Technology and Interpersonal Relationships Essay

Technology and Interpersonal Relationships - Essay Example The fast-paced life of people today keeps human relationships on a standstill most of the time. The many things that occupy our time – family, school, building a career at work, etc., have made rushing from one place to another and always lacking time for everything common features in most people’s lifestyles. However, the human need to be connected to others is always present, and so people have turned to technology, specifically the internet, or mobile phones to fulfil this need. Family and friends have become more accessible and available in just a click of a button. The internet also offers a myriad of opportunities for meeting more people, relaxing with online games, sharing pictures and videos and an outlet to express innermost thoughts and feelings to share with others. The question of how technology affects interpersonal relationships is becoming a popular issue nowadays. The generation gap between the older people and the younger generation is broadening. Older people are accustomed to candid conversations with eye contact and are usually adept at reading body language and nonverbal gestures. The young people of today are very much into technological communication via texting, internet chatting, tweeting, etc. and are engaged with their mobile phones, Ipods, Ipads and other gadgets. When brought together, the older people may complain that the younger ones are lacking manners because they do not know how to give due attention to their companions. It is as if they live in their own worlds, with their gadgets as their gateway to reach their friends. Michael Bugeja’s book on the Interpersonal Divide meticulously describes how the technological age has affected humankind, most especially its humaneness in interacting with others. What prevail right now in terms of technology are computers, the internet, mobile phones, television, radio and other media paraphernalia. These things physically separate people from each other but provide a way for them to connect using technology. In Chapter 3, Bugeja explains how the proliferation of computer-mediated communication affects our views, expectations and interpersonal relationships. In computer-mediated communication, so many of our personhood becomes filtered that the communication lacks social cues. It then prevents the establishment of strong interpersonal collaboration and trust especially in cyber environments where invisibility is an option. Thus, when people chat online or send text messages, a lot of miscommunication may take place when the received messages are interpreted differently from how the sender meant it. This is because the text do not show people’s tone of voice, facial expression or non-verbal gestures which contribute to the clarity of the message sent. Media and technology saturate the lives of people with so many tasks they can do simultaneously and that makes them feel productive at a faster rate. When they log-out from the virtual world a nd re-join the real world, they may find it difficult to be accustomed to it for some time. The real world has three dimensions- up, down and breadth. It also offers intricate human sensations experienced in person. Bugeja also explains that interpersonal skills become the result of physical formats in the real world such as touch, eye contact, smell,

Lab Report Microbiology Essay Example for Free

Lab Report Microbiology Essay Abstract Dairy food staff such as soft cheese,cream cheese,raw milk,sour cream,yoghurt and probiotic yoghurt products can be a rich source of diverse lactic acid bacteria.The objective of this lab practical was to isolate lactic acid bacteria(LAB) form raw milk,establishment of pure cultures of LAB,identify LAB and phage recovery and enumeration of recoverd phage.Raw milk was chosen as a sample so as to have a more positive result.To identify bacteria Lab isolated from raw milk,biochemical,morphological ,physiological and cultural characteristics were employed. The purification of isolates was done by moving Gram +ve ro ds and cocci shaped bacteria to selective media MRS and M-17 plates. The isolates were sub cultured till pure isolates were got. From 20 raw milk samples a total of 150 LAB positives were got, in which 22 and 128 were identified as lactic acid cocci and lactic acid bacilli,respectively. Also, our biochemical tests showed the occurrence 11 and 13 of 11 and 13 Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris and Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris among lactic acid cocci.In the case of lactic acid bacilli, Lactobacillus helveticus 18; Lactobacillus plantarum 37; Lactobacillus brevis 8; Lactobacillus casei subsp. casei 18 and Lactobacillus delactobacillirueckii subsp. bulgaricus 47 was found. In the lactic acid cocci and bacilli, Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and Lactobacillus delactobacillirueckii subsp. bulgaricus were found to be the more dominant species, respectively.Bacterial phages were inducted from the Lactic acid bacteria and enumerated by using several biochemical techniques. INTRODUCTION To produce flavor and acidity at desired levels,fermented milk products are prepared in controlled fermentation of milk. (Thapa, 2000). Starter culture organisms in this fermentations belongs to bacteria family known as the Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB). These LABS are identified by of morphological,and physiological characteristics.LAB are widely found in nature and almost in all micro flora.LAB are gram positive bacteria and are important in food fermentation. Other species of the genus Lactobacillus, Lactococcus and Leuconostoc are added to this group. The lactic acid  fermentation process has been known by human for long time and even applied in some activities. LAB has also been an efficient method of natural preservation.Furthermore lab determine the nutritional value,flavor and texture of food and feeds). Industrialization of the biological ‘revolution’ of foodstuffs has LAB an ecomonic boost because they are important in safety aspects of fermented products. Lactic acid is used by food industry as an acidulent and preservative for the production of sour curd cheese and yoghurt (Linkater and Griffin, 1971). Lactococci are the major mesophilic bacteria used for acid production in dairy fermentations and used as starter cultures in the manufacture of a vast range of dairy foods including fermented milks, lactic butter, cheese and lactic casein (Ward et al., 2002). MATERIALS AND METHODS Raw milk samples: Raw milk samples were collected