Maintaining A Balance Essays - Biology, Animal Physiology

Maintaining A Balance Most organisms are active in a limited temperature range Enzymes: Biological catalysts. A specific enzyme controls every reaction and process within a cell. Enzymes control all the chemical processes of living systems. Enzymes are proteins made up of amino acids that are linked and then folded to produce a three-dimensional protein structure. Most metabolic processes would not occur at an efficient rate without enzymes. One model used to illustrate the action of an enzyme is the lock-and-key model. Enzymes are unique to one substrate The enzyme combines with the substrate to form an enzyme-substrate molecule. This somehow alters the substrate so that a chemical reaction can occur. The substrate is then altered and no longer fits' the enzyme - the enzyme is released. -34290024193500 - Effect of temperature on enzymes: each has an optimum temperature for activity. High temperatures can denature enzymes. - Effect of pH on enzymes: each has an optimum pH (acidity level) for activity. Changing the pH from the optimum reduces the enzyme's activity. - Effect of substrate concentration on enzymes: substrate concentration means the amount of compound present that the enzymes catalyses. Beyond certain substrate concentrations, the rate of reaction is limited by the amount of enzyme. pH as a way of describing the acidity of a substance: A measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions that are released by acids, therefore a way of describing the acidity of a substance. A pH value of 0-6 indicates an acid solution, a pH value of 8 - 14 indicates a basic (alkaline) solution. A pH of 7 indicates a neutral solution. Procedures to investigate the activity of an enzyme: Aim: to demonstrate the effect of increased temperature on the enzyme, rennin Method: make a rennin solution by dissolving a junket tablet in distilled water. Add the same amount of rennin solution to a number of test tubes of milk. Place test tubes in different water baths with different temperature ranges (0-60), making sure each water bath is kept at its allocated temperature. Time the interval between adding the rennin and curdling of the milk for each temperature. Results: The optimum temperature for curdling milk is 30-40 degrees. Anything above that optimum temperature will denature the rennin, preventing it from curdling the milk. Anything below the optimum temperature won't work as effectively. Maintenance of an optimal internal environment: Enzymes control all the metabolic processes in the body. Despite the internal and external changes occurring in the body, organisms need to maintain a constant internal environment for optimal metabolic efficiency. Enzymes work optimally in an environment where their optimum temperature and pH conditions are met. At temperatures and pH values other than the optimum, the enzymes fail to work as they should or not at all. The maintenance of an optimal internal environment is important for optimal enzyme efficiency. Homeostasis: The process by which organisms maintain their internal environment regardless of the external environmental conditions. Through homeostasis, organisms maintain an internal equilibrium by adjusting their physiological processes. Homeostasis ensures that the organism operates at maximum performance. To maintain homeostasis, this involves: A receptor: constantly monitors the internal environment, which may reflect the external environment A control centre: monitors the information passed on from the receptor An effector: carries the message from the control centre. Hypothalamus: the control centre for maintaining homeostasis. Homeostasis as a two-stage process: Coordination in animals is controlled by two systems; the nervous system and the endocrine system A feedback mechanism is self-regulating, which maintains balance or homeostasis. For a state of homeostasis to exist, the body must have some way of detecting stimuli that indicate a change in the body's internal or external environment. - Stage 1 - Detecting changes from the stable state: A receptor detects a change in some variable in the organism's internal environment. If our body temperature rises, the temperature rise in the blood stimulates the brain's anterior hypothalamus. Alternatively, when a mammal is exposed to cold, skin receptors increase their activity, sending nerve impulses to the posterior hypothalamus. - Stage 2 - Counteracting changes from the stable state: An appropriate response occurs that counteracts the changes and thus maintains the stable environment. After detecting the rise in body temperature, the hypothalamus then stimulates heat loss by blood circulation through the skin, sweating and metabolic activity, thus

Forest Policy In Malaysia Essays - Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak

Forest Policy In Malaysia Essays - Borneo, Malaysia, Sarawak Forest Policy in Malaysia Malaysia is among the countries in Southeast Asia which has experienced remarkable economic growth and industrialization in the past decade. It is unique in that its success is not a result of adopting any one model for development. Rather, Malaysia?s government identified its goals and sought to create a country-specific model of development suited to their needs for growth. An example of this is the Malaysian government?s increase in exports of manufactured goods rather than concentrating on natural resource commodities as suggested by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. (pg.6 , HBS) Unlike its neighbor Singapore, Malaysia is blessed with an abundance of natural resources. Although its exports of natural resource commodities have declined in recent years in favor of manufactured goods (pg. 6 , HBS), Malaysia?s natural resource industry remains an important part of the country?s economic and political agenda. Malaysia?s Forest Products Industry It is difficult to ignore the fact that 60% of Malaysia is covered with natural forest and that timber generates more foreign exchange than any other natural resource in Malaysia. The Malaysian government recognized the economic potential of the forest product industry early in the decade and proceeded to play a key role in further developing and promoting this particular sector of its economy through a concessions system and the encouragement of downstream industries. The Concession System granted logging rights to private parties in exchange for royalties paid to the Malaysian government (pg. 11, HBS). Granting logging concessions to private parties also allowed Malaysia?s government to generate interest in the forest products industry while maintaining a degree of control over the areas and particular use the timber could be logged for. This system did not prove to be very effective in the hands of private interest groups in search of increased profits. With only 1,600 employees to patrol the undeveloped forest areas, the Sarawak Forest Department found it difficult to prevent illegal logging (pg. 12, HBS). Protection of domestic markets from foreign competition is a common practice among industrializing countries. In the case of Malaysia?s forest products industry, the government encouraged local production of lumber, furniture, and other wood products through the restriction of exporting unprocessed logs. This was known as downstream industries. The encouragement of downstream industries was another important agenda for the Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia, a government branch for the overseeing of Malaysia?s forest products industry. "The idea that the forests could be used as a springboard for downstream integration, or ?resource based industrialization? appealed to many Malaysian officials." (pg. 13, HBS) To these officials, downstream integration allowed for the employment of a large percentage of the market labor force as well as a decrease in the amount of timber needed to produce jobs and export revenues. (pg. 13, HBS) To further encourage downstream int! egration, the Malaysian government granted tax breaks, subsidies, and other incentives to domestic manufacturers. The Problem Developing industries which deal with the production of natural resource products are very likely to be placed in the international spotlight by drawing criticism from environmental groups around the world. Such is the case for the Malaysian government as explained in the Harvard Business School case study in which Malaysian prime minister Mahathir bin Mohamad was faced with media scrutiny regarding his country?s forest product industry during a visit to the United States. Being a country that is heavily dependent on foreign investment for its economic growth, Malaysia could not afford to simply ignore the criticism its country receives from westerners whose investments they are attempting to attract into the country. The problem lies in differing views on the side of western environmentalists and the Malaysian government. Western Critics Although Malaysia contains only 2 - 3% of the world?s tropical forests (pg.3, HBS), the biological potentials and environment potentials found in its rainforests are a cause for concern among western environmentalists. These environmentalists are quick to point out that often times, the welfare of the environment is far from the minds of those governing a newly industrializing country seeking to capitalize on its possession of valuable natural resources. According to the London Rainforest Movement and the Singaporean and Malaysian British Association, "the rapid destruction of the Sarawak rainforest means that a hugely rich natural laboratory

The Brand Strategy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Brand Strategy - Case Study Example As the new Director of Business Development for Aero Motors, I will design a marketing plan that is achievable within the specified period, and that will help us market our products. Our brand strategy ought to be different and unique from the other brands in the market. As much as we want uniqueness, so many people want the same product as we have developed it. The brand strategy ought to be different from others; it should be unique to attract customers. Forming Brand strategy is never the same in all products; it differs with the kind of product that one wants to market. Developing a brand strategy is a top town approach that is determined by a marketing strategy. The marketing team needs to know beforehand the type of strategies they want to use and should avoid imitation. Uniqueness should be the top objective of brand strategy. There are a number of methods of brand strategy that can be used, branding by thinking involves centralized planning and is the best in bigger companies with a range of products. Another method of brand strategy is branding by imagery; it is linked to the use of advertisements that help relate better to the consumer. This is a good form of brand strategy since it involves the customer. Branding by user familiarity targets product quality, usability, and product design. The customer is the most significant in this form of brand strategy. Branding by self-expression involves the customer who combines efforts with the company to help in brand building. The best brand strategy, which can be, used in marketing our product is branding by use of imagery, this is because its sales depend largely on the image. Our brand should predict customers’ needs and appeal to them emotionally and experientially, this way the car will do well in the market. For the development of relationships and expansion in the US market, we will ensure that the product is properly distributed so that it will be accessible in all the motor market in the United States. A strong brand will require more revenue and will sell more.  

