The CSI Effect Essay Example for Free

The CSI Effect Essay Many T. V shows come on and influence the public that the things that take place on these shows are real. There is Law in Order SVU, 24, Bones and our favorite CSI that make people think that countless cases are open and close do to outrageous finding of DA traces. The CSI Effect is a theory that criminals are getting smarter. These shows give out numerous tactics on how many cases are cracked and suspects are arrested. The CSI Effect also results in various hang juries and miss trials due to lack of evidence. The jury is starting to need more evidence, because the influence they have from watching these television shows. I have seen a show on television called CSI Miami. On this particular show, there was a murder-taking place with no clue at all, on who committed the crime. They had recovered some DA, but there were no past data to make a match on a suspect. The detectives had someone in question on who it might be but no evidence to hold him to the crime. Out of nowhere, one of the detectives on the case was talking to the man in question and somehow saw up his nose a dot of blood no bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. He then grabbed a q-tip and told the man to stand steal while he dug up his nose to retrieve the DA. The DA sample was too small to test, so they sent it out to the FBI who has a glucose blood enhancer to stretch the DA enough to run the match. Of course, the DA was a match. The show then goes off and another bad person offs the street. This story is what is changing the minds of criminals and way of thinking. Criminals are starting to clean their tracks. Detectives are closing in on criminal and finding that they are cleaning the whole crime scene. Once entering a house the place is washed down in bleach to cover all traces of DA. Some rapist are wearing condoms and making their victims take baths to clean off all traces of the criminal’s DA. Criminals are also taking extra measures to wear gloves and masks so they cannot be seen or leave any fingerprints. They are taking more precaution on having an alibi stating they were never around when the crime took place. The theory is that criminals are watching these shows and learning on how to maintain a criminal life style without being locked up. These shows are making the police jobs much harder to apprehend suspects. Another default with this CSI Effect is that it is making the courts harder the sentence criminals. Juries are starting to want more evidence from prosecutors and DA matches to prove the defendant’s guilt. There was a case with two detectives shot and killed in an undercover gun deal. On the evening of March 10, 2003, two New York Police Department detectives, James V.  Nemorin and Rodney J. Andrews, were shot and killed in an unmarked police car while attempting an undercover purchase of a Tec-9 assault pistol on Staten Island. The case was significant not just because two officers had died but because the man who was eventually charged with the murders, Ronell Wilson, faced the possibility of becoming the first person in more than fifty years to be executed for a crime in New York State. The government’s theory was that Wilson, who was with an accomplice in the back seat of the car, shot the detectives during a robbery attempt. Among the evidence retrieved from the crime scene were hundreds of hairs and fibres, and prosecutors enlisted Lisa Faber, a criminalist and the supervisor of the N. Y. P. D. crime lab’s hair-and-fibre unit, to testify at Wilson’s trial, last winter. Under questioning in Brooklyn federal court, Faber said that she had compared samples of fabric from the detectives’ car with fibres found on gloves, jeans, and a baseball cap that Wilson had allegedly been wearing on the night of the crime. The prosecutor asked Faber to describe the methods and equipment she had used to make her analysis. Then she asked Faber what she had found. â€Å"My conclusion is that all of those questioned fibres could have originated from the interior of the Nissan Maxima, from the seats, and/or the backrests,† Faber said. She added that in her field â€Å"the strongest association you can say is that ‘it could have come from’ † the source in question. Faber’s testimony was careful and responsible—and not very significant. She could not say how common the automobile fabric that she had examined is, or how many models and brands use it. Nor could she say how likely it was that the fabric from the car would show up on Wilson’s clothes. Faber used no statistics, because there was no way to establish with any precision the probability that the fibres came from the detectives’ car. DNA tests had proved that blood from one of the detectives was on Wilson’s clothes, and based on this fact, as well as on testimony from his accomplice and from Faber, Wilson was convicted and sentenced to death. â€Å"Given how much evidence they had in the case, I wasn’t crucial,† Faber told me. The prosecutors liked the idea of fibre evidence in addition to everything else. Maybe they thought the jury would like it because it was more ‘CSI’-esque. †(thecsieffect) The fibres could have come from a different car and was not enough proof to prove the case, but due to the television show like CSI and others. The jury thought of the evidence as an open and shut case. Later on there was a sur vey taking asking were the decision that the jury gave influence by CSI and most of the jury said yes. This was a case were the prosecutors took a gamble and won. Most cases do not end like this. Most case there is not enough evidence to back up the case. The CSI Effect is only a theory, which means there are not enough facts to back up this case but enough intelligence for some facts to stand. For every sentence that is handed out because of evidence pointing in the direction of guilty, another case is a not guilty verdict due to lack of evidence. Some may say that television hit show CSI is the cause, but some may say that it is not the case. I say, with great detective work and as much evidence that one can gather, this CSI theory would not even be up for debate.

