are dumping their only to research itself. It must also consider the marketing department to improve their effective sales growth. The R D department must come across more drug pipeline diseases like swine flue, cancer, cardiovascular, gastro intestinal, infection, neuroscience and respiratory and inflammation. The R D must use more agri product rather than the chemicals. So it leads to more quality to the patients. The company must also focus to the marketing department because there is more competitors to this industry. The company must use marketing strategy effectively which are considered into this review. Conclusion: In this review we are concluded that the company has more strength rather than the weakness because of the research and development. In future market there is more medicines are all increased by the competitor. So it should consider improving the research and development by effective biological sciences, technologies and quality conscious of fit workers. The AstraZeneca has performing in social responsibilities to the society. In future it may increase the sustainable growth in new product development.

First Amendment And Music Censorship Essay -- Censorship

The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ." (Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form known as music. Music's verbal expression bonds our society through our emotions and experiences. This fundamental right of freedom of expression is being threatened by public and governmental groups who believe they have authority to monitor and decide what others should experience. The censorship of music lyrics is a violation of our First Amendment right, and public groups should not be allowed to bypass this right to censor obscene lyrics produced in the music industry. Through the decades, artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones have raised controversy over their seemingly explicit acts that are now viewed as legendary. Parents banned their children from watching Elvis Presley and his outrageous hip movements though today these moves are copied by Britney Spears, pop groups, and dancers all over the world. In 1956, Ed Sullivan deemed Elvis "unfit for a family audience." However, in 1970 Elvis met the President in the Oval Office, and now his face appears on a postage stamp (RIAA; History 2 of 4). On June 15, 1966, The Beatles released their album Yesterday...and Today featuring a shocking cover with the foursome surrounded by raw meat and butchered baby dolls. Immediately the album was withdrawn from music shelves everywhere and returned only with a new approved c... ... something we have not yet discovered. We have seen the objections of yesterday as the legends of today. Now we must stand strong to make our own decisions and see things through our own eyes and touch it with our two hands, because it is through experience and challenge that we all grow and discover new ideas. Works Cited: Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. 1791 - 1991 The Bill Of Rights and Beyond. Commission on the Bicentennial of the Unites States Constitution, 1990. Duin, Julia. "Warning Labels Don't Keep Kids From Shock CDs." Insight 12 Jan. 1998: 1-2. Hald, Karen. "Music - A Human Right." . Recording Industry Association of America . "Freedom of Speech." Brief History . Recording Industry Association of America. "Parent's Page." Background . Walters, Shari. "About Music for Teens." Parental Advisory Labels . First Amendment And Music Censorship Essay -- Censorship The First Amendment to the Bill of Rights exists because the Founders of our country understood the importance of free expression. The First Amendment states "Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press . . ." (Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution 17). One of the ways the American people use this freedom of speech and expression is through the creation of the art form known as music. Music's verbal expression bonds our society through our emotions and experiences. This fundamental right of freedom of expression is being threatened by public and governmental groups who believe they have authority to monitor and decide what others should experience. The censorship of music lyrics is a violation of our First Amendment right, and public groups should not be allowed to bypass this right to censor obscene lyrics produced in the music industry. Through the decades, artists such as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and The Rolling Stones have raised controversy over their seemingly explicit acts that are now viewed as legendary. Parents banned their children from watching Elvis Presley and his outrageous hip movements though today these moves are copied by Britney Spears, pop groups, and dancers all over the world. In 1956, Ed Sullivan deemed Elvis "unfit for a family audience." However, in 1970 Elvis met the President in the Oval Office, and now his face appears on a postage stamp (RIAA; History 2 of 4). On June 15, 1966, The Beatles released their album Yesterday...and Today featuring a shocking cover with the foursome surrounded by raw meat and butchered baby dolls. Immediately the album was withdrawn from music shelves everywhere and returned only with a new approved c... ... something we have not yet discovered. We have seen the objections of yesterday as the legends of today. Now we must stand strong to make our own decisions and see things through our own eyes and touch it with our two hands, because it is through experience and challenge that we all grow and discover new ideas. Works Cited: Commission on the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. 1791 - 1991 The Bill Of Rights and Beyond. Commission on the Bicentennial of the Unites States Constitution, 1990. Duin, Julia. "Warning Labels Don't Keep Kids From Shock CDs." Insight 12 Jan. 1998: 1-2. Hald, Karen. "Music - A Human Right." . Recording Industry Association of America . "Freedom of Speech." Brief History . Recording Industry Association of America. "Parent's Page." Background . Walters, Shari. "About Music for Teens." Parental Advisory Labels .

Literary criticism Essay

Literature represents a language or a people: culture and tradition. But, literature is more important than just a historical or cultural writing. Literature introduces us to new worlds of experience. We learn from books and literature; we enjoy the triumphs and the tragedies of poems, stories, and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books. In conclusion, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author’s message. However we interpret literature, there is still an artistic quality to the works. Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is both universal and individual, and in many ways it affects us, for the better. When some people think of the word â€Å"Literature† they think of books like, Walden, Old man and the Sea, Tom Sawyer, Great Expectations, or Moby Dick. These are what some call â€Å"the classics. † While these few books are indeed literature do we subconsciously judge other books based on the styling’s of these few? People believe that the true meaning of â€Å"Literature,† is a literary work in which the readers mind is opened to new concepts and ideals. For a writing to be called â€Å"Literature† it doesn’t have to be considered a â€Å"Classic† nor does it need to follow the same construct as these so called â€Å"Classics†. The book, 11/23/63, is much more of a form of â€Å"Literature† than A Tale of Two Cities. Based solely on the fact that in the Stephen King novel, he places the thought of, â€Å"What if? † into your mind.. Whereas, â€Å"A Tale of Two Cities†, depicts the plight of the French peasantry in the years leading up to the revolution, as opposed to opening your mind. While A Tale of Two Cities, shows you what life was like in those times. Stephen King shows you an alternate universe in which there was but one change, and how that one change affects how history takes its course. When the author helps your mind, explore worlds of endless possibility, or sheds light on a new way to perceive things. That is when the author has created a â€Å"True† work of literary merit. The thing about the term, â€Å"Literature†, is that it doesn’t have just one meaning. Literature is comprised of many things, but while Webster definition of â€Å"Literature† is, â€Å"the production of literary work especially as an occupation. † The â€Å"True† meaning is open to interpretation, meaning that one person’s definition of the word may be completely different than another person’s definition. This is both the great and horrid thing about the term. When scholars classify writing as literature, they often consider it a book or writing that has stood the test of time and despite its age it has surpassed many other great works through history by receiving merit from the scholars, based on their description of the word, influential. You may agree that it should be considered a piece of â€Å"Literature†, if it has done this, and you would be right, but what if it was a great piece of literary art that didn’t become a best seller? And thus was cast into the abyss to be forgotten until stumbled across one day by a mind ready to take in what the author wanted to say. Would you consider it â€Å"Literature? † Or would you just leave it in the abyss because it never became a best seller? Take Moby Dick for example, it is considered to be one of the Great American Novels and a treasure of world literature. However, it never received enough credit to title it a â€Å"Best seller. †One literary work, also helps define my idea of the word Literature, is The Hobbit by J. R. R Tolkien. The reason I consider this a piece of â€Å"Literature† is because of the amount of imagery Tolkien uses to bring his world to life in the imagination of the reader. In this excerpt from that book, he describes every thought of the characters and his use of imagery helps create the scene in the mind of the reader. â€Å"The dark came into the room from the little window that opened in the side of The Hill; the firelight flickered-it was April-and still they played on, while the shadow of Gandalf’s beard wagged against the wall. The dark filled all the room, and the fire died down, and the shadows were lost, and still they played on. And suddenly first one and then another began to sing as they played, deep-throated singing of the dwarves in the deep places of their ancient homes; and this is like a fragment of their song, if it can be like their song without their music. † (The Hobbit, Page 15) Tolkien’s powerful use of imagery in that passage painted a clear picture of what happens while the dwarves sing. However, Splatterpunk also uses powerful imagery to paint pictures. The key difference between the imagery used Splatterpunk and the imagery used in The Hobbit, is how the imagery is used. In the novel, The Cipher, which combined intensely poetic language and lavish grotesqueries, the author, uses imagery to place the pictures into the mind of the reader using powerful and descriptive words. As opposed to Tolkien, who draws upon the reader’s imagination with basic descriptions to help create a sketch in his mind. Now, many would not consider this a form of â€Å"Literature† due to the lack of personal connection between the story and the reader. However, I consider this book, and even this passage alone, to be a form of â€Å"Literature† solely because it opens my mind to a new world full of adventure and intrigue, while keeping the reader glued to the book during the time he reads. Imagery is a powerful tool for both the author and the reader, for if the author isn’t clear with his use of imagery it breaks the reader’s attention and allows him to be lost within the story, and not in a good way. Tolkien also uses diction to place an image into the readers mind, and he does this in such a way the reader begins to sing the song in his own head. Far over the misty mountains cold To dungeons deep and caverns old We must away, ere break of day, To claim our long-forgotten gold. Goblets they carved there for themselves And harps of gold; where no man delves There lay they long, and many a song Was sung unheard by men or elves. The pines were roaring on the height, The winds were moaning in the night. The fire was red, it flaming spread; The trees like torches blazed with light (The Hobbit, Page 16) Literature is important to us because it speaks to us, it is both universal and individual, and in many ways it affects us, for the better. In ways we sometimes may never understand. Ultimately, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it. We may interpret the author’s message in one way, while someone else finds the message a different way. In this way we see how the definition of â€Å"Literature,† is subjective to both the readers own interpretation, and the overall meaning of the work. Because even when it is ugly, literature is beautiful. Sources Cited Tolkien, John R. R. The Hobbit. N. p. : George Allen & Unwin, 1937. 15. Web.

