Friday, January 24, 2020

Seaweeds :: Biology, Biodiversity, Marine Food

Seaweeds belong to a group of organisms that has enormous ecological importance and represent a significant proportion of the world’s biodiversity. Seaweeds have always been of great interest in Asian culture as marine food sources (Rioux et al., 2009). In contrast, Seaweeds represent an important economical resource mostly in the countries of East and south Asia where they are not only largely harvested but also intensively and largely employed in the human nutrition (Caliceti et al., 2002). They can be classified as green algae (Chlorophyta), red algae (Rhodophyta) and brown algae (Phaeophyta) depending on their nutrient and chemical composition (Dawczynski et al., 2007). In addition, the seaweed industry uses tones of wet seaweeds annually, either from the wild or from cultivated crop (Dhargalkar and Verlecar, 2009). Seaweeds or marine macroalgae are potential renewable resource in the marine environment and known to be extremely rich source of bioactive compounds (Chandini et al., 2008). Therefore, algae can be a very interesting natural source of new metabolites with various biological activities that could be used as functional ingredients (Plaza et al., 2008). Biological activities are correlated to the presence of chemical compounds, particularly secondary metabolites. The presence of these compounds may assist in predicting some traditional uses of medicinal plants (Kamatou et al, 2008). However, novel potential areas have to be explored in order to maximize the effective utilization of seaweeds. The Phaeophyceae or brown seaweeds are a large group of multicellular algae, and they play an important role in marine environments both as food, and for the habitats they form. Most brown seaweeds contain the pigment fucoxanthin and various pheophycean tannins which are responsible for the distinctive greenish-brown color as the name indicated. Worldwide there are about 1500 species of brown seaweeds and they produce vast numbers of useful secondary metabolites (Davis et al., 2003, Reddy and Urban, 2009). Some species are of sufficient commercial importance, such that they have become subjects of extensive research in their own right. The term cosmeceutical is now commonly used to describe a cosmetic product that exerts a pharmaceutical therapeutic benefit (Choi and Berson, 2006). Therefore, cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with biologically active ingredients purporting to have medical or drug-like benefits. Dermatological research suggests that the bioactive ingredients used in cosmeceuticals do indeed have benefits beyond the traditional cosmetics such as creams, lotions, and ointments (Chen et al., 2005). There are number of synthetic components have been extensively used as ingredients for cosmetics. Seaweeds :: Biology, Biodiversity, Marine Food Seaweeds belong to a group of organisms that has enormous ecological importance and represent a significant proportion of the world’s biodiversity. Seaweeds have always been of great interest in Asian culture as marine food sources (Rioux et al., 2009). In contrast, Seaweeds represent an important economical resource mostly in the countries of East and south Asia where they are not only largely harvested but also intensively and largely employed in the human nutrition (Caliceti et al., 2002). They can be classified as green algae (Chlorophyta), red algae (Rhodophyta) and brown algae (Phaeophyta) depending on their nutrient and chemical composition (Dawczynski et al., 2007). In addition, the seaweed industry uses tones of wet seaweeds annually, either from the wild or from cultivated crop (Dhargalkar and Verlecar, 2009). Seaweeds or marine macroalgae are potential renewable resource in the marine environment and known to be extremely rich source of bioactive compounds (Chandini et al., 2008). Therefore, algae can be a very interesting natural source of new metabolites with various biological activities that could be used as functional ingredients (Plaza et al., 2008). Biological activities are correlated to the presence of chemical compounds, particularly secondary metabolites. The presence of these compounds may assist in predicting some traditional uses of medicinal plants (Kamatou et al, 2008). However, novel potential areas have to be explored in order to maximize the effective utilization of seaweeds. The Phaeophyceae or brown seaweeds are a large group of multicellular algae, and they play an important role in marine environments both as food, and for the habitats they form. Most brown seaweeds contain the pigment fucoxanthin and various pheophycean tannins which are responsible for the distinctive greenish-brown color as the name indicated. Worldwide there are about 1500 species of brown seaweeds and they produce vast numbers of useful secondary metabolites (Davis et al., 2003, Reddy and Urban, 2009). Some species are of sufficient commercial importance, such that they have become subjects of extensive research in their own right. The term cosmeceutical is now commonly used to describe a cosmetic product that exerts a pharmaceutical therapeutic benefit (Choi and Berson, 2006). Therefore, cosmeceuticals are cosmetic products with biologically active ingredients purporting to have medical or drug-like benefits. Dermatological research suggests that the bioactive ingredients used in cosmeceuticals do indeed have benefits beyond the traditional cosmetics such as creams, lotions, and ointments (Chen et al., 2005). There are number of synthetic components have been extensively used as ingredients for cosmetics.