Trends in Crude Oil Demand in United States over Time Assignment

Trends in Crude Oil Demand in United States over Time - Assignment Example In the throes of elevated oil prices, people, as well as industries, focused on reducing reliance on oil and oil products by investing in alternative energy and manufacturing more fuel-efficient products especially automobiles respectively. As a result, towards the close of the economic recession, the demand for crude had experienced a visible dent. Demand for crude, however, remained largely unaffected considering that alternative energy is yet to become a close and easily realizable alternative to crude. Crude oil pricing is highly prone to non-price factors that upset demand. Oil prices change wildly due to the geopolitical events afflicting the highly capricious Middle East, where most of the world’s crude production happens. The recent political mayhem in the Arab world resulted in an unmatched upsurge in prices of crude on the global scene, mainly due to a dip in supply. Throughout history, brief upsets in the price of oil are unmistakable in the event of unanticipated oversupply or unexpected shortages. Another key factor affecting the price of oil in the United States is the policy regulations imposed by the government, especially after the close of Second World War. Subsequently, in the post-war era, government regulations on the industry have commendably kept the prices of crude in the US well below the global average. Changes in global trading have significantly lessened control of conventional regulatory mechanisms in curtailing the prices of crude oil. Investors’ speculation in oil futures in the recent past has resulted in a distinguishable upsurge in the prices of crude. Global economic crises seem to have a strong correlation with rising in crude oil prices in the world. According to analysts’ figures, unprecedented high prices of oil herald economic downturns. What is more fascinating is that the economic recessions result in lower oil prices. For instance, in the 2008 economic meltdown, the price fell from over $120 per barrel as the crisis began to less than $40 (Chevron, 1) at the peak of the crisis.

Barriers, Risks and value creation by E-learning in Kingdom of Saudi Research Proposal

Barriers, Risks and value creation by E-learning in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Higher Education - Research Proposal Example Learning is like a change in behavior, the way some thinkers happen to interpret it as. Hence, when a new program is introduced in the purview of the people, it can either be welcomed with open arms, or it can be morbidly rejected. A similar innovation of E-Learning was introduced at the start of the century, which involved the basic application of all forms to technologies to proliferate the spread of education in all parts of the world. E-learning is naturally suited to distance learning and flexible learning, but can also be used in conjunction with face-to-face teaching, in which case the term Blended learning is commonly used. It had already been viewed that education is the most vital way of bringing about growth in competitiveness and knowledge in the various countries; with some amount of international cooperation, there is no knowing as to how far and wide education could have spread. Education has managed to influence the various branches and super structures of society in a major fashion. Education has evolved as a very clientele based service in the modern day and E-Learning has evolved as the apt way of providing the right kind of service provider to the clients, who are the learners or students. In the fast paced world it has proved to provide the right kind of time management that goes between learning and providing services. Technology is omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent. Humans have thus been able to derive the best out of this in the current century. Education is the key determination to enhancing modern technology needs through individuals to reduce the time period between the disbursement of funds and receiving products and services. To provide more options for consumer to access information that could not be reached. The development of computers and electronic communications has removed barriers of space and time. We can obtain and deliver knowledge anytime anywhere so Individuals who were disadvantaged for

Judicial Inquiry Into Stephen Lawrence

Judicial Inquiry Into Stephen Lawrence It is argued by Shiner (2010) that the judicial inquiry into the events surrounding the death of Stephen Lawrence amounted to a public declaration of police culpability in not only the surrounding the specific case of Stephen Lawrence but a wider concern with the maltreatment of black and ethnic minority communities more generally. (Shiner 2010; 935). The Macpherson Report identified that the combination of three core deficiencies within the police which contributed to an environment fostering racism: (1) professional incompetence, (2) institutional racism and (3) a failure by senior police officers in exercising their public duty. (Macpherson 1999: 46.1). The Report considered that their findings with regard to institutional racism were symptomatic with not only the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) but with other Police Services and institutions countrywide. (Macpherson 1999; 6.39). It is agreed by a number of academics that the way in which the police handled the Lawrence investig ation were not particularly racist against the Lawrence family but rather it was symbolic of the way in which the police were treating working class families with a sheer lack of understanding on the part of the police of the experiences and expectations of the black community. (Chan 1996; 115-119 and Phillips and Bowling 2007). The important aspect to emerge from the Report was the impact it would have on the police as an institution in that although Stephen Lawrence was not the first or last unresolved racist murder, it was noted by Reiner (2000) that it crystallised the disastrous ebbing away of black confidence in the police. (Reiner 2000; 79). It represented a turning point for policing in that it prompted the most significant review of the relationship between policing and ethnic communities, questioning how policing could be reflective of the community it serves. (Bowling and Phillips 2007; 546). The Macpherson reported noted some 70 recommendations aimed at improving this relationship between the police and ethnic communities which were implemented in the aftermath of the delivery of the Report. (Home Affairs Committee 2007). A key reforming recommendation was Recommendation 61 which required police to keep records of all stop and search activities carried out by the police which would contain the in formation of ethnicity which in turn could be used to determine whether the police were stopping any particular ethnicity disproportionately. (Macpherson 1999; 47.61). The effect of requiring police officers to record the informal aspects of their use of stop and search was one way in which the police could be held to account publically if they disproportionately stopped any ethnicity over another. Additionally, it had sought to reduce the arbitrariness of the use of stop and search by ensuring the police would only use the power appropriately when they had to record each time who they stopped. (Saunders and Young 2010; 97 101). One of the core concerns of the Macpherson Report identified that the police in practice were in effect over-policing particular ethnic communities and by requiring the police to report on their use of discretionary police powers would create an accountability mechanism within which the public could scrutinise the use of police powers. (Macpherson 1999; 6.3 4). It held the potential of becoming the yardstick indicator of policing. However, it is important to note that whilst the Macpherson Report clearly set about to place policing within a new agenda of accountability and openness to the community in which they served, it has been argued by Savage that the police as an institution has been able to undermine, frustrate and withstand any external proposals for reform. (Savage 2003; 171). In addition, it is important to understand the internal police perception of the Macpherson Report in that their reaction was deeply divided between senior ranking officer and rank and file field officers. (Rowe 2004). The senior officers were more open to change and accepted the findings of the Macpherson Report, however, the rank and file field officers protested that the Report was an affront to their professionalism in exercising their public duty. (McLaughlin 2007). Media reporting in 2009 from across a section of sources attempt to argue that the problems emerging from the Macpherson Report were now no longer relevant ten years after Macpherson due to the reforms implemented from the Report. In January 2009 the chair of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips wrote in the Daily Mail that the police were no longer institutionally racist. (19 January 2009). Additionally, Jack Straw who was the Secretary of State for Justice also backed the claim that the police had moved on by addressing the problems established in the Macpherson Report. (The Guardian, 23 February 2009). At the tenth anniversary of the Macpherson Report, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Sir Paul Stephenson, also told the media that the police had made significant progress in addressing the concerns of the Macpherson Report. (The Guardian, 24 February 2009). There a number of ways or indicators to assess how successful the Macpherson Report was at delivering a more open and accountable police force since its delivery over ten years ago. The London School of Economics (LSE) through its Mannheim Centre for Criminology commissioned a large number of national surveys of the police between 2002 and 2004 which could act as a good indicator of whether reform was successful. In their report the authors conclude that a number of successes can be claimed since the delivery of the Macpherson Report. (Foster et al 2005). In specific the LSE noted that the Macpherson Reported represented an important mechanism for change which was evidenced through improvements in police responses to hate crimes and in the recording and monitoring of racist incidents. (Ibid; vii ix). Policing structures now allowed for dedicated teams of officers for racial crimes who undertook specialist training in developing specific skills for investigating and managing racial c rimes. However, the LSE Report did note that many officers view these teams with scepticism and often marginalised the officers within them. (Ibid; 92). This highlights that whilst efforts were made at reforming the institutional structure towards creating specialist teams for specific crimes affecting ethnic minorities many existing officers did not support this development. (Buchanan 2006; 173-174). Additionally, the LSE Report noted considerable improvements in murder investigations with considerable improvements on communication between the police and local ethnic communities. It was the creating of community liaison officers which represented a positive change towards creating and fostering an environment of respect between the police and local ethnic communities. These officers allowed the facilitation of police policy to be communicated to local ethnic minorities and also for the police to take account of any concerns within the local ethnicity minority community. Interesting ly, all police forces across the UK have engaged training officers in Community Race Relations to develop existing and new officers skills set in being aware of the diverse cultures and experiences of minority communities within the UK. An important issue raised by the LSE Report was that some police officers within the survey believed that the Macpherson Report was wrong in concluding on the racism within policing and tended to view the problems raised by the Report as being primarily around incompetence. (Foster et al 2005; 33). The danger here is that there is a risk that the real message surrounding the racism issue within policing can become lost within the institutional structure when some officers only focus on the actual incompetence findings within Macpherson. The LSE Report also found that the police use of language and their attempts to abolish the use of racist language amongst officers were becoming successful. (Ibid; 43). This approach was achieved through continuous education of new recruits and retraining schemes for existing officers, the key to the success of this hinged upon the senior officers creating an environment within policing which did not accept the use of racist language. Although the Macpherson Report opened the possibility of effecting real change within policing there still exists a number of key concerns. The concerns revolve around two core issues, firstly police use of stop and search powers and secondly the unsuccessful recruitment of sufficient officers from ethnic communities in order to make the police more reflective of the community it serves. The reporting structure recommended by Macpherson shows that a high proportion of people from the Black community are disproportionately stopped by the police under the stop and search powers. This represents that the database of all stop and searches contain 20% more black people than Asian or White people. (Bennetto 2009; 22). Whilst the Black community is over represented in the criminal justice system for criminal offences it does not justify a disproportionate use of police stop and search power. Additionally, a core failing has been the problem with recruiting officers from within the ethnic co mmunities. In an investigative journalism piece by the BBCs Mark Daly (2003) highlights that a significant problem is that there is a serious underrepresentation within senior ranking positions of ethnic minorities which impact upon policy and public perception.