Benefits of chocolate-revised

How can something so good be so bad? This was a question that I often asked myself while devouring the candy and chocolate I squirreled away in my â€Å"special drawer. † I grew up in a household that has always been health conscious. My mother was one of those exercise and natural food fiends who believed that popcorn was the only acceptable â€Å"junk food. † Every Halloween she would remind us that she was letting us go out to trick or treat for tradition's sake. She would then go into what I secretly called the â€Å"evil candy lecture†.(Think Willy Wonka's dad in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. ) She would frighten us with stories of kids having their teeth fall out after eating candy. This lecture was repeated at Easter even as our grandparents handed us huge chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs. As we grew older and wiser to the myth of the falling teeth, she changed tactics and warned us about zits and fat. We wouldn't want to look like a pimple that g rew a face now, would we? She was pretty much the same with the kids I went home with who, after raiding the refrigerator for chocolate would turn up empty handed.Mom would always chide us saying: â€Å"You guys already have so much energy that you can't even sit still. What would you want more sugar for? † To me, chocolate is that â€Å"secret sin† that a lot of people hide within the very cold depths of their refrigerators. People sneak bites of that luscious brown concoction, savoring its sweetness that varies from the dark and bittersweet to the hybrid milk chocolate like it was something so illegal. The many warnings against indulging in the often foil-wrapped sweet treat are unending.The dentist would warn against the extra acid needed to dissolve left over chocolate in the mouth that therefore result into cavities. Nutritionists and dietitians use the magic â€Å"C-word† or calories when preaching against the evils of chocolate consumption. The media incl uding television, the movies or advertising also add to the popular concerns about chocolate intake. Often portrayed, the scene has become familiar – a kid eating chocolate and candy normally is shown sporting bad teeth or is a fat slob with chocolate stains all over his hands and shirt.The svelte and gorgeous ladies on daytime shows referring to chocolate, cake and ice cream as â€Å"guilty† things. Chocolate's high levels of sugar, fat and calories have been blamed for a multitude of bad things from diabetes, acne, to rapidly and uncontrollably expanding waistlines. Yet it might surprise people to know that chocolate does have a good side to it. Minus the sugar and calories, it can almost qualify as a health food. â€Å"The botanical name for the cacao – or cocoa – bean is Theobroma, meaning Food Of The Gods. † (â€Å"Charlie's Chocolate Fact-Ory; SOME,† 2005, p. 24)Cocoa beans are the source of chocolate. While no chocolate formula is ali ke, it is an accepted fact that cocoa beans from which chocolate is derived from is rich in flavonoids or plant chemicals which have polyphenol which exhibits anti-oxidant properties (Isham, 2007. p. 27 ). While polyphenol is also present in many fruits, vegetables, tea and red wine, some people may say that it is easier to be â€Å"healthy† when you actually like the food you are eating. (â€Å"More Friendly News†¦Ã¢â‚¬  1993) Between broccoli and a Snickers bar†¦ is this really a choice?Recent studies have also shown that flavonoids protect the heart from the damaging effects of unstable oxygen compounds, which can damage blood vessels. A study conducted in Germany and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that the intake of dark chocolate could lower blood pressure. Similar studies have also shown that the flavonoids found in cocoa have anti-blood clotting properties and could decrease the level of low-density lipoproteins, other wise known as bad cholesterol. (Taubert, Roesen, et. al. 2007)The two-year study, which was conducted at a primary care clinic in Germany from 2005 to 2006, tested adults with mild untreated hypertension. Half of the test subjects where given polyphenol-rich dark chocolate bars while half where given white chocolate, which is mainly made up of cocoa butter. Results indicated no change from the blood pressure of the white chocolate eating group while an average drop of 5 points of systolic pressure and 2 points of diastolic pressure was monitored from the dark-chocolate group within two weeks. (Taubert, 2007)So while eating dark chocolate could be beneficial to our health, what about the supposed tooth cavities it brings? It has after all been widely believed that the acid the mouth needed to produce to â€Å"clean† the chocolate off teeth damages tooth enamel and causes decay. According to research done by the Forsyth Dental Center in Boston Massachusetts, â€Å"normal consu mption of milk chocolates, especially at meals† had no direct connection in causing cavities since chocolate by itself has the ability to â€Å"offset the acid-producing potential† of its sugar content.(â€Å"Myths and Facts†) What about the supposed correlation between chocolates and acne? Much to the delight of chocolate lovers, independent studies done at the University of Pennsylvania and the U. S. Naval Academy have categorically disproved this myth. There is also no truth that chocolate lovers take in too much caffeine. An ounce of milk chocolate only contains 6 mg. of caffeine, not much more than what is found in a cup of decaffeinated coffee. The only fat in plain chocolate comes from cocoa butter, which is produced when the roasted cocoa seeds are pressed.Comparing cocoa butter fat with other fats in food, researchers have discovered that despite its total saturated fat content, cocoa butter does not raise levels of bad cholesterol such as other kids of fat did. Such was the result of a study conducted by Dr. Margo Denke and Dr. Scott M. Grundy as published in the December 1991 issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (â€Å"More ‘Friendly' News About Chocolate And Beef,† 1992). Rather than be harmful, cocoa butter is good given its high stearic acid content, which is cholesterol neutral.(Ross, 2001) Even chocolate milk is better than just plain milk as it has been proven to contain more zinc, potassium, niacin and riboflavin than plain whole milk. (Roesel & Overly) Experts say that to get the best possible antioxidant benefits, one should prefer dark chocolates and not those mixed with milk as it appears that the milk solids deter the absorption of antioxidants. (Taubert, 2007) There is also that persistent belief that some component or chemical part of chocolates make them addictive.Leah Porter, vice president of scientific affairs for the Chocolate Manufacturers Association in Vienna, believes that the s upposed addiction is merely craving caused by the taste and smell of chocolate. â€Å"Chocolate's appeal is due to aroma, flavor and creaminess, not any addictive properties,† says Ms. Porter, who holds a doctorate in plant sciences. â€Å"If it's addictive, then other foods are addictive. † (â€Å"Chocolate's Dark Little Secret;,† 2005, p. B01) Chocolate also contains phenylethylamine, a chemical that increases in our brains that gives us a feeling of well-being and euphoria that is similar to the feeling of being in love.(â€Å"‘Eating Chocolate Makes You,† 2006, p. 30) In addition to this, it also stimulates hormones that deaden â€Å"pain† areas making it an effective and non-medicated answer to headaches (Daly & Fredholm, 2004, p. 1) Given this, it is no wonder that chocolate is among the most common â€Å"comfort† foods that people crave for especially in times when they are down and emotionally distressed. Despite these findings , critics abound against the touted health benefits of chocolate. Many are skeptical about these so-called benefits and view pro-chocolate studies as highly biased since these were commissioned by the chocolate manufacturers themselves.Some researchers question the supposed benefits of flavonoids saying that sufficient tests in a controlled environment have not been done (Tanner, 2003). Add to this the fact that most tests done are through chocolate manufacturing industry funded research damages their findings' credibility. John W. Erdman, a professor of food science and human nutrition at the University of Illinois concurs with this problem but notes that it is a â€Å"necessary evil† since research would be very difficult to conduct if it relied entirely on independent funding (Schmidt, 2002).Erdman further adds that most of the time the Food and Drug Administration only conducts tests after preliminary research has been done. He adds that one positive way to look at things is that at least, it may not be such a bad thing that companies are investigating the nutritional value of their products. (Schmidt, 2002)ReferencesCharlie's Chocolate Fact-Ory; SOME TASTY FACTS ON OUR FAVOURITE SNACK 2ozs Can Kill a Dog Was Once a Medicine 400 Beans Make 1lb It Speeds Heartbeat. (2005, July 17). The People (London, England), p. 24. Chocolate's Dark Little Secret; What's Good and What's Not about Tasty Treat. (2005, March 22).The Washington Times, p. B01. Daly, J. W. , & Fredholm, B. B. (2004). 1 Mechanisms of Action of Caffeine on the Nervous System. In Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain, Nehlig, A. (Ed. ) (pp. 1-11). Boca Raton, FL: Routledge. Retrieved October 9, 2007 from http://www. questia. com/read/108551912 ‘Eating Chocolate Makes You Feel Good'. (2006, December 19). South Wales Echo (Cardiff, Wales), p. 30. Isham, A. (2007) â€Å"Eat (More) Chocolate –Lose Weight (Anyway)† The Chocoholic's Survival Guide and Practical Handbook. Pando ra McShannon Press. â€Å"More ‘Friendly' News About Chocolate And Beef† (1992) Southwestern Medical Center for Human Nutrition. (Dallas, Texas).Retrieved from Southwestern Medical Center for Human Nutrition database: http://www8. utsouthwestern. edu/utsw/cda/dept27717/files/48295. html.â€Å"Myths and Facts. † Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Company. Retrieved October 8, 2007 from Chocolate Chocolate Company website: http://www. chocolatechocolate. com/mythfact. htm.Nehlig, A. (Ed. ). (2004). Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, and the Brain. Boca Raton, FL: Routledge. Ross, J. (2001 March), â€Å"Cocoa and Chocolate as Functional Foods† Natural Health Products Technology Cluster. Retrieved from htttp://www. uoguelph. ca/nhptc/Jessica1. html.Roesel, K., Overly, B. â€Å"All About Chocolate† Kentucky State University Cooperative Extension Program Retrieved from http://ces. ca. uky. edu/bourbon/fcs/all_about_chocolate. htm.Schmidt, P. (2002) â€Å"Chocolate's Pot ential Health Benefits – and its Effect on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Patients. † ImmuneSupport. com. Retrieved from ImmuneSupport databse: http://www. immunesupport. com/library/showarticle. cfm/ID/3464/ Tanner, L. ( 2003 August 27)†Studies Show Light, Dark Sides of Milk, Dark Chocolate. † USA Today. USA Today. com. Retrieved October 9, 2007 from http://www. usatoday. com/news/health/2003-08-27-dark-chocolate_x.htm.Taubert, D. (2007 July 3) Consumption Of Small Amounts Of Dark Chocolate Associated With Reduction In Blood Pressure. Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Retrieved from JAMA database: http://pubs. ama-assn. org/media/2007j/0703. dtl#1 Taubert, D. Roesen, R. Lehman, C. Jung, N. Schomig, E. (2007) â€Å"Effects of Low Habitual Cocoa Intake on Blood Pressure and Bioactive Nitric Oxide: A Randomized Controlled Trial. † Journal of American Medical Association Vol. 298 No. 1. pp 49-60 Retrieved October 9, 2007 from JAMA database: h ttp://jama. ama-assn. org/cgi/content/abstract/298/1/49.