in sterilized specimen bottles from the local dairy shops around the university,including the raw milk from the university’s dairy department.The raw milk were kept at 4 for more use. lactic acid bacteria isolation from raw milk: The samples were weighed and homogenized aseptically.Each sample, a 1.10 dilution was made by using peptone water then by making a 10 pack of continued dilution. The 0.1 ml taken from each dilution was then sub cultured duplicately into the M 17 and MRS agars used for isolating LAB (Badis et al., 2004a; Guessas and Kihal, 2004).In order to counter yeast growth the media were then added with 100 mg of cyclo-heximide prior to being incubated in optimum temperatures ( 30 °C) for 3 days (Beukes et al., 2001; Kalavrouzioti et al., 2005). The agar plates of MSR were incubated in anaerobic conditions using the Gas-Pack system at 30 °C for 3 days to provide an optimum temperature for growing the different genus of bacteria. M17 agar plates were also incubated in anaerobic conditions at 30 °C for 2 days to set up an optimal temperature for growing lactococci.Higher dilutions were used to perform total counts. Colonies were then selected randomly and the streak plating method employed to purify the stains. The strains were kept in 2 conditions including at 4 °C (for MRS and M17 plates ) and at -20 °C (for M17 and MRS broth) withh by 20% glycerol. Identification of the bacterial strains:The strains were subjected to gram staining,catalase and spore formation tests. (Harrigan and McCance, 1976).All Colonies were characterized in MRS and M 17 agars.The strains that gave gram positive and catalse negative results were set aside for further identification.(Sharpe, 1979).The growth of the bacteria at different temperatures of between Growth 10-45 °C for 3-6 days , resistance to 60 °C for 30 min (Sherman test), growth in the presence of 2 to 6 % NaCl and different pHs (4.5 and 6.5) were used to identify the strains of LAB. Arginine and asculin hydrolysis,citrate utilistaion, acetone productionformation of gas from glucose and production of dextran from sucrose were also determined. The starins were then tested for fermentation of L-arabinose, D-xylose, galactose, D-fructose, sorbitol, lactose, melibiose, saccharose, D-raffinose, melezitose, mannose and glucose. Bacterial growth in the different temperatures were confirmed by turbidity change in MRS or M17 after incubation(after 24,48 and 72 hrs).Microbial tolerance to the diverse levels of salt, pH and heat was evaluated. Arginine dihydrolase agar and asculin acid agar were used to perform the hydrolysis tests. For determination of citrate utilization and acetone production, citrate and MR-VP agars were used. MRS or M17 broths with Durham tubes were used for determination of gas production and the detrin production from sucrose was done in MSR.To assess the sugars fermentation in a medium a solution with the following composition was used (gL-1): bovine extract, 10.0; neopepton, 10.0; yeast extract, 5.0; K2HPO4, 2.0; CH3COONa+3H2O, 5.0; diamonium citrate, 2.0; MgSO4, 0.2; MnSO4, 0.05; brom-cresol-purple, 0.17; tween 80, 1 mL. Carbon utilization was also tested. Phage induction MRSA broth liquid culutures were equally divided into two sterile tubes.Each tube was labeled as ‘mitomycin C’ and the other as ‘control’. 500 µl of micomycin was added to the tube labelld as ‘mitomycin’ and ascpetic techniques of flaming the neck before and after adding the mycomycin. A starch agar plate marked STA containing nutrient agr with soluble starch was already provided.A casein agar plate that contained nutrient agar mixture added skim milk was given and marked CA. All the three plates were inoculated by streaking of the MRSA Lactobacillus lattis culture. This was  done with the help of the loop. The loop was flamed and a colony of the culture was collected. The plates were then streaked with the culture. The plates were then incubated for 12-18 hours at 37oC. The bacteria were also transferred into the nutrient agar plate to set up for biochemical tests.. Enumeration of bacterial phages Phage stock was diluted to achieve a plaque count on plates of 100-250 pfu (plaque forming units).All the dilutions were mixed thoroughly in a sterile saline. The phage was then plated by removing one soft agar at a time,then adding 0.3ml of bacterial suspension to it.This was also followed by 0.1 of diluted phage The agar tube was rolled between palms to mix and quickly pour to suface of warm base agar plate. Quick gentle figure patterns were done on the surface of the base plate agar The agar was allowed to harden and incubated for 35 degree celcious for 8 hours. Results Catalase test After incubation, hydrogen peroxide was added to the one colony on the nutrient agar plate. Small bubbles of oxygen wereformed which indicated a positive result for catalase. Figure 2 – The catalase test Starch hydrolysis test When iodine solution was poured to the starch agar plate and allowed to rest for close to 2 minutes,the plate turned blue which indicated the presence of starch that has not been hydrolysed. A B Fig 1 -Growth of MRSA Lactobacillus lattis on starch agar plate (A) before the addition of iodine solution and (B) after the addition of iodine solution. Agar test The position of the growth in the tube was observed. The growth was throughout the tube, but near the surface, the growth was highest which  indicated being aerotolerant. Figure 3- The bacteria stabbed in both the tubes containing NA and MRS. Carbohydrate fermentation substrates API test strips were used to identify the bacteria and the results showed it was Lactococcus lactis sspcremoris 1. Casein Hydrolysis The casein agar plates were examined to see any clearing around the colonies after being incubated for 48 hours. There was no clearing of the agar around the bacterial growth. Therefore, the results showed negative casein hydrolysis. Gelatin hydrolysis Saturated ammonium sulpahate was added onto the gelatine agar plate there was no precipitation indicating negative hydrolysis Figure 4 – The results obtained after the data was entered on the computer database. Figure 5 – The difference between a control and the samples of bacteria. Test for phage induction Once mitomycin C was added to the MRS liquid broth, it was observed for the induction of phages. It showed there was a clear lysis of the turbid culture. Figure 6 – Comparison between a control and bacteria culture containing mitomycin C All 150 Gram +non-sporeforming ans catalase negative were charcterised as follows: Mesophilic homo-fermentative cocci, 11 isolated:It was characterized by  arginine dihydrolase negative, arginine