What is the value of the examined life

Introduction Philosophy requires one to assess the life he or she is living in a manner to have key fundamental achievement in life. There are many forms of examining ones life. Socrates and Nozick examine life to provide significant information about examined and unexamined life.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What is the value of the examined life? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Socrates Socrates is the founder of western philosophy. He invented the Socratic Method where he investigated the ideas purported by individuals through dialogue. He always asked individuals questions of why they did what they did. This was annoying to the Athenians. Hence it led to his execution with charges of corrupting young people and causing subversive elements in the State. Socrates interviews Euthyphro and apology in a bid to see if they know what they are doing (Hogan 63). His motive was not to find out what little they know but rather how little they understand about something. He challenges their assumption and teases out how little they know. Socrates conceives examined life as questioning to look at someone’s series of views and how everything individuals who are interviewed fit together. He thinks that one can have a conversation to collaborate with other minds. Socrates conversations and examining lives of individuals are mutually illuminating since they lead to knowledge. He views the question and answer session as a mode to assess where one good and best lies. Examining life instills practical reasoning. Socrates’ own dictum of unexamined life is not worth living looks at the broader context of life (McCabe). The focus is away from individual piece of practical reasoning. He looks at it as the constant questioning making sure that principle and process of reasoning are honest, consistent and fit together. It brings out things that one is ready to be responsible for making the cent re of the live worth living. He is keen to note that the examined life is the central explanation of what makes it a virtuous life. Friends, love and all other privileges still constitute to the examined life. Socrates defines wisdom as being reflective to ones actions in life (McCabe). Wisdom is a perspective to what one thinks. The perspective is detached and one can look, and reflect on things one thinks as if it was outside. The only proper way to do so is in a conversation. He looks at the wise man as whether he is happy in life and he introspects that a wise person will engage in a social activity when thinking about one’s life. Conversations provide differences in perspective (McCabe). One seeks education as a fundamental feature of discussing with people in an open mind open ended that allows them to reflect on their think without insistence and imperative (Wolfsdorf 234).Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first pa per with 15% OFF Learn More This needs one to be sincere to their beliefs and implies the interviewer to have respect to the person they are interviewing. Socrates does not approve the examination in the contemporary sense since they imply there is a wrong and the right answer. He implies that it is not easy to reason. Novick Nozick’s views an examined life, as a self portrait. A portrait is a depiction of an individual being who has internal mental state. It involves self representation or an act in a part of the subject. It captures the person mood character and feelings. Portrait painters put into the picture various aspects of the character manifested with time after the painter has invested time and relationship with the subject (Cynthia). They show characteristics gesture stunts and pose in a short period. In the portrait, Nozick implies that the idea of the past standing as a whole bringing out an fascinating study of oneself in time. Nozick outlines the portr ait is trying to capture the essence of an individual in life. It provides the fundamental character of a person. It gives an insight of the quality of a person. Portraiture can change the awareness of the self, bringing out a whole view of human nature. The portraits are generally expressive. Nozick is keen to note that the portrait is about how the portrait painter examines the character of the subject (Cynthia). Life as a portrait reflects the deeds and action of an individual at different scenarios. A person can reflect on his or her life and decide to transform and change dimension of his or her identity. However, they are limited with the extent of how they can express the individual. Some of the portraits do not match the face with the soul. Moreover, the physical embodiment of a person should enable to present the whole package of a person so that when one looks at it he or she can perceive and react to it (Cynthia). Comparison between Socrates and Nozick on examined life Si milarly to the Socrates, Nozick is quick to outlay that the portraits are perfect to describe the inner feelings about an individual (Cynthia). According to Socrates, the outside should describe what is felt inside. Nozicks explains examined life as explaination of possibilities between one rational mind to another. Part of the discrepancies relates to truth about the Socrates. Nozick agrees with Socrates that life that is not life lived fully.