drinking problem essays

drinking problem essays How do you tell if someone has a drinking problem? It is often a judgment made after assessing the persons drinking habits, how much and when, the effect on him emotionally and physically also family members, friends, employers, and the law. Although there are some ways to find out whether or not someone has a drinking problem, there is also no single set of criteria, which defines the problem drinker. You can ask whether the drinking has affected the persons physical and emotional well being. Has his relationships with his family and friends been affected? Has the persons job been affected, missing work because of drinking, been reprimanded by his employer? Has the person been in trouble with the law because of drinking? In more areas where alcohol has had an effect the more likely the persons drinking is problematic. Here are some definitions on different types of drinkers. First the moderate drinker. This type drinks occasionally or a relatively small amount of alcohol with some regularity. Such people are ones who have a cocktail before dinner or wine with their meal. Second is the heavy drinker. This is one who drinks everyday for at least a year. Also every week or two during the year a heavy drinker will drink more than six drinks at one setting. An important part of this definition is that no problems are reported as a result of the drinking. Last we will discuss the problem drinker. This type drinks as much as the heavy drinker, but drinking has caused problems in their lives. Which may include drinking to deal with lifes pressures and disappointments. he problem drinker has not crossed the line that separates problems drinking from alcoholism. The line between problem drinking and alcoholism is when the problems related to his drinking become more specific and less general. The person seems to have lost control of his drinking, friends and families disapprove of the persons drinking, and the drink ...

Dress Code and Uniforms Essay

Dress Code and Uniforms Essay Dress Code and Uniforms Essay SCHOOL UNIFORMS SHOULD NOT BE REQUIRED. In my opinion students should not have to wear uniforms if they don’t laugh or treat other students bad. Should school uniforms be required? Some parents say yes but students say no. the reason why parents say yes is because sometimes the children get pick on a lot about how they wear they clothes and what they should wear. Others believe that kids should have the freedom to dress however they want. After strongly believe that uniforms should not be required in school. Some parents think it’s a great thing for children to wear uniform because now no one would have to be picking on or laugh at about what they wear. Without uniform, they say kids will focus on clothes, instead of schoolwork. There will be pressure to buy expensive clothes, which many families can not afford for the parents these reason, some people insist that uniform are necessary. I personally disagree. There will at all times be interruption. Kids should be encouraged and trusted to focus on their schoolwork, or they will never learn to be in charge. Uniforms are not free. If families are spending money, they should be able to choose the clothes they buy. Also, uniforms interfere with creativity. Requiring uniforms send a message that all kids are the same. If school wants kids to be themselves, they should not force all students to dress alike. For all these reasons, school uniforms should not be required. If teachers and parents and principals want to

Business Cycle in Theory

The business cycle is a nonrepeating cycle of expansion from commercial activity to economic recession, which shows various upward trends. As part of the business cycle, the recession starts as the investment increases, and the economic recession expands as investment increases. From 1929 to 1933, GDP declined by 30% and the economy entered the Great Depression which continued until the Second World War. There have been ten recessions since 1945. To some extent, the 1990s like the 1920s included rapid economic growth and unprecedented prosperity (). From a conceptual point of view, linking innovation-based growth to business cycle theory is not new. The history of this idea can be traced back to at least Schumpeter (1934). Aghion and Howitt (1991) reviewed several attempts to unify growth and business cycle. Implementation cycle theory of Shleifer (1986) is an example of the conceptual relationship between (endogenous) business cycle and innovation-based growth theory. Cycle of repea ted innovation in enterprises due to externality of demand. Because we are looking forward to prosperity, prosperity will be self-fulfilling. However, to our knowledge, this is the first study to integrate diversity-based endogenous growth base and elements of the RBC method (note the attention to exogenous total productivity as the only uncertain factor Including). Because many people believe that there is an economic cycle, the economic cycle theory is important. This is not a permanent belief. In the 19th century, the economic cycle was not regarded as an economic cycle at all, but it was regarded as a spell of crisis that hampers the steady development of the economy. In the next few years economists and non economists began to believe in the regularity of these crises and analyzed how they relate to the segregated and changing economic structure. In society, it is said that history is constantly repeated. This is a business cycle that repeats the cycle that has been going on fo r many years, from the economic downturn to recovery and expansion. It will never end, it will not stop repeating Business Cycle in Theory The business cycle is a nonrepeating cycle of expansion from commercial activity to economic recession, which shows various upward trends. As part of the business cycle, the recession starts as the investment increases, and the economic recession expands as investment increases. From 1929 to 1933, GDP declined by 30% and the economy entered the Great Depression which continued until the Second World War. There have been ten recessions since 1945. To some extent, the 1990s like the 1920s included rapid economic growth and unprecedented prosperity (). From a conceptual point of view, linking innovation-based growth to business cycle theory is not new. The history of this idea can be traced back to at least Schumpeter (1934). Aghion and Howitt (1991) reviewed several attempts to unify growth and business cycle. Implementation cycle theory of Shleifer (1986) is an example of the conceptual relationship between (endogenous) business cycle and innovation-based growth theory. Cycle of repea ted innovation in enterprises due to externality of demand. Because we are looking forward to prosperity, prosperity will be self-fulfilling. However, to our knowledge, this is the first study to integrate diversity-based endogenous growth base and elements of the RBC method (note the attention to exogenous total productivity as the only uncertain factor Including). Because many people believe that there is an economic cycle, the economic cycle theory is important. This is not a permanent belief. In the 19th century, the economic cycle was not regarded as an economic cycle at all, but it was regarded as a spell of crisis that hampers the steady development of the economy. In the next few years economists and non economists began to believe in the regularity of these crises and analyzed how they relate to the segregated and changing economic structure. In society, it is said that history is constantly repeated. This is a business cycle that repeats the cycle that has been going on fo r many years, from the economic downturn to recovery and expansion. It will never end, it will not stop repeating

