Study on the Internet Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Study on the Internet - Assignment Example PhD is most likely a level that a researcher must examine any subject of choice in details, for a number of years in his or her course. In this sense, it was decided to study the matter of sample size in PhD studies’ context. The two major concerns of this study were to find out the number of participants who make use of qualitative interviews in their PhD studies, and if this numbers differ depending on the procedural approach. The method of the study A PhD database content analysis was carried out on the â€Å"Index To Theses: A comprehensive listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in Great Britain and Ireland since 1716†. This research was performed between the third of August, and twenty forth of August, 2009 (Mason, 2010). In the collection, 532,646 abstracts were used to discover PhD studies, indicating that they had utilized qualitative interviews to collect information. To find out any dissimilarity between diverse research t echniques, a classification of 26 varying qualitative research techniques from different disciplines were used. The methodological traditions were classified into four groups, namely: discovery of regularities, reflection, language characteristics, and comprehension of action or text meaning (Gravetter & Forzano, 2011). The researchers used a â€Å"standard search† with a number of parameters applied: if â€Å"any field† entailed â€Å"insert methodology†; if â€Å"any field† entailed interviews†; and if â€Å"Degrees† entailed PhD. The study looked solely at the use of individual to individual personal interviewing, meaning that focus groups were excluded from this analysis. The outstanding studies were collected using samples. A search on the abstracts was carried out and the following details were recorded on each: category of qualitative research; the methods used; and the number of interviewees who participated (Mason, 2010). Findings Th e findings by the authors indicated that in general, the range of the participant numbers used was between 95 and 1. Of the 560 studies examined, the mean and median were 31 and 28 respectively, perhaps suggesting that the central dispersion measures were consistent in general. It was clear that some approaches used interviews in their methodologies than others. Out of the 26 qualitative methods, 9 returned over 10 studies. The most popular techniques utilized in PhD studies as per this analysis were: life history, grounded theory method, discourse analysis, case study, phenomenology, content analysis, hermeneutics, action research, and symbolic interactionism. Case study projects were the most frequently utilized interviews; 1,401, while the grounded theory accounted for 429, with an inclusion criteria of 41%. On the other hand, qualitative evaluation accounted for the highest mean in the number of participants at 42, while ethnography communication recorded the lowest at 34. Discu ssion The most popular sample sizes were 30 and 20. Forty, ten, and twenty five followed the sequence. The considerable high proportion of studies using the multiples of ten to act as their sample stands out as the most vital finding of this analysis (Rubin & Babbie, 2009). There is no hypothesis-driven or logical reason why samples that end with any single integer would prevail than another in qualitative PhD researches that uses interviews. If the directing concept for qualitative resea

Microbial Produced Fuels as Economically Viable Renewable Fuel Source Essay

Microbial Produced Fuels as Economically Viable Renewable Fuel Source - Essay Example The essay seeks to perform a brief overview of the existing microbiological means of energy production and creates a persuasive argument for furthering the research and funding into alternative fossil fuels. There are several different types of microbiological means of creating fuels. Many of these have been understood since the beginning of the 20th century; others have only recently been developed in the past decade or so. One of the oldest forms of creating energy via microbiological means is with regard to using different strains of bacteria to produce electricity. This particular practice was engaged as early as the late 1920s by teams of American and German scientists that were interested in the means through which electrical generation via natural and readily available cultures might exist. Not surprisingly, this particular form of electrical generation was extraordinarily inefficient and yielded only a very small amount of electricity as compared to the level of investment that it required to function. More recently, scientists have turned their collective energies towards the creation of gasoline derivatives and/or biodiesel through a process of photosynthesis and algae reproduction. The inherent benefit technology improvement has to do with the fact that if this particular process is perfected, the overall energy independence that a particular region or nation Hope to exhibit will be drastically increased. This technology does not exhibit any toxic or long-lasting negative impacts.