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on What is the value of the examined life? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In both Nozick and Socrates examines one life by reflecting on values and best choices and decisions in life. However, Nozick aims his focus on a portrait where as Socrates examines life in a theoretical manner. Nozick take on unexamined life relents that one fails to bring out the intrinsic value of life while unable to express oneself to the public. Both Nozick and S ocrates asses same life when they examine life. The Socrates happened to exhibit different characteristics and proactive views that guarantee engagement in a social conversation. Both Socrates and Nozick posses a challenge to the individual examined and make his or her life bring out the intrinsic value with regard to self reflection (Taylor 20). According to Nozick, reality comes in various aspects and dimension for instance intrinsic value, depth perfection and expressiveness. These dimensions are displayed by Socrates in examining an individual’s life. Both philosophers outlay similar gains when examining lives. A person gains from an examined life through getting knowledge of making proper decisions and living a quality life. Examined life stipulates that one has to be careful with his or her aims and the way one executes the aims (Kagan). The quality of life matters a lot. It does not matter how long one lives life but how quality the life has been. An examined life is a life that has an author and follows a set direction towards achieving substantial goals. Living an examined life calls for one to strive for excellence. Conclusion An examined life enables one to think critically. It also enables one to make informed decisions about ones life. Examined life assists one to deal with moral problems (Kagan). With reference to Socrates, life is worth examining by questioning the greater or lesser degree. By assessing ones, life one is able to put up substructure of actions to enable him or her become successful in life. An unexamined life will be an enormous burden to an individual hence one will not be fruitful in all his actions and objectives. Works Cited Cynthia, Freeland. â€Å"Portraits†. Interview with David Edmund and Nigel Warburton. Philosophy Bite. Web. Hogan, Richard. â€Å"The Dialogues of Plato (Book).† Library Journal 110.11 (1985): 63. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web.Advertising Looking for essay on philosophy? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Kagan, Shelly. â€Å"How to Live Given the Certainty of Death†. Yale University: Open Yale Courses, November 28, 2010. Lecture. Web. McCabe M.M.. â€Å"Socratic Method†. Interview with David Edmund and Nigel Warburton. Philosophy Bite. Wolfsdorf, David. â€Å"Socrates’ Pursuit of Definitions.† Phronesis 48.4 (2003): 271-312. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. Taylor, Quentin P. â€Å"The Last Day of Socrates: An Invitation to Philosophy.† Midwest Quarterly 42.1 (2000): 20. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. This essay on What is the value of the examined life? was written and submitted by user Cristina Wells to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Internet3 essays

Internet3 essays Negotiation is a common word that always appears in our personal and professional lives. Business is also negotiating. From the day you start thinking about having your own company, you are negotiating every step of the way. We negotiate when we buy office furniture, or when we do a project with co-worker, or when we are dealing with customers or even business partners. You will pay a price if you do not recognise the process for negotiation. Sometimes it is easy to negotiate, but other times, when we have a great deal at stake or we are upset, the task can be intimidating or difficult. In this paper, we are going to talk about what negotiation is, some stages, rules, strategies, etc. that can help you work and negotiate more effectively with your customer, co-workers, and boss. Also, they are also applicable to other interpersonal situations. (http://members.nbci.com/_XMCM/cooperate/neg.htm)  ¡Negotiation is the process through which two or more parties seek an acceptable rate of exchange for items they own or control. ¡ (Meredith  ¡Negotiation is a field of knowledge and endeavor that focuses on gaining the favor of people from whom we want things. ¡ (Meredith Negotiating is an inter-personal process. Each negotiating situation is different and influenced by each party ¡s skills, attitudes and style. Understanding the negotiation process and the party involved with allow us to manage negotiation easier in satisfying both parties ¡ interest. Increase your salary; get you a better position; gather support for your project or department; gain approval for a budget; and improve your chance for success on the job are the reasons for negotiation. You will benefit through the process of negotiation if you success at the end. Therefore, it pays to overcome your aversion to haggling and your ...