Employee Benefits and Services Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Employee Benefits and Services - Essay Example The reason behind this is that he/she enters the country with an aim to attain financial stability through struggle and hard work . Therefore, they work hard to gain opportunities and occasionally become successfull eventually as a good entrepreneur. There has been a continuous debate on whether a Citizen or Non-Citizen should receive the same employee benefits working for the same organization or country (United States). One view point is that if a person who is not a citizen, but has been working in US legally, is entitled to Social Security Number and subsequently, he can receive benefits almost equivalent to a native US Citizen. This provision was passed on January 1, 2004 that a non-citizen can be granted SSN if he stays in the country and works legally. A non-citizen is also entitled to unemployment benefit if an organization terminates his contract without any valid reason and after he has received SSN. (U.S. Social Security

Body Modifications in the Modern Western Society Essay

Body Modifications in the Modern Western Society - Essay Example It is imperative that considerations with regards to the ideals and beliefs be taken in order to understand as to why not just primitive cultures but modern society in general fully accepts body piercing and modification as a part of the norm. Body piercings and modifications are components of a long history of cultures that are usually rooted in shamanic and other healing practices (Favazza 2). In the past, and even in the present, blood has been a symbol of life, and thus most cultures would be putting emphasis on the importance of life and living by holding sacrifices, blood-letting, scarifications and tattoos to tribal members, whether it is part of a rite of passage or as prayer for healing, among others. The transformation of the body can be also seen as a part of a tribe’s culture, of either as a status symbol or as the ideal picture of being presentable (â€Å"Cultural Customs†). The price of attaining beauty with regards to the perspectives of some particular t ribes is by altering the normal appearance of the body into what is considered beautiful. As compared to the modern societies today, this is not something new, since there are many people who also modify their bodies by adding piercings, tattoos, even scars to promote their own identities. However, it is not a cultural thing, but a matter of choice, as is also other modifications such as body implants, body building, and other dietary alterations (Featherstone 1). Body modification is defined as practices that aim to change the natural appearance of the body in any form or means (Featherstone 1). Among such practices would be tattooing of skin, body piercings, the addition of implants in the body as well as the other dietary and exercise regimen such as fasting and body-building. In some primitive cultures, altering the body to some extent is regarded as either a rite of passage or as a beautification ritual. The addition of tattoos and other forms of scarification gives the younger boys their passport to adulthood. In a tribe in Papua New Guinea, the cutting of skin and making it seem like a crocodile’s is not just for beautification, but as a part of the transformation of boys into adults, and by entering such a ritual is their recognition of being mature in the eyes of the whole village (â€Å"Cultural Customs†). The Suri tribe in Africa cut their lips and insert a clay pot in it, and according to their customs, the larger th e plate, the more one woman is desirable to other men, and she might even get a lot of cattle as dowry for marriage (â€Å"Cultural Customs†). In Indonesia, chiseling the teeth into fine points is considered to be another form of adornment, and women who get their teeth chiseled are seen as having a higher status than those who don normal-looking teeth (â€Å"Cultural Customs†). In a westerner’s perspective this seems to be cruel, it must also be remembered that modifications of the body such as breast implants and rhinoplasty are also done my many women in order to become much more attractive to males. Also, for some people the addition of implants is a way of hastening the process of evolution. Performance artists such as Orlan and Stelarc modify their bodies through implants such as horns, and by altering their bodies they convey the message of critiquing the notion and concept of beauty (Featherstone 9). For most

MMM CO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MMM CO - Essay Example trust on the organization, increase the performance efficiency, grab the maximum market share and what strategies a company would implement to approach the customers. Internal drivers comprise of situations where the company is influenced to manage its profitability and retain its customers by applying various internal strategies. The internal drivers within an organization are centered to deliver: According to Michael Porter’s book, ‘Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance† published in 1985, the concept of Value Chain was first coined (Michael Porter). According to this concept, value chain comprise of the entire primary and the secondary activities within an organization that would help the firm to strengthen its position in the market as well as to improve its product or service efficiency within the market. At this stage, it is important for MMM & Co. to focus on all the activities of the organization that are related with the receiving and storing of the raw materials especially those products which are used by the company to produce the end products. The better the inbound logistic system of the company would be, the better would be quality of the products and the raw materials. MMM & Co. needs to focus its attention on the operations within the company that initiate from the manufacturing of the products which involves the receiving of the raw materials and end on the final production. Throughout the operations, the company is in dire need to maintain the flow of the operations smooth as well as, to maintain the control on all the steps. Outbound logistics play a key role in getting the finish products to the customers. It revolves around the handling and shipping of the products from one place to another. The smooth flow of outbound logistics plays a crucial role in determining the profitability of the company. MMM & co. needs to focus its attention on this activity. Marketing and sales stand as the corner stone to

Mental Health Incident Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Mental Health Incident - Essay Example The Driscoll model shall be used as the reflection tool for this paper. Body: Driscoll reflective model What? A description of the event The purpose in returning to this situation is to review my actions and to evaluate whether or not these actions were in accordance with the standards of the practice. I also returned to this situation in order to establish areas of improvement and to evaluate how well I performed in the actual clinical setting. During one of my shifts in my mental health placement, I encountered an aggressive patient, who shall be referred to as Mr. Y, in order to protect his identity and maintain patient confidentiality. He was a 22 year old male patient diagnosed recently with schizophrenia. When I first approached him, he was very wary and nervous. I initially introduced myself to him and maintained a comfortable distance of about 4 feet. He was sitting on a stool looking angrily at anyone who approached him. His medication was due and I was tasked with administe ring it. Accompanied by my mentor, I approached the patient, introduced myself and said that his oral medication was due and I was there to help him take it. As I was talking, I noted that he was on the verge of aggression so I kept a safe distance from him. I waited for him to respond, but then he suddenly stood up and tried to lunge at me. I stepped away from him before he could grab me and my mentor and the other staff nurses immediately grabbed him before he could inflict any physical harm. The staff told me to proceed in giving him the medication. Since, it was an oral medication, it was difficult to administer as he clenched his jaw and tried to bite off my fingers. With some assistance from the staff members I was able to administer the medication. After the incident, he was immediately restrained and strapped to the bed. During the incident, I observed that I physically prepared myself for a possible attack from an aggressive patient, and that based on the quick response of the staff and my mentor, they were also expecting aggression from the patient. They also sensed possible aggression based on the demeanour of the patient before the incident. The assistance which was given to me during the incident was very much welcome because I would not have been able to handle the aggressive patient on my own. The main element I observed in the situation is the period of escalation from a possibly aggressive patient. The study by Beech and Leather (2003) indicate that the escalation of aggression can often be observed from the patient’s demeanour, his failure to cooperate with the staff and then finally his actual physical act of aggression. Dunn and colleagues (2007) discuss that there may be various interventions which could have been done to de-escalate his aggression and prevent the actual act of aggression. Dunn, et.al., (2007) also point out that the act of physically restraining the patient is often commonly used for these aggressive patients. Chem ical restraints could have been administered however, the staff explained that chemical restraints might not interact well with his current medications. Melillo and Houde (2011) discuss the chemical restraints administered alongside psychopharmacological drugs can have adverse interactions and can cause further agitation and confusion. Stewart, et.al., (2009) also discuss that maintaining a therapeutic distance from mental health patients is crucial in the protection of one’