hydrolysis negative, citrate negative and acetoin negative This gropu was identifies as Lactococcus lactis subsp. Cremoris .The microorganisms were spherically shape.They occurred in pairs with non motile, facultative anaerobic fermentative metabolism. Mesophilic heterofermentative cocci, 13 isolated:Microorganisms in this group had a close relation with Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris . They were arginine negative,glucose positive,acetonoine positive and dextrane positive. Lactobacilli bacteria, 128 isolated: The group was divided into 3: (1) Mesophilic facultative heterofermentative Lactobacilli (55 isolates)Included Lactobacilli plantarum (37 isolates)and Lactobacilli. casei subsp. casei (36 isolates, (2) Thermophilic obligate homo-fermentative Lactobacilli (64 isolates) Included Lactobacilli. helveticus (17 isolates) and Lactobacilli. delactobacillirueckii subsp. bulgaricus (47 isolates). They were lactose positive andfructose positive. (3) mesophilic obligate hetero-fermentative Lactobacilli (8 isolates) Included Lactobacilli. brevis (18 isolates) Discussion It was discovered that mesophilic facultative hetero-fermantative lactobacilli group was divided into two;37 isolates were identified to be lactobacilli plantarum ans 18 isolates as lactobacilli casei subsp.casei.This results are also consistent with other research works such as the isolation of lactic acid bacteria from Maasai traditional fermented milk(Mathara et al.,2004). For the second group,17 isolates were identified as Lactobacilli plantarum and 47 isolates identified as lactobacilli delactobacillirueskii subs.bulgaricus. Furthermore,lactobacilli brevis isolates(8) were identified using mannose and melezitose fermentation. In the cocci group,12 and 22 isolates were identified as Leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris. Respectively.This number is low an its attributed to the fact lactic acid cocci are not able to compete with lactic acid bacilli in mixed cultures(Teuber and Geis, 1981; Togo et al., 2002). LAB are presenta in dairy manufacturing as starter cultures.There are specific fermentation processes that have been developed to maximize the growth of desired LAB  species.Some of the species are fastidious organisms like Lactobacilli delactobacillirueckii subsp. bulgaricus and Lactobacilli helveticus (Bottazzi, 1988). Isolates that belong to lactobacilli plantarum group are shown to be dominant members of LAB flora of acid –fermented stuff(tempoyuk).Morever, Lactobacilli. brevis group and Ln. mesenteroides isolates were also found (Leisner et al., 2001). This isolates have alos been found in South African Traditional fermeneted products.There are also other isolates that have been found in raw gaot’s milk of Algerian origin.This species include Lactobacilli. helveticus, Lactobacilli. plantarum, Lactobacilli. delactobacillirueckii subsp. bulgaricus, Lactobacilli. brevis and Lc. lactis subsp. lactis (Badis et al., 2004b). In chili bo, Lactobacilli. plantarum isolates were found to be the most dominant organism(Leisner et al. 1999). REFERENCES Accolas, J.P. and J. Auclair, 1977. Determination of the acid producing activity of concentrated frozen suspensions of lactic acid bacteria. Lait, 50: 609-626. Ammor, S., C. Rachman, S. Chaillou, H. Prevost and X. Dousset et al., 2005. Phenotypic and genotypic identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from a small-scale facility producing traditional dry sausages. Food Microbiol., 22: 373-382. CrossRef | Badis, A., D. Guetarni, B. Moussa-Boudjema, D.E. Henni and M. Kihal, 2004. Identification and technological properties of lactic acid bacteria isolated from raw goats milk of four Algerian races. Food Microbiol., 21: 579-588. CrossRef | Badis, A., D. Guetarni, B. Moussa-Boudjema, D.E. Henni, M.E. Tornadijo and M. Kihal, 2004. Identification of cultivable lactic acid bacteria isolated from Algerian raw goats milk and evaluation of their technological properties. Food Microbiol., 21: 343-349. CrossRef | Beukes, E.M., B.H. Bester and J.F. Mostert, 2001. The microbiology of South African traditional fermented milks. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 63: 189-197. CrossRef | PubMed | Direct Link | Bottazzi, V., 1988. An introduction to rod shaped lactic-acid bacteria. Biochemie, 70: 303-315. PubMed | Collins, M.D., B.A. Phillips and P. Zanoni, 1989. Deoxyribonucleic acid homology studies of Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus paracasei sp. nov., subsp. paracasei and subsp. Tolerans and Lactobacillus rhamnosus sp. nov., comb. nov. Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol., 39: 105-108. CrossRef | Guessas, B. and M. Kihal, 2004. Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Algerian arid zone raw goats milk. Afr. J. Biotechnol., 3: 339-342. Direct Link | Harrigan, W.F. and M.E. MaCance, 1976. Laboratory Methods in Food and Dairy Microbiology. Revised Edn., Academic Press, New York, pp: 33-200. Hemme, D. and C. Foucaud-Scheunemann, 2004. Leuconostoc, characteristics, use in dairy technology and prospects in functional foods. Int. Dairy J., 14: 467-494. CrossRef | Herrero, M., B. Mayo, B. Gonzalez and J.E. Suarez, 1996. Evaluation of technologically important traits in lactic acid bacteria isolated from spontaneous fermentation. J. Applied Bacteriol., 82: 565-570. Direct Link | Holt, J.G., 1994. Bergeys Manual of Determinative Bacteriology. 9th Edn., Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, Pages: 787. Kalavrouzioti, I., M. Hatzikamari, E. Litopoulou-Tzanetaki and N. Tzanetakis, 2005. Production of hard cheese from caprine milk by the use of two types of probiotic cultures as adjuncts. Int. J. Dairy Technol., 58: 30-38. CrossRef | Lee, B., 1996. Bacteria- Based Processes and Products. In: Fundamentals of Food Biotechnology, Lee, B. (Ed.), Wiley-Inter Science, New York, pp: 219-290. Leisner, J.J., B. Pot, H. Christensen, G. Rusul and J.O. Olsen et al., 1999. Identification of lactic acid bacteria from Chilli Bo, a Malaysian food ingredient. Applied Environ. Microbiol., 65: 599-605. PubMed | Leisner, J.J., M. Vancanneyt, G. Rusul, B. Pot, K. Lefebvre, A. Fresi and L.K. Tee, 2001. Identification of lactic acid bacteria constituting the predominating microflora in an acid-fermented condiment (Tempoyak) popular in Malaysia. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 63: 149-157. Linkater, P.M. and C.J. Griffin, 1971. Immobilized living cell fermentation. J. Dairy Res., 38: 127-136. Lipinsky, E.S., 1981. Growth and activity of Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris in skim milk. J. Sci., 212: 1465-1471. Mathara, J.M., U. Schillinger, P.M. Kutima, S.K. Mbugua and W.H. Holzapfel, 2004. Isolation, identification and characterization of the dominant microorganisms of kule naoto: The Maasai traditional fermented milk in Kenya. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 94: 267-278. PubMed | Mayeux, J.V., W.W.E. Sandine and P.R. Elliker, 1962. A selective medium for detecting Leuconostoc organisms in mixed strain starter cultures. J. Dairy Sci., 45: 655-656. Muyanja, C.M.B.K., J.A. Narvhus, J. Treimo and T. Langsrud, 2003. Isolation, characterization and identification of lactic acid bacteria from bushera: A Ugandan traditional fermented beverage. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 80: 201-210. CrossRef | Olarte, C., S. Sanz, E. Gonzalez- Fandos and P. Torre, 2000. The effect of a commercial starter culture addition on the ripening of an artisanal goats cheese (Cameros Cheese). J. Applied Microbiol., 88: 421-429. PubMed | Samelis, J., F. Maurogenakis and J. Metaxopoulos, 1994. Characterization of lactic acid bacteria isolated from naturally fermented Greek dry salami. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 23: 179-196. PubMed | Server-Busson, C., C. Foucaud and J.Y. Leveau, 1999. Selection of dairy Leuconostoc isolates for important technological properties. J. Dairy Res., 66: 245-256. CrossRef | Sharpe, M.E., 1979. Identification of the Lactic Acid Bacteria. In: Identification Methods for Microbiologists, Skinner, F.A. and D.W. Lovelock (Eds.). Academic Press, London, pp: 233-259. Stiles, M.E. and W.H. Holzapfel, 1997. Lactic acid bacteria of foods and their current taxonomy. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 36: 1-29. Direct Link | Terzic-Vidojevic, A., M. Vukasinovic, K. Veljovic, M. Ostojic and L. Topisirovic, 2007. Characterization of microflora in homemade Int. J. Food Microbiol., 114: 36-42. PubMed | Teuber, M. and A. Geis, 1981. The Family Streptococaceae (Non-Medical Aspect). In: The Prokaryotes: A Handbook on Habitats, Isolation and Identification of Bacteria, Starr, M.P., H. Stolp, H.G. Trueper, A. Balows and H.G. Schlegel (Eds.). Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp: 1614-1630. Thapa, T., 2000. Small-Scale Milk Processing Technologies: Other Milk Products. FAO, Rome, Italy. Togo, C.A., S.B. Feresu and A.N. Mutukumira, 2002. Identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Opaque beer (Chibuku) for potential use as a starter culture. J. Food Technol. Afr., 7: 93-97. Direct Link | Tserovska, L., S. Stefanova and T. Yordanova, 2002. Identification of lactic acid bacteria isolated from Katyk, goats milk and Cheese. J. Cult. Collect., 3: 48-52. Direct Link | Ward, L.J.H., G.P. Davey, H.A. Heap and W.J. Kelly, 2002. Lactococcus Lactis. In: Encyclopedia of Dairy Science, Roginski, H., J.W. Fuquay and P.F. Fox (Eds.). Elsevier Sci. Ltd., London, pp: 1511-1516.

Recent Applications of Keratin

Recent Applications of Keratin Abstract This review discusses the recent applications of keratin and keratin-based materials. Keratin-Based Materials The keratin-based materials are produced from keratin fibers, such as human hair, skin, hooves, feathers, beaks, feet and horns (18). For biomedical and pharmaceutical purposes, human hair is a preferred major source of keratin for several reasons. First, it is available readily from barber and beauty salons. Also, human hair is less prone to cause undesired allergic or immune reactions in a human. Finally, a derived keratin material is able to be made from the hair of a person for whom the keratin-based material will be used (13). Animal feathers are also major resources for keratin extraction. Every year, there are 5 million tons of chicken feathers produced from chicken meat as a waste stream (8). Thus, feathers are abundant source of keratin that can be easily obtained. There are numerous methods to extract the keratin-based material from the keratin sources. One method includes partial oxidization of some disulfide linkages of the keratin with an oxidizing agent, such as peracetic acid, while remaining disulfide linkages are left intact. The partially oxidized hair is powdered and the remaining intact disulfide linkages are cleaved with a reducing agent. An insoluble part of keratin fraction is, then, removed by centrifugation (3, 15). The soluble part, including alpha keratin, is purified and oxidized to reform disulfide linkages between protein backbones (3, 19). The oxidized soluble part is easily dissolved and can form keratin solutions with controlled concentrations (19). The produced keratin solid can be used in a fibrous form when shredded, in a powder form when finely ground, in a hydrogel or viscoelastic hydrogel when hydrated by adding water, or may be used in certain embodiments (13). These materials are used for biomedical, pharmaceutical, biosorbent, and industrial applications. Wound Dressing The optimum wound dressing protects the injured tissue, maintains moisture while being water permeable, is easy to apply, and delivers effective healing agents to the wounded tissue (15). The keratin-based material acts as a non-antigenic wound healing material (3). The keratin-based film is appropriate to be used as a wound dressing. The porous sponge matrices of keratin can play an important role in absorbing wound exudates and in maintaining a healthy and moist environment for healing an injury (16). Also, a hydratable keratin solid powder that is also used in a form of a keratin hydrogel when added water is used as a wound dressing (13). These highly absorbent keratin solid fiber and powder provide an extra benefit along with the water absorbency. This benefit includes healing or soothing peptides associated with the keratin (18). Blanchard et al. (3) tested the keratin power, which would be used to produce a keratin hydrogel when hydrated, as wound healing agent with several donor sites. The sterilized keratin powder is applied on a half of a donor wound site and the other half is treated with a standard treatment. The result shows the halves treated with the keratin powder mature faster and epithelialize more rapidly. Also, the patients with the wounds have significantly less pain with the keratin power treatment (3). Than et al. (4) conducted a study focusing on the effects of the keratin dressing on chronic wounds of different cases. For one of the studied cases, a minimally exudative wound, which had been existed for 11.5 months, was treated with a matrix dressing produced from freeze-dried keratin protein. This dressing allows the rapid growth of new tissue by reabsorbing into the developed tissue. The wound was healed after 