Benefits of Healthy Eating in Early Childhood

Benefits of Healthy Eating in Early Childhood Paul Dervey Introduction In this assignment I will be focusing on the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle, diseases and prevention of diseases. I will discuss the chronic diseases that can be prevented and the ways that help to reduce the risks of developing these, and look at major food groups and how these can impact a healthy active lifestyle. I will explore activities for a healthy lifestyle and how they contribute to a reduced risk of obesity and illness. I will also define the meaning of wellbeing and how this can be achieved for children and their families. Leading a healthy lifestyle Leading a healthy lifestyle is paramount in everyone’s lifetime as there are many ways in which a child and their family can prevent diseases or a chronic illness, and mental health related problems. The British Heart Foundation have carried out research into living healthily and staying healthy, and discussed that ‘eating healthily can stop you gaining weight, which in return reduces the risk of illness’ (http://osclinks.com/59). Chronic illnesses concerning obesity are linked with poor diet and not much exercise. The major types of chronic illness are:- Coronary heart disease- This occurs when the blood supply is blocked by fatty deposits due to a high diet of saturated fats. Cancer- Eating a poor diet which could lead to obesity has several risks. The research that has been undertaken so far in the United Kingdom suggests that newly diagnosed cancers could have been halved if a person was to lead a healthy lifestyle. Stroke- This is where there is a restriction of oxygen to the brain. Eating healthily and undertaking plenty of exercise daily can reduce the risks of a stroke. Diabetes- This is a chronic health condition in the United Kingdom affecting around 2.8 million people. Diabetes can be controlled by the use of insulin, eating sensibly and exercise depending on the type. Complications and problems can occur if diabetes is not controlled properly, such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, eye problems, and nerve pain and foot ulcers. High blood pressure- This could lead to a stroke or coronary heart disease, which could be due to lack of exercise or being overweight. The above chronic illnesses may be prevented by having a good healthy diet on a day to day basis and exercise. Being healthy would reduce the risk of being or becoming obese which would therefore prevent these diseases occurring. Cases in the past where children have been mistreated showed that children require a balanced nutrition diet. The Victoria Climbie case in February 2000 highlighted the importance of young people’s services working together to reduce the risks of ill care towards children. ‘This case highlighted the importance of multi-agency working and information sharing in order to protect children and prevent them from harm’. (www.safenetwork.org.uk). The Children Act 2004 was introduced and the green paper within Every Child Matters which identified five outcomes that are important to children and young people. These are to be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve an economic well-being (www.everychildmatters.org.uk). These outcomes have meant that organisations are now working together and sharing information to protect children and young people. This case highlighted the importance of providing children with nutrition. Eating healthily Eating healthy has many benefits which include the prevention of chronic illnesses and mental wellbeing, which in turn could lead to behavioural problems. Children who sit around the table during family time with their families are less likely to become ‘choosy eaters’. Eating as a family also promotes family bonding time and encourages children to try different varieties of nutritious foods. Behavioural problems could stem from missing essential minerals and vitamins in a child’s diet. A healthy diet should include different nutritionally balanced meals. The main types of nutrition groups are:- Carbohydrates which provide a high energy level amongst essential B vitamins such as iron, fibre and calcium. These will be found in foods such as potatoes, bread, pasta, rice and starchy foods. Protein is essential in a child’s development as it supports body cells, repair and body growth. Proteins contain vitamins and acids which help to keep the bodies cholesterol levels low. Proteins are found in foods such as meat, eggs, fish, bread, milk, and a range of dairy products. Unsaturated fats can be beneficial for the body lowering its own cholesterol in the blood. Not all fats are harmful to the body, however saturated fats can increase the body’s cholesterol. Unsaturated fats can be found in olive oil, sunflower oil, tuna, salmon and nuts. Fruit and vegetables are recommended by Government guidelines for an individual to consume five portions of fruit and vegetables per day. However, new research has highlighted the need for seven pieces per day. Fruit and vegetables contain essential minerals and vitamins to help prevent diseases such as heart, stroke and cancers, while helping to maintain a balanced weight. Sugars are within food such as fruit and milk, but there is a high concern for other sugary foods such as fizzy drinks and sweets where sugar is added to these. All of the above foods are advised to be eaten in portion sizes, including several of the different major foods daily. Nutrients are present within foods such as fibre and potassium, which help to maintain a healthy body. It is important to get the correct balance of the above foods in order to get the maximum benefits of being healthy. Fruit and vegetables should be the biggest portion of food consumed, with protein and carbohydrates in the remaining part of the diet. Sugars and fatty foods should be limited within the diet. When planning meals, seasonal changes may be taken into consideration as individuals consume different foods according to the time of year. For example, salads in the summer and vegetables in the winter. Activities for young children Activities and exercise are essential for a child as they grow up into adolescence. Setting good habits and providing a good exercise pattern will keep the body from accumulating unwanted fats, which could lead to chronic illness and a high body mass index. ‘The Department of Health suggested that the number of 2-15 year olds taking part in the recommended amount of exercise is only 30%’ (OSC P10). This is