Diversity in Racial, ethnic and cultural history Essay

Diversity in Racial, ethnic and cultural history - Essay Example There is a growing need for the government agencies and leaders, businessman, educators, and the society in general, to look at these racial differences that are not thought of in the past. Because of globalization, we come to accept this diversity, and for economic reasons, we realize the interdependence of each others lives. The growing economic system that is due to globalization .and advanced technology has accelerated the need to understand cultural differences and accept it as a way of life. I am a Caucasian by race with a French background. Being a Caucasian, I am proud of my ethnicity. The whiteness of the skin or being fair skinned as a passport to the American culture, is something new to me. Caucusus, the land where we lived, is blessed by nature, and for a long time, supplied the Russians with oil. Because of this relation, Caucasians developed a racial communist background, but we now belong to the ex-communists world. It is only now that I learned that the cohesiveness of my people is an influence of the Soviet system, and with the collapse of the system, people became closer because they feared of the uncertainty of their future, and â€Å"they have fallen back to ethnic solidarity to counter feelings of insecurity†(Henze, Paul, n.d.) Caucasus, is home to forty ethnic groups for many years, so its culture and ethnicity is a mixture of all these. Dr. Takvul, Ufuk, who made a sociological analysis of the Caucasia culture, said this race is characterized by ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is a tendency to view groups or cultures different from its own perspectives. It is an attitude that tends to believe of its own superiority. But having a French background makes my identity more colorful. Like the U.S., the immigration laws of the French country are tainted with racial prejudices. The existence of several laws makes the lives of minority groups difficult because of xenophobic attitude. Xenophobia is the extreme hatred for foreigners, and based

MMM CO Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

MMM CO - Essay Example trust on the organization, increase the performance efficiency, grab the maximum market share and what strategies a company would implement to approach the customers. Internal drivers comprise of situations where the company is influenced to manage its profitability and retain its customers by applying various internal strategies. The internal drivers within an organization are centered to deliver: According to Michael Porter’s book, ‘Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance† published in 1985, the concept of Value Chain was first coined (Michael Porter). According to this concept, value chain comprise of the entire primary and the secondary activities within an organization that would help the firm to strengthen its position in the market as well as to improve its product or service efficiency within the market. At this stage, it is important for MMM & Co. to focus on all the activities of the organization that are related with the receiving and storing of the raw materials especially those products which are used by the company to produce the end products. The better the inbound logistic system of the company would be, the better would be quality of the products and the raw materials. MMM & Co. needs to focus its attention on the operations within the company that initiate from the manufacturing of the products which involves the receiving of the raw materials and end on the final production. Throughout the operations, the company is in dire need to maintain the flow of the operations smooth as well as, to maintain the control on all the steps. Outbound logistics play a key role in getting the finish products to the customers. It revolves around the handling and shipping of the products from one place to another. The smooth flow of outbound logistics plays a crucial role in determining the profitability of the company. MMM & co. needs to focus its attention on this activity. Marketing and sales stand as the corner stone to

Diversity in Racial, ethnic and cultural history Essay

Diversity in Racial, ethnic and cultural history - Essay Example There is a growing need for the government agencies and leaders, businessman, educators, and the society in general, to look at these racial differences that are not thought of in the past. Because of globalization, we come to accept this diversity, and for economic reasons, we realize the interdependence of each others lives. The growing economic system that is due to globalization .and advanced technology has accelerated the need to understand cultural differences and accept it as a way of life. I am a Caucasian by race with a French background. Being a Caucasian, I am proud of my ethnicity. The whiteness of the skin or being fair skinned as a passport to the American culture, is something new to me. Caucusus, the land where we lived, is blessed by nature, and for a long time, supplied the Russians with oil. Because of this relation, Caucasians developed a racial communist background, but we now belong to the ex-communists world. It is only now that I learned that the cohesiveness of my people is an influence of the Soviet system, and with the collapse of the system, people became closer because they feared of the uncertainty of their future, and â€Å"they have fallen back to ethnic solidarity to counter feelings of insecurity†(Henze, Paul, n.d.) Caucasus, is home to forty ethnic groups for many years, so its culture and ethnicity is a mixture of all these. Dr. Takvul, Ufuk, who made a sociological analysis of the Caucasia culture, said this race is characterized by ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is a tendency to view groups or cultures different from its own perspectives. It is an attitude that tends to believe of its own superiority. But having a French background makes my identity more colorful. Like the U.S., the immigration laws of the French country are tainted with racial prejudices. The existence of several laws makes the lives of minority groups difficult because of xenophobic attitude. Xenophobia is the extreme hatred for foreigners, and based

Aristotle and Piety Essay Example for Free

Aristotle and Piety Essay The Euthyphro is a much studied text of Plato’s, which unfortunately has left many people with some very serious questions. Primarily, why does the Euthyphro end in failure? Socrates was the wisest man alive, and for some reason his quest for understanding falls short. Yet somehow, I doubt that this has anything to do with a fault in the argument, but rather, the reason for the failure lies with Socrates main line of questioning. The problem is introduced with the idea of an â€Å"essence. † As Euthyphro comes to understand, it is a nigh indefinable idea. At the end of hours of looping questions, the only thing anyone has accomplished is a kind of hazy confusion about things you once thought you, understood. To be frank and realistic, I question whether anyone can define an â€Å"essence. † I personally tried to define the essence of something simple, anything would do. Unfortunately, now I’m no longer quite sure what a biscuit is. To try and define the â€Å"essence† of anything, especially something as complex as piety confuses the issue. Socrates is presented with Euthyphro’s idea of piety. That, in and of itself would not be enough, in my mind to define piety. Yet I’ll assume that Socrates, being the curious individual that he was, asked others about piety, and that should be enough to find a definition. Ethical relativism, an idea that Socrates uses to make several arguments, is in a sense, the â€Å"essence† of piety. Piety is different from person to person, so much so that there cannot be a standard to measure it by. The only universal standard of piety is that it is relative to each individual. Yet Socrates refuses to accept this conclusion, no matter which argument is presented to him, or no matter how clearly the answer is laid before him. Take for example, the argument that piety is defined as ‘that, which is dear to the gods’. Euthyphro believed he had identified the â€Å"essence† of piety by bringing up the fact that the actions and things loved by the gods. Socrates refuted this argument quite skillfully by saying that the gods disagree, thus leaving one with a dilemna. Yet people picked which gods to worship above the others (for example, Socrates worshiped Apollo above all other gods), and thus people also picked what was pious. For Euthyphro, to a degree, that was in fact piety, as defined by his religious convictions. Yet as was proved in other arguments by Euthyphro, it was not all that comprised his ideals. Another prime example of the varied ways which piety can be defined by an individual, is when Socrates and Euthyphro discuss the trial of Euthyphro’s father. To Euthyphro, phillial piety is not an issue. In this example, loyalty to law and order is a direct reflection of Euthyprho’s ideals of piety. It is again relative, and Socrates can illustrate quite artfully, how it doesn’t reflect the â€Å"essence† of piety. However, I can see no better example of piety, or at least of ethical relativism. For in this instance Euthyphro is following his own personal ideal of piety, with no regard for anything beside that. The basis of Socrates questioning is why the whole argument falls apart. If you persist in a line of questioning that cannot have an answer, you’ll never reach a conclusion. Even more to the point, if you constantly dispute the answer which recurs in every angle of your arguments, you’ll be hard pressed to find an answer which makes sense. What Socrates did in the Euthyphro would be like a mathematician refusing to accept pi as a number, while still using it in calculations. There is however a chance that Socrates understood all of this, ultimately wanted people to figure it out for themselves.