Methods of Lipid Analysis in Food

Methods of Lipid Analysis in Food Lipids are defined as the biomolecules whose solubility in water is less than that in non-polar solvents. This definition puts structurally distinct classes of compounds such as fatty acids, terpenes, steroids, prostaglandins and carotenes in the same class (Carey Giuliano, 2014). Other definition for lipid has also been suggested (Eoin, et al., 2005). They perform a variety of functions in living system including but not limited to structural integrity, energy storage, digestion and communication (Nelson Cox, 2005). Although lipids are essential for many body functions, not all lipids are required in same amount. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommends that total fat of the food contribute to 20-35% of energy for adults. This should include 8% saturated fatty acid(SFA), 11% poly unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and less than 1% trans fatty acid (TFA) (FAO, 2010). Chances of insulin resistance is more in overweight person in high SFA diet (Lovejoy, et al., 2002). Similarly, excessive TFA intake also increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (Song, et al., 2015). Fat content also affects taste. It is proposed that fat has a unique taste Oleogustus that is dependent of chain length and is unique from five conventional tastes: sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness and umami (Running, Craig, Mattes, 2015). Butter produced from milk with high unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) was found to be more spreadable, softer and less adhesive (Bobe, Hammond, Freeman, Lindberg, Beitz, 2003). As the fat content and type effects health as well as taste and texture, it is essential to know the fat content of food. Fat sample is characterized by a variety of criteria and methods. The selection of the criteria and method depends upon the sample type, purpose, accuracy, precision, legal requirement as well as available funds. Hence, despite having limited significance for nutritional purpose, total lipid (TL) measurement is widely carried out as many food labelling regulations require the TL report. Similarly, iodine value can be used for unsaturation study when sophisticated chromatography or spectroscopy methods are unavailable (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003). This review intends to compile the available methods of lipid analysis of food products. Focus will be given on the type of sample required, result provided, resolving capacity of each criteria and method. Only brief discussion will be done on the theoretical and experimental process of the method. Sample preparation is very essential part of analysis of lipid sample. A separate section is dedicated to sample preparation.          In order to analyze the lipid, suitable sample must be prepared. If the sample has lipid inside cells (such as meat) the lipid should be extracted from the cells (Christie Han, Lipid Analysis, 2012). Samples must undergo some pretreatment before they can be used as test sample. Depending on the nature of sample one or more of the following work is necessary. 2.1. Storage Vessel Plastic container should be strictly avoided to store lipids. Plasticizers can leach into the sample and contaminate it. Glass vessels or Teflon coated vessels should be used. The atmosphere should be argon or nitrogen to prevent oxidation. (Christie Han, Lipid Analysis, 2012) 2.2. Protection from Oxidation Unsaturated fatty acids are prone to oxidation from atmospheric oxygen. Once the oxidation starts, autocatalysis accelerates the process. Different products are formed during oxidation and it may follow various mechanisms. Light, heat, metals, enzyme are known to catalyze the reaction (Angelo, 1996) Oxidation interferes with lipid analysis not only by destroying the unsaturated fats but also by formation of conjugated double bonds which show strong absorption at UV, thus providing false positive results (Christie Han, Lipid Analysis, 2012) Elimination of oxygen is the major step in prevention of oxidation. Therefore, all steps should be done in nitrogen atmosphere as far as possible. Equipment should be flushed with nitrogen before experiments. Small amount of antioxidant like 2,6-di-tert-butyl-p-cresol, which do not interfere with analytical process, may be added. Excess of these antioxidant should not be used as they can facilitate oxidation in high concentration. (Christie Han, Lipid Analysis, 2012) 2.3. Drying of Sample Lipid sample containing water can make analysis difficult and might be a source of error. Solvents cannot penetrate sample with >8% moisture easily. Hygroscopic solvents like diethyl ether can absorb the moisture, decreasing its extraction efficiency. Low moisture also facilitates grinding and increases the surface area of sample (Shahidi Wanasindara, 2008). Petroleum spirit, the most widely used solvent requires completely dried sample. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) Depending on the type of water present (free, adsorbed or water of hydration) different methods may be required for water removal (Bradley, Jr, 2010). Care should be taken during drying as high temperature might lead to decomposition and combination of lipids with other components. These associated lipids cannot be extracted by solvents. Lyophilization (freeze-drying) and vacuum drying methods are preferred drying methods. (Shahidi Wanasindara, 2008) 2.4. Particle size reduction (Grinding) Solid food sample might need grinding. Grinding increases the surface area and decreases the length through which solvent need to penetrate the sample (Min Ellefson, 2010). Care should be taken that the particles are not too fine, too much heat is generated or too much moisture is lost. (IUPAC, 1979) 2.5. Hydrolysis Lipids in food may be bound ionically or covalently with non-lipid components such as carbohydrate or protein. Solvents are not able to extract them efficiently. Therefore, lipid needs to be hydrolyzed with acid or alkali to turn them into free state. Significant error in lipid extraction is reported when no hydrolysis is carried out. (Min Ellefson, 2010) Hydrolysis also breaks emulsified fat. (Shahidi Wanasindara, 2008) Acid hydrolysis is used for most foods except diary and high sugar content food which require alkaline hydrolysis. Hydrolysis is not preferred when the lipid extract needs to be further analyzed for fatty acid components because they can cause decomposition and oxidation of the sample components. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) The given sample of food might not be entirely lipid. The amount of lipid in the food sample is called total lipid concentration. It is usually expressed as percentage or per 100gm food (Moreau, 2005). Although total lipid is widely used for food labelling and regulation of food composition, it has limited value as it does not provide the type of molecule in the lipid. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) There are various methods to determine total lipid in food like solvent extraction, non-solvent extraction, instrumental methods. The selection of methods depends on a number of factor which is discussed below. 3.1. Solvent Extraction In solvent extraction, the lipid component of the food is extracted by dissolving in suitable organic solvent(s). The solvent selectively dissolves the lipid while leaving the non-lipid portion undissolved. The solvent is then evaporated to leave fat residue. Total lipid is then determined gravimetrically as: -(i) The above data gives the total fat. However, a significant portion of the fat includes glycerol (from triglycerides) phospholipids and other unsaponifiable matters. Thus, corrections are required so as to represent the correct amount of fatty acids in the sample. The correction factor is provided by FAO. (Greenfield Southgate, Appendix 5, 2003) The extracted portion of solvent extraction is highly dependent on solvent use. Hence selection of solvent is discussed in detail next. Solvent Selection Ideal solvent should extract all lipids and lipids only. However, due to wide range of polarity of different lipid types, no single solvent can provide an ideal solution. Moreover, the solvent selected should preferably be low boiling, non-flammable, non-toxic in liquid as well as solid, easily disposable after extraction, inexpensive and non- hygroscopic. It should also penetrate sample thoroughly (Min Ellefson, 2010). Petroleum ether is the most commonly used solvent for its selectivity towards lipid, cost and availability. However, diethyl ether is better solvent for lipids but its fire hazard and hygroscopic nature makes it less favorable than petroleum ether. Ethyl ether and petroleum ether is also sometimes used alternately or together for extraction. (Pomeranz Meloan, 1994) n-hexane is preferred for oil extraction. (IUPAC, 1979) Mixture of polar and non-polar solvents has shown to extract all the lipids from most food. However, care should be given so as to prevent extraction of unwanted portion. The lipids extracted by this method without hydrolysis is suitable for further treatment to determine fatty acid fractions. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) Alcohol-ether can be used to remove fat from tissue. Water-butanol is used in cereals. Chloroform-methanol is preferred for animal tissue (Pomeranz Meloan, 1994). Solvent extraction is the standard method of analysis for many types of food. Hence, it is widely used and is undergoing continuous improvement. There are different types of solvent extraction, each with its pros and cons. 3.1.1. Batch Extraction Batch extraction is a very simple, yet widely used method of extraction. The sample is mixed with one or more solvent which along with endogenous water (if any) forms multiple layer of varying concentration. As the lipids are more soluble in non-polar solvents than in water, lipid portion goes to the layer with more solvents and non-lipid component remains in the layer with more water. The lipid part is then separated using a separating funnel. The separation is based on partition principle hence multiple extraction of the aqueous phase is necessary to obtain most of the lipid. The weight of lipid not extracted is given by the equation below: (Pomeranz Meloan, 1994) -(ii) Where, is the weight of lipid remaining, the volume of aqueous layer, volume of solvent in each extraction step, the distribution ratio of lipid in solvent, the number of extraction steps. The selection of solvent is then done using the distribution ratio of lipids in known solvents. Folch method uses chloroform-methanol extraction followed by washing with water. This extracts all lipid from tissue except strandin which remains with the non-lipid phase. (Folch, 1957) Folch method was improved by Bligh and Dyer to improve the speed of extraction and purify the sample at the same time. (Bligh Dyer, 1959) Extraction using low toxicity solvents like hexane: propanol has also been developed. (Hara Radin, 1978) Batch extraction is usually slow and requires a large amount of solvent. When other faster and easier methods are available, this method is not preferred. However, as no sophisticated equipment is necessary, batch extraction is very useful where the cost of equipment outweighs the usefulness of more accurate data. 3.1.2. Continuous Extraction Continuous solvent extraction recycles the solvent used so that small amount of solvent can accomplish the equivalent extraction of several steps. This process is preferred for solid samples and sample where the distribution ratio is low. These samples need multi step extraction as very little lipid is extracted to the solvent in each step. (Pomeranz Meloan, 1994) Soxhlet extractor is widely used extractor for lipid. Although first developed to measure milk fat it has developed as a standard extractor for lipid as well as other substances. (Soxhlet, 1879) It has gone various improvements since its first publication and now various modifications are commercially available. Goldfish extraction is a faster extraction system which suspends the sample in the solvent vapour. Although faster than Soxhlet based system, it might not completely extract the lipid due to channeling i.e. solvent may take a preferential path in the solid sample and may not cover whole of the sample. (Moreau, 2005) As continuous extraction is faster and uses less solvents than batch extraction it is the most widely used extraction system. Moreover, the equipment used is not very expensive and can be used for extraction of other materials. However, these processes are slow and disposal of solvent is an everyday problem. 3.1.3. Pressurized Fluid Extraction Pressurized fluid extraction (PLE) is carried out in high pressure and high temperature. In literature, this process is also called Pressurized Solvent Extraction or Accelerated Solvent Extraction. The term ASE ®is the registered trademark of Dionex Corporation which manufactures pressurized fluid extraction apparatus commercially. (Dean, 2009) Richter et al. studied the effect of variables like temperature, pressure, solvent volume on extraction. Their work showed that the ASE ® extractor could provide results comparable to Soxhlet but with reduced extraction time and solvent volume. This is attributed to decreased viscosity of solvent, weaker bond between components and increased diffusion capacity of solvent at higher temperature. Increased pressure is primarily applied to keep the solvent liquid, however, it provides the added advantage of forcing the solvent into pores blocked by insoluble matter. (Richter, et al., 1996) However, there is evidence that PLE is not selective to lipids for certain foods. (Boselli, Velazco, Caboni, Lercker, 2001) Moreover, no significant difference was seen on lipid extracted from poultry meat between Folch, Soxlet or ASE ® method. (Toschi, Bendini, Ricci, Lercker, 2003) Pressurized solvent extraction can be highly useful in labs where routine extraction is required as it greatly reduces the extraction time and solvent use. On the other hand, the investment on the apparatus may not be economical if extraction is not carried out regularly. In all cases the stability of temperature sensitive components should be known before using PLE. 3.1.4. Supercritical Fluid Extraction Substance in temperature above its critical temperature and pressure is called supercritical fluid. (IUPAC, 1997) Solvent property of supercritical fluid was first demonstrated in 1879. (Hannay Hogarth, 1879) They have huge prospects in extraction because they combine the solubility power of liquid with penetration power of gas. Moreover, their solubility can be fine-tuned by changing the pressure and temperature. Carbon dioxide and water are the most promising fluid for supercritical extraction due to their non-toxicity and environmentally friendly nature. (Hedrick, Mulcahey, Taylor, 1992) 3.2. Non-Solvent Liquid Extraction In this method, the sample is treated with some liquid reagent which separates the lipid from sample and the lipid fraction is then measured. This method is mostly used to determine milk fat. They require specialized vessels for each method and cannot determine phospholipids. (McClements, 2003) Several methods are present: 3.2.1. Babcock Method 3.2.2. Gerber Method 3.2.3. Detergent Method 3.3. Instrumental Methods Different instrumental methods have been developed to determine the total lipid content of the sample. They rely on some physical properties that vary systematically with lipid concentration. (McClements, 2003) Based on the property measured it is mainly of three types: 3.3.1. Measuring Bulk Properties Density: Density decreases as lipid content increases. This relation can be used to know the percentage of fat in a sample. (McClements, 2003) Electrical Conductivity: Conductivity decreases as lipid content increases. Thus, it can be used as fat concentration measure. (McClements, 2003) Ultrasonic Velocity: This is a fast and non-invasive method for fat content calculation. Amplitude and brightness analysis can be used to find the fat content and also distribution. (Abdul, N, Mohd, Abu, Z, 2013) Moreover, attenuation(absorption) of ultrasound is linearly proportional to the amount of fat in the body. (Dukhin, Goetz, Travers, 2013) 3.3.2. Measuring Absorption of Radiation UV-VIS: Fatty Acid absorb UV light proportional to its concentration. This method requires sample preparation to remove substances like proteins and hydrophobic peptides which interfere with the measurement. (Forcato, Carmine, Echeverria, Pecora, Kivatinitz, 2005) Because of the extraction and dilution needed the process can be time consuming and labor intensive. (McClements, 2003) IR: Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is mainly used to analyze fatty acid content in food. (Mossoba, Azizian, Kramer, 2012) Fat show strong absorbance at 5.74 mm which provides rapid and online fat composition measure. (McClements, 2003) The carbonyl absorption is the major reason for lipids NIR activity. This method requires intensive calibration with other approved methods hence is mainly used for routine analyses of large number of similar sample. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) NMR: NMR is also a non-destructive and fast method of total fat analysis. Although it requires a calibration curve, it is better suited than IR or UV because it can be operated by non-experts and the calibration curve is long lasting. (Oxford Instuments Molecular Biotools, 2010) X-Ray: Fat absorbs less X-Ray than lean meat. Hence, by building a proper calibration curve, fat content in meat can be determined by X-Ray absorption (McClements, 2003) 3.3.3. Measuring Scattering of Radiation Light and Ultrasonic Scattering: Light as well as ultrasound waves are scattered by oil droplets present in emulsions. The linear relation between concentration of droplet and light scattering can be used to measure total fat, provided no other interfering molecules exist. (McClements, 2003) X-Ray: Fat molecules show a sharp X-Ray scattering peak at 1.1 nm-1 while a water rich tissue shows a peak at 1.6nm-1. Thus, varying amount of fat can give a scattering profile which can be used for fat content determination. (Elshemey, 2011) 3.4. Other Methods 3.4.1. Solid Phase Extraction 3.4.2. Microwave Assisted Extraction Total Lipid Concentration is a very simple data about food. As lipid contain diverse chemical species, in addition to total lipid, the type of lipid and their distribution also plays a major role to determine the purity, nutritional value, aesthetic look and taste. Hence, complete information about the type of lipids is necessary for scientist as well as legal bodies. (McClements, 2003) Sample preparation is the most important part in most method to analyses lipids. As the lipid is extracted, care should be given to prevent the change of one form of lipid to another. Hydrolysis should be rigorously prevented as it reduces triglycerides and increases free fatty acids. Extraction should cause as less oxidation as possible. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) Extraction in chloroform, chloroform-methanol and hexane-isopropanol is preferred. Storage of sample in cold at -20oC is preferred. (AAFCO Lab Methods Services Committee, 2014) The various method present have their advantages and drawbacks and the preferable method depends on the type of food and the type of lipid to me examined, (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) 4.1. Chromatography It is a very powerful tool for lipid analysis. It can give compete profile of the lipid molecules in the given sample. Chromatography separates the different components of lipid in fractions, these are then subject to spectrometric analysis which gives the molecular identity as well as relative concentration. IR, NMR and Mass Spectrometry are most commonly used. (McClements, 2003) These methods, although very reliable and comprehensive are very expensive due to the instrumental and reagent cost and is only carried out where complete molecular identification is required. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) Three types are used: TLC: Thin Layer Chromatography is used to find concentration of different lipid groups. The TLC plate is prepared with suitable adsorbent and kept in proper solvent. A drop of sample is placed on one end and let to flow. The plate after separation to different fractions is compared to standard plates to identify the lipids. The spots can be analyzed further by GC, MS, NMR. (McClements, 2003) After the advent of HPLC, TLC use has decreased considerably. However, after the availability of pre-coated plates, the use of TLC for instant result is still carried out when there are few samples only. It is cheaper than HPLC. However, care during experimentation is required. (Christie, Thin-Layer Chromatography of Lipids, 2011) This method cannot be used to separate different types of phospholipids. (Zaima, Goto-Inoue, Adachi, Mitsutoshi, 2011) HPLC: High Performance Liquid Chromatography is now a preferred method for lipid analysis. This is because it is more versatile than TLC and operates at room temperature, thus can be used to analyses labile groups that cannot be done using GC. (Christie, Thin-Layer Chromatography of Lipids, 2011) GC: Gas Chromatography is the preferred method for analysis of trans fatty acid. It can also be used for triglycerides and fatty acids; however, methylation is necessary. (Greenfield Southgate, Review of methods of analysis, 2003) Fatty acids are non-volatile, hence before carrying out GC, the lipids are saponified and methylated to give Fatty Acid Methyl Esters(FAME) which are volatile and can be used for GC. (McClements, 2003) -(2) It is now possible to convert a lipid sample of a fraction of a milligram in size to the methyl ester derivatives, separate these by gas chromatography, and have a quantitative result in under one hour. (Christie, Chapter 1 Introduction and Summary, 2011) 4.2. Chemical Methods These methods are very cheap and do not require expensive machinery. However, only crude and average results are obtained. Following test gives different information on fat: Iodine Value: It gives the average degree of unsaturation in the lipid. The lipid to be analyzed is titrated with ICl and the consumption of ICl gives the amount of unsaturation in lipid. Saponification Number: It gives the average molecular weight of triglycerols. The triglycerols are saponified with KOH and the amount of KOH used is determined. This is the saponification number. High saponification number corresponds to low molecular weight and vice versa. Acid Value: It gives the amount of free fatty acid. Here, the lipid is titrated with KOH until the solution turns alkaline. Other acids may interfere with results. (McClements, 2003) 4.3. Instrumental Techniques Various instrumental techniques for fat analysis are present. Methods like NMR, IR, MS are usually coupled with chromatography. Measurement of density and refractive index can be used to measure change in chain length and unsaturation. (McClements, 2003) Lipids with high unsaturation undergoes aerial oxidation. This includes variety of reactions usually summarized as follows: reactants à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ primary products à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ secondary products (unsaturated lipids and O2) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (peroxides and conjugated dienes) à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ (ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, hydrocarbons) 5.1. Chromatography Loss of reactants as well as formation of specific products can be monitored by using time profile. 5.2. Oxygen Uptake Measures the amount of oxygen consumed over time while maintaining constant oxygen concentration on the reaction vessel. 5.3. Peroxide Value Measures the amount of peroxide formed by titration with iodine. 5.4. Conjugated Dienes Measures the concentration of conjugated dienes by UV spectroscopy (at 233nm for diene and 268nm for trines) 5.5. Thiobarbituric Acid(TBA) Measures the secondary products (aldehydes) in the sample. The sample is treated with TBA and absorbance measured at 540nm. The absorbance value corresponds with the concentration of aldehyde. 5.6. Accelerated Oxidation Tests The sample is oxidized in oxidation friendly environment and the time taken for rancidity to form is measured. These tests help to know the physicochemical characteristics corresponding to flavor, appearance, flow etc. 6.1. Solid Fat Content(SFC) Measures the fraction of fat present as solid. Density measure is mostly used (3) Where is the density at given temperature and are the density if it was completely liquid or solid at the same temperature. NMR signal decay rate is also being used recently. More solid component, faster is the signal decay. Differential Scanning Calorimetry uses latent heat measure are also used to measure SFC-temperature profile. 6.2. Melting Point Used when SFC is not required but only the temperature of melting is required. Due to different components present no sharp melting point is seen. Instead different melting points are used: Clear Point: The temperature at which fat completely melts and becomes clear Slip point: The temperature at which the fat in a capillary tube starts to slip. Wiley melting point: the temperature at which a disc suspended in alcohol-water mixture turns to a sphere. 6.3. Cloud Point The temperature at which a completely melted lipid starts to develop turbidity. 6.4. Smoke Point The temperature at which the lipid starts to smoke at standard condition 6.5. Flash Point The temperature at which a flash appears on the surface at ignition at standard condition 6.6. Fire Point The temperature at which a continuous flame stats to form at standard condition 6.7. Rheology The measure of deformation and flow. Viscosity, elastic modulus and other relevant flow or plasticity measure is used. (n.d.). (FOSS) Retrieved from Analytical Solutions for Food Analysis and Quality Control FOSS: http://www.foss.dk/~/media/images/ca/soxtec8000/soxtech_extraction_sketch-jpg AAFCO Lab Methods Services Committee. (2014, January). Crude Fat Methods Considerations. Retrieved from Association of American Feed Control Officials: http://www.aafco.org/Portals/0/SiteContent/Laboratory/Fat_Best_Practices_Working_Group/Crude_Fat_Methods_Considerations.pdf Abdul, H. M., N, B., Mohd, S. M., Abu, K. R., Z, M. (2013). The Use of Ultrasound As a Fat Measurement Sensor. International Conference on Smart Instrumentation, Measurement and Applications (ICSIMA), (pp. 315-320). Kuala LAmpur. doi:10.1109/ICSIMA.2013.6717974 Angelo, A. J. (1996). Lipid Oxidation in Foods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 36(3), 175-224. doi:10.1080/10408399609527723 Bligh, E. G., Dyer, W. J. (1959). A Rapid Method of Total Lipid Extraction and Purification. Canadian Journal of Biochemistry and Physiology, 911-917. Bobe, G., Hammond, E. G., Freeman, A. E., Lindberg, G. L., Beitz, D. C. (2003, October). Texture of Butter from Cows with Different Milk Fatty Acid Composition. Journal of Dairy Science, 86(10). doi:10.3168/jds.S0022-0302(03)73913-7