concerning, however opportunities can be made available for children in the house that individuals would not normally think were classed as exercise such as housework and gardening. Activities do not necessarily have to include attending the gym or running a marathon, it can be as little as one hour a day as stated by professors in Glasgow. ‘In 2006, professors identified through a study of 545 nursery school children, that one hour of exercise a day was required for children to maintain a healthy body mass index, in addition to eating a healthy diet’ (OSC P15). Activities which can be carried out with young children can focus on physical and mental wellbeing such as walking or taking trips to the local park exploring the environments and growing independent with new surroundings. Children’s play centres give children a chance to meet other children and gain confidence playing with others. Creative activities such as cooking encourage parents and children to taste new healthy foods and explore the variation of colours and textures. This would promote a kinaesthetically approach of learning for the child. Other physical activities for young children could include children acting out words in books, using bodies to make shapes and letters. Nature walks and other outings to explore the environment could also be part of physical development. For babies, reaching and rolling are important to explore the world around them. Toddlers go from crawling, to standing, then walking. Pre-schoolers balance along obstacles, move to music and role pla y. Activities for young children can contribute to a healthy lifestyle as they can provide many benefits which include promoting healthy growth and development, and helping to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Benefits could also include, improving balance, co-ordination and strength while improving posture. Activities would assist with the development of gross and fine motor skills and improve things such as concentration, confidence and self-esteem. Activities provide opportunities to develop social skills and make friends and establish connections between different parts of the brain (www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au). These benefits show that physical development is important for children, and adults need to support this by role-modelling and encouraging throughout childhood to promote a healthy lifestyle. Wellbeing Wellbeing is defined as ‘the state of being comfortable, healthy or happy, with security and safety. When looking at a child’s wellbeing there are many factors to focus on to give a healthy wellbeing for both the family and the child. The key aspects are like a stone in a bridge where there is a supportive structure which keeps everything upright. A loving environment would give a child and family the safe factor in life, and would bring a secure feeling to an individual. An example of this is where a child is comforted, and provided with love and reassurance. By ensuring routines are in place within the family, this would give everyone involved a sense of stability. A bedtime routine would show the child that there is a time to settle down after playing during the day, and consistency with times would allow the child to set healthy balances of time. A positive supportive attitude would create and improve self-esteem, which is essential for a child as they are growing up into society. An example of this could be when letting a child play and share toys with other children, reassuring the child to share when they are reluctant. Creating a positive atmosphere where a child and their family can thrive and always try to look forward in life is important. This could include taking more time to think about a situation and how the ch ild can adapt to this, while showing consistency. Wellbeing in a child is about the child developing to ensure the child feels valued, supported and confident in their choices. This will enable children to feel positive about themselves and have a positive outlook on life. Choice and opportunities would support children with independence by giving them the opportunity to take the lead role. Wellbeing can be achieved for children and families together through strong attachments. Conclusion From this assignment it can be seen that a healthy lifestyle is of importance to young children and families. There are many benefits that are highlighted in leading a healthy lifestyle, and I have discussed how problems can be caused by not leading a healthy lifestyle. Early intervention looking at diet and activities, benefit young children as they grow up to learn how important being healthy is, and adults play a supportive role within this. (1797 words) Bibliography Childcare Level 3, Open Study College, Unit 1- Healthy Living course notes. Gavigan, C. (2009) Healthy Child Healthy World. Plume books, New York. Framework- 5 key outcomes [Online] available from: http://www.every-child-matters.org.uk/Framework_5_key_outcomes [Accessed 29.10.14] Multi-agency working [Online] available from: http://www.safenetwork.org.uk/training_and_awareness/Pages/multi-agency-working [Accessed 4.11.14] Benefits of eating healthy [Online] available from: http://www.patient.co.uk/health/healthy-eating  [Accessed 9.11.14] Physical Development [Online] available from: http://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/teachers-childcare/physical-activity.aspx [Accessed 9.11.14]

Gel Electrophoresis and the Action of Alkaline Phosphatase

Gel Electrophoresis and the Action of Alkaline Phosphatase Introduction In this practical, two common techniques found in clinical laboratories are performed. The first technique is called gel electrophoresis and the second is an enzyme activity assay.      