Bacteria produce gold by digesting toxic metals

Bacteria produce gold by digesting toxic metals High concentrations of heavy metals like copper and gold are found to be toxic for most of the organisms. But scientists have discovered a modern alchemist that can extract valuable trace elements from a compound of toxic metals without poisoning itself. One of the interesting side effects is the production of gold nuggets. This microbial magician, C. metallidurans, when placed in a minilab full of gold chloride converts it to 24-carat gold in a week’s time, a process that this bacterium is thought to carry out regularly in nature. This finding by Kazem Kashefi and Adam Brown has been exhibited as an art instalment called â€Å"The Great Work of the Metal Lover†. The art work consists of a portable lab which consists of a glass bioreactor containing the bacteria. While Kashefi calls this as microbial alchemy, Brown calls it as neo-alchemy which is a cross between modern microbiology and alchemy. This artwork received an honourable, mentioned in the world renowned cyber art competition, Prix Ars Electronica, held in Austria. Producing pure gold from bacterium seems to be a boon at a time when the price of gold has reached an all-time high. But, does this mean that the scientists have got the answer to the international debt crises? Although this bacterium can produce the 24-carat pure gold, but it has been said that it will be cost prohibitive to carry out this experiment at a larger scale. So, one should not see this as a golden investment in economic crisis. But, this discovery has surely created a debate over the use of science and technology, the greed and other economic and environmental impacts associated with it. This work can be used to address questions regarding the ethics related to science and the magnificent engineering of nature. When discovered, the bacterium was initially found to be resistant to cadmium but subsequent studies identified that this strain is multi-metal resistant and has two plasmids pMOL28 and pMOL30 which harbour multiple loci for metal resistance. The bacterium’s ability to thrive in toxic environments with a high number of heavy metal resistant genes makes it an excellent model organism to study the means by which microbes deal with heavy metal stress. Such unique ability of this extremophile to metabolize toxic substances might also provide an insight into understanding the origin of life. When too much copper has accumulated inside the bacteria, it is normally pumped out by the enzyme CupA. However, when gold compounds are also present, the enzyme is suppressed and the toxic copper and gold compounds remain inside the cell. Copper and gold combined are actually more toxic than when they appear on their own, says Dietrich H. Nies. To solve this problem, the bacteria activate another enzyme CopA. This enzyme transforms the copper and gold compounds into their originally difficult to absorb forms. This assures that fewer copper and gold compounds enter the cellular interior. The bacterium is poisoned less and the enzyme that pumps out the copper can dispose of the excess copper unimpeded. Another consequence is that the gold compounds that are difficult to absorb transform in the outer area of the cell into harmless gold nuggets only a few nanometres in size, says Nies. In nature, C. metallidurans plays a key role in the formation of so-called secondary gold, which emerges following the breakdown of primary, geologically created, ancient gold ores. It transforms the toxic gold particles formed by the weathering process into harmless gold particles, thereby producing gold nuggets. The study conducted by the joint German-Australian research team provides important insights into the second half of the bio-geochemical gold cycle. Here primary gold metal is transformed by other bacteria into mobile, toxic gold compounds, which is transformed back into secondary metallic gold in the second half of the cycle. Once the entire cycle is understood, gold can also be produced from ores containing only a small percentage of gold without requiring toxic mercury bonds as was previously the case.

Induced Theraputic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest Research Paper

Induced Theraputic Hypothermia after Cardiac Arrest - Research Paper Example This technique involves cooling of a patient to about 32 to 34 degrees Centigrade. Although introduced in 1950’s, it was abandoned due to certain difficulties however it was re-introduced in 1980’s after animal studies. After some successful studies, it is now approved by American Heart Association and is a part of their updated resuscitation standards. Given below is an insight into the steps involved, side effects and possible prognosis of induced therapeutic hypothermia. Therapeutic hypothermia is also known as ‘targeted temperature management’. Michelle E. (2011) has discussed in detail about the induction of therapeutic hypothermia and its outcomes in patients undergoing open cardiac surgery. She defines the therapeutic hypothermia as a ‘deliberate reduction of the core body temperature’ typically to a range of about 32 to 34 degrees Centigrade (89.6 to 93. 2). This is especially true for those patients who are unable to regain consciousness as the blood starts to circulate again following a cardiac arrest. During an open heart surgery, there is significant risk of neurological injury on account of the lack of oxygen supply to brain as the circulation comes to a halt. In the absence of oxygen, the brain undergoes anaerobic metabolism as reported by Michelle E. (2011). This leads to damage to ATP dependent cellular functions with a resulting increase in calcium and glutamate excretion. The brain cells thus become more active, consuming more oxygen. With the increasing hypoxemia, further damage occurs leading to cell death. The resultant cerebral edema further enhances the damage. Also, as a result of all these processes, the blood brain barrier also becomes ineffective further contributing to cerebral edema As soon as the circulation returns after the heart starts pumping again, reperfusion injury occurs which adds up to the ongoing damage. Meanwhile, there is already an onset of the inflammatory reaction as a result of