Movie Analysis- Charlotte Sometimes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Movie Analysis- Charlotte Sometimes - Essay Example Indeed, King highlights that the narrative of the independent film often subverts genre, thereby heightening viewer empathy with characters in contrast to the Hollywood approach, which would support the Warhol perception of independent film (King, 2005). The focus of this analysis is to critically evaluate the independent film â€Å"Charlotte Sometimes† (2002) and in doing so this paper will undertake a contextual analysis of the film in context of the independent film format. Firstly, it is submitted that the Eric Byler’s film Charlotte Sometimes utilises the signature independent film technique of subversion of the formulaic Hollywood approach in narrative and characterisation. To this end, it is posited that this is a significant feature of the appeal of the film, as the subversion of the Hollywood approach through the use of complex narratives and anti-stereotypical characterisation symbolises the rise of the wider demographic and the growing development of independent cinema. By analogy, this is further highlighted by the overlap of nominated films at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Independent Feature Project Stage and the Academy Awards and the Independent Spirit Wards (Sconce, 2002). For example, in 2006, Ang Lee won both the Oscar and the Spirit award for the direction in Brokeback Mountain, arguably obfuscating the distinction between independent films and Hollywood films with the â€Å"indiewood† effect (Tzioumakis, 2006). However, Rombes argues that â€Å"the coincidence of films does point to a phenomenon in contemporary (particularly) American filmmaking, which is yet to be critically evaluated in any sustained way† (Rombes, 2005). Indeed, Nicholas Rombes’ collection of essays further develops this point by addressing contemporary film culture and raises the possibility of the evolvement of socio-political conceptualisation through what he terms as a â€Å"cinematic avant garde†, which attracts

Central Bank Of GCC Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Central Bank Of GCC - Research Paper Example However, the central bans differ in terms of those who formulate the monetary policies. In European Central Bank, monetary policies are formulated by the General Council while in GCC Central Bank the monetary policy should be formulated by the Governing Board. Those who argue against the GCC Central Bank suggest that the bank it affects the independence of the GCC member countries while those who support it suggest that the bank will promote economic stability in the GCC region. The main objective of the GCC is to develop monetary policies and implement them. GCC members have been intending to create a monetary union since 1980s. So far, significant efforts have been made towards that end. Economic integration is becoming real by the day, and the use of a single currency is almost becoming a reality as well. Currently there is an interregional movement of goods and services, labour and capital. Establishment of a common market in 2008 further improved the efforts of the GCC towards a unionized monetary system (Fasano-Filho & Schaechter, 2003). Most of the convergence criteria for entry into a unionized monetary system have also been attained. However, the main challenges for the GCC in its push to develop a single central bank for the region have been the decision of the required exchange rate for a single currency and the location of the central bank (Boero et al, 2011). There have also been significant disagreements concerning the structure of the new central bank. The suggested GCC Central Bank should have a clear organisational structure which will determine how decisions are made and how such decisions are implemented. This enables the GCC Central Bank to set clear roles and responsibilities for various members of the Bank and to ensure that the right decisions are made at the right time for the benefit of all member countries of the GCC. This report suggests that the GCC central bank should have an executive board responsible for general

Consumer Behaviour Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Consumer Behaviour Assignment - Essay Example Clammer (1992) argues that this is true even of the most mundane consumption choices, which can reflect an individual's identity, tastes and social position (see also Elliott and Wattanasuwan, 1998; Slater, 1997) (cited by Sowden and Grimmer, 2009, p 1). Motherhood requires different changes that a woman goes through when becoming a mother. One of the aspects of this is the change in roles. Together with this comes the brand new identity and often of priorities also. A woman who might have devoted much of her time on herself especially on physical aesthetic sense might suddenly feel that her needs to promote her physical looks is relegated to the more important role of taking care of a child. Because of this new role and identity where the new mom has to fit in, she is exposed to a mould of what the identity must be or must look like. The society sometimes paints the required image that a mom must take in order to fit in the mould or the individual projects her own identity which she feels is best accepted in the society. As she tries to orient herself with the new role, she is subjected to consumption choices and decisions that had been