Ã‚   Electrophoresis is a method that uses an electrical field to separate proteins by molecular size. In this case, the protein extracted in practical 1 and an unknown protein are separated and analysed using a polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Electrophoresis is a popular and widely used analytical technique in research, it can be used for a variety of applications but its most widespread use is the separation of proteins to then analyse and purify them. The technique has greatly evolved over the years since the instrumentation, buffer systems and visualization techniques have all been rapidly improving. This has helped to create different protein electrophoresis techniques such as isoelectric focusing (IEF) or electrophoretic transfer (commonly known as Blotting) which are great tools used in modern research methods (facebook page). The second experiment is an enzyme rate reaction experiment that uses alkaline phosphatase (ALP). Where the enzyme activity of a commercially available purified form of ALP is compared to the ALP activity of the cell lysate prepared in practical 1. A chemical reaction rate can be influenced by the presence of enzymes, these proteins can catalyse a chemical reaction by lowering the activation energy of the reaction. They can do this all while remaining unchanged, making them a perfect candidate for a marker to monitor a chemical reaction rate. These reactions are found in all living organisms and naturally occur in metabolic pathways for example. The activity of an enzyme can be altered by a change in the pH, the concentration of the enzyme or the substrate, the temperature and by the presence of inhibitors. By controlling these changes the activity of an enzyme can be reliably monitored. Enzymes are very specific to their corresponding substrate. When an enzyme is mixed with its specific substrate in vitro, under optimum conditions, the substrate will bind to the active site of the enzyme to form the enzyme-substrate complex at a steady rate. Thus, until the substrate is used up or the enzyme begins to denature or the complex f ormed changes the reaction conditions. By monitoring the products of a chemical reaction, we can analyse the rate of production of enzyme-substrate complexes. In this experiment, ALP is the enzyme that speeds up the hydrolysis reaction that occurs to p-nitrophenyl phosphate to form p-nitrophenol. ALP is mainly found in the liver, bone, kidney but it is also produced by the cells in the small intestine. The CACO-2 cells used in practical 1 have very similar traits to cells found in the small intestine, therefore, the ALP activity in the extract can be measured. By monitoring the course of the reaction during various time points, the activity of ALP can be determined. Electrophoresis Materials Pipettes and tips Deionized water Electrophoresis polyacrylamide gel Electrophoresis apparatus Cell lysate (practical 1) Protein X Colour prestained Protein standard Laemlii buffer: NuPAGE LDS sample buffer 4x lot#1658555 opened on the 27/07/2015 Coomassie blue Running buffer Methods Firstly, a loading sample containing the cell lysate prepared in practical 1 was made by adding 2 µl of cell lysate, 3 µl of water and 5 µl of laemlii buffer into an Eppendorf tube. A second loading sample containing protein x was prepared by adding 10 µl of protein x to 10 µl of laemlii buffer into an Eppendorf tube. The samples were then added to a heated bath for 2 minutes. During this time, the polyacrylamide gel was opened and the comb and tape were gently removed. The electrophoresis cell was then assembled before filling the inner and outer buffer chambers with provided running buffer. The inner chamber had more buffer than the outer chamber to totally incubate the gel in the buffer. 10 µl of the protein x sample, 3 µl of the ladder and 14 µl of our cell lysate sample were then loaded onto the gel in different wells by carefully inserting them using a pipette with slender tips. Once the apparatus was correctly assembled, the electrophoresis cell was connected to the power supply and the electrophoresis was performed at 150mv for 1 and a half hours. After completion of the migration of the bands, the power supply was turned off and the electrical leads were disconnected. The gel cassette was then removed and the gel was gently transferred by floating it off the plate. The gel was then stained using Coomassie blue for an hour before transferring it to water. A picture of the gel was then taken for further interpretation. Results By measuring the migration distance travelled by the bands of proteins of known molecular weight, we can plot a standard curve of the distance travelled versus the molecular weight: Table 1. Standard bands migration distance versus fragment size Standard distance travelled (cm) Ladder fragment size (kDa) 2 245 2.7 190 3.5 135 4.5 100 5.6 80 7.1 58 8.5 46 10.3 32 11.6 25 12.6 22 13.4 17 14.1 11 Figure 3. Standard curve of the migration distance versus ladder fragment size of the protein standard This produces an equation that can be used to measure the sizes of the bands produced by the protein x sample. Table 2. Relative size of protein x components. Band number Protein x Sample distance travelled (cm) Protein x relative size proteins (kDa) 1 1.4 232.34 2 2.3 189.75 3 3.4 148.15 4 6.7 70.5 Discussion The bands observed in figure 1 are composed of proteins of the same size. The proteins are loaded in the negative end of the gel since they are negatively charged, as the electrophoresis reaction is occurring, the negative current will push the samples towards the positive end. The smaller samples will travel faster and thus further through the gel whereas larger sized proteins will tend to migrate less. This difference in migration is due to the structure of the gel, it has fine filaments that can be represented as a mesh. The density of the gel is dependent on the concentration. The smaller proteins will find it easier to travel through the mesh whereas the larger molecules will move much more slowly (facebook page). Also, we can observe that some bands are darker than others, this is because the darker bands have a higher concentration of a particular protein of the same size. We can estimate the molecular weight of the proteins by comparing the migration distances of the bands against the standard seen in well 1 (see figure 1). We can also observe the number of different protein sizes that are present in our samples by counting the number of bands. For example, our sample of protein x contains 4 visible bands, meaning there are 4 protein groups in protein-x. The most significant band in the protein x separation is the last band containing the smaller fragments of protein. This band is estimated to have proteins of about 70.5 kDa. This band can also be seen in the electrophoresis separation of the cell lysate prepared in practical 1. The band is seen in both samples because it is the band containing albumin. Albumin is the most abundant protein in the blood. It has a molecular mass of between 65-75 kDa which encompasses the estimated 70.5kDa of the proteins found in the bands calculated earlier (all about albumin, theodore Peters). In this practical, the use of beta-mercaptoethanol (BME) is used in combination with the sample buffer prior gel electrophoresis. It is activated by heating the sample and permits the successful migration of the subunits of the proteins during electrophoresis. It works by independently separating them on the SDS-PAGE. It completely denatures the disulphide bonds within the subunits to let the peptides freely migrate according to their chain length. By overcoming forms of tertiary protein folding and lysing oligomeric subunits, the influence of secondary structures is minimized. Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) is also used during the experiment, as discussed in practical 1, this substance is an anionic detergent and is used during electrophoresis to linearize and promote the negative charge of the proteins prior to gel electrophoresis. The result of this is the even distribution of charge throughout the protein to help separate the protein fragments according to their size (Detergent bi nding explains anomalous SDS page migration of membrane proteins). To stain the proteins in this practical, a Coomassie stain was used. This protein stain is the most common anionic protein dye. It is popular because it stains most proteins and has great advantages such as good quantitative linearity, good use in identification during mass spectrometry and short staining times, for example. Other dyes can be used in gel electrophoresis such as silver stains. These stains have very high sensitivity, but unlike Coomassie Blue, they offer a lower linear dynamic range and are usually complex, therefore the protocols are time-consuming. Also, they do not offer sufficient reproducibility for quantitative analysis. Other type of stains that are commonly used are fluorescent stains. These stains also offer high sensitivity but, unlike silver stains, have a wider linear dynamic range and are simple to use and robust. The disadvantage is that they are more expensive to use and require specific imaging equipment such as scanners to view the gel (facebook page) . The electrophoresis technique is now a routinely used method used in clinical laboratories to screen for protein abnormalities using samples of serum, urine or cerebral spinal fluid and can analyse specific proteins such as enzymes (ALP or LDH), lipoproteins or haemoglobin. These techniques are evaluated visually for the presence of abnormal protein bands and can also be quantitively measured to determine the concentration of the bands. In a normal serum protein electrophoresis, 5 distinct bands appear on the gel; the highest band contains albumin, followed by smaller bands containing alpha-1 globulins, alpha 2 globulins, beta globulins and finally gamma globulins. Analysing these bands can determine if abnormalities are present in the major proteins found in the body and can therefore be a valuable diagnostic tool. For example, changes in the zone containing the albumin band can help diagnose various abnormalities such as bisalbuminemia (2 bands instead of 1) and hyperalbuminemia. Significant changes in concentrations of other bands of the serum protein electrophoresis can easily help determine many different pathological disorders. The most common use of serum protein electrophoresis is for the diagnosis of multiple myeloma. An abnormal peak in a region of the gamma globulin area can indicate a monoclonal gammopathy. Monoclonal gammopathies have been shown to be associated with an anomalous clonal process that can lead to the development of cancerous tumours such as multiple myeloma (Patterns of serum protein electrophoresis, our experience at King Hussein Medical Center, Jordan). Another common use of electrophoresis in a clinical laboratory is lipoprotein electrophoresis. This method determines the concentrations of different lipoproteins such as LDL. High plasma levels of LDL have been associated with acute myocardial infarction and other heart related diseases. Conclusion Gel electrophoresis is used to separate proteins according to their sizes by migrating them through a gel using an electric gradient. The smaller proteins will migrate faster and further than larger sized proteins due to the structure of the gel. This technique can be used in various clinical settings, for example, to analyse lipoproteins or serum proteins to help diagnosis various conditions. Enzyme activity of Alkaline Phosphatase Materials Pipette and tips 96 well plate Commercial ALP Cell lysate from practical 1 Cell lysate provided Lysis buffer Para nitrophenol phosphate (PNP) 3M NaOH (stop solution) Plate reader Method The experiment was performed in different steps to minimize potential errors due to timing issues. The first was the monitoring of the commercial ALP enzyme reaction rate in combination with the blank test. This was done by adding 100 µl of the commercial ALP into 6 wells of the same line. The enzyme substrate Paranitrophenol phosphate was then added to all the wells as fast as possible to maintain a homogenous reaction in all the wells. Prior to the addition of the enzyme and the substrate, 50 µl of the stop solution (NaOH) was added to the first well to provide an initial reaction rate of 0s. 50  µl of stop solution was then added to the other wells at a 3-minute interval until the final 6th well (t=15min). The plate was then read at 410nm and the results were collected. During this time, a blank test was performed by using the same method. The only difference was that the wells only contained 200  µl of enzyme substrate and therefore no enzyme. After this was performed, an enzyme rate reaction for the provided cell lysate was done. Firstly, a stock solution of 700  µl was done by adding 350  µl cell lysate with 350  µl of buffer. 100  µl of the cell lysate stock solution was added to 6 wells. The first well also contained 50  µl of the stop solution as mentioned earlier. 100  µl of enzyme substrate was then added to all the wells as fast as possible. After 3 minutes, 50  µl of the stop solution was then added to the second well, followed by the third 3 minutes later, and so on until the last well. The plate was then read at 410 nm on the plate reader. The final enzyme reaction contained the cell lysate prepared in practical 1. Firstly, a 700  µl stock solution of cell lysate was done by adding 175  µl of the cell lysate created in practical 1 to 525  µl of lysis buffer. 100  µl of the cell lysate stock solution was added to 6 wells. The first contained 50  µl of stop solution as mentioned earlier. 100  µl of enzyme substrate was then added to all the wells as fast as possible. After 3 minutes, 50  µl of stop solution was added to the second well, followed by the third 3 minutes later, and so on until the last well. The plate was then read at 410nm on the plate reader. This experiment was done twice to provide duplicates. Table 3. 