A challenge to Materialism Essay -- essays research papers

Cartesian Dualism Challenged   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In this paper, I will examine the issues of individuation and identity in Descartes’ philosophy of mind-body dualism. I will begin by addressing the framework of Cartesian dualism. Then I will examine the problems of individuation and identity as they relate to Descartes. Hopefully, after explaining Descartes’ reasoning and subsequently offering my response, I can show with some degree of confidence that the issues of individuation and identity offer a challenge to the Cartesians’ premise of mind-body dualism. Before diving into a critical examination of these two issues, it would be wise to first discuss the basis of Descartes’ philosophy. Descartes begins his discussion of mind by first disregarding everything that he can call into doubt. After this mental cleansing, Descartes is left only with the maxim that ‘I cannot doubt that I am doubting.’ From this conclusion, Descartes states that some entity must be doing this doubting, and claims that this entity is his mind. The Cartesian mind has only one property: thinking. Consequently, Descartes establishes a distinction between mind and body. The two share no characteristics, as the body does not indulge in thinking, the mind’s solitary function. Further, mind and body are independent of each other; mind can exist even in the absence of body. At the same time, Descartes does not doubt that â€Å"the mind begins to think as soon as it is implanted in the body of an infant.† Yet the mind does not need the b ody to engage in introspection, the action of thinking about thinking. Only introspection is immune from illusion, confusion, or doubt. Information about the world outside of mind is prone to these hazards. We cannot conclude with certainty that other minds exist. Thus, the Cartesian is left to what I would dub a lonely existence: â€Å"Even if [a Cartesian] prefers to believe that to other human bodies there are harnessed minds not unlike his own, he cannot claim to be able to discover their individual characteristics. Absolute solitude is on this showing the ineluctable destiny of the soul. Only our bodies can meet.† Now I will critically examine Descartes’ mind-body philosophy by addressing the issues of individuation and identity. First, I need to be clear about the issues I am addressing. In order to fully understand the problem of individuation, we nee... ...owed in my earlier example, consider bodies the same. Strawson argues that even if a Cartesian claims to be directly experiencing his mind through introspection and therefore has no need of explaining the identity of his mind, he still cannot rule out the possibility that a thousand different minds may occupy him during the next moment. As with individuation, Strawson and his fellow anti-Cartesians can correctly identify minds in the same manner that I identified myself as the same girl I was 9 years ago. Those operating under Descartes’ philosophy cannot identify the same mind over time, and consequently cannot speak â€Å"coherently† (as Strawson puts it) about mind.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Using Strawson’s analysis of Descartes as a guide, I have attempted to demonstrate how two issues—individuation and identity—threaten to dismantle Descartes’ philosophy of mind-body dualism. I have stood behind the anti-Cartesian argument that in order to associate one mind with one body—which Strawson claims is a vital principle to both Cartesians and anti-Cartesians—we must think of mind as something dependent on a person and not as something separate altogether, as Descartes would argue.