30 weeks (Figure 2). Also, the patient had experienced the repeated leg ulcers; yet, the patient stayed ulcer-free after the treatment (4). Figure 1 (1A) Ulcer under keratin-derived matrix dressing treatment at Day 0; (1B) Healed ulcer under keratin-derived matrix dressing treatment at Day 99 (4) Pharmaceutical Siller-Jackson et al. (13) and Van Dyke et al. (18) proposed an invention of the keratin material incorporated with nonwoven film, which can be used in several different applications. One of the applications is that the solid keratin with nonwoven film can form a beneficial drug delivery system when it is incorporated with active pharmaceutical agents. These pharmaceutical agents, including the compounds that may allow ion exchange with sulfonic acid groups of keratin, can be formulated as hydrochlorides, polar agents, protein agents, polypeptide agents, and peptide agents (18). Polypeptide agents include both native and recombinant polypeptides (13). Table 1 provides the list of the classes and types of pharmaceutical agents (13, 18). Table 1 Classes and Types of Pharmaceutical Agents (13, 18) The invention of Van Dyke et al. (18) suggests that the application of the drug delivery system with solid keratin provides several significant advantages. In this system, the properties of the dosage form of a drug can be determined by the chemical and material properties of the keratin, whereas with most delivery systems, the level of a drug is maintained at a consistent concentration with sustained or controlled release. Also, the nonwoven film drug delivery system is performed in non-aqueous media, which is a distinct advantage because non-water soluble drugs are usually troublesome to formulate into convenient dosage forms. Furthermore, keratin can play a dual role of wound dressing and drug delivery system simultaneously, allowing a less intrusive therapy than separate treatments (18). Hemostat Aboushwareb et al. (7) demonstrated the hemostatic characteristics of the human hair keratin hydrogel with the ability to absorb fluid and bind cells successfully. The experiments evaluate the efficacy of human hair keratin hydrogel in a lethal model of liver injury in a rabbit model, compared to other commercial hemostats. The study proved the efficacy of the keratin biomaterials in arresting hemorrhage and increasing the survivability in a model of liver injury, similarly to the compared commercial products.   Also, it was proved that the keratin hydrogel does not produce adverse cell and tissue responses (7). Implant Filler The keratin hydrogel can also be used as an augmentation of soft tissue, including augmentation of vocal chords in order to restore elasticity, and augmentation of breasts, lips, chin, gluteal area, and wrinkled or acne scarred skin in order to improve the appearance of a subject (25). The biocompatible viscoelastic keratin hydrogel is used as an implant filler (25). Such keratin hydrogel provides a natural-appearing and safe implant for reconstructing or filling the human breast, and other tissues. The implant may be used in several ways. One way is that the solid hydrogel implant precursor is hydrated before placing the filler into an implant envelope. Another way is that tissue expanders are contained in an envelope with the keratin hydrogel. This method allows the implant to absorb the body fluids through the envelope and increasing in a volume at a controlled rate, providing a more convenient and comfortable implant compared to traditional implants (18). The keratin hydrogel implants are less toxic than the silicone implants, in case of the risk of a leakage. Also, the keratin fillers give more natural appearance and feeling than saline implants do. Additionally, the keratin implants do not require a second invasive procedure to harvest tissue as fat cells do (18). Biosorbent The interest in the use of biomass for the dissolved metal removal from aqueous solutions has been increasing because of the relatively high cost of the traditional water treatment materials, the complex operational set-up, and the safety precautions (9). The keratin-based material can be used as the purification method of natural and waste water resources contaminated with metal (8). The keratin protein fiber is used to purify heavy metal-contaminated water. The wool keratin has been reported to uptake mercury, copper, silver, cadmium, lead, chromium, and aluminum. Also, mohair keratin has been reported to remove copper (9). Khosa and Ullah (10) have recently presented the application of the keratin biopolymer for the removal of arsenic. Also, Saucedo-Rivalcoba et al. (11) have proposed the use of polyurethane-keratin hybrid membranes in order to absorb and remove hexavalent chromium from water. Rubber Hergenrother et al. (12) has proposed the utilization of keratin as a filler in rubber compositions. This use of keratin in conjunction with coupling agents increases dynamic storage modulus (G) while not affecting the physical properties of the compounds. The keratin filler used is derived from avian feather or feather meal, which has higher bulk density than ground feather. The compounds of the filler are economical and easy to process. Also, these are environmentally friendly because even a small amount of avian feather used will allow the reduced amount of non-renewable fillers, such as carbon black, to be used (12). The keratin filler used for rubber is beta-keratin-based and water-insoluble. Keratin from feathers is relatively economic, is non-toxic, has a high melting point, is light-weight, and is a biodegradable renewable material. Therefore, the reinforcing keratin filler will help produce sustainable products that uses rubber, such as tires. Diapers / Feminine Hygiene Products The absorbent materials are capable of absorbing body fluids such as urine and menses. Thus, the absorbent materials are included in the products that are used next to the skin. Such materials can be derived from wood pulp, cellulosic fibers, or synthetically produced superabsorbent (13, 18). An inner core of diapers and feminine hygiene products is designed to absorb water and urine. It is commonly formed with a superabsorbent polymer that is dispersed in a larger amount of less absorbent material.   