96 well plate distribution (time (t) in minutes) 1 (t=0) 2 (t=3) 3 (t=6) 4 (t=9) 5 (t=12) 6 (t=15) A BLANK BLANK BLANK BLANK BLANK BLANK B C Commercial ALP Commercial ALP Commercial ALP Commercial ALP Commercial ALP Commercial ALP D E Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate F G Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate Practical 1 Cell lysate H Provided Cell lysate Provided Cell lysate Provided Cell lysate Provided Cell lysate Provided Cell lysate Provided Cell lysate Results Table 4. 96 well plate absorbance (410nm) results 1 (t=0) 2 (t=3) 3 (t=6) 4 (t=9) 5 (t=12) 6 (t=15) A 0.284 0.303 0.288 0.344 0.294 0.290 B C 0.277 0.355 0.433 0.504 0.582 0.674 D E 0.662 0.396 0.483 0.635 0.685 1.131 F G 0.330 0.544 0.487 0.563 0.614 0.708 H 0.329 0.545 0.740 0.814 0.915 0.967 By using these absorbance, we can plot a graph of the absorbance versus the time for the various tested samples to analyse and compare them. Note that the results from well E1 and G2 have been omitted due to the errors occurred during pipetting (E1 well is t=0 but absorbance is abnormally high and G2 absorbance is abnormally high). Fortunately, these wells were part of a duplicate so the other result from the sample was kept. Figure 4. Graph of the absorbance over time of the commercial ALP, the cell lysate from practical 1 and the provided cell lysate. The activity of an enzyme can be measured by determining the rate of the formation of the product or the rate at which the substrate is used up. The rate of the reaction decreases when the substrate is being used up, therefore, the rate must be measured during the period when the formation of the product or decrease in substrate is linear with time. The rate of a reaction at time 0 is called the initial linear reaction rate (V=0min). By using the polynomial equations for each curve, an initial rate can be determined where V0=A410min-1. In other words, the value (b) in front of x in the quadratic equation y=ax2+bx+c is the initial rate of the reaction ( youtube vid). Assuming that 0.1 mM of the solution of the reaction product produces an absorbance of 1, we can determine the enzyme rate as shown below. Table 5. Initial rates for each sample Sample Initial rate (Abs/min) Enzyme rate (mM/Min) Practical 1 lysate 0.1059 0.01059 Blank 0.0336 0.00336 Commercial ALP 0.0695 0.00695 Provided ALP 0.2745 0.02745 Discussion By using this technique, we can calculate how fast an enzyme can catalyse a reaction. In this case, we can compare the rate of reaction of the cell lysate, the provided ALP and the commercial ALP to the blank sample as shown below: Cell lysate: (0.0059/0.00336) = 1.756 It can be said that the ALP present in the cell lysate from practical 1 sped up the reaction 1.756 times faster compared to the reaction without it. Commercial ALP: (0.00695/0.00336) = 2.065 It can be said that the commercial ALP sped up the reaction 2.065 times faster than without the commercial ALP. Provided ALP: (0.02745/0.00336) = 8.17 It can be said that the provided ALP sped up the reaction 8.17 times faster than without the provided ALP. Conclusion ALP is a widely-used enzyme in our body, it removes phosphate groups by a process called dephosphorisation. Its activity can be measured in vitro by monitoring its activity during a chemical reaction in controlled conditions. The experiment used different samples containing ALP to catalyse the reaction of p-nitrophenyl phosphate to form p-nitrophenol. In conclusion, the results confirmed that ALP can speed up a reaction and this acceleration was measured by comparing the rate of reaction compared to a blank sample.

Facebook, YouTube and Twitter: Changing the World Essay example -- Med

Introduction Media and society have always been inseparable. In his article The Mediatisation of Society Theory (Hjarvard 2008), Stig Hjarvard deduced that media simultaneously have become an integrated part of society. This integration, undoubtedly, has brought about changes in societies and media as both sides interact with and affect each other. One of prominent discussion covering this issue is that media have generated a great impact to the way people live. New social media, such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter with their â€Å"premise of increased engagement, a radical change from mass communication to interaction, from information transmission to dialogue† (Hoffmann & Kornweitz, 2011, p. 32) have made users to be more extrovert, provided them a link to other parts of the world or simply created opportunities to get in touch with someone they never expected before. Hence, the existence of media has plays a significant role in human life today. Thus, these changes do not only happen in today’s societies who are surrounded by technologies brought by vast growth of information and communication channels. In fact, media have revolutionized the human civilization since thousand years ago when people â€Å"had no idea about electricity or alphabets† (Hikmah, 2011). History has proved that the invention of communication tools such as printed media or telephone has encouraged people to extend their influence over people in other areas, spread their ideas or even inspired them to transform the governmental system (Crowley & Heyer, 2011 ). Related to that, the ideas of the very nature of media may bring major effects within the society have captivated the attention of several communication theorists. This concept then called â€Å"Medium Theo... ...na Media Research, 6(1), 86-90. Sloan, J. (1968). UNDERSTANDING McLUHAN: SOME IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SPEECH TEACHER AND CRITIC. [Article]. Speech Teacher, 17(2), 140-144. Sollis, B. (2008). PR 2.0: Putting the Public Back in Public Relations. Retrieved 29 August, 2011, from http://www.briansolis.com/2008/04/pr-20-putting-public-back-in-public/ Stutzman, F. a. H., W. . (2009). Boundary Regulation in Social Media. Paper presented at the AOIR. Retrieved from http://fredstutzman.com/research.html Wallop, H. (2011). Japan earthquake: how Twitter and Facebook helped. Retrieved 12 April, 2011, from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/8379101/Japan-earthquake-how-Twitter-and-Facebook-helped.html Windah, A. (2005). Impact of Electronic Sinema of "Tangisan Anak Tiri" to Children's Perseption Toward Stepmother Image. The University of Lampung, Bandarlampung.