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code Essay

To start this story, Eoin Colfer introduces the characters and setting in an unusual fashion. Since this book is a sequel, he has the difficult task of introducing the characters to new readers while still keeping it interesting for the ones who have stayed with him through the previous books. He accomplishes this masterfully and with a BANG. He immediately hooks the reader and simultaneously explains the complicated web of his excellent cast of characters. We begin in a Knightsbridge Bistro, present time, and are introduced to the protagonist: a pale adolescence genius by the name of Artemis Fowl and his trusty Eurasian bodyguard Butler. We are also introduced to the antagonist: the shadowy American businessman and fugitive John Spiro and his hulking, beastly, body guard Arno Blunt. Artemis is there to present an offer to the dangerous American. Artemis has stolen fairy technology in the form of a cube (all of which is explained in the prior books) that can read any mechanical information and present it with incredible speed and precision. His offer is that he will not release this incredible product for 9 months, and in that time Spiro can sell all his stock and put it into Fowl Industries. John is suspicious and asks for a demonstration. He requests that Artemis track all the laser satellites monitoring him at that specific moment. Fowl is happy to comply and the machine begins to whirl. It picks up satellites belonging to the FBI and other government owned operations. It then tells them that the LEP is monitoring him as well. Artemis is stunned and quickly shuts up the box. Spiro is confused by the LEP warning, but doesn’t think much of it. Then the inciting incident happens. Artemis and Butler suddenly find that all the restaurants occupants are arms and trained on the two heroes. Spiro has been in control the entire time and with a chuckle he leaves with the cube clamped tightly in his hands. He leaves Arno to make sure that Fowl and Butler are exterminated. Artemis is surprisingly calm in the face of danger. He quotes and old English philosopher and with the final words the building’s occupants fall screaming to the ground. Our hero’s were not niave and completely trusting of Spiro. Therefore, they planted sonic charges inside the building. Artemis and Butler are saved by the ear plugs worn in their ears. Butler leaves Artemis unguarded while he scopes the rest of the building. Arno awakes and with his M9 takes aims and fires into the chest of Artemis. At this point, the reader is either extremely confused, or at the edge of their seat. And to raise suspense Colfer leaves Artie and Butler at a cliff hanger for a minute and changes to another exposition. This time it is with a Fairy by the name of Holly Short in the underground utopia of Haven City. This is a refuge for magical creatures of all sorts to gather and to thrive. A place where technology is far superior then that of the surface world and the â€Å"Mud Men†. Holly and Artemis have crossed paths twice before and even had a slight romance. Holly is part of the LEPrecon police force. LEP standing for Lower Elements Police. Currently she was escorting a group of routy goblins to Police Plaza. All their cars are electronically oriented on a hub in the middle of the city. Suddenly all power goes out in the city. All cars are shut off and every entrance and exit are blocked. This can mean one of two things; A power failure, which is impossible with the countless backup generators the city has, or they have been exposed to the humans. Holly immediately rushes to Police Plaza and reports for duty. She is sent to investigates what has happened and why. The story then returns England and to the conflict. Arno Blunt is aiming his pistol at Artemis and is about to fire when Butler jumps into his way and absorbed the bullet into his own chest. Arno flees the scene as Butler slowly bleeds to death. And with that, the suspense begins to build, Artemis freezes Butlers body in a fish cellar and contacts Holly to help him. She has less then 6 minutes to zoom (with her wings) from her surface entrance in Ireland to England. She arrives with seconds to spare and proceeds accomplish a tricky magical surgery and Butler manages to survive. He is now armed with the anger and hatred to kill Arno Blunt. Now the reader understands the main conflict, Artemis and his friends must discover a way to enter John Spiro’s seemingly unpenetratable fortress and take his prized position. Holly finds that it was Artemis who â€Å"pinged† the Haven. If Spiro were to get past the â€Å"Eternity Code† set up by Fowl to secure the cube the existence of the Lower Elements could be exposed to all mankind. Holly agrees to help Artemis only if he agrees to have his mind wiped after the exposition. Artemis hurriedly agrees and formulates a plan hat he tells only parts of to everybody. They then proceed to execute the well formulated agenda. Spiro cannot open the cube since it has an Eternity Code on it, that only Artemis can open. Artemis goes to the Spiro Needle and tells him that it may take weeks to crack the code. Spiro keeps him under house arrest until he completes his objective. Then an invisible Holly, with the help of some of her technologically sophisticated buddies, infiltrates the building. Eager to show off, John presents the complex security system to Artemis, which Artemis records on his iris cam. Holly frees Artemis and then begins the climatic event. Spiro’s paranoia caused him to move his bed to right in front of the cube. Holy and Artemis manage to seduce him by pouring gas from the air filters and continue to work their way through the complicated security measures. They pass the first few test with ease, but they must have a finger print of John’s thumb. They cut his thumb at the joint and are now in extreme pressure to get through the cube and back. Holly can only reattach the thumb using her magic before 2 minutes. This is the peak of pyramid, the reader is practically sweating with anticipation. The duo manage to get back 30 seconds after their apparent deadline and reattach the thumb. After that adventure the story must wind down. How could it not after a climax like that? The dangerous duo continue their way out of the Spiro Needle and head home. While all of that was happening, Butler had been given a special assignment due to his obvious injury. He has the task of saving all their files related to fairy information onto disk that the more sophisticated fairy wouldn’t notice. He is ready when the two adventurers return with their prize. It is quickly destroyed by holly, smashing it into a million pieces. The story could end right now, but there’s a few things needed to be wrapped up. The fairies are left with a dilemma, if they mind wipe Fowl will he become the evil little devil he was in the first book? Will he find a way to get past their mind wipe, but not have the emotional piece of the puzzle, therefore trying to lead another assault on Fairy Kind? Despite the risks they decide to wipe him anyway. The fairies have enough photographs and information to lock Spiro up for the next decade and the story ends sadly with Holly looking at the oblivious friend she had come to love.

Wednesday, January 8, 2020

The Cold War And Postmodern Eras - 1579 Words

America is often said to envelop in culture of fear. American elites have established this supremacy by the means of propaganda. From the Cold War to the War on Terror, these elites have maintained power along with the American Government to make sure they have control of their consumers. This has been accomplished with the establishment of an American foreign policy that has helped create a bipolar world. It allows America to focus on its interest and create a myth that the American people have a destiny to fulfill in the world. Thus understanding the implications of a foreign policy and use of propaganda as a way to inject fear into the American society is the tool that would be used during the Cold War and Postmodern eras. It is then†¦show more content†¦The Cold War was established after World War 2, where tensions between American and the Soviet Union had created two sides. On March 12, 1947, the Truman Doctrine would establish the set of ideas for a bipolar world. The Truman Doctrine was America s foreign policy that would be the building block for America s foreign interests from 1947 – 1991 (Donaldson pg.35). According to Andrew Bacevich, an American historian specializing in interna tional relations, security studies, American foreign policy, and American diplomatic and military history, wrote, Foreign policy has, for decades, provided an outward manifestation of American domestic ambitions, urges, and fears (Bacevich pg.5). Foreign policy would be the underlining factor that would direct America in its conflicts against the Soviet Union. The doctrine was a speech given by Truman, asking congress for the funding to stop the Communist expansion. Truman wanted to prevent the domino theory where if one country fell to Communism, the others around it would soon follow. The Red Scare was already forming even before World War 2 but did not catch on until the late 40s. The first Red Scare was formed under the bipolar world, which sought to rid communism from America through labeling. The civil rights movement in 1947 was cut short by the first Red Scare, as they were labeled as communists (Donaldson pg.17). The elitists would takeShow MoreRelatedKurt Vonnegut : The Co ncept Of Postmodernism1598 Words   |  7 Pagesthe extreme, I define postmodern as incredulity toward metanarratives.† Through his statement, he endeavored to associate a theory to the shifting concept of postmodernism; to synopsize different events, experiences, and phenomena in history through a universal appeal to truth. While his supposition, through equation with the poems of Kurt Vonnegut, Charles Olsen, or John Cage - does indeed seem to hold validity; to define postmodernism remains difficult. To define this era would be to violate theRead MoreModernism And Its Impact On Society917 Words   |  4 PagesAfter the events of WWII, to say that America had changed drastically was an understatement; with the entirety of the Cold War, the Korean and Vietnam wars, and all the other political strife at home and abroad, America during this time could be considered an era of conflicting ideals. As a result of this change of times, literature changed it’s perspective; ef fectively, the transition from modernist ideals to postmodernist ideals. Much like modernism, however, post-modernism offered to reject idealsRead MoreThe Secret Of Conspiracy Theory1099 Words   |  5 Pagesto show system from broader perception. Marcus explains this in his book as a critical method in field of conspiracy theory. Melly sweeps through Cold-War era up to War on Terror post 9/11 in order to reinterpret it in relation to the â€Å"paradoxical epistemology.† Melly asserts that the rise of National intelligence caused â€Å"major stimulus of postmodern epistemological skepticism.