expected from the identity that she has just assumed or wants to assume. These consumption decisions particularly refer to ... Similarly, other transitions or rites of passage points in the life cycle of the consumer could be viewed as identity projects. With the transition or with a new role to play, the consumer take on a new image which is necessarily consistent with the new identity he/she assumes. This then necessarily affect his/her consumption decision. Wattanasuwan (2005, p 179) stated that we do not really consume products just for necessity but also more importantly for the projection of the self that we want others to see. This self or this identity project is the one we hope that others within our group or subculture would accept and welcome with open arms. One case in point is the pre-adult or teenage years. This is a rather delicate and volatile stage as the individual tries to find out how he/she fits into the society he/she belongs to. Most of the issues that concern teenagers move towards their desire to belong and be accepted. Many young people would try to create and project an identity of maturity in their hopes to easily blend into the world of adults. "Symbolic consumption is taking on a greater role in distinguishing the pre-adult from the adult" (Ozanne, 1992 as cited by Batat, n.d.). Others would use this identity project to impress their peers or to be accepted in certain circles or groups. "The use of goods as symbols for communicating with other consumers is related to the use of goods in the development of self-identity. Individual can then use the symbolic content of chosen consumption objects to reflect their affiliation or connection to a particular social group" (Batat, n.d. cited from Elliott and Wattanasuwan, 1998 ). Because of this, the consumption choices we face would depend on the identity we

Effects of Cor and US on Taxol Production of Taxus x Media

Effects of Cor and US on Taxol Production of Taxus x Media SUMMARY OF PROPOSED RESEARCH INCLUDING KEY GOALS For scientifically qualified assessors: Taxol is a natural diterpenoid alkaloid first isolated from the inner bark of pacific yew, Taxus brevifolia (Wani et al., 1971) and widely use in the pharmaceutical industry as the antitumor agents. However, low taxol content, high cost of extraction and the destruction of yew trees spark a major environmental controversy and cause a problem to fulfil its growing demand. The application of plant tissue culture technique has appeared as an eco-friendly method and feasible approach for commercial supply, but the production rate of this secondary metabolite are still very low. Only 10% of taxol secreted in the extracellular medium of T x media suspension cultures (Wickremesinhe and Arteca, 1993). These problems prompted a great effort to discover and identify the alternative means to enhance the mass production of taxol in plant cell cultures. In this study, elicitation using coronatine (Cor) and ultrasound (US) will be used for synthesis and transport of taxol. Cor is a toxin produced by Pseudomonas syringae and can act as a plant growth regulator and stimulates the defence mechanism in plants. Meanwhile, Low-intensity US is a physical or mechanical stimulus that can enhance the cellular transporter activity and trigger the pathway of defence-related secondary metabolites. It is hypothesized that the taxol accumulation in Taxus x media culture is higher than control (unelicited) and single treatment after treated with Cor and low- energy US. The experiment will use two-stage suspension culture and longitudinally young stem as the explant. The effect of these two elicitors on biomass production and taxol production will be analysed. At the end of this study, it is expected that the taxol production and cell growth will show positive result after elicited with Cor and low-energy US. This study will be a significant endeavour in enhance the release of taxol through elicitation approach. For lay readers: Secondary metabolites are chemicals produced by plants and do not have any physiological functions, but use as flavour, food colours, fragrances and pharmaceutical study. Taxus species are one of the medicinal plants that can produce natural anti-cancer agents known as taxol. However, over exploitation of natural sources of taxol from bark, stem, roots and needles put yew trees as an endangered species. Besides, the low yield and slow growth of yew trees limit its potential as a viable source of taxol. Thus, it is important to find alternative method to increase the taxol production in Taxus sp. The production of taxol from Taxus x media can be greatly enhanced through elicitation. Elicitation is a method to stimulate the gene expression of enzymes responsible for the synthesis of secondary metabolites. The substance used in stimulating the production of exuded compound is called elicitor. Elicitor is formed inside or outside of plant cells and imitate as a stress to activate the pla nt defence systems and cause qualitative and quantitative changes in the secondary metabolite content. Two elicitors that will be used in this study are Coronatine (Cor) and low-energy ultrasound (US). Plants use Cor to build defensive compounds and as growth regulators. US, on the other hand can stimulated the cell membrane permeabilization and encourage the release of taxol to culture medium. Plant cell cultures will be used to retrieve the secondary metabolite