Power in Shakespeares Macbeth :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Power in Macbeth There are many different types of power that a person may have. Some of the time, however, the person in that power is not the best person to be in that power. This is especially true in William Shakespeare's Macbeth. Throughout the course of the play, the Three Witches and Lady Macbeth are the people with the most power over Macbeth's life. The more power that a person has, the more corrupt they become. Many different people in Macbeth have power, and there are different ways to be powerful, Usually, men are the ones who are outward and aggressive about it, and women are more subdued about it. Lady Macbeth has a great deal of power over Macbeth the power which she holds over him, is the fact that she possesses more of the "manly" quality than Macbeth himself does. Because of this, Macbeth is ashamed of himself. As a result of Macbeth's shame, he attempts to do everything in his power to prove himself to Lady Macbeth. He is attempting to prove himself to Lady Macbeth, because she obv iously has her doubts, "When you durst do it, then you were a man,/ And, to be more than what you were, you would/ Be so much more the man." (1,7,54-56). As a result of Lady Macbeth's doubts and mocking, Macbeth finally murders Duncan in a final attempt to prove himself to Lady Macbeth. Although Lady Macbeth was successful at convincing Macbeth to murder Duncan, the Three Witches were the people who made it all possible. The Three Witches hold the ultimate power. If the Three Witches had indeed not informed Macbeth about what was to be, then be would not have repeated the Three Witch's prophecies to Lady Macbeth, "All hail, Macbeth! Hail to thee, thane of Glamis!/ All hail, Macbeth!/ hail to thee, thane of/ Cawdor!/ All hail, Macbeth! that shalt be king hereafter." (1,3,50-53). In turn, if Lady Macbeth had not been informed about the prophecies, she would have never expected Macbeth to murder Duncan in a desperate attempt to fulfill the prophecies. On the other hand, the Three Witch es not only gave Lady Macbeth the opportunity to alter Macbeth into the tyrant which he now is the Three Witches also led Macbeth to his downfall soon after Macbeth came into power. How the Three Witches accomplished this, was they made Macbeth feel over-confident, "Be lion- mettled, proud, and take no care/ Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are:/ Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until/ Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill/ Shall come against him.

Of Mice and Men Brotherhood Essay

â€Å"Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place. . . . With us it ain’t like that† (Steinbeck, 15). As we follow Lennie and George on their journey towards what they consider to be the dream life, the audience comes to learn along with the characters that dreams are not all they’re cracked up to be and sometimes the most rewarding goal in life is one which has already been achieved. The two main characters in the book Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck are poor farm workers who hope to one day own their own farm and become self-sufficient. What they never realize is that the most important thing they can ever have is each other. Despite their periodic quarrels, Lennie and George share a connection comparable to that of brothers and a love so profound it ultimately costs Lennie his life, leaving George with the reality he never saw before: that were he not so caught up in a frivolo us endgame, he would have seen that he had already found something worth living for in his large, clumsy companion. George often has a hard time coping with Lennie and the problems his disability causes for the two of them regarding work and living situations. He tells Lennie, â€Å"You can’t keep a job and you lose me ever’ job I get. Jus’ keep me shovin’ all over the country all the time. An’ that ain’t the worst. You get in trouble. You do bad things and I got to get you out. You crazy son-of-a-bitch. You keep me in hot water all the time† (12). George rarely becomes as outwardly upset with Lennie as he is in this instance, but it’s clear in the way he talks to him throughout the book that he is easily frustrated with having to look after someone else all the time, especially someone who needs as much care as Lennie does. Lennie doesn’t seem to fully understand this, or otherwise doesn’t care much because he trusts George to stay with him whatever the trouble they come across. Lennie often settles arguments by insisting, â₠¬Å"I didn’t mean no harm, George.† Though George is aggravated, he usually takes this apology to heart and forgives Lennie, making everything better. At the time that this book is set, people didn’t know very much about mental handicaps or their effects. A common solution, then, for someone with a mental disability would be to put them in an asylum. This fact is what makes  it so clear that George loves Lennie, even if he doesn’t always express it the way in the reader may think he should. When Lennie’s Aunt Clara dies, George makes a promise to her that he will take care of Lennie. However, because Aunt Clara is dead, George has no real obligation. Morally, he may feel guilty, but most characters in his situation would â€Å"take care of Lennie† by handing him off to a professional. Instead of taking this approach, George takes Lennie under his own personal care in order to honor his promise to Aunt Clara and keep a closer watch over him. This is where George’s almost familial love for Lennie first becomes apparent in the story line. Further along in the book, George’s feeling of obliga tion for taking care of Lennie progresses even more. When Candy tells him, â€Å"I ought to of shot that dog myself, George. I shouldn’t ought to of let no stranger shoot my dog† (67), George understands that sometimes the best way to protect someone you love is by hurting them first before anyone else gets the chance to. This exchange between Candy and George is an example of foreshadowing to the end of the book, when George shoots Lennie to save him from the mob of angry workers. It seems to the reader as if George should be doing everything in his power to continue to hide Lennie from the people who want to hurt him, but he realizes that the thing which is hurting Lennie the most is Lennie himself. Just like Candy’s dog, Lennie â€Å"ain’t got nothing left for him† (52) and the best way to protect him from all the bad things in the world is to take him straight out of it. Even after killing Lennie, George has this calm silence about him, a sign of respect and reverence for the man he has spent almost his whole life bonding with and looking after. Even if he never outwardly says it, George loves Lennie like his own family. The closest he ever comes to admitting this fact is right before he shoots Lennie and he consoles him by saying, â€Å"I ain’t mad. I never been mad, an’ I ain’t now. That’s a thing I want ya to know† (117). And despite his seeming ignorance toward the subject, it’s clear that Lennie understands