Personal Development Report Essay

This personal development report reflects upon my learning experiences and outcomes during my first year at Nottingham Trent University. It aims to document the ways in which I have developed and areas for further consideration as part of a continual learning process. The report will be structured around 5 main areas as shown below 1. Placing learning on BABM within the wider context of lifelong learning 2. Taking personal responsibility for career planning 3. Taking personal responsibility for the learning process 4. Valuing the importance of developing personal effectiveness 5. Demonstrating an enquiring mind I have also looked at how all this learning at university relates and fits within a wider context of lifelong learning. Conclusions and recommendations for what I am going to do to improve in the months from May 2001 to 2002 are based on the areas I have mentioned in the above. I will do this in the form of a Personal Development Plan using the smart objectives as follows: (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Related to overall life-long goals and set over a Time period). I have made conclusions of the development plans, which have concentrated both on Core Transferable skills and also some softer skills. Introduction 1.My Learning At University Within A Wider Context Of Lifelong Learning 1.1 The concept of lifelong learning The concept of lifelong learning is as relevant now as it has ever been, with the traditional job for life being replaced by shorter periods of work for different firms requiring essentially the same skills and qualities in employees. Therefore the ability for these skills to be transferable is very important. To develop these skills therefore is extremely important with many employers putting greater emphasis upon these core skills and less emphasis upon specific skills. These skills can be used in many different situations and circumstances to allow the employee to perform to the best of their ability. â€Å"The concept of work is continuously changing. An individual not only has several jobs in a lifetime but may also have several careers. Therefore everybody needs continuous updating of skills and competence throughout their working life† ERT report, 1989 The following skills are widely considered to be Core Transferable Skills  · Organisational Skills  ·Ã‚  Interpersonal/ Social Skills  · Analytic and Problem Solving Skills  · Teamwork  · Creativity  · Self Motivation  · Initiative and Leadership 1.2The learning curve It is these skills that have been particularly important to develop whilst at university and it is the experience of university both academically and socially that has provided the ideal environment for these skills to be developed. The combination of leaving home and adapting to a completely different environment both educationally and socially has meant that the learning curve especially in the first semester was very steep. To live away from home for the first time without any contacts in an unknown city is a life changing experience and forces oneself to adapt and mature quickly after leaving the security of the family home. Being entirely responsible for yourself is also a new experience requiring maturity and forward thinking as well as planning to enable yourself to function. The way in which these skills have been developed forms the backbone for lifelong learning, one which employers recognize and actively seek in graduates. 1.3Lifelong learning defined The concept of lifelong learning is complex and is not easily defined resulting in no unilateral definition, however its importance is widely agreed. â€Å"The Development of human potential through a continuously supportive process which stimulates and empowers individuals to acquire all the knowledge, values, skills and understanding they will require throughout their lifetime and to apply them with confidence, creativity and enjoyment in all roles, circumstances and environment† Longworth, 1996 p22 â€Å"The need for a learning society to convert and compete is not just urgent, it is a matter of economic life and death. It is a matter of social success or disaster. It is a matter of survival† Cann in Bradshaw, 1995 The development of these skills both as part of the BA Business Management Degree and the wider University experience is key to becoming an attractive employee This is particularly so as years two and three of the Degree are â€Å"in company† so the development of these skills and the pace at which these must be  developed is crucial. This report will aim to reflect upon my first year experienc e and where appropriate utilize activities, questionnaires and assignments in an attempt to build a personal development review and action plan for the proceeding 12 months in the form of a personal development plan. 2.Taking Personal Responsibility For The Learning Process The biggest contribution to taking responsibility for the learning process was the decision to further my learning at university. This decision has allowed myself the opportunity to further my learning both academically and socially in ways that I would be unable to had I not made the decision to attend university. Also the decision to accept my place on the BABM course was another way in which I have demonstrated my personal responsibility for learning. The course is intense for each of the three years, more so than most undergraduate courses and the decision to accept a place on this course rather than other courses where workload and intensity were less was important. The course aims to enrich individuals with far greater experience both academically and in terms of transferable skills therefore by choosing BABM I feel I have made the best possible choice to continue my learning in the most relevant way providing me with higher levels of transferable skills than other graduates may have. 2.1 Taking responsibility for myself To be able to take responsibility for the learning process I have had to take responsibility for myself and become more accountable to myself in terms of making myself work harder and setting aside time in which to work. .University work is very different to that I have encountered before in terms of deadlines are much longer, scope for research is much larger, less specific titles to assignments etc etc so being accountable for myself is very important. 2.2 Time management Because the work is very different to that experienced before I have had to manage my time in a much more responsible manner to enable me to fulfill my potential, progress, and attain the best possible marks for myself. Examples of where I have managed my time effectively are physically difficult to produce as the BABM timetable is extremely varied from week to week so to produce a timetable where work and free time could  be planned in advance was very difficult to do. Undoubtedly time management and grades are very much linked and my grades for semester 1 and those received thus far for semester 2 have been good and I feel this has been partly due to my good time management skills. My peer assessment feedback included 5 of 6 people stating that I was well organized and three out of 6 stating that I was disciplined. This is included in appendix 1. 2.3Taking responsibility for learning The DLBM debate where our topic was â€Å"interviews are the most unreliable method of selection† required ourselves to complete a large amount of research. Our group split into two and four with the latter researching that I was a part of. The grade we received for this was high 70% and showed the level of research the group had done and is typical of myself being keen to take responsibility for learning. Development of interpersonal skills I am a member of The Herefordshire Golf Club where in 2000 I was captain. In this role I was required to talk to people of different ages and backgrounds and I feel this role has allowed my interpersonal skills to develop and I have learned a lot from this position as it provides a different scenario from academic studies. This role also developed my leadership skills as well as my organizational skills. 3.Value The Importance Of Developing Personal Effectiveness As part of the Developing Learning for Business and Management module the group completed two sessions on personal effectiveness including â€Å"ËÅ"assertiveness’ and â€Å"ËÅ"effective communication/ active listening’ These sessions have allowed my awareness to the importance of assertiveness and communication skills to be greatly improved and have highlighted ways in which I can improve on these skills. My level of skills prior to the sessions was of a good level and I believe I have the basic fundamentals to allow myself to develop communication and assertiveness naturally. However my increased awareness brought about by the sessions has allowed myself to take a more proactive approach to developing personal effectiveness. 3.1Demonstrated active listening/ effective communication An example of where I have demonstrated both active listening/effective communication whilst  being assertive was in a role-play with Vanessa Knowles DLBM lecturer as part of a tutorial session. Vanessa played the part of the under performing employee and I played the part of the employer. Vanessa used several different behaviour characteristics in attempt to alter my opinions and decisions. I feel that I learnt a lot by this, the importance of clear communication and active listening whilst not letting some-ones behaviour alter my decisions. 3.2Development of self confidence The session also increased my confidence especially as the role-play was conducted in front of an audience and made me more willing to be assertive rather than passive which is a tendency I will sometimes withdraw to. In the peer assessment feedback session this was something people felt was maybe a weakness of myself. Ben Gasson for example said â€Å"You should be more confident and forceful, often what you have to say is just as valid if not more so than other people, just say what you think sometimes† This analysis is very true of myself and to be more assertive I must first become more confident within myself. 3.3Development of leadership skills In the Belbin peer assessment it was also said that I was sometimes fearful of conflict. This I agree is true sometimes when maybe I am unsure of all the facts or am not in a position to speak confidently, I sometimes let others dominate me when really their ideas are no better than my own. However I feel that the example as mentioned above (role-play) demonstrated my ability not to be fearful of conflict. I am not a person to cause conflict within a group but at the same time I would not say i am fearful of conflict and can be assertive when necessary. One area for development are my leadership skills. Although I feel that I have become much more confident this year and this has enabled me to take a more active or leadership role in certain situations. However I feel that I still have a long way to go to enable myself to be a natural leader and to do so would be a great achievement. To improve this area of personal effectiveness is a definite priority for the next 12 months. My job at Marks & Spencer’s requires me to work on the customer service desk listening to customer’s complaints and dealing with their problems. This role requires me to have good active listening skills and not be fearful of conflict whilst maintaining good customer service. This shows that my personal effectiveness and assertiveness can when necessary be very prominent. 3.4Ability to effectively communicate My ability to effectively communicate has been demonstrated in many ways this year, presentations, debates, meetings, interviews etc. My peer assessment said that my presentation skills are good and I can speak in confidently at a good pace. This was highlighted in the DLBM debate where it was mentioned in the group mark sheet as well as the business simulation feedback sheets. 4.Work With Others To Achieve Goals The ability to work with others to achieve goals is another very important transferable skill that employers seek. The Belbin team role questionnaire included in appendix __ and states that predominantly I am a team worker co-coordinator. This opinion is held by both myself and my peer group showing that I view myself and my group views me as a team worker. 4.1Working with others in practice My ability to work with others to achieve goals, I believe is one of my biggest strengths. Much of the work on BABM is team orientated as this will be the case when in the workplace in years 2 and 3. Examples of this have included the business simulation module where I feel I made a good contribution to the team. Other examples have included the DLBM debate, the organizational behaviour presentation as well as the smaller group assignments we have be set. 4.2My role within groups The experience I have gained working in groups this year has developed many of my skills far more than a normal undergraduate course may have done. My skill within groups is one of analysis and reflection of what others have said and making rational and coherent arguments from debate. This ability has proved to be very useful this year however I feel than within group work I need to take a more pro active role  stimulating debate and discussion. As was stated in my peer assessment feedback I sometimes need to â€Å"relax, say what I think, and be more confident† and this is an area I need to work on in the next 12 months 4.3Teamwork outside the classroom During 2000 I have played golf for The Herefordshire Golf Club where much of the competition is in team format. Very different to university teamwork where communication is key, playing golf requires analysis of the situation and choosing the best course of action in a short time consulting your partner to achieve the best possible result. Again I feel I have learnt a lot from this sporting experience as often I am under pressure to make team decisions quickly at university and although in an entirely different situation the process is the same. 5.Demonstrate An Enquiring Mind An enquiring mind and to be interested in your work is essential to being successful, without this I feel would result in lack of motivation and a significant reduction in output. My educational background shows how my enquiring mind is diverse and heavily influenced the â€Å"ËÅ"A’ level subjects I chose. I tried to choose subjects I was genuinely interested in and felt that I would be most motivated to work hard on. This at the time didn’t include business studies but my work experience at Marks & Spencer’s has led me to become interested in business. I wanted to know why decisions were taken at head office, what influenced them and how they took those decisions. My father works in business and as I have always been interested in his work and find it interesting. 5.1Examples of enquiring mind At university it is particularly important to have an enquiring mind as many of the subjects are only covered very briefly in the actual lectures therefore requiring me to be interested in them and to have an enquiring mind to allow myself to get a good knowledge of each subject. This is very different to â€Å"ËÅ"A’ levels and I feel that I have improved greatly in this area since attending University. However I also feel that I still have a lot of room for improvement particularly in subjects that I find difficult and those that are maybe less interesting to myself. I should try to complete all the recommended reading rather than completing only that which I find interesting. I found the organizational behaviour module to be particularly interesting and read a lot of the textbook despite the fact that the essay I had to write was only a small proportion of the book. For the DLBM debate I was part of the â€Å"research team† as I enjoy finding information that can be used to form an argument. I enjoy reading national papers and try to do so as often as I can as I am interested in the wider scope of global business. My enquiring mind sometimes get the better of me and I find myself reading about completely irrelevant topics to that I am meant to be studying for and wasting time but I believe this reflects my enquiring mind For the information systems/ information technology module we could either build a website of produce a leaflet. Despite the fact I had never produced a website before I chose to do this as I enjoy using computers and felt that although this would be more difficult it would be more beneficial to myself in the long run. 6.Take a Personal Responsibility For Career Planning Taking responsibility for career planning is very important, and the BABM course demands that students do this much earlier than other students on other undergraduate schemes. Because of this career planning is very important specifically with regards to years two and three of the course to enable me to make the maximum of my interview and company opportunities. The first step in career planning for myself was my work experience at Marks & Spencer’s that motivated me to choose the BABM course. Choosing to be on the BABM course itself also was of great importance to my future career with the uniqueness of the course enabling me to gain more experience earlier. 6.1Interview skills development Whilst on the BABM course I have had to take responsibility for my future career and have demonstrated this in a number of ways. Firstly interview technique was important to develop and the practice interview as part of the DLBM module gave good feedback as to my style and competencies. The feedback I got (see appendix 3) was generally good with areas to improve on including becoming more focused upon the process I went through when giving examples rather than the example itself. Also I tended to undersell myself when given the chance to impress but apart  from this the feedback was generally good 6.2C.V and application form enhancement My C.V and application form was also another area that required me to take personal responsibility. I read articles on the Internet and books from the library on how to write a C.V as well as attending lectures on C.V’s. I got feedback from my dad who takes part in selection processes as part of his job as well as Vanessa Knowles the DLBM lecturer. The feedback I got was very good highlighting areas that needed to be improved 6.3Increasing personal awareness of placements For the pre selection week I researched each company individually, sent off for their annual reports, looked at their web sites and read the national press to gain any knowledge I could before I attended the sessions. This gave me an insight not only into the companies that I was researching but also the industries they operated in. It also allowed me to view the types of placements offered to students such as myself and has increased my knowledge of the type of placement I am looking to secure. 7.Conclusions I feel that in the last 12 months I had developed tremendously as a person and feel that I have become much more confident, outgoing and assertive. My transferable skill base has improved greatly due to my experience on BABM and at university generally. I feel that my value as a person to an organization has increased greatly and I feel confident that the skills I have learnt this year will continue to be used long into the future not only just during the period â€Å"in company†. However I realize that my skills can and will be improved enormously by the experience I will gain whilst in company and that lifelong learning is a valid and very important concept. My personal development plan outlines areas I intend to improve over the next two years and contains ways in which I intend to monitor evaluate and measure myself and my development. I have tried as far as possible to make my targets Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant and Timescaleable to enable myself to develop myself in the most effective manner. The personal development plan will allow myself to continually review my progress and will hopefully prove a useful tool in the next two years whilst on the BABM course