Dextranase Enzyme Production

Dextranase Enzyme Production Dextranase definition and its uses Dextran is a collective name given to a large class of homopolysaccharides composed of D-glucans with contiguous a-1, 6 glycosidic linkages (95%), with minor secondary linkages such as a-1, 2, a-1, 3 and a-1, 4 [74]. It is produced by microorganisms such as Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Streptococcus sp., Acetobacter capsulatus and Acetobacter viscus [44]. Dextrans are well soluble in water, have low toxicity, and relative inertness. These properties make dextrans effective water-soluble carriers for dyes, indicators, and reactive groups in a wide variety of applications. They are widely used in the pharmaceutical and biochemical fields. Dextrans of low molecular weight are used as an alternative to blood plasma. They are also used for clinical purposes such as drug delivery [82], and by cross-linking for the production of the chromatographic matrix Sephadex. They are also widely used as both anterograde and retrograde tracers in neurons [94]. On the other hand microbial synthesis of de xtrans in damaged cane and beets or other products containing sucrose is a serious problem in sugar and food industry. Dextran is also a structural component of dental plaque which causes the development of dental caries [78], [85]. Dextranases are enzymes that cleave the a-1,6 glycosidic linkages of dextran to yield either glucose or isomaltose (exodextranases) or isomalto-oligosaccharides (endodextranases), and are only produced as extracellular enzymes by a small number of bacteria and fungi, including yeasts and perhaps some higher eukaryotes [44]. Enzymes in many groups can be classified as dextranases according to function: dextranhydrolases, glucodextranases, exoisomaltohydrolases, exoisomaltotriohydrases, and branched-dextran exo-1,2-alpha glucosidases. In particular the chemical reaction catalyzed is as follows: (1,4-alpha-D-glucosyl)n + (1,4-alpha-D-glucosyl)m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬  (1,4-alpha-D-glucosyl)n-1 + (1,6-alpha-D-glucosyl)m + 1 These enzymes belong to the family of glycosyltransferases, specifically the exosyltransferases. The systematic name of this enzyme class is: 1,4-alpha-D-glucan: 1,6-alphaD-glucan 6 alpha-d-glucosyltransferase. Other commonly used names include dextrin 6-glucosyltransferase and dextrin dextranase. Many microorganisms are known to produce dextranase, including filamentous fungi belonging to the genera Penicillium, Aspergillus, Spicaria, Fusarium and Chaetomium, bacteria, e.g. Lactobacillus, Cellvibrio, Flavobacterium etc. The only yeasts reported to produce dextranases are members of the family Lipomycetaceae. Only Lipomyces kononenkoae [104] and Lipomyces starkeyi dextranases have been characterized [47]. Potential commercial uses of dextranases include: The synthesis of potentially valuable oligosaccharides [30] Potential mouthwash ingredients since isomaltose may be of significant importance for the prevention of dental caries [40], [41] Clearance of dextran contamination in cane sugar processing [25] Dual-stimuli-responsive drug release as in biodegradable polymer-structured hydrogels of gelatin and dextran [55]. Hydrogels are used for a wide range of biomaterials applications such as: contact lenses, drug delivery vehicles and tissue adhesives. Dextrans are polymers that mimic biological sugars found on tissue surfaces. The dextran hydrogel system with tunable mechanical and biochemical properties appears promising for applications in cell culture and tissue engineering [58] Drug delivery device suitable for delivering drug to the colon [7], [8]. Brondsted et al. studied the application glutaraldehyde dextran as a capsule material for colon-specific drug delivery. The dextran capsules were challenged with a dextranase solution, simulating the arrival of the drug delivery to the colon, so they broke and the drug was released as a dose pump. The outcome highlights the dextran capsules as promising candidates for providing a colon-specific drug delivery Also in site-specific drug delivery systems with the use of antibodies [69] The improvement of brewing yeast strain for beer industry. Due to the rising demand for low-calorie beverages, including beer, recombinant strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been produced by integrating LSD1 gene of Lipomyces starkeyi [101]. S. cerevisiae lacks the ability to produce extracellular depolymerising enzymes that can efficiently liberate fermentable sugar from abundant, polysaccharide rich substrates [75]. By introducing the gene mentioned above, adding an exogenous enzyme during beer fermentation to achieve starch hydrolysis and oligosaccharide reduction can be avoided Carbohydrase activity produced can also be exploited in sensitive chromogenic bioassays for toxicity: a mycotoxin bioassay using the intracellular ÃŽÂ ²-galactosidase activity of Kluyveromyces marxianus has been developed [20] Classification of dextranase based on amino acid sequence Dextranases are dextran-degrading enzymes that form a diverse group of carbohydrases and transferases. The more recent classification divides dextranases into two classes: endodextranases (a-1,6-glucan-6-glucnohydrolase; also referred to as dextranase) and exodextranases ( glucan-1,6-ÃŽÂ ±-glycosidase; also referred to as dextran glucosidases). The Nomenclature Committee of the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (IUB-MB) provides a system of classification depending on the type of reaction catalyzed and product specificity (Table 1). Contrary to that system, the Carbohydrate Active Enzymes (CAZy) database describes the families on terms of structural and mechanical features of these enzymes; enzymes with different substrate specificities are placed in the same family and those that hydrolyze the same substrate are sometimes placed in different families. In another classification system, Henrissat and Bairoch [33] have divided glucosylhydrolases and glycosylt ransferases into five families on the basis of the similarities in the amino acid sequences (Table 2). Table 1: The IUB-MB classification system EC3.2.1.11 Dextranases EC3.2.1.70 Glucan-1,6-glucosidases EC3.2.1.94 Glucan-1,6-isomaltosidases EC3.2.1.95 Dextran-1,6-isomaltotriosidases EC3.2.1.115 Branched-dextran exo-1,2-glucosidases Table 2: Classification of dextran hydrolysing enzymes, based on amino acid sequences. Dextran-glucosidases Families 13 15 Isomaltodextranase Family 27 Isomaltotriosidase Family 49 Endodextranases Families 49 66 (no sequence similarities between the two families) Aoki and Sakano (1997) came up with 4 families [2]. They isolated and sequenced the isopullunase gene (ipuA) from Aspergillus niger ATCC 9642. The gene shows significant amino acid similarity to the dextranase produced by Penicillium minioluteum (PEMDEX) and Arthrobacter sp. (ARTDEX). Since ASNIPU shows great similarity to PEMDEX and ARTDEX, they can be classified as Family 1. In the same fashion, the researchers compared the amino acid sequences of dextranases and dextran-hydrolising enzymes, including ASNIPU. Lipomyces species and Lipomyces starkeyi Lipomyces starkeyi and Lipomyces kononenkoae belong to the Lipomycetaceae family and are the only yeasts reported to produce dextranases. The first Lipomyces species was identified by Robert Starkeyi in 1946 during a study of nitrogen-fixing bacteria: it was then that he discovered L. starkeyi, a fat-producing, ascosporogenous soil yeast. The family Lipomycetaceae was proposed later, in 1952 by Lodder and Kreger von Rij. Lipomyces species can utilize starch as a sole source of carbon. Both species contain highly efficient amylolytic systems, permitting growth on starch with very high biomass yields [97]. The family Lipomycetaceae is known to utilize certain heterocyclic compounds, such as imidazole, pyrimidine, and pyrazine and their derivatives, as sole nitrogen sources [92]. Information on the genome organization and molecular genetics of this group of yeasts is very limited. The ascosporogenous soil yeast L. starkeyi has been reported to produce commercially useful extracellular dextranase activity [97], [52], [53], and it can utilize a variety of other compounds, like hexoses, pentoses, alcohols and organic acids, as sole sources of carbon and energy [46]. The strains of L. starkeyi currently used are NCYC 1436, IGC 4047, ATCC 12659 and its de-repressed mutant ATCC 20825. L. starkeyi dextranases Commercial use of dextranase began in 1940s, mainly by producing low-molecular-weight clinical dextran. Therefore, industrially practical mixed culture fermentation of L. starkeyi and Leuconostoc mesenteroides was capable of producing controlled-size dextrans in order to satisfy clinical use, in which dextranase produced by L. starkeyi hydrolyzed the high molecular weight dextran produced by L. mesenteroides to a controlled size [46]. The enzyme production system of L. starkeyi needs an inducer. Dextran is its normal inducer but it is a relatively expensive carbon source for large-scale fermentations. Also, L. starkeyi is reported to have slow growth and difficulty of avoiding contamination from other microorganisms during growth. With that in mind D. W. Koenig and D. F. Day (1989) undertook to establish conditions which would minimize the cost of the inducer for producing an enzyme by using a de-repressed mutant of L. starkeyi ATCC 12659 grown on glucose. Thus the mutant ATCC 20825 is capable of hyperproducing dextranase at low pH to provide biologically contaminant-free supernatant liquid containing dextranase. Lipomyces starkeyi (IGC 4047), when grown on dextran as a sole carbon source produced a dextranase able to hydrolyse blue dextran and Sephadex G-100. The molecular weight was 23kDa and the isoelectric point was 5.4 [97]. The dextranase of L. starkeyi (ATCC 20825) studied by Koening and Day (1988, 1989a, 1989b) was analysed by SDS-PAGE and produced four bands, of molecular weights 65 kDa, 68 kDa, 71 kDa, and 78 kDa. Millson and Evans (2007) have isolated extracellular dextranase of L. starkeyi NCYC 1436 and have found that for their strain the enzyme occurs as three molecular weight species and seven isoelectric forms [68]. L. starkeyi nutrients (YPDex / YPD) The main ingredient in the chosen media is yeast extract. Yeast extract is a dried autolysate which