George loves him as much as he has always loved George. The tragedy in this ultimate display of brotherly love is that it comes too little too late. Instead of seeing the good he has in front of him all along, George doesn’t realize until the situation is out of his control just how lucky he was to have Lennie in his company. All he can really see in the  future is his big dream of their own house with lots of farm land and animals to look after, living â€Å"off the fatta the lan’† with no worries or cares. This goal almost seems attainable when Candy mentions all the money he has saved up and George becomes blind-sided by the possibility of his dream coming true so much sooner than he had imagined. In this, he loses sight of what is really important to him, which is Lennie. He forgets how Lennie is and let’s go just long enough for Lennie to get himself into trouble for the very last time. This time, Lennie has actually killed a woman and done something George can’t fix for him and every hope he’s ever had goes out the window with the loss of his best friend and pseudo-brother. â€Å"You hadda, George. I swear you hadda† (18). The irony and tragedy in this observation made by Slim is that while George did ultimately have to shoot Lennie himself in order to save him further suffering, this would not have been the case were he not too caught up in his own foolish daydreams to see life as it was happening around him. I think at the end George fully realizes this. And though Lennie’s death is not entirely his fault, he feels responsible and humbled by the experience. It’s easy for the reader to infer that due to this traumatic experience, it is likely that George will never fully recover and never reach that dream by himself, regardless of his probable hatred of the idea. It is hard for the reader to find it likely that George would still want to pursue this goal without Lennie by his side as he has always been. George has learned too late that the thing he needed the most in life was not independence or personal property or anything material at all, but a friend for life. â€Å"S’pose you didn’t have nobody†¦ A guy needs somebody – to be near him†¦ A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long as he’s with you. I tell ya† (80). As George and Lennie’s connection becomes more profound throughout the book, the reader has no choice but to also become attached to their relationship. Having a goal is a comforting thought, but when it comes down to it, it really is true that in life, all you need is love.

Explain Different Sociological Approaches Essay

When it comes to defining what health is it can be difficult, people can have a positive outlook to define health or a negative, for example a positive definition of health could be- feeling well in many ways; feeling physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially well, etc. A negative definition of health could be that you are healthy so long as you don’t have a disease. As well as there being positive and negative approaches to health, there is also a holistic approach to health, holistic means ‘relates with a complete system rather than looking at individual parts’ (Webster, 2014) – so for example if one concept of our health is affected it will affect all the other parts in some way, the concepts are- spiritual health; physical health; environmental health; psychological health and sociological health. If somebody’s physical health is poor such as becoming ill with a disease like cancer it is thought to effect all other concepts of health for example the environmental health may become dirty and unclean as the individual is weak to be able to keep on top of tidying it up; the sociological health is effected as you will be socially seen as an ill person rather than a person; the spiritual health could be the individual may feel they are being punished by god or for something they have done and the psychological health will be effected as the individual will feel extremely depressed and though they are waiting for their death to come. The world health organisation, which founded in 1948 has the definition of health that health is ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’ (WHO, 2003). Finally, Mildred Baxter (1990) as both a positive definition of health, negative and functional – the positive definition regards health as feeling fit and well, the negative definition regards health as being free from pain and discomfort and the functional definition regards health in terms of being able to perform day to day tasks. There are four different social perspectives which have views on both health and ill-health, these social perspectives are functionalist; marxist; feminist and interactionist. The functionlists believe that for our society to be able to function  properly the individuals in society need to be healthy, and the idea of someone being ill is them having a form of social deviance. Talcott Parsons who is a functionlist has the view that when a person falls sick they become apart of ‘the sick role’ – this is when someone is sick they behave a certain way, such as not going to work, staying in bed, hot water bottles†¦ etc. Sick people in society are thought to have rights and responsibilies, we have the right to be able to be cared for and not go into work so we can rest our bodies and we have the responsibility to get ourselves better by going to visit the doctor, etc. The marxist view towards health and ill-health belives that the reason we have health and social care services in place such as the doctors is to serve the rich and the powerful in the society, the reason this is thought to serve the rich and powerful is to be able to get employers back to work so that no buisness is lost. The marxists have they theory that depending on the level of illness is related to the differences in social class, for example the poor are more likely to suffer from poor diets, etc. Feminists also have there own view towards health and ill-health , the femanists are more focused on the male domination in the medical field, such as why is it more money is not spent on the male contraceptive pill? There are thought to be less side effects however it is still up to woman to take it. There is an increasing number in woman who are suffering from mental health illness’ which is down to the reason that woman are expected to live as a certain poisition in society, such as the double day – this is where a woman is expected to go out to work to help provide for their family home and when the working day is over to come home and cook tea and care for the children, clean, etc. Finally, the interactionists say that if you are ill it all depends on if the individual is ill and wanting to admit that they are ill, as some people do not like to admit defeat and admit they’re ill whereas others will say they are ill when it is very minor. In conclusion there are all different views on what health is, and what ill health is†¦ as well as this we can see that depending on the individual and there beliefs and views on being ill depends on how they will accept the change.