on demand by maintain the growth of plant cells in aseptic condition with appropriate supply of nutrients. It is expected that the accumulation of taxol treated with elicitors is higher than the untreated culture. This study will provide a good understanding about the effect of elicitors in activate the chemical defence system in plants and directly stimulate the production of taxol. RESEARCH Outcomes / Products What is the proposed outcome of your project: It is expected that all treatments will give significant increase of taxol accumulation when compared with control. Combination between Cor and US exposure will improve the extracellular and cell-associated taxol production. The expected taxol production from the treatment of both Cor and US is 20 to 50% higher than control. Elicitation of Taxus x media using Cor and US also will enhance the cell growth. The use of suspension culture will be one of the reasons that improve the accumulation of taxol and can be a good strategy for the continous production of taxol. Why is it important? Taxol is well known anti-cancer drug derived from natural source of Taxus species. However, direct extraction from yew trees has subjected them as an endangered species. On the other hand, the process of extraction and purification of taxol is also time consuming and not economically feasible. Thus, plant tissue culture is a promising approach to obtain this secondary metabolite. However, one of the main problems in increase the taxol production is instability in the synthesis of secondary metabolite. In order to maximize the yield of taxol, the combination of biotic and abiotic elicitor can be a good strategy. Besides, the elicitation approach is also more economical beneficial compare with other methods such as precursor feeding, phytohormone regulation and biotransformation. US is a simple but effective elicitor while Cor is expected has the similar biological activity as methyl jasmonate (MeJA), the most common elicitor used in stimulate secondary metabolites. The results from th is study can provide a fundamental understanding of the effects of US in combination with Cor on the production of secondary metabolite and plant cell culture. Understanding how Taxus x media cell culture react with these two elicitors can provide a a beneficial in link the growth rate with the production of taxol. DETAILS OF RESEARCH PROJECT Introduction and Background: Taxus species are medicinal plants and members of the Taxaceae family that can produce taxol, a chemotheraphy drug used widely in cancers treatment. FDA approval of taxol in 1992 and a series of success of taxol in clinical test for various cancers led to massive demand for this active substance. The increase of demand was expected since taxol also useful to combact non-canceorus disorders, such as polycystic kidney disease (Woo et al., 1994). However, it is difficult to perform large-scale culture because of the difficulty to gain this active compound from natural source. Three mature, century-old yew trees would produce only 1 g of taxol. It is estimated that about 10 tons of bark or felling of 3000 trees was needed to yield 1 kg of purified taxol to treat 500 cancer patients. Besides, the natural source of taxol from yew trees is only about 0.01% to 0.06% (Sung et al., 2005). All these concerns have prompted extensive efforts in find the method that can increase the mass productio n taxol. Taxus x media is choose for this study since it is good starting materials for the taxol production via biotechnological technique. Besides, the amount of taxol produce by this cultivar is the highest among other Taxus species (Table 1). The elicitation approach has been one of the most promising strategies in improve the mass production of taxol and other secondary metabolites in cell cultures (Roberts ND Shuler, 1997). The idea of using elicitor arise from the defence pathway utilize by plant in deal with environmental stress, pathogenic microorganisms, insects and higher herbivorous predators by stimulate the production of offensive chemicals like secondary metabolites. One of the most commonly studied and effective biotic elicitor is methyl jasmonate (MeJA). However, the report that Cor resemble the biological activity of the jasmonic acid gives an idea that the mode of action between these two compounds could be similar. The chemical structure of Cor is more stable than MeJA because of the rigid cis-orientation in its bi-cyclic skeleton. This lead to the higher levels of induction in the production of secondary metabolites by plant cells treated with Cor when compare with those treated with natural JA. Although Cor stimulated paclitaxel production with less efficiency than MeJA, it resulted in higher paclitaxel excretion to the liquid phases of culture medium. Besides that, there are not many reports about the influence of Cor on the production of secondary metabolite in plant cell suspension culture. Table 1: Content (wt %) of selected taxanes in different species of Taxus plants (Lin Lidong, 2003) The combination of biotic and abiotic elicitor had synergistic effects to taxol production in many reports. Thus, it is expected that the combine use of Cor with a physical stimulus like US might increase the yield of taxol in the Taxus culture. Generally, the abiotic elicitors use in experimental studies is chemical agents, heavy metals and biochemical agents like polysaccharides and organic