facilitates rapid and luxuriant growth when used in various media or fermentation broth. It is a good source of amino-nitrogen and vitamins, especially the water-soluble B-complex vitamins. However, yeast extract is reported to enhance glucose metabolism to lipids, but inhibit lipolysis [18]. The metabolic pathway consists of converting glycerol into pyruvate or glucose and then hydrolysis by a phosphatase gives glycerol again. The disruption of this metabolic pathway, could account for the seemingly truncated numerous bands that SDS gives after prolonged storage of the yeast. Mycological peptone is incorporated in the media and discourages bacterial growth because of its acidity. Environment that dextranases favour Dextranase activity is affected by temperature, pH, metal ions and nutrients. According to Lin Chen et al (2007), dextranase activity is optimized between temperatures of 10oC and 60oC at pH of 6.0 [12]. In the particular study, the effect of pH on enzyme activity was determined by varying the pH between 3.5 and 8.5 under the temperature of 30oC. The pH of 3.4-4.5, 5.0-7.5, and 8.0-8.5 were maintained by sodium acetate buffer (20mM), citrate and phosphate buffer (20mM) and sodium phosphate buffer (20mM) respectively. The effects of metal ions (AlCl3, CaCl 2, CoCl2, CuSO4, FeCl3, KCl, MgCl2, NaCl, NiSO4, MnCl2 and ZnCl2) and SDS on dextranase activity were assayed by incubation of dextranase with 1mM metal ions or 1 mM SDS at pH 4.5 for 3h at 37oC, and then the enzyme activity of dextranase was determined. Ravi Kiran Purama and Arun Goyal (2008) in a study for optimization of nutritional factors, estimated dextransucrase activity in the cell free extract of Leuconostoc mesenteroides. They analysed the regression coefficients and t-values of six ingredients: yeast extract, sucrose, intercept, K2HPO4, beef extract, peptone and Tween 80. Yeast extract, sucrose, beef extract, and K2HPO4 displayed a positive effect for enzyme production whereas, peptone and Tween 80 had a negative effect on enzyme production. The variables with confidence levels greater than 90% were considered as significant. Sucrose was significant at 99.99% confidence levels for dextransucrase production. K2HPO4 and yeast extract were found significant about 94% level for dextransucrase production. Beef extract was significant 91% for dextransucrase production. Peptone and Tween 80 were found insignificant with negative coeffficients for enzyme activities. Methods used for enzyme activity measurement Enzymatic activity is measured with the help of laboratory methods called enzyme assays. All enzyme assays measure either the consumption or production of product over time. Enzyme assays can be split into two groups according to their sampling method: continuous assays, where the assay gives a continuous reading of activity, and discontinuous assays, where samples are taken, the reaction stopped and then the concentration of substrates/products determined [11], [20]. Continuous assays: Spectrophotometry in which you follow the course of the reaction by measuring a change in how much light the assay solution absorbs Fluorimetric assay in which we make use of the difference in the fluorescence of substrate from product to measure enzyme reaction. These assays are in general much more sensitive than spectrophotometric assays, but can suffer from interference caused by impurities and the instability of many fluorescent compounds when exposed to light Calorimetric assay in which the heat released or absorbed by chemical reactions is measured Chemiluminescence in which the light emitted by some enzyme reactions is measured so as to detect product formation. The detection of horseradish peroxidase by ECL is a common method of detecting antibodies in western blotting Discontinuous assays: Radiometry in which the incorporation of radioactivity in substrates is measured Chromatographic assays measuring product formation by separating the reaction mixture into its components. This is usually done by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), but thin layer chromatography can also be used. Although this approach needs a lot of consumables its sensitivity can be increased by labelling the substrates/products with a radioactive or fluorescent tag Methods and assays for dextranase activity measurement The large variability of available substrates makes it difficult to estimate the enzyme activity, because the reaction product is often an undefined mixture of sugar polymers. The existing assays try to compromise convenience, speed and accuracy [44] Viscosimetric analysis was among the first to be used [31], [35], [36]. This method measured the amount of enzyme which reduced the specific viscosity of the dextran solution by half in 10min. and it is more suitable when dextranase hydrolyses the dextran molecule at random, producing long oligosaccharides. Reducing-sugar assay or saccharogenic methods measure the rate of increase in reducing sugar as measured with the Somogyi assay, the 3,5-dinitrosalicylicacid method (DNS) [102], thiourea borax-modified O-toluidine colour reagent (35) and alkaline potassium ferricyanide solution (225). These methods test the presence of free carbonyl group (C=O). It is a simple method commonly used to analyze for reducing sugars produced from enzymatic hydrolysis of substrates such as starch and sucrose [67].The most common substrates applied are Dextran T2000,47 T-260,3 and T110 [54], [72]. A number of substances have been reported as interfering with DNS colour development and citrate is one of them. Acetate and citrate are reported to enhance colour development and the true antagonist in this reaction is the proton (H+) [96]. This method is based on the release of short coloured products from polymeric blue dextran and their selective colorimetric detection at 610-650nm after precipitation of the p olymer. DNS colorimetric assays reported in literature are often modifications of the method of Webb and Spender-Martins (1983). E. F. Khalikova and N. G. Usanov (2001) developed a dextranase assay using an isoluble substrate, namely, Sephadex G-200 with Remazol Brilliant Blue dye [45]. The action pattern of dextranase was then, studied by means of exclusion chromatography. Overall, this assay was reported as convenient for quantitative dextranase detection, relatively independent of the enzyme source, and is proposed as an inexpensive alternative to the known procedures utilizing coloured substrates. The dextranase substrates can be either dye-releasing or fluorogenic. The assay procedures based on these substrates are accurate, fast and can be recommended for dextranase-producing microbial screening and enzyme purification. Other assay procedures worth mentioning include a spectrophotometric method with the use of Blue Dextran developed by Kauko K. Makinen and Illika K. Paunio (2004) who recommend it for column chromatography [62], and a method based on simple titration, developed by Eggleston and Gillian (2005) for easy use at the sugar cane factory [19]. Fluorometric assays are based on measuring the fluorescence of the samples and the results are often compared to a series of standards of Penicillium sp. A very sensitive fluorometric assay using amino-dextran-70 coupled with fluorescent dye BODIPY (4,4-difluoro-5,7-dimethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-sindacene-3-propionic acid, succinimidyl ester) as the substrate was described by M. Zhou et al. (1998). The BODIPY FL dye-labelled dextranase substrate is an amine-containing dextran derivative that is labelled with the pH-insensitive, green fluorescent BODIPY FL dye, resulting in almost total quenching of the conjugates fluorescence. The increase of the fluorescent degradation products of BODIPY FL dextran is proportional to the amount of dextranase activity [102]. A suspension of Sephadex in a buffer is supplemented with agar, sterilized, and poured in Petri dishes, and after the wells are filled with the test solution, they are left to incubate. The dextranase activity can be evaluated by the extent of halos around the holes due to the opalescence of Sephadex. Milson and Evans (2007), measured dextranase activity using SDS PAGE as described by Laemmli (1970), using both mini-gel and Protean II electrophoresis systems, and stained using Coomassie Blue [68], [56]. Molecular weight markers were used to construct a calibration curve, from which molecular weights of dextranase were determined. Native gel electrophoresis was performed, but the loading buffer and the gel lacked SDS and ÃŽÂ ²-mercaptoethanol and the samples were not heated prior to loading on the gel. In the same study, dextranase activity was estimated in SDS gels, without extraction, by a plate modified from the method of Lawman and Bleiweis (1991) [57]. FL versus DNS assay method The classic method (DNS) for measuring glycosidases through release of reducing activity is simple and inexpensive and, as cited above, has been modified in several studies so as to suit the researchers needs. It may, however, have some pitfalls. The reaction taking place is the following: aldheyde group oxidation> carboxyl group 3,5-dinitrisalicylic acid reduction-> 3-amino,5-nitrosalycilic acid (Nam Sun Wang, University of Maryland) The above reaction scheme shows that 1 mole of sugar reacts with 1 mole of 3,5-dinitrisalicylic acid. However, it is suspected that there are many side reactions, and the actual stoichiometry is more complicated than that previously described. Different reduced sugars yield different colour intensities; thus it is necessary to calibrate for each sugar. Apart from the oxidation, other side reactions may compete for the availability of 3,5-dinitrisalicylic acid. Consequently, the calibration curve may be affected and the intensity of the developed colour may be enhanced. Therefore, the method has low specificity and one must run blanks diligently if the colorimetric results are to be interpreted correctly and accurately [96]. Another obstacle to be dealt with when using DNS is non-linearity. One cause of non-linearity could be the common practice of diluting reaction products before quantification of reducing compounds and another is the insufficiency of substrates. The fluorometric assay (FL), seems to gain ground in the most recent studies as faster and more accurate and it seems to leave space for modifications and combined use with other methods (see  §1.3.1). A standard curve is constructed from Penicillium sp. and then compared with the one derived from Lipomyces starkeyi. As described in the previous paragraph dextranase activity is estimated by the increase of the fluorescent products of dextran degradation. However, if too many fluoro are conjugated to the dextran molecule undesired may come up. Molecular Probes TM seems to overcome this problem by removing as much of the free dye as possible and then assaying the fluorescent dextran by (TLC) to ensure that it is free of low molecular weight dyes. So, in general, FL seems to yield accurate curves. Millson and Evans (2007), used an assay of dextranase activity which was a variation on that reported by Zhou et al. (1998). In that study, fluorescence vs. dextranase activity produced a linear log [68], [102]. Purification of L. starkeyi dextranase Dialysis tubing Dialysis tubing is typically used for changing the buffering solution of a protein and is also a method for concentrating protein solutions by dialysis against a hygroscopic environment (e.g. PEG, Sephadex). The protein solution is contained within a membrane which permits solute exchange with a surrounding solution and whose pore size prevents the protein from escaping. Except for small volumes, this method is time-consuming [11]. Filtration Ultrafiltration Ultrafiltration (UF) is a variety of membrane filtration in which hydrostatic pressure forces a liquid against a semi-permeable membrane. Suspended solids and solutes of high molecular weight are retained, while low molecular weight solutes pass through the membrane. UF is not fundamentally different from microfiltration or nanofiltration, except in terms of the size of the molecules it retains. [11], [77]. SDS-PAGE Purification of Lipomyces starkeyi dextranase is carried out mainly by running a SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) analysis. The solution of proteins to be analyzed is first mixed with SDS, an anionic detergent which denatures secondary and non-disulfide-linked tertiary structures, and applies a negative charge to each protein in proportion to its mass. SDS binds in a ratio of approximately 1.4g SDS per 1.0g protein. The size of the protein is directly related to the distance it migrates through the gel. Dextranase molecules migrate as bands based on size. Each band can be detected using stains such as Coomassie blue dye [77]. Modifications to the polypeptide backbone, such as N- or O- linked glycolylisation, however have a significant impact on the apparent molecular weight. Thus, the apparent molecular weight is not a true reflection of the mass of the polypeptide chain. In most cases, SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis is carried out with a discontinuous buffer system in which the buffer in the reservoirs is of a different pH and ionic strength from the buffer used to cast the gel. After migrating through a stacking gel of high porosity the SDS-polypeptide complexes are deposited in a very thin zone (or stack) on the surface of the resolving gel. The discontinuous buffer system that is most widely used was originally devised by Orstein (1964) and Dvis (1964) [77]. The sample and the stacking gel contain Tris Cl (pH 6.8), the upper and lower buffer reservoirs contain Tris-glycine (pH 8.3) and the resolving gel contains Tris Cl (pH 8.8). All components of the system contain 0.1% SDS [56]. Precipitation methods of proteins Precipitation is widely used in downstream processing of biological products, especially proteins. It serves to concentrate and fractionate the target product from various contaminants, as in biotechnology industry where precipitation helps to eliminate contaminants commonly contained in blood. The underlying mechanism of precipitation is to alter the solvation potential of the solvent and thus lower the solubility of the solute by addition of a reagent. Precipitation is usually induced by any of the following methods [11]: Salting out Isoelectric point precipitation Precipitation with organic solvents Non-ionic hydrophilic polymers Flocculation by polyelectrolytes Polyvalent metallic ions Salting out This the most common type of precipitation. Normally a neutral salt is added, such as ammonium sulphate, which compresses the solvation layer and increases protein protein interactions. As the salt concentration of a solution is increased, more of the bulk water is associated with the ions. Consequently, less water is available to partake in the solvation layer around the protein, which exposes hydrophobic interactions, aggregate and precipitate from solution. Isoelectric point precipitation The isoelectric point (pI) is the pH of a solution at which the net primary charge of a protein becomes zero. At a solution pH that is above the pÃŽâ„ ¢ the surface of the protein is primarily negatively charged and therefore like-charged molecules will exhibit repulsive forces. At a solution pH that is below the pI, the surface of the protein is primarily positively charged and repulsion between proteins occurs. At the pI, the negative and positive charges cancel, repulsive electrostatic forces are reduced and the dispersive forces predominate, and will, therefore, cause aggregation and precipitation. The pI of most proteins lies in the pH range of 4-6. Mineral acids, such as hydrochloric and sulphuric acid are used as precipitants. The greatest disadvantage to isoelectric point precipitation is the irreversible denaturation caused by the mineral acids. For this reason isoelectric point precipitation is most often used to precipitate contaminant proteins, rather than target pro tein. Precipitation with organic solvents Ethanol or methanol, if added to a solution may cause the proteins of the solution to precipitate. As the organic solvent gradually displaces water from the surface of the protein and binds it in layers around the organic solvent molecules, the solvation layer around the protein decreases. In that state, the protein can aggregate by attractive electrostatic and dipole forces. Parameters to consider are temperature (should be less than 0 °C to avoid denaturation), pH and protein concentration of the solution. Miscible organic solvents decrease the dielectric constant of water, which in effect allows two proteins to come together. At the pI the relationship between the dielectric constant and protein solubility is given by: log S = k/e2 + log S0 S0 is an extrapolated value of S, e is the dielectric constant of the mixture and k is a constant that relates to the dielectric constant of water [98]. Non- ionic hydrophilic polymers Dextrans, polyethylene glycols and other polymers are used in precipitation of proteins due to their low flammability and are less likely to denature biomaterials compared to pI precipitation. These polymers attract water molecules away from the salvation layer around the protein, which enforces protein-protein interactions and induces precipitation. For the case of polyethylene glycol, the following equation models precipitation: ln(S) +pS = X ÃŽÂ ±C C is the polymer concentration, P is a protein-protein interaction coefficient, ÃŽÂ ± is protein- polymer interaction coefficient and X = ( ÃŽÂ ¼i ÃŽÂ ¼i0 )RT ÃŽÂ ¼ is the chemical potential of component I, R is the universal gas constant and T is the absolute temperature [98]. Flocculation by polyelectrolytes Polyelectrolytes form extended networks between protein molecules in solution. These include alginate, carboxylmethylcellulose, polyacrylic acid, tannic acid and polyphosphates. The pH of the solution determines the effectiveness of these polyelectrolytes. Anionic polyelectrolytes are used at pH above the pI. Cationic polyelectrolytes are used at pH above the pI. The precipitate may dissolve back into the solution if an excess of polyelectrolytes is used. Polyvalent metallic ions Enzymes and nucleic acids are precipitated with the use of metal salts at low concentrations. Most frequently polyvalent metallic ions used are Ca+, Mg+, Mn+ or Fe+. Precipitation reactors Industrial scaled reactors that are used to precipitate large amounts of proteins, such as recombinant DNA polymerases from a solution include: Batch reactors The agent is slowly added to the protein solution under mixing, so the aggregating particles tend to be regular in shape. The protein particles are exposed to a wide range of shear stresses for a log period of time and become mechanically stable. Tubular reactors The precipitating reagent and the feed protein solution are contacted in an area of mixing and then added into enlongeted tubes where precipitation occurs. Plug flow is approached by the elements as they move along the tubes. The tubular reactor is inexpensive to be constructed but can become long and slow in case that aggregation of the particles occur slowly. Continuous stirred tank reactors CSTR reactors also known as vat or back mix reactors, run at steady state with a continuous flow of reactants and products in a well-mixed tank. It is a type of reactor mainly used in chemical engineering. A CSTR often refers to a mathematical model which is used to estimate the key unit operation variables when using a continuous agitated-tank reactor to reach a specified output. Perfect mixing is demanded. Precipitation of L. starkeyi The most common precipitation methods in the case of L. starkeyi cited in literature are: Isoelectric focusing Koening and Day (1988) used precast IsoGel agarose isoelectric focusing plates, pH 5.0-8.5. A standard mixture of proteins was applied in the lane next to each sample and the protein profile was quantified by densitometer scans. The enzyme activity in the gel was determined by slicing an unstained gel into 0.9 mm sections. Each section was placrd in a test tube with 1.0 ml 0.05 M citrate/phosphate (pH 5.5) buffer, allowed to elute overnight at 4oC and assayed for enzyme activity. This method separated the protein mixture into five isoelectric bands. All five forms were found to have dextranase activity and exhibited the same Km values. Organic solvents Polyethylene glycol precipitation is often used. Nishimura et al. (2002) used this method in an effort to prepare total DNA from L. starkeyi for taxonomy analysis. They added phenol solution (phenol: chloroform: isoamyl alcohol=25:24:1) to a test tube of Tris-SDS. The