Yet, even the absorbent materials are separated from the skin with at least one layer of materials, the skin contact with such materials have been causing irritation and not beneficial (13, 18). The keratin-based absorbent or hydratable solid, in forms of powder or hydrogel, is a natural material that can absorb body fluids, and is beneficial with respect to diaper rash. The hydratable keratin solid can be coated either on a layer next to the skin of a subject or on a layer separated from the skin by a water permeable layer (13, 18). For both diapers and feminine hygiene products, the hydratable keratin solid can be used in an inner absorbent core. The keratin materials may be associated with a nonwoven layer of product, or coated on a layer of a product, or permeated into a layer of a product (13, 18). Keratin Hydrolysate Similar to the keratin-based material sources, keratin hydrolysates are prepared from human hair, wool, animal hair, feathers and horns (21). The recent method of the keratin hydrolysate production utilizes chicken feathers with Bacillus subtilis (21, 22). Vermelho et al. (21) and Villa et al. (22) have suggested that the useful bacterium for the production is Bacillus subtilis.   Villa et al. (22) proposed an effective method that produces a clear hydrolysate (22). Feathers are transformed into keratin peptides and amino acid by peptidases and keratinases, produced by Bacillus subtilis (Figure 2) (22).   From this process, the keratin hydrolysates are produced enzymatically (21). Figure 2 (A) Control: Bacillus subtilis in feather containing medium at Day 0; (B) Growth in feather medium at Day 5 (22) Such method is also environmental friendly because it recycles and helps reducing the feather waste, which is the byproduct of the poultry industry (27). The keratin hydrolysate is majorly used for cosmetics applications. Cosmetics The keratin hydrolysates can be used in various cosmetic applications, such as hair and skin applications (21). Villa et al. (22) effectively proved that the enzymatic production of keratin peptides from feathers is significantly affective in hair care products. The keratin peptides improve the hair fiber hydration and seal cuticles in the hair fibers with the hydrolysates, which increase the shine and softness of the hair (22). Barba et al. (24) conducted a long-term study to find the beneficial effect of the topical application of the wool keratin peptides. The study was performed on undisturbed kin to determine the efficacy of the two keratin peptide samples, one with an aqueous keratin formulation and another with liposome formulation mixed with the aqueous keratin solution. Both of the keratin peptide samples showed very close result with the increase of the hydration of the skin. Also, the treated skin with both samples was resulted with increased skin elasticity (24). The keratin-based hydrogel is capable of facilitating the regeneration of peripheral nerves. Sierpinski et al. (5) showed that the keratin hydrogel enhances the in vitro activity of Schwann cells, led from the increase of cellular proliferation and migration, and the upregulated gene expression. References 1. Rouse, J.G.; Van Dyke, M.E., A Review of Keratin-Based Biomaterials for Biomedical Applications, Materials 2010, 3 (2), 999-1014. 2. Silva, R.; Fabry, B.; Boccaccini, A.R., Fibrous Protein-Based Hydrogels for Cell Encapsulation, Biomaterials 2014, 35 (25), 6727-6738. 3. Blanchard, C.R.; Timmons, S. .; Smith, R.A., Keratin-Based Hydrogel for Biomedical Applications and Method of Production, U.S. Patent 6,379,690, April 30, 2002. 4. Than, M.P.; Smith, R.A.; Hammond, C.; Kelly, R.; Marsh, C.; Maderal, A.D.; Kirsner, R.S., Keratin-Based Wound Care Products for Treatment of Resistant Vascular Wounds, J. Clin. Aesthet. Dermatol. 2012, 5(12), 31-35. 5. Sierpinski, P.; Garrett, J.; Ma, J.; Apel, P.; Klorig, D.; Smith, T.; Koman, L.A.; Atala, A.; Van Dyke, M., The Use of Keratin Biomaterials Derived from Human Hair for the Promotion of Rapid Regeneration of Peripheral Nerves, Biomaterials 2008, 29 (1), 118-128. 6. Apel, P.J.; Garrett, J.P.; Sierpinski, P.; Ma, J.; Atala, A.; Smith, T.L.; Koman, L.A.; Van Dyke, M.E., Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Using a Keratin-Based Scaffold: Long-Term Functional and Historical Outcomes in a Mouse Model, J. Hand. Surg.2008, 33A, 1541-1547. 7. Aboushwareb, T.; Eberli, D.; Ward, C.; Broda, C.; Holcomb, J.; Atala, A.; Van Dyke, M., A Keratin Biomaterial Gel Hemostat Derived from Human Hair: Evaluation in a Rabbit Model of Lethal Liver Injury, J. Biomed. Mater. Res. Part B Appl. Biomater. 2008, 90B (1), 45-54. 8. Khosa, M.A.; Ullah, A., A Sustainable Role of Keratin Biopolymer in Green Chemistry: A Review, J. Food Processing Beverages 2013, 1 (1), 8-15. 9. Kar, P.; Misra, M., Use of Keratin Fiber for Separation of Heavy Metals from Water, J. Chem. Technol. Biotechnol. 2004, 79 (11), 1313-1319. 10. Khosa, M.A.; Ullah, A., In-situ Modification, Regeneration, and Application of Keratin Biopolymer for Arsenic Removal, J. Hazard. Mater. 2014, 278, 360-371. 11. Saucedo-Rivalcoba, V.; Martinez-Hernà ¡ndez, A.L.; Martinez-Barrera, G.; Belascco-Santos, C.; Rivera-Armenta, J.L.; Castaà ±o, V.M., Removal of Hexavalent Chromium from Water by Polyurethane-Keratin Hybrid Membranes, Water, Air, Soil Pollut. 2011, 218 (1-4), 557-571. 12. Hergenrother, W.L.; Shltz, L.L.; Lin, C.J., Keratin in Rubber Applications, U.S. Application 14/492,835, January 8, 2015. 13. Siller-Jackson, A.J.; Van Dyke, M.E.; Timmons, S.F.; Blanchard, C.R.; Smith, R.A., Keratin-Based Powders and Hydrogel for Pharmaceutical Applications, U.S. Patent 6,544,548 B1, April 8, 2003. 14. Kelly, R.J.; Ali, M.A.; Roddick-Lanzilotta, A.D.; Worth, G.; Hassan, M.M.; McLaughlin, J.R.; McKinnon, A.J., Composite Materials Containing Keratin, U.S. Patent 7,767,756 B2, August 3, 2010. 15. Timmons, S.F.; Blanchard, C.R.; Smith, R.A., Keratin-Based Tissue Engineering Scaffold, U.S. Patent 6,432,435 B1, August 13, 2002. 16. Kelly, R.J.; Roddick-Lanzilotta, A.D.; Ali, M.A., Wound Care Products Containing Keratin, U.S. Patent 7,732,574 B2, June 8, 2010. 17. Kelly, R.J.; Worth, G.H.; Roddick-Lanzilotta, A.D.; Rankin, D.A.; Ellis, P.; Mesman, J.R.; Summers, C.G.; Singleton, D.J., Production of Soluble Keratin Derivatives, U.S. Patent 7,148,327 B2, December 12, 2006. 18. Van Dyke, M.E.; Timmons, S.F.; Blanchard, C.R.; Siller-Jackson, A.J.; Smith, R.A., Absorbent Keratin Wound Dressing, U.S. Patent 6,270,793 B1, August 7, 2001. 19. Wu, C.; Li, J.; Wicks, D.; Morgan, S.; Smith, R.A., Hydratable Keratin Compositions, U.S. Application 11/920,456, August 11, 2011. 20. Van Dyke, M.E.; Blanchard, C.R.; Timmons, S.F.; Siller-Jackson, A.J.; Smith, R.A., Implantable prosthetic or Tissue Expanding Device, U.S. Patent 6,849,092 B2, February 1, 2005. 21. Vermelho, A.B.; Villa, A.L.V.; Mazotto de Almeida, A.M.; de Souza Dias, E.P.; dos Santos, E.P., Keratin Hydrolysates, Process for Their Production and Cosmetic Composition Containing the Same, U.S. Application 12/666,409, August 5, 2010. 22. Villa, A.L.V.; Aragà £o, M.R.S.; Santos, E.P.D.; Mazotto, A.M.; Zingali, R.B.; de Souza, E.P.; Vermelho, A.B., Feather Keratin Hydrolysates Obtained from Microbial Keratinases: Effect on Hair Fiber, BMC Biotechnol. 2013, 13 (1), 15 23. Weathersby, C.; McMichael, A., Brazilian Keratin Hair Treatment: A Review, J. Cosmet. Dermatol. 2013, 12 (2), 144-148. 24. Barba, C.; Mà ©ndez, S.; Roddick-Lanzilotta, A.; Kelly, R.; Parra, J.L.; Coderch, L., Cosmetic Effectiveness of Topically Applied Hydrolysed Keratin Peptides and Lipids Derived from Wool, Skin Res. Tech. 2008, 14, 243-248. 25. Van Dyke, M.E.; Blanchard, C.R.; Timmons, S.F.; Siller-Jackson, A.J.; Smith, R.A., Water Absorbent Keratin and Gel Formed Therefrom, U.S. Patent 6,316,598 B1, November 13, 2001. 26. Misra, M.; Kar, P.; Priyadarshan, G., Keratin Protein Nano-fiber for Removal of Heavy Metals and Contaminants, Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. 2002, 702, 27. Cedrola, S.M.; de Melo, A.C.; Mazotto, A.M.; Lins, U.; Zingali, R.B.; Rosado, A.S.; Peixoto, R.S.; Vemelho, A.B., Keratinases and sulfide from Bacillus subtilis SLC to Recycle Feather Waste, World J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 2012, 28, 1259-1269.

Little Prince :: essays research papers

A Fable For Adults -- The Little Prince by Saint-Exupery I guess that among people who have read the book The Little Prince which has an amazing amount of readers around the globe merely second to the Bible, there should be many more grown-ups than children, though the classic tale can be read on many levels and enjoyed by readers of any age. Undoubtedly, it is full of vivid imagery and beautiful illustrations that make it sweet enough for children. However, because of the symbols, metaphors, hidden sentimental atmosphere, especially the tragic ending -- children are used to such sentences as the princess lived happily together with the prince for ever and ever -- and the moral it conveys, teens will not have proper understanding and appreciation of this story. I ¡Ã‚ ¯d rather believe that Saint-Exupery had written The Little Prince which is simple yet profound for the adults who still keep child ¡Ã‚ ¯s hearts. The little prince came from a tiny unknown planet. He had left his beautiful rose, traveled to lots of places, and met all kinds of ridiculous things as well as a wise fox and a pilot the narrator. He was looking for something though he was not aware of it. After all, the little prince learnt life lessons and we adult readers learn more from him. Adults in the Prince ¡Ã‚ ¯s Eyes Leaving his own planet, one after another, the little prince met a king, a conceited man, a tippler, a businessman ¡Ã‚ ­ and finally he arrived on the earth. All the person he met is either stupid or selfish -- from children ¡Ã‚ ¯s point of view, adults are always hard to understand and they are doing inexplicable things. But it is true! Aren ¡Ã‚ ¯t we always pursuing empty things such as fame and fortune just as the king who ruled no subjects and the man who was extremely conceited? Aren ¡Ã‚ ¯t we always trapped in a circle set by ourselves just as the tippler and businessman -- drinking for forgetting drinking, selling stars for making more money to buy stars? Aren ¡Ã‚ ¯t we always keep working but forget the aim of working just as the geographer? As we are growing up, something much more valuable than money or social status deserts us little by little without our notice. Maybe we will begin to appreciate the simple things in life again and discover the real difference between children and adults after reading this beautiful tale. The Rose and the Fox

Outline and Assess Different Measures of Crime and Deviance

When measuring crime and deviance sociologists use three different means, those are official statistics, self-report studies and victim surveys. These methods of collecting data have both strong points and weak points, but by combining them a possible general picture of crime and deviance could be drawn. The sociological theories have varying perspectives on the usefulness of generating measurable crime statistics and the validity of each method. Firstly official statistics are compiled and then published every 6 months by the Home Office, and are drawn from records kept by the police and other official agencies. But due to the fact that official statistics are only compiled from crime that has been reported leading to someone being charged and convicted of that crime those crimes that go unreported are obviously not included. By use of official statistics we can see trends in crime throughout history, which crime rates are rising and which are falling and from that starting point we can work out the reasons for this change. In my opinion though official statistics may not be able to cover every crime as not all is recorded it can still gives us a starting point when looking for crime trends and the sociological reasons behind that. For example we can see through looking at the downloadable PDF Social Trends 40 that crimes such as theft, vandalism and household crime have increased from last year and through further statistics we can see that gang activity has also increased we can then put two and two together to show us why these crimes are increasing through use of the official statistics. Feminists would argue that crimes that stereotypically affect women (such as domestic abuse or rape) are not covered in these statistics, as the women are too embarrassed or scared to come forward. As a result of this, feminists believe the statistics are not a realistic reflection on domestic or spousal abuse rates as the husbands or boyfriends are not being brought to justice. Similarly Marxists would argue that official statistics are incorrect but the Marxists argue that there wrong due to the fact that the bourgeoisie have manipulated them to create scapegoats. By creating scapegoats of the working classes the bourgeoisie can divide the proletariat making it easier for the capitalists to continue controlling them. Furthermore the under class are more strictly policed than the oppressive ruling class and therefore it looks on statistics that the working class are more prone to crime. This argument, like most of Marxism, is slightly reductionist as not every sociological issue can be so easily simplified to just the bourgeoisie oppressing the proletariat or capitalisms greed. The second method used to measure crime and deviance is a self-report study. A self report study would be a survey which would interview a number of people on their relationship with crime, this would be done through either an opportunity