Information and Communication Technology

Spending on information and communications technology in 2005 Information and communications technology or information and communication technology,[1] usually called ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology (IT) but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), intelligent building management systems and audio-visual systems in modern information technology. ICT consists of all technical means used to handle information and aid communication, including computer and network hardware, communication middleware as well as necessary software. In other words, ICT consists of IT as well as telephony, broadcast media, all types of audio and video processing and transmission and network based control and monitoring functions. The expression was first used in 1997[3] in a report by Dennis Stevenson to the UK government[4] and promoted by the new National Curriculum documents for the UK in 2000. ICT is often used in the context of â€Å"ICT roadmap† to indicate the path that an organization will take with their ICT needs. [5][6] The term ICT is now also used to refer to the merging (convergence) of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives (huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the audio-visual, building management and telephone network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution and management. See VOIP and Intelligent Infrastructure Management (IIM). This in turn has spurred the growth of organizations with the term ICT in their names to indicate their specialization in the process of merging the different network systems. Information and Communication Technology Spending on information and communications technology in 2005 Information and communications technology or information and communication technology,[1] usually called ICT, is often used as an extended synonym for information technology (IT) but is usually a more general term that stresses the role of unified communications and the integration of telecommunications (telephone lines and wireless signals), intelligent building management systems and audio-visual systems in modern information technology. ICT consists of all technical means used to handle information and aid communication, including computer and network hardware, communication middleware as well as necessary software. In other words, ICT consists of IT as well as telephony, broadcast media, all types of audio and video processing and transmission and network based control and monitoring functions. The expression was first used in 1997[3] in a report by Dennis Stevenson to the UK government[4] and promoted by the new National Curriculum documents for the UK in 2000. ICT is often used in the context of â€Å"ICT roadmap† to indicate the path that an organization will take with their ICT needs. [5][6] The term ICT is now also used to refer to the merging (convergence) of audio-visual and telephone networks with computer networks through a single cabling or link system. There are large economic incentives (huge cost savings due to elimination of the telephone network) to merge the audio-visual, building management and telephone network with the computer network system using a single unified system of cabling, signal distribution and management. See VOIP and Intelligent Infrastructure Management (IIM). This in turn has spurred the growth of organizations with the term ICT in their names to indicate their specialization in the process of merging the different network systems.

Saahil Patel Essays - African-American Culture, Music, Free Essays

Saahil Patel Essays - African-American Culture, Music, Free Essays Saahil Patel Global Hip Hop January 24, 2016 Gilroy talks about the black culture in a very emotional way in The Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness. Gilroy opens by talking about how authenticity has always been a challenge in the black community and how they will always will. He also touches on ideas from other famous philosophers such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Zora Neale Hurston over authenticity' and it s advanced perceptions li ke truthfulness and attraction. By using the metaphor "the black Atlantic ," Gilroy says that the black community has to be able to adapt to the different influences to be able to survive and overcome challenges that may come up in the future. In the chapter one, Gilroy talks all the aspects of political opinions. He makes an argument that the Atlantic music was a response during the 1960s. During this time, Gilroy brings up the idea of double consciousness that was expressed between the Europeans as well as African Americans. A lot of these individuals had not found their true identity and were confused about why they were treated differently than others. He brings up many interesting points such as cultural formations and social analysis where races had to do self-reflecting for the first time in many years. When Gilroy goes through to talk about ethnic authenticity , he says that a lot of it was driven through music. When music started to come out and races would listen to certain genres , society would directly tie that particular race with that type of music. It shows that the history of black Atlantic community was classified based of the type of music they would listen to. As Gilroy said, "T hose inherited from Africa, and those generated from the special bitterness of new world racial slavery ." According to Gilroy he is saying that is the specific definition of authentic black music. However, I believe there is no way to be able to identify what that actually means. He was simply grouping all music that was created by Africans and said it was coming from the motherland of Africa. Gilroy ignores the place of where the songs were originated in and goes on to argue that it is a problem from within the community. An example would be Nas , also known as Nasir Jones. Over his rap career he talked a lot about how all of African history is world history. Nas brings up an interesting point saying that whenever there are any problems in society, Africans tend to have problems with other races as well that classifies it as world history. Nas also has criticized the quality of hip-hop music. In many interviews he talks about how they he wants his music to reach people in Africa and show them that things have changed. Even if there are cultural differences between the two nations, he still wants his music to get to everyone around the world. Another example who m also displayed a very similar message was Jay Z . Even though Nas never became has famous as Jay Z, they both were trying to get the same message across the table. Jay and Nas beca me two of the most influential artists over a period of time to help change that co ntemporary hip-hop music to a more historical side. It was driven more to help educate a widespread community that all had the same taste in music and to prove a point. Even in recent tracks such as "Bridging the Gap," Nas talks about how they need bend music genres together and not worry about where the origin is, but more to put more emphases on the meaning behind the music. Nas was one of the few to stay away from rapping about the generic topics that most rappers stick too such as; drugs, gang violence, and growing up being poor. He was able to use African history to bring together the community and make a new name for contemporary hip hop. Kanye West, much like many philosophers, wanted to spread his ideas of humanity through his music. Most of West's songs are about race and how recent violence has once again