Lord Of The Dead :: essays research papers

( This essay is a response to Benhabib. ) EDUCATION, DISCOURSE, AND THE CONSTRUCTION OF IDENTITY 1 In order to see some of the strengths and weakness of identity politics as an approach to thinking about education, we need to make a distinction that is implicit, but not explicit, in Seyla Benhabib’s essay. For there are at least two distinct conceptions of identity politics at work in her discussion, and criticisms appropriate to one may not apply to the other. The first perspective considers identity a rather static quality of persons, and views the process of identity formation in predominantly passive terms; the other perspective involves what Benhabib calls â€Å"the fungibility of identity,† suggesting that identities are more active and flexible constructions.2 Correspondingly, each of these views yields a different view of politics; both of which, I will suggest, can be seen as quite limited, but for different reasons. For example, many identity theorists, and postmodern feminists generally, will balk at having Catharine MacKinnon put forth as an exemplar of their views. If she is an advocate of identity politics, it is only in a very specific sense, assuming a reified identity that is decided for women, by men, who â€Å"with their foot on women’s throats† do not allow them to speak for themselves. MacKinnon also has a crude, instrumental conception of power, especially in her view of the state as monolithic and fundamentally insensitive to women’s concerns (as she says, â€Å"the state is male†3). As a result, her view of politics is strategic and somewhat opportunistic: she appears willing to forge single-issue coalitions with any group to advance her cause, as she has with right-wing groups in her antipornography crusade. MacKinnon’s expressed sympathy for Clarence Thomas in the Hill-Thomas case is rather stunning, given her larger views on sexual harassment, and Benhabib places considerable weight on these comments as representing some larger dilemma faced by postmodern feminists in that dispute; but I do not see that MacKinnon’s comments typify a position taken by postmodern feminists generally. MacKinnon is not postmodern in any sense that I can understand, and it seems rather misleading to characterize the weaknesses of identity politics and of postmodern feminism largely through her example. If she is an identity theorist, she has a quite reified and passive conception of identity, as I have said. For MacKinnon, there is no active component in the process of identity formation; identity is constructed for women, imposed from without by powerful others and by hegemonic cultural norms and beliefs.