Analyzing an article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analyzing an article - Assignment Example It also compares why they make different decisions under comparable political environments. This concept applies to the case of Palestine and Israel. An analysis of the article reveals that the ‘Palestine’ effect has a negative impact on democracy in Israel. It is stated that this influence results in the erosion of skeptical intelligence, moral judgments as well as logical reasoning. Israel is the only Jewish state and has a relatively stable political and economic environment. However, the instability that is experienced in Palestine adversely impacts on Israel. Although the two countries have different political rules the citizens end up making similar decision owing to the ‘Palestine effect’. Furthermore, it can be observed that Palestine attacks Israel as a way of getting the world to sympathize with them. They attack and capture their soldiers knowing very well that Israel’s retaliatory attacks will affect innocent citizens and this gets the world on their side. It can therefore be concluded that the war between Palestine and Iraq has a negative impact on democracy in Israel (Smith 14). Isra el faces an ugly future lest it can a lasting peace

Designing an Evaluation Reporting and Communication Assignment

Designing an Evaluation Reporting and Communication - Assignment Example People communicate to fulfill their wants both in their work and non-work related spheres of life. They desire to be heard, to be valued and to be wanted. They also wish to finish tasks and accomplish their goals. For true communication and reporting the evaluation findings, there must be a broadcast of view, feelings and thoughts from one mind to the other. 2) To whom (what audiences) did you communicate the findings to? The audiences to whom the findings are communicated should be the Potential Users. A good strategy for communicating more efficiently is to assist audience to listen more efficiently. Study shows that communicators who identify their audience are more successful in attaining their communication goals. Optimizing communication will require identifying not only who the audience is, but also what they require from the communication task. â€Å"Effective communication is about getting your message across. Specifically, it involves capturing the audience's attention, ensuring that audience understands the idea that is being conveyed, and encouraging audience to do something with that information, such as remember it, apply it, or provide feedback† (Effective Communication, 2013, 1). Effective communication, therefore, is centered on the audience. It is audience-friendly, just as effectual software is user-friendly. It shows respect to audience by keeping away from undue informality and by proofreading and crafting text thoroughly, but not speaking or writing in a special method to ‘sound scientific.’... Please explain. From the very beginning, reporting is seen as a fundamental part of evaluation, and it permits to: Communicate what one does; Examine and track development; Show impact; Document lessons learned; And be answerable and translucent to donors, benefiting communities and partners. Reporting timelines frequently present a chief constraint on the evaluation program. Particularly, the need to report findings in time in order to inform decisions of the funding for the next stage of a program often means that reports are required previous to impacts being observed. In these circumstances, it will be essential to report on interim results, and to present any evidence of the research that demonstrates how these are significant pre-requisites or predictors to the final impacts. With the primary intended users, their needs of learning, and their timelines in mind, building up a communication plan to show the process of evaluation reporting is essential. 4. Please describe the form at your organization used to communicate the evaluation findings. An evaluation represents a huge savings in time and funds, yet organizations frequently report that evaluation reports are not read, and in various cases, a report’s recommendations are unused. There are mainly four steps used to communicate the evaluation findings. Step 1: Identify Reporting and Communication Challenges: In theory, resistance and anxiety must be lessened by the participatory, â€Å"utilization focused evaluation approach and mitigated by a focus on evaluation as dialogue and learning, rather than on judgment and accountability† (Stetson, 2008, 2). Step 2: Describes the Communication Purpose: The communication purpose is to allow the

Development of Preschool Children

Development of Preschool Children 3 and 4-year-old children are often referred to as preschoolers. Preschool children want to become more independent and do things for themselves. They are enthusiastic about learning and acquire their knowledge through experiences and playing. Their motor, social, emotional, cognitive, and language skills all developing, as they try to gain inner control. Preschoolers want to establish themselves as individuals and can more easily express their needs since they have a greater grasp of language. The preschoolers body is continuing to lose baby fat and gain muscle. Their arms and legs are becoming more slender and their upper body more narrow and tapered. Some children grow taller so much more quickly than they gain weight and muscle, that they may begin to look somewhat skinny and fragile. This doesnt mean that they are unhealthy or that anything is wrong; some children just fill out gradually as their muscles develop. Most preschoolers grow about 2 to 3 inches in height and gain about 5 pounds each year. Also boys tend to be slightly larger than girls (Berk, 2008). A childs face also will mature during this time. The length of their skull will increase a little, and the lower jaw becomes more pronounced. At the same time, the upper jaw will widen to make room for their permanent teeth. Because of this growth, their face actually will become larger and their features appear more distinct. Children are playful by nature. Their earliest experiences of exploring with their senses lead them to play, by themselves at first and then eventually with others. Usually between 4 and 5 years old, preschoolers discover that they share similar interests and seek out kids who are like themselves. They discuss, negotiate and come up with ways to create elaborate play scenes; take turns; and work together toward mutual goals. Childrens play can be divided into 4 categories, some of which overlap. Dramatic play is fantasy-directed play like dressing up in costumes, pretending to be different characters, using toys to represent characters in stories, and creating imaginary settings. Some examples of manipulative play are using small toys like blocks or Legos to build objects, putting together puzzles, and making bead necklaces. Physical play uses the whole body in activities with bikes, balls, jump ropes, hoops, and play structures. In creative play children use art materials such as paint, clay, markers, pencils, glue, etc. Preschoolers improve their mobility skills through a variety of motor activities involving the entire body. Gross-motor development includes locomotor dexterity, which requires balance and movement, and upper-body and arm skills. Examples of locomotor skills are jumping, hopping, running, and climbing. Toddlers can climb up one step at a time, but preschoolers can use alternating feet to climb stairs. Most preschoolers progress from riding a tricycle to a bicycle, and some older preschoolers are able to roller-skate. Two basic upper-body and arm skills developed during the preschool years are throwing and catching a ball. Preschool children gain more precision in fine-motor development between 3 and 5 years old. They attain more control of finger movement, which lets them become capable of using small materials that require grasping and control. According to the National network for child care some milestones in gross and motor skills in preschoolers include hopping on one foot, galloping, beginning to skip, pumping themselves on a swing, zipping, snapping and unbuttoning, cutting, lacing and making representational pictures like house, people or flowers (Malley, 1991). During the preschool years children are in the preoperational stage. Throughout this stage children think in terms of concrete materials, believe that everyone thinks as they think, are perceptually bound and make judgments based primarily on how things look (Morrison, 2009). In the preoperational stage, children are very heavily influenced by their perceptions and do not fully grasp the concept of conversation. Children who have trouble with conservation have trouble understanding that the quantity of something can stay the same regardless of physical transformations. One example of this is if a child is shown 2 identical cups filled with the same amount of beans, and then you pour the beans into 2 different size cups, a child will think that one cup has more beans, not understanding that the same number of beans is in each cup. Another characteristic of the preoperational stage is egocentrism, which is the failure to distinguish the symbolic viewpoints of others from ones own (Berk, 2008 pg325). Children also have trouble with logic and abstract thinking during this stage, because so much of their knowledge is based on their perception. Being in the preoperational stage comes with some key changes in thinking and cognitive development. In addition to acquiring language, children also start to discover fantasy and imagination. With developing language skills comes the awareness of that something can be represented even though it is not seen. For example, the word balloon describes a balloon, just like the image of a balloon does, even if the balloon itself isnt actually visible. Children also start to use their imagination by pretending that objects are other things, transforming sticks into swords, big boxes into houses, and dirt into a racetrack. Preschoolers sometimes have imaginary friends. They have a tendency to brag and can be bossy towards their peers. They have a desire to feel important and worthwhile. At times they can be aggressive but enjoy being with other children and want to make friends. They like to pretend to be important adults such as a teacher, parent, doctor, shop owner or police officer. They want and seek out praise for their achievements. Social experience, along with cognitive development, contributes to gains in emotional understanding (Berk, 2008 pg 370).Emotional understanding is a childs ability to express his or her emotions appropriately, to correctly understand other peoples emotions, and to understand the outcomes of certain emotions. Children with high levels of emotional understanding can cope with their own or other peoples emotions in a way that creates positive social interactions. Preschoolers usually start to develop self-conscious emotions as they start evaluating themselves, instead of simply reacting to peers or adults evaluations. For example, a toddler may be perfectly happy coloring all over themselves from head to toe with markers, but wont experience guilt or shame until someone expresses their displeasure at the situation. A preschooler may still enjoy drawing on themselves, but as soon as they see a parent coming, shame and guilt may surface as a result of considering their appearance. A chil d may also now experience a sense of pride when Mom or Dad says, You did a great job cleaning up your mess. Preschool is a time when children start to develop friendships with their peers and this is essential for positive social and emotional development. Preschoolers think of a friend as someone they have fun with and are willing to share their belongings with. Preschoolers give twice as much reinforcement-greeting praise and compliance-to children they identify as friendsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦they are more cooperative and emotionally expressive-talking, laughing, and looking at each other more than nonfriends do(Berk, 2008 pg 376).While preschoolers understand the uniqueness of friendship their concept of it is still immature. They can be best friends with a peer one day and not like them at all the next. Parents can influence their childs early peer relationships both directly and indirectly, by giving their child more frequent social experiences, discouraging teasing, being emotionally positive and demonstrating cooperative play. Social experiences are critical in the development of a preschoolers moral understanding. Disagreements with siblings or peers over toys, taking turns or ideas give children their first concepts of fairness and justice. Children also learn by observing how their parents react when then have broken a rule and the way they talk about moral issues. Children who are advanced in moral understanding usually have parents who can adapt the way they communicate with their child about honesty, arguments and sharing in a way the child can easily understand. During preschool children have a massive increase in language development. This escalation in language skills represents the development of cognitive abilities. Children become more complex thinkers and these changes are exhibited in their language. Preschoolers are curious about language and rely progressively more on language to make their wants and needs known to adults and peers. Preschoolers can learn an average of 5 new words a day increasing their vocabulary from 200 words at age 2 to 10,000 words by age 6 (Berk, 2008 pg 356). To build their vocabulary so quickly, children use the fast mapping process where they connect a new word with a primary concept shortly after being introduced to the new word. There are different theories on how children acquire their vocabulary. Some theorists believe that children are naturally predisposed to distinguish word meaning using mutual exclusivity, which is a childs assumption that words refer to entirely separate categories (Berk, 2008). These theorists also believe that syntactic bootstrapping, which is the discovery of word meanings by observation of how words are use in the structure of a sentence, plays a major part in language development (Berk, 2008). Another theory is that word learning is controlled by the same cognitive strategies that children apply to nonlinguistic information. These strategies become more e ffective as childrens information processing, communication skills, vocabulary size, knowledge of categories and mastery of syntax improve (Berk, 2008 pg 357). Generally preschoolers can use simple sentences that follow a subject-verb-object order. Once they have mastered three word sentences they start to make small additions and changes in words that allows them to express word meanings in different ways and more efficiently. As with vocabulary development there are different theories on grammatical development; from the use of semantic bootstrapping (using word meanings to figure out grammatical rules), to the belief that children master grammar through direct observation, and including the idea that they have a special language making capacity for assessing the language they hear and develops the discovery of grammatical regularities. Preschool children have typically well developed conversation skills. They use gestures and objects to assist them in conveying their meaning. By 4 years old a child can adapt their conversation to fit the age, sex, and social status of the person theyre talking to. Their conversations tend to be less mature in highly demanding situations (like while on the telephone) where they cannot see the other person or use conversational aids (Berk, 2008). There are several ways in which parents and teachers can enhance all the developmental skills of a preschooler. Some activities that enhance physical and motor skills are dancing, swinging, sandbox play, throwing, playing with play dough and finger puppets, putting puzzles together, drawing, and stringing and lacing activities. Through directed and undirected play, children are naturally able to practice and learn both gross and fine motor skills and coordination (Snuggs, 2008). Enhancing cognitive development is about strengthening and exercising a childs thinking skills, not just giving them information. Activities like hide and seek (using variations of counting), Simon Says, I Spy and board games like Memory, Connect Four and Tic Tac Toe are all beneficial ways to enhance a preschoolers cognitive development. Planning activities in which the children have to work and plan together, helps build their social skills. Providing an opportunity for different personalities to interact, plan and work together, preschool children will learn the skills of compromise and sharing, while developing their social and emotional skills. A class play is an ideal group activity for the children to participate in. The most important thing we can do to ensure healthy social and emotional development is to be a positive role model. By being trustworthy, caring, and patient role models, we can help children develop a positive attitude. By showing respect to our children we help them learn to show respect for others. In order to enhance positive language development in preschoolers it is important to be patient while they are talking and give them time to express themselves. A few activities that can help further their development are having them draw a picture and make up a story about it, singing songs and using word play and letters to build the childrens phonological awareness, alphabet knowledge and vocabulary. I believe that each preschooler is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating environment where they can grow and develop emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. Parents and teachers should adapt to the needs of each child so that they can feel capable and successful.