sample or through volunteers and the interview would most likely be structured or semi-structured. The usefulness of a self-report study is that it could reveal what are seen as ‘victimless crimes’ (such as drug use or under age drinking etc. ) or crimes that go unreported. This would then be able to compensate for the official statistics lack of these crimes, and then by combining the two give us a broader picture of crime in the UK. Another advantage of a self report study is that we can not only learn what crimes people commit but also we can see what age, ethnicity or social class there in showing us what members of our society are more likely to commit a certain crime. But by using a self-report study demand characteristics and socially desirable answers come into play. Because in contrast to the official statistics which are gathered from data which can be presumed to be true, self report studies rely on face-to-face interviews which gives people the opportunity to lie or to give an answer which they believe the interviewer will find pleasing. But this method does yield results, for example Bilton was able to show that 50 to 90% of the people he interviewed had committed a crime that could have landed them in court. This use of the self-report study helps us to see how much crime goes unreported or unnoticed and therefore how unrealistic the official crime statistics actually are. Similarly West and Farrington, who also did a self report study but on deviance rather than crime, found that a high percentage of those interviewed had engaged in, what society perceives as, a deviant. For example they found that 90% of interviewees admitted to having travelled on a train without a ticket, also 82% had broken a window of an empty house. But also West and Farmington’s study found that like Biltons the official statistics had missed out all crime – this is obvious as 40% admitted to stolen something from a shop and of that 40% only 8. % had been prosecuted of it. Victim surveys are the opposite to self report studies as instead of being asked about crimes you’ve committed a person is asked whether they have ever been a victim of crime, samples are taken on either a large scale (nationally) or on a small scale (locally). Through victim surveys, especially large ones such as the British Crime Survey, we are able to see any pattern or trends in victi misation that we wouldn’t have been able to see in the previous two methods. Victim surveys can show us if any race, age, social class or genders are more likely to targeted for a specific crime. Jock Young, a New Left Realist, did the first victim survey in Islington, it was able to show that the reason residents feared leaving the house was of the violent gangs committing crime and threatening those who tried to stop it. Victim surveys are able to provide the interviewee without a great deal of confidence as they can remain completely anonymous if they choose, in theory this should eliminate people being too scared or too embarrassed to admit to being a victim of crime. But this is not always the case, some people might find it too hard to admit to even themselves that they’ve been a victim of a crime, especially crimes such as rape or abuse. This altering of the truth is different from that seen sometimes in self-report studies as those lies are usually told to make the interviewee feel better or harder about them self (as nowadays committing crime is seen as ‘cool’ especially among youths). Similarly to official statistics Feminists would argue that lack of women admitting to being victims of sexual or physical abuse is due to the patriarchal society we live in and the male dominance seen throughout it. But victim surveys could be seen as possibly unreliable as, unlike in official statistics, experts do not do the categorization of crimes it is the interviewers themselves who may be skilled sociologists but are not trained specifically in the act of categorizing crime. This means that similar crimes can not be compared with the statistics as there may have been confusion over the classification; thus making it difficult to measure the crime. In my opinion the most logical way in which we should use the measures of crime and deviance is by using all of them together, instead of separately. Through this we will get a broader and clearer picture of crime in the UK as each method covers various holes in the other methods data. For example the official statistics may give us data on the reported crimes there is no way of knowing how many crimes go unreported, but through self-report studies can begin to see a general figure of unreported crimes.

Symbolism throughout the novel Beloved essays

Symbolism throughout the novel Beloved essays Beloved, a novel written by Toni Morrison is more than a fiction. When composing her book, Morrison used many different writing techniques to make it the best possible. One particular technique used throughout Beloved is symbolism. Symbolism is found in the number references used, nature and the characters portrayed. Many numbers used in Beloved are actually more than what they are written out to be. A common number used, is the address of Sethes home, 124 Bluestone Road. Their house, which use to be a railway station is located in the outskirts of Cincinnati, Ohio. The main character, Sethe had four children in her lifetime. Her house number indicates those four children, but leaves out the third born (being Beloved). Her remaining three children: Denver, Howard and Burglar are the ones resembled in the numeric address. Also in Beloved, single numbers like two, three and five show up in many different parts. The number two implies a unity (Livraghi). In this novel, two and four come up when Morrison relates to children and sex. Sex is usually viewed as in a couple, a pair of two (Elwell). When two people come together, they make a whole. With children, Baby Suggs had eight children; four girls and four boys (Morrison, 209). Seth had four children: two girls and two boys. Also, the number five appears in Beloved many times. There are five fingers on a hand. An outstretched, open hand is usually an offering or blessing (Adams), and when Morrison writes about the characters receiving aid or giving help, the number five usually shows up. Amy Denver, who met Sethe on her flee from Sweet Home was said to have hair enough for five heads (Morrison 32, 77). Amys hands were often referred to strong and good hands, helped with the birth of Sethes baby Denver. In Beloved, numbers play an important role. They convey thoughts in a form of shorthand (Elwell), giving this novel a deeper sense of ...