Psychological Properties of Colors

Psychological Properties of Colors Introduction Many books and articles have been aimed at examining the psychology of color, but not all of them are of high quality. This paper will review the article Psychological Properties of Colors written by Angela Wright (2011). Overall, it is hardly appropriate for students or scholars, because the author does not provide any evidence to support her claims. Moreover, many of the writer’s statements are not even testable.Advertising We will write a custom critical writing sample on Psychological Properties of Colors specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Relevance The information presented by the author cannot be of any use to a person who studies psychology. The author uses concepts and makes statements that cannot be considered scientific or even testable. For instance, the writer says, â€Å"Blue is the colour of the mind and is essentially soothing; it affects us mentally, rather than the physical reaction we have to redâ €  (Wright, 2011, unpaged). The article is full of such sentences, and one cannot say that they are psychological statements that identify relationships between causes and effects. Thus, they are not relevant to any particular field. Expertise of the author The article does not provide information about the educational background of Angela Wright. In contrast, peer-reviewed studies usually tell the readers much more about the authors (Martinez Peterson, 2008, p. 78). I learned that she studies psychoanalytical psychology and later began research on unconscious effects of color (Scanlan, 2011, p. 255). Viewpoint of Author/Organization Intended Audience Angela Wright (2011) supports an idea that the use of color can reflect the inner world of a person. For instance, she argues that grey color can be associated with depression or lack of confidence (Wright, 2011, unpaged). Yet, psychologists are usually very cautious when they discuss the connections between color and personality b ecause it is difficult to prove such connections empirically (Picard Lebaz 2011, p. 187). For instance, in their study Delphine Picard and Samuel Lebaz (2011) report that only continuous use of dark colors during free drawing can be linked to a negative emotional state (p. 187). However, in most cases, there is no evidence to say that colors can reflect personality. Thus, Angela Wright’s views are not always supported by researchers. Additionally, this article is intended for people who do not know very much about the peculiarities of color perception. One can also assume that these readers do not study this question at a professional level.Advertising Looking for critical writing on psychology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Evidence Probably, the most significant limitation is the lack of evidence. The writer does not provide any empirical evidence showing that color can be associated with a specific mood, personality type, or emotions. The author does not refer to any studies that can help readers verify the information presented in the article. Thus, Angela Wright does not back up any of her claims. This is the critical drawback of this article. When published It has to be admitted that this article has been published fairly recently, namely in 2011. However, the limitations that have already been identified completely invalidate the ideas that Angela Wright expresses. Reference List Martinez, D. Peterson, T. (2008). Kaplan Technical Writing: A Resource for  Technical Writers at All Levels. New York: Kaplan Publishing. Picard, D., Lebaz, S. (2010). Symbolic use of size and color in freehand drawing of the tree: myth or reality?. Journal Of Personality Assessment, 92(2), 186-188. Scanlan, N. (2011). Complementary Medicine for Veterinary Technicians and  Nurses. London: John Wiley Sons. Wright, A. (2011). Psychological Properties of Colors. Retrieved from: colour-affects.co.uk /psychological-properties-of-colours

The Most Current Changes in GCSE English Syllabus to Keep in Mind

The Most Current Changes in GCSE English Syllabus to Keep in Mind The Most Current Changes in GCSE English Syllabus to Keep in Mind Wondering what the fuss around GCSE 2015 changes is all about? Sit comfortably and prepare to read an article as we’re going to explain all the new features for you. Why do you need to take the trouble at all? Well, if you are a student planning to pass GCSE English, pay attention because these changes will have a great effect on both exam process and grading (in case you worry about your results). 1.   New Grading System The most notable change is transfer from A-C marks to 1-9 points with 1 being the lowest, and 9 – the highest. Moreover, the Department of Education limited the number of people who can get the best card to 20% of those who receive 7 and higher. So, if you counted on the top score, you’ll have to press harder. What does it mean for you? Nobody can predict the exact results, but the teachers are worried that the students will get worse grades because of the variation (for example, you could do fine and receive a C while, right now, your â€Å"fine† will be also graded as â€Å"worse fine† (4) or â€Å"better fine† (5). 2.   Only New Texts for Reading Comprehension The easy life has ended. Now during the examination you will get only texts that you haven’t seen before because the purpose of the test is to evaluate you reading comprehension skills, not a good memory of info your teacher told you about the excerpt you previously had analysed. 3.   More and Longer Exams Enjoyed a one-time, two-hour test? Prepare to miss it as according to the new implementations there will be 2 exams, two-hour long each. But the silver lining is that you will get more time on reading and writing tasks ☠º 4.   No Counting of Speaking and Listening Speaking and listening were counted before into the overall grade. But after the changes they will be assessed separately without having any impact on the final result. Generally, students do better at speaking and listening than at other tests, thus, improving the grade. But now, in GCSE near the main score, there will be just â€Å"Pass†, â€Å"Merit† or â€Å"Distinction† (evaluation markers for speaking and listening) that won’t be taken into account. 5.   Taking Exams Only Once There won’t be any controlled assessments or courseworks during the preparation course. There will be only one evaluation session at the end that will fully rely on the exam results. Yeah, it implies that you will have to go above and beyond to do your best because you have only one chance (in an epic case scenario, in real life you can just start all over again and take another exam). See? These are major changes that have been totally worth your 5 minutes to read this article. In case you’re asking yourself why all this is happening, we have a theory that the Department of Education wants to raise the standards in order to make students more competitive on the internal as well as international job market. But we’ll see what comes out of it. Good luck!

Dollar versus Yen -The Road Ahead Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dollar versus Yen -The Road Ahead - Essay Example Interest-rate futures demonstrate that the traders are certain the Fed will increase its benchmark to 4.75 percent on March 28, and predict about a 65 percent chance of another increase to 5 percent at the May meeting. However the outlook was not the same say in October 2005 when Fed was expected to go in for graduated dosages of increase in interest rate in keeping with the trend began since June 2004. The dollar had then risen 2.3 percent against the yen since the end of June 2005. The dollar ran its third straight quarterly gain, reported in October 2005, against the yen, the longest winning streak since 2001, as the Federal Reserve stuck to its policy of ''measured" increases in interest rates. The markets had then expected the dollar to rally to about 115 yens. The yield advantage of 10-year US Treasury notes with Japan had averaged 2.87 percentage points in 2005 year and reached as much as 3.27 percentage points on March 28 2005. As a result of these Japanese investors were buy ing the dollar to purchase overseas assets, such as Treasuries strengthening interest in dollar.

Expatriates in Bahrain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Expatriates in Bahrain - Essay Example The politicians in power use it more for personal gain and indulge in vote-bank politics. The visual media should persuade in inviting such people for having face to face interviews and group discussions, with the happenings telecast live on air for the public. Although it is common in some of the countries, it still has a role to play in questioning the integrity of politicians who need to perform consistently over a long period of time. For example, the Network 18 channel group organizes interviews called 'Devil's Advocate' in India with popular figures being questioned. Many countries should follow suit by interviewing politicians in their locale. Of late, many environmentalists are spreading awareness about the Greenhouse effect. The media should help them in reaching out to the public, informing them the statistics regarding pollution, power consumption, etc. There is a team called 'Action network' formed by BBC news corporation where people can get guidance on starting campaigns, and discuss with others who have the same interest. It is for this reason that in 2005, Action Network was awarded top position in the World Forum on eDemocracy's list, highlighting the 'Top Ten Who Are Changing the World of Internet and Politics'. Many News channels all over the world should be encouraged like this to initiate such activities of public welfare. The mass media should also help the Government in getting the views of the public. It should also help the law makers by bringing out facts of how criminals get unscathed through the holes in the law. This could happen only if media takes the responsibility in analyzing the case and bringing the results to the public. Media should also bring out valiant attempts like using Hidden cams in places of suspicion, in uncovering bribery, scandals, forgery and record the incidents that they are confronted with. This would help the Police realize, where they stand in terms of protecting the law and would also gain in convicting the law breakers by the evidences received through media. While media brings updated information from all parts of the world, it is imperative for it to make people realize their global position in the field of Science and Technology. News reports of electronic gadgets, industrial equipments and scientific tools and methodologies should help people to upgrade themselves with the changing world. Computerization was a big factor in the world's development and most of which was possible only through the influence of Media. Media does and should help people to know about the satellites, defense equipments, infrastructure and functioning of other countries so that collective efforts can be taken to make their own Government to have such means. Of course, the challenge is big for the media to achieve such a big task because of pressure from politicians, police and some other people. All said, the media should continue to strive in its efforts to ensure public welfare. The public in turn should help the media in achieving the common objective of changing the 'Face of the Nation'. Expatriates in Bahrain - An Asset or a Burden All that is good does not come cheap. This can be compared with the situation in Bahrain. I have read from the news reports that Bahrain, an isolated kingdom in the heart of Middle East has a rapidly growing

Migration Project Paper Research Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Migration Project - Research Paper Example It is difficult for Muslims to immigrate to America at present. Same way many of the gulf countries also started to control immigration in recent times because of the demographic imbalances it created in gulf countries. In short, migration is a controversial subject at present and that is why I decided to research more about this subject. Immigration is a difficult process now, especially to America. â€Å"Illegal immigration into the United States is massive in scale. More than 10 million undocumented aliens currently reside in the U.S., and that population is growing by 700,000 per year†(Kane & Johnson). Terrorism is causing big problems to America at present and therefore they are keen in reducing immigration as much as possible. This paper is written based on an interview I conducted with my own wife Amani Shami. I met her in 2009 at Saudi Arabia and married her in the same year. She is a student at Kent state university now. She came to America in 2010 after our marriage. Before coming to America, she has completed her graduation in Geography at the University of King Khalid, Saudi Arabia. As a new immigrant to America, I do believe that my wife can definitely help me to prepare this paper with respect to migration. Saudi Arabia, the country which Amani belongs is a periphery country. Countries can be classified as periphery, semi-periphery or core countries based on development, share of global wealth, strength of institutions, dependency on other countries etc. Even though Saudi Arabia is a rich country in the Middle East, it is periphery in nature when we compare it with America. Push and pull factors can affect immigration from one country to another. Land scarcity in home country, Political and/or religious persecution, Revolutions and Poverty are some of the push factors whereas Promise of freedom (religious and political), Hope for a new life, Industry Jobs, etc are some of the pull factors of immigration. In Amani’s case, Hope for a n ew life (Pull factor) forced her to migrate to America. It should be noted that America is the most developed and wealthiest country in the world and no other country offers the same freedom and liberties that America offers for human life. Apart from these factors, another factor which motivated Amani to migrate to America is the opportunity to live with her husband and complete her studies in America. The quality of education in America is comparatively higher than that in Saudi Arabia. Amani was actually failed to receive a job in Saudi Arabia because of stiff competition from others. It should be noted that majority of the Saudi youths are going abroad for getting quality education and when they return, companies often appoint them at the expense of domestically graduated students. Even though, Amani came to America as a student, the family reunion program helped her in a lot in visa processing. Even though she applied for green card first, the delay in processing green card app lications forced her to apply for a student visa. Getting a student visa in America is much easier than getting a green card now. Green card application processing may take 1 to 2 years whereas student visa processing may take less than 6 months in America. Amani faced little problems in entering America even though there are many complaints about the treatment of immigrants, especially Muslim immigrants at American airports. The authorities did not ask any confusing or

SCOTS LAW - commercial law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

SCOTS LAW - commercial law - Essay Example In the development of Scots law roman principles were used. Law of the roman people gave individuals the right to enjoy certain privileges; in return, the people had a variety of obligations to fulfil. These principles find applications to help solve a variety of court cases in modern day Scotland unlike in England where court decisions are based on past rulings by judges in given cases, often known as common law. Some of the laws in Scotland find their origin from various courts. These could be in England, Scotland and from other courts across Europe. Courts are of great importance in the Scottish legal system as they can amend the law. Another source of Scottish law is lawyers who flourished in the seventeen and eighteen centuries. These lawyers wrote books that set out the precedence on which the Scottish law is based. Most of the principles were originally from the roman laws. Various lawyers who practice law today in Scotland follow and apply these principles to modern day law. The legislature in the United Kingdom makes laws through ‘acts of parliament.’ The laws are taken through the process of legislation; here they are first introduced as bills. From bills, they undergo further amendments until they finally signed into by the queen. Scotland established its own parliament. The government of the United Kingdom delegated some power to the Scottish parliament to make laws. The parliament in Scotland is, however, a minor player as the United Kingdom parliament is still supreme when it comes to legislation function. The right of humans are a fundamental part of life and it is important that they be protected by the law. These rights include the right to private life and the right to express oneself freely. The European Commission on Human Rights put these laws to ensure protection of human rights. Human right law is a significant source of law as all laws made must conform to it. The rights of humans

Halil Inalcik and Marshall Hodgsons views on the Ottoman Empire Term Paper

Halil Inalcik and Marshall Hodgsons views on the Ottoman Empire - Term Paper Example There was an accepted mode of coexistence that was not occasionally as disruptive as a society as such would be in the modern world. This, however, did not mean that the different religious factions existed in absolute peace without any animosity or bad blood. On the contrary, there were documented cases of massacres and discrimination all over the empire that seemed to have been sparked by hatred and a religious bias.   The breakdown of the empire of the Seljuk Turks was the catalyst in the formation of the Ottoman Empire1 which was one of the few surviving empires at the time. The Ottoman Empire started as one of the small states that were formed after the initial breakdown and existed as thus for a longer period of time before the reign of Muhammad II saw the absorption of all neighboring Turkish states in one unified monarch that was referred to as the Ottoman Empire. The rulers in the Ottoman Empire were primarily the descendants of Ghazi warriors who were very successful in t he formation of a superpower in Europe at the time when all the other empires around them were disintegrating2. The Ottoman Empire existed peacefully with the other nations around it except for the occasional war that was primarily aimed at expanding trade routes or spreading the holy word of Islam. An alliance between the French and the Turks was formed later on with the driving force being a common enemy in Austria Hapsburg and Spain although it did not have much in the bearing of war. The then leader Sulayman (popularly referred to as Sulayman the magnificent) of the Ottoman Empire was responsible for creating this alliance. He was instrumental in the organization of the judicial system among many other accolades that he had and he was arguably one of the most successful rulers of the empire if not the greatest. In addition, his reign saw the flowering of Turkish literature, Ottoman architecture, and arts which served to expand the reach of the empire as scholars were attracted b y them. Furthermore, traders also followed suit as the world was beginning to have an appreciation for the arts and literature although every culture had its own. The leader of the Ottoman Empire was popularly referred to as the sultan. The sultan was primarily charged with upholding the Muslim canonical law among many other implied responsibilities which were overshadowed by the fact that he was viewed as the representative of the Muslim God, Allah, on the ottomans. After the death of Sulayman, the Janissaries, who were largely Christians converted to Islam and trained to be deadly in war gained power and this was the cue for the empire to begin crumbling. Corruption then became the order of the day as the holders of the office of the day were charged with fleecing the people as they scrambled to keep what they would for themselves at the expense of the very people they were meant to be representative of. The first signs of the waning power of the empire lost in the battlefront, wi th enemies aligning with Austria in a bid to ceasing parts of the territory that was initially under the Ottoman Empire.

Effects of Stakeholders on Communication Assignment

Effects of Stakeholders on Communication - Assignment Example Owners are concerned with maximizing the business profits, investors are interested in earning income from their investment, and employees want to keep their job and earn higher wages. External stakeholders are individuals or groups that are not within the business, and are not working directly with the business, but are affected in a number of ways from the business decisions. They include the government, trade unions, community, creditors, suppliers, and customers. Identifying the stakeholder affects communication in many ways. The best thing is just learning what a particular stakeholder needs to enhance profit or protect and then structure communication according to these factors. First, the information to be communicated and the mode of communication vary for each group. Additionally, the period or frame for delivering the information to a group of stakeholders or a stakeholder varies as there are those that require to be notified immediately, and it will help reduce overloading stakeholders with information. The level of the stakeholder and their interests influences a lot how you should communicate with them. The interested individuals or groups should be managed closely through status meetings; change logs, and notified about the issues, this is most probably the high power individuals and groups. These that are high powered and have less interest should always be satisfied through board meeting updates and steering committees. Those inte rested and are in low power, need to be informed in-person or through email updates, and video.

Halil Inalcik and Marshall Hodgsons views on the Ottoman Empire Term Paper

Halil Inalcik and Marshall Hodgsons views on the Ottoman Empire - Term Paper Example There was an accepted mode of coexistence that was not occasionally as disruptive as a society as such would be in the modern world. This, however, did not mean that the different religious factions existed in absolute peace without any animosity or bad blood. On the contrary, there were documented cases of massacres and discrimination all over the empire that seemed to have been sparked by hatred and a religious bias.   The breakdown of the empire of the Seljuk Turks was the catalyst in the formation of the Ottoman Empire1 which was one of the few surviving empires at the time. The Ottoman Empire started as one of the small states that were formed after the initial breakdown and existed as thus for a longer period of time before the reign of Muhammad II saw the absorption of all neighboring Turkish states in one unified monarch that was referred to as the Ottoman Empire. The rulers in the Ottoman Empire were primarily the descendants of Ghazi warriors who were very successful in t he formation of a superpower in Europe at the time when all the other empires around them were disintegrating2. The Ottoman Empire existed peacefully with the other nations around it except for the occasional war that was primarily aimed at expanding trade routes or spreading the holy word of Islam. An alliance between the French and the Turks was formed later on with the driving force being a common enemy in Austria Hapsburg and Spain although it did not have much in the bearing of war. The then leader Sulayman (popularly referred to as Sulayman the magnificent) of the Ottoman Empire was responsible for creating this alliance. He was instrumental in the organization of the judicial system among many other accolades that he had and he was arguably one of the most successful rulers of the empire if not the greatest. In addition, his reign saw the flowering of Turkish literature, Ottoman architecture, and arts which served to expand the reach of the empire as scholars were attracted b y them. Furthermore, traders also followed suit as the world was beginning to have an appreciation for the arts and literature although every culture had its own. The leader of the Ottoman Empire was popularly referred to as the sultan. The sultan was primarily charged with upholding the Muslim canonical law among many other implied responsibilities which were overshadowed by the fact that he was viewed as the representative of the Muslim God, Allah, on the ottomans. After the death of Sulayman, the Janissaries, who were largely Christians converted to Islam and trained to be deadly in war gained power and this was the cue for the empire to begin crumbling. Corruption then became the order of the day as the holders of the office of the day were charged with fleecing the people as they scrambled to keep what they would for themselves at the expense of the very people they were meant to be representative of. The first signs of the waning power of the empire lost in the battlefront, wi th enemies aligning with Austria in a bid to ceasing parts of the territory that was initially under the Ottoman Empire.