acid. The use of US to biotechnology is relatively new and not many reports can be found on the effects of US in increase the useful secondary metabolites. This simple and effective elicitor can activate cells or enzymes and induced plant defence metabolism by ultrasonic waves. High intensity US waves can bring detrimental effect to cells, enzymes and other biological materials. Meanwhile, low intensity US waves can change the cellular metabolism, improve the mass transfer of reagents and enhance the release of intracellular products from cultured cells by increase the membrane permeability. The use of US will not disrupt the culture process and allow continuous use of cell’s biosynthetic capacity (Kilby and Hunter, 1990). US deserve an extensive research regarding its effects in plant secondary metabolite due to its wide application in biological field. The combination of Cor and US has great prospect and economic benefits in enhance the taxol production at low cost. Until now, there is no study or information about the effect of Cor and US and their combination on the Taxus species. Work which has led up to the project: The production of taxol using cell cultures were first reported by Christen et al., in 1989. Cell suspension cultures can emit secondary metabolites into growth medium. For instance, the production of resveratrol in the medium was higher than in the cell (Zamboni et al., 2009). Work by Kajani et al., in 2010 on Taxus baccata L cell culture showed that 74.9 % of total taxanes was exuded to growth medium (5. 584 mg/ L). Roberts et al., in 2003 reported that suspension culture of Taxus canadensis secreted more than 90% of the total taxol to the medium after treated with cell wall enzymes. Cell culture of Taxus chinensis emitted 90% of the total paclitaxel in medium with chitosan (Zhang et al., 2007). Komaraiah et al., in 2003 reported that up to 70% of the plumbagin in Plumbago rosea cell culture were released into the medium. Taxol accumulate at high level (1.5 mg/L) in the second phase of growth Previous research by J. Wu and L. Lin in 2003 on the application of US as a physical stimulus and MeJA in increase the mass production of taxol in Taxus chinensis becomes a fundamental reference for this study. Their study showed that the taxol yield was increased about 1.5- to 1.8-fold with 2 minutes US exposure once or twice during a 4 week culture period. Meanwhile, the total taxol after treated with MeJA increase about 5-fold. The percentage of extracellular taxol and cell-associated taxol also showed significant increase. The taxol production from combination between US and MeJA treatment was 20 to 50% higher than each of the treatment used alone. Another research by Wu and Lin in 2002 found that low energy US can play a role as abiotic elicitor to trigger the plant defence responses and induce the production of plant metabolite in cell cultures. Apart from that, US also can increase the cell membrane permeabilization to increase the efficiency of intracellular product release. In their previous study, they found that the combination of US stimulation and in situ solvent extraction in a Lithospermum erythrorhizan cell culture led to 2 to 3-fold increases in the yield of shikonin. Tamogami and Kodama reported in 2000 that Accumulation of flavonoid phytoalexins in rice occurred when treated with Cor. This shown that the effect of Cor on flavonoid production was greater than that of JA or its precursor, 12-oxo-phytodienoic acid (OPDA). Cor also gave positive result in the alkaloid production in Eschscholzia californica cell cultures (Haider et al., 2000). The previous work by also showed the greater increase in the accumulation of glyceollins, the phytoalexins of soybean (Glycine max. L.), in soybean cell suspension cultures after treated with Cor. Besides, the effect of Cor in induced the phytoalexin productin was greatly better when compared with JA and MeJA. (Fliegmann et al., 2003; Lauchli et al, 2002). Aims of the project: To study the biological and synergistic effects of Cor and US on the taxol production of Taxus x media cell culture. (d) Experimental design and methods to be used in investigating this problem: Cell culture establishment Approximately 1.0 cm long section of longitudinal young stem of Taxus x media will be wash with distilled water and soak in 70% (v/v) ethanol for 30 to 60 seconds. After that, the stem will be surface sterilized by immersion in 1.5% sodium hypochlorite with a few drops of Tween 20 for 20 to 30 minutes. After sterilization, the explants will be rinsed 3 times with sterile distilled water. Next, the longitudinally halved stem sections will be placed with the inner cut surface in contact with the solid Gamborg’s B5 media to induce calli. The media supplemented/ fortified with 3.0% sucrose (w/v), 0.8% agar (w/v), 1 mg/L 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 0.5 mg/L 6-Benzyladenine (BA), at pH 5.5. All of the cultures will be placed in darkness at 25oC for 25 days. To obtain a homogenous callus, several subcultures of calli will be done every 3 weeks. The snow, friable and massive callus will be used as the inoculums for cell suspension culture. Cor treatment The same media without agar will be used for cell suspension culture. About 10 g of fresh weight of callus will be used as the inoculums and inoculated into 300 mL conical flasks containing 100 mL liquid growth B5 medium and placed on orbital shakers (120 rpm) at 25oC in darkness. 