Symbols and Symbolism in Nathaniel Hawthornes The Scarlet Letter Essay

Symbols in The Scarlet Letter      Ã‚   In nearly every work of literature, readers can find symbols that represent feelings, thoughts or ideas within the text.   Such symbols can be found in The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne.   Hawthorne's book about an affair between a woman named Hester and a minister named Arthur Dimmmesdale is full of feelings of sin, guilt, hate, secrecy, and honesty.   There are many symbols within the novel that can be interpreted to represent the key topics of the book.   Each of these symbols is an important part of the story, and connects to the situations that occur around them.   The main ideas of the novel are represented by recurring symbols in the text; the scaffold, scarlet letter, and forest.    The scaffold is a platform in the center of town, where criminals are put to death, and people guilty of minor crimes, put to shame.   "It was, in short, the platform of pillory, and above it rose the framework of that instrument of discipline, so fashioned as to confine the human head in its tight grasp and thus holding it up to the public gaze." (p.56)   In the beginning of the story, Hester Prynne is forced to stand on this platform for several hours as her sin is made publicly known.   Hester "sustained herself as best a woman might under the weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes."(p57)   Because she lives in a puritan society, Hester becomes an outcast after her sin is made known.   She has to live the rest of her life in shame and guilt because everyone now knows that Hester has committed adultery.   Later in the novel, Dimmesdale comes to stand on the scaffold with Hester and Pearl.   He is quite literally deteriorating from feelings of remorse and sh ame for what he did t... ... The main topics of The Scarlet Letter are depicted in three major symbols, the scaffold, scarlet letter, and the forest.   These symbols play important roles throughout the story and represent the emotions they inflict upon the characters.   Symbols can be found in nearly every book ever written.   Perhaps the author chooses to place distinct symbols within his writing, or maybe symbols form through coincidence.   Either way, it is up to the reader's judgment on how to interpret the symbols that he or she may find.    Sources Chase, Richard. "The Symbols of the Scarlet Letter." Readings on Nathaniel Hawthorne (pp. 145-152). San Diego: Greenhaven. (1996). Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. New York: St. Martins, 1991. Scharnhorst, Gary. The Critical Response to Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. New York: Greenwood, 1992.   

Our National Flag

There is no king without a crown. Similarly, there is no nation without a flag of its own. When India was under the British rule, there was no national flag of India. The people then became free. India became an independent country in 1947. Since the date of her independence, India has a national flag of her own. National Flag is a sacred thing for all. It stands for the mother land. When we honour our national flag it is considered as an honour to the country or our motherland. Similarly, any dishonor to our national flag is treated as a dishonor to our country.Our national flag is called Triranga. Because it contains three different colours such as saffron, white and green. Three stripes of these three colours remain horizontal. The upper part of the flag is of saffron colour. The middle part is white. The lower part is green. On the middle of white part there is a wheel or Chakra in the model of the Dharma Chakra of the noble emperor Ashoka the Great. The flag originally belonged to the Indian National Congress. In 1931 when this flag was adopted, it had a spinning wheel on the middle.But when it was chosen to be our national flag, the spinning wheel was replaced by the Dharma Chakra of Ashoka. It is a sin to consider the national flag as a piece of ordinary cloth. The flag has great meaning and significance. Saffron stands for sacrifice and selfless devotion. White colour indicates truth, purity and simplicity. The green colour stands for freshness and creative energy. The wheel indicates activity and progress through the path of justice, liberty and brotherhood. It also indicates peace. The people of India hoist the National Flag on 15th August and 26th January every year.They stand up under the flag and sing the National Anthem and pay honour to the Country. They vow to keep up her ideals. The National Flag is kept hoisted on all days of the year on the top of the government buildings and Courts. When a very important person of our country passes away, th e National Flag is brought down half mast. The National flag is also hoisted on the buildings of the Indian Embassy in foreign countries. The National Flag-of India is a sacred thing for all the Indians irrespective of caste, colour, and religion. At any cost, we have to keep its prestige.