Virtual simulation in military training Essay Example for Free

Virtual simulation in military training Essay Virtual simulation provides a safe and effective way of training soldiers and military personnel in a given environment by fully simulating real equipment and real conditions. According to (Smith, 2007, p. 1), the military has been using and developing simulation technologies for several decades. Military simulations, or war games as they are commonly called, allow soldiers to rehearse missions and test the theories of warfare to get a better estimation and understanding of complex interactions and outcomes in the battlefield. The advantage is that learning occurs without the need of actual hostilities. Military simulation is â€Å"a system or model that represents activities and interactions over time. A simulation may be fully automated, or it may be interactive or interruptible† (NSC, 2000, as cited in Smith, 2007, p. 1). Thus, virtual simulation provides both â€Å"human-in-the-loop† simulators for training and analytical tools for computing outcomes in a controlled environment that is free of the life threatening situations that are part of real combat operations. The Close Combat Tactical Trainer (CCTT) is the First member of the Combined Arms Tactical Trainers (CATT) family of virtual, distributed interactive simulations for collective training to provide armor, mechanized infantry, cavalry and recon crews, units and staffs with a virtual, collective training capability (from PEO STRI) The Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEOSTRI) is in charge of acquisition and technology solutions to develop simulated training modules for US soldiers. Simulated training mainly consists of critical warfighting skills and rehearsals so that they could safely accomplish their missions. Military simulations exist in many different forms and in varying degrees of realism. Smith (2007) explained a number of different military simulation techniques and models. A military model constitutes either a â€Å"mathematic equation, a logical algorithm, a three-dimensional digital image, or a partial physical mock-up of the system† (Smith, 2007, p. 1). Military models not only include land, air, and sea vehicles; communications and radar equipment; handheld weapons; and individual soldiers but also the decision-making process and automated information processing that occurs inside the human brain and within battlefield computers. Different combinations and representations of the environment that is made up of terrain, vegetation, cultural features, the atmosphere, ocean, and RF environment are created to accurately represent potential military situations. Military simulations often focus on activities like movement, perception, exchange, engagement, reasoning, and dynamic environment. The user is able to picture the change in the position of an object over time through the dynamic representation of movement. Representation of perception allows the user to detect the existence, position, and identification of the other object through sensor models that capture the signatures of those objects. Representation of exchange that encompass the breadth and depth of the battlefield allow objects to exchange materials and information with each other in battlefield operations based on information on consumption rates and predeployment and replenishment of supplies as well as human decisionmaking and behaviors. An engagement model which has been the pivotal focus of military simulated training and analysis typically includes the exchange of weapons or firepower from a shooter to a target. This exchange decrements the capability of the shooter by expending ammunition (e. g. bullets, missiles, bombs, rockets, grenades, artillery rounds). The model captures the geometry between the shooter and the target and environmental features like trees, terrain, water, and buildings that may interfere with the optimal delivery of the weapon, defensive systems of the target (e. g. effects of flares or chaff in deceiving and misleading a guided missile and protective effects of armor to deflect the weapon). The dynamic environment model features a simulated environment that is more than just a static state but representations of interactions with military objects both through direct intention and through accidental collocation. (Smith, 2007, pp. 5-10)

The Hellenistic Period In Greek Religion

The Hellenistic Period In Greek Religion The Hellenistic period, (from 323 B.C. to 30 B.C) refers to the time between the passing away of Alexander the Great and the growth of the Roman Empire under Augustus. This term Hellenistic in many occasions was used to create a distinction from the classical Hellenic period that preceded it. At this time of the three hundred years, the Greek culture was highly dominant in both the Middle East and the eastern Mediterranean. The Hellenistic religion particularly consisted of a variety of spiritual belief and practices of the people who existed at the time of the ancient influence of the Greek culture and the Roman Empire. Many years back, between 540 and 300BC during Alexanders Era, Greece exhibited unique characteristics in their architecture deigns, culture and tradition as well (Lockard 171). In the same period, Hellenistic age, Greek empire experienced the end of Alexanders era as Atigonus and Seleucustook over thus becoming the new rulers of the empire. However, these two leaders had their own specific territory to rule since Greece had been divided into several (three) parts (Martin 75). Greece, Macedonia and the near east constituted the three divided parts, which initially formed Greece previously ruled by the great Alexander. Antigonus controlled Greece and Macedonia, whereas, his counterpart, Seleucus, controlled the near east. These events had significant influence to Greeks economy, culture among other various aspects. However, our discussion will majorly concentrate on the culture of Greece during the historical period, Hellenistic age. During the period of Greek dominance, there existed a lifelong continuation of the Hellenistic religion. In essence, Greek gods and goddesses continued to be worshiped including the ancient rituals and practices that symbolized their spirituality. However, new religions from other nations and countries were adapted and brought change including the Egyptian gods such as Isis, the Syrian gods of Hadad and Atargatis provided a new dimension for those people in search of fulfillment in the present and afterlife. Despite the existence of these gods and goddesses, Hellenistic rulers were also commonly worshiped by people at this period. In Egypt for example, the ptolemies had taken up the worship of the pharaoh and established themselves everywhere as god kings. Some rulers even received the divine godly status in many parts of Greece (Mikalson 195). The socio economic and political turns that were occasioned due to Alexanders missions, the policies of his predecessors and wars brought massive changes to the religious cultures and traditions. The degree of these changes however, varied so much for Greeks living in the different cities and parts of the country. A good example was the Athenians who conventionally restored their old religious cults, festivals and a spiritual practice in the fifth century B.C.E. At the same period in Alexandria, there was a major contrast due to the clear heterogeneity of Greeks, Egyptians, the Jewish deities and the common religious practices in this multiethnic society (Mikalson 57). By design a the area had a mixed population of different cultures in the Greek world as all the residents and citizens of one city were never expected to worship in the same kind of sacrifices and festivals. As a result of religion bringing together these several nationalities to create a homogeneous city that is does not restrict religious policies of its rulers became possible. The changes attributed to Hellenistic Greek religion largely came from this religious multiculturalism in other metropolitan areas and Alexandria eventually affecting all other parts in Greek world. During the Hellenistic period the Greek religion had turned out to be a highly developed polytheism of a comprehensively anthropomorphic kind. The Greek gods were just merely male and females with normal human passions and sins but more powerful indeed but not so righteous than the people who worshiped them. The Greeks believed there was nothing lifeless about their gods, whether it is being portrayed by the chisel of the sculptors; to them they were warm, living and breathing human figures. However, there was no doubt in the moral quality in worship as it was regarded as a propitiation of risky tyrants. After the successful conquest of Alexander, the Greek culture spread like wild fire all over coming into closer contact with other civilizations in Egypt and the near East. Although the loss of independence of some Greek states to Macedonian rulers had a significant impact on their religion, the development of new philosophical systems never change their religion. There were instances of a decline in Hellenistic religion due to the discerning rise in atheism, skepticism and agnosticism and also an increase in superstitious beliefs, mysticism and astrology. The Greeks continued to worship the same gods giving similar sacrificial offerings, festivals and dedications as it was in the classical era. This period in the Hellenistic religion did not witness new religious practices as only minorities of Greeks were concerned with them (Fairbanks 121). Another key aspect of religion in the Hellenistic period was the institutions of cults that were dedicated to renowned rulers in the various Hellenistic Kingdoms. The initial cults were established under Alexanders rule whose power, stature and conquests had elevated him to a level the dictated special recognition. Many of his heirs extended his worship to the extent that in Egypt he was honored as god under Ptolemy Soter. Later on Ptolemys son declared his late father as god and went ahead to proclaiming himself as a living god and by doing so, made the Ptolemies adapted to earlier Egyptian concepts of worshiping Pharaoh. In some parts the practice varied since a ruler ended up receiving divine status and not full godly status. During 307 BCE in Athens, Demetrius and Monophthalmus were honored and respected as saviors for liberation of the city. As a result of these, alters were mounted and annual festival to mark the celebrations were founded including the introduction of the offic e the priest of the saviors. It was rare to find a temple being dedicated to rulers but in many occasions their statues were regularly erected in different temples and kings would end up being worshiped as sharing gods. Interestingly during the Hellenistic period the use of magic was evidently practiced as part of the religion of the time. Sanctuaries for witchcraft and oracular shrines were very popular including the use of charms and also incidences of casting cursing spells on others. Various symbols would be seen placed many house doors as a belief in bringing good luck or even prevent misfortunes for the occupants of the household (Fairbanks 234 ). Charms were designed and cut from precious stones and believed to carry protective power and sometimes were used to cast evil spells. There were also astrological beliefs that heavenly bodies like stars and planets had the capacity to influence a persons future, this arose commonly in Babylonia where it was specifically applied to a king or a nation. However, the Greeks in the Hellenistic age sophisticated this concept into an extremely complex system of Hellenistic astrology. During the Hellenistic era, worship generally consisted of sacrificial offerings of a number of domestic animals in holy alters that were accompanied by prayer and hymns. The worshipers would eat part of the sacrifice leaving the rest to be burnt for the purposes of appeasing the gods. The Greek authority extended into the field of religion as during the early times the ancient roman gods in most occasions were recognized with Greek gods. In addition, there were alternatives to religion that were presented in the Hellenistic philosophy the most common system being stoicism. This religious philosophical concept taught the beliefs about life as to live in accordance with the rational order which was believed to rule the entire universe (De Gruyter 207). It further explains that people must accept their fate in accordance to the divine will. There was also an extensive mythology in the Hellenistic Greek religion that consisted of a lot of stories about gods and goddesses and how they af fect the life of earthy beings especially humans. Even though many of the myths revolved around heroic actions most of them were recognized as part of religion in all times.