† Melly demonstrates this point by continuing on historians’ investigation and discussion of specific events and presidentialRead MorePower And Weakness Essay1334 Words   |  6 Pagesare powerful, they behave as powerful nations do and European countries see the world through the eyes of weaker powers. 1. Power gap: perception and reality Europe has been militarily weak since World War II, but it remained unnoticed because of the unique geopolitical context of the Cold War: it was the strategic pivot between the United States and the Soviet Union. With the new Europe, in 1990s, everybody agreed that Europe will restore its power. However, the Balkan conflict revealed theRead MoreThe Movement Of Protest Movement Essay1183 Words   |  5 PagesThe Movement of Protest 1) â€Å"It was a decade of extremes, of transformational change and bizarre contrasts: flower children and assassins, idealism and alienation, rebellion and backlash. For many in the massive post-World War II baby boom generation, it was both the best of times and the worst of times.† (K. Walsh) a. Historians nostalgically described the sixties as a counterculture and revolution in social norms, such as: art, sexuality, formalities, and philosophy. The decade was also calledRead MoreEssay about Realism, Liberalism and Feminism1651 Words   |  7 Pagesand feminism will be examined and compared. One of the more predominant theories, realism, gained a lot of support in the post World-War II era, particularly during the Cold War. Before this time idealism, which stated that through international community states could work together to achieve mutual goals, had been the most popular theory. After the two world wars it seemed to many that these ideas were incorrect and a more ‘realistic approach to understanding world politics was necessary. RealismRead MoreSamuel Becket s Waiting On Godot1861 Words   |  8 Pagesand after World War I the world changed. As a reflection of that change writers began experimenting with perspective, time and order, form, etc. Literature wasn’t as straightforward; there were metaphors within metaphors, stories without clear beginnings middles and ends, poets used mixed meters and free verse became common becoming what is known as the modernist era. Around World War II the same thing happened again, but taken to the extreme. This was kn own as the postmodern era and writers beganRead MoreGraphic Design Style Of The Victorian Era1681 Words   |  7 PagesIndustrial Revolution in the Victorian Era there was a social and economic change as the world developed. There was the first printed book and first movable type, there were new printing press, first san-serifs, and first brand loyalty. However, with their ability to easily recreate designs, they replaced craft mans with cheaper and faster production, and art and craft were sacrificed for speed and quality; designs became tasteless. The design style of the Victoria Era was too busy, detailed and separatedRead MoreInternational Relations During The Cold War1750 Words   |  7 Pages Final Exam Essay over International Relations This paper will talk about how international relations changed after the cold war in four parts. The first part will be talking about environment. The second part will be talking about religion. The third part is sovereignty. The fourth part will have changes in statehood. The fifth part will talk about gender and then the conclusion. Environment has been growing as an academic subject for the past three decades and now it is on the â€Å"internationalRead MorePostmodernism in Literature5514 Words   |  23 PagesPostmodern literature The term Postmodern literature is used to describe certain tendencies in post-World War II literature. It is both a continuation of the experimentation championed by writers of the modernist period (relying heavily, for example, on fragmentation, paradox, questionable narrators, etc.) and a reaction against Enlightenment ideas implicit in Modernist literature. Postmodern literature, like postmodernism as a whole, is difficult to define and there is little agreement on the