1 uM Cor will be added to the shake-flask culture on day 7 post inoculation since the Taxus cell culture is expected to be in the middle of a rapid growth phase, which is usually a favourable time for elicitor treatment in most plant cell cultures. 3) US treatment An ultrasonic cleaning bath will be used to sonicate the cells in Erlenmeyer flasks from the shake-flask culture (Lin et al., 2001). The bath will had a fixed frequency of 38.5 KHz and variable power levels. The bath temperature wwill be maintained at 25 ±0.5oC. The culture will be sonicated at level 2 US power (corresponding to 13.7 mW/ cm3 in the culture) once (on day 5, 9, or 16) or twice (day 5 and day 9) for 2 min each time (total US energy of each exposure = power x period = 1.64 J/cm3). The US power and exposure period will be selected based on the study by Lin et al., (2001) and Lin and Wu in 2002. Determination of cell density The cells in the shake-flasks will be separated from the medium by filtration through a Whatman filter paper under vacuum. The wet cell mass will be rinsed thoroughly with deionized water and then dried at 50oC in an oven to constant weight. Taxol extraction and determination The taxol content in powdered dried cell and medium in the culture flasks will be extracted by methods previously described by Wu and Lin (2003). The dried cells will pulverized and suspended in 10 mL methanol, filtered and air-dried. After that, the cells will be re-dissolved in dichloromethane: water (1:1, v/v) followed by centrifugation at 5000 rpm. Dichloromethane phase will be collected, air-dried and re-dissolved in 100  µL methanol (HPLC grade) and filtered passing through a 0.45  µm syringe filter, before being injected to HPLC. The taxol content in the extract solution will be quantified by HPLC system, equipped with a C-18 column of 25 x 4.6 mm dimension. Taxol will be eluted with a linear gradient of acetonitrile and water (45: 55, v/v)/ at a flow rate of 1 mL/min with UV detection at 227 nm. Identification of taxol will be accomplished by comparison of retention times with authentic standard. Statistical analysis The results will be analyzed statistically by one-way ANOVA analysis and Duncan multiple range tests. The data will be presented as the mean value  ± standard deviation (SD) of three independent experiments.

Gene Therapy Essay -- Genetics Science Papers

Gene Therapy I. Introduction With the human genome project now completed, identifying our DNA, the next step forward is being taken to analyze this information and apply it in a helpful context. As we discover which genes affect and trigger the different traits humans possess, new questions result pertaining to potential problems in our DNA as well as genetic enhancement opportunities. In theory, once a problem is pinpointed within a person’s DNA, there exists a possibility for correcting this defect. Gene therapy is a technique used for correcting defective genes responsible for disease development. This relatively new idea sparks much controversy when societal implications are examined. Bill Joy, chief scientist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, comments that â€Å"we can easily imagine an arms race developing over GNR [genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics] technologies, as it did with the NBC [nuclear, chemical, and biological] technologies in the 20th century†¦.This time†¦we are n't in a war †¦we are driven, instead, by our habits, our desires, our economic system, and our competitive need to know (Joy, 2000)." This paper provides an in depth look at gene therapy including a description as well as an examination of gene therapy as it affects societal issues. Faced with different applications for the recent knowledge gained in gene therapy, ethical considerations must be analyzed so that society can move forward with caution. II. Gene Therapy Review Gene therapy, with its first clinical trial in 1990, is a relatively new field that leaves much open to be explored. The idea of gene therapy focuses on locating the defective gene and treating it so that the fixed gene functions correctly by producing prot... ...e Without Wisdom: Human Genetic Engineering without Religious Insight. Christian Bioethics, 8, (2), pp147-63. â€Å"Gene Therapy†. (October 2004). Human Genome Project Information. http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml#status. Joy, Bill. (April 2000). Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us. Wired, 8, (4). Silva, Fred G. (September 2002). Ethics of the New Biology and Genetic Medicine (Molecular Ethics). Pathology International, 52, (9), pp555-62. Thompson, Richard E. (May 2003). Does Patenting Genes Change the Meaning of Life? Physician Executive, 29, (3), pp40-43. Williams, D. (December 2002). Public Confidence in Medical Technology. Medical Device Technology, 13, (10), pp11-3. Wright, Richard T. (2003). Biology through the Eyes of Faith. New York : HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. Gene Therapy Essay -- Genetics Science Papers Gene Therapy I. Introduction With the human genome project now completed, identifying our DNA, the next step forward is being taken to analyze this information and apply it in a helpful context. As we discover which genes affect and trigger the different traits humans possess, new questions result pertaining to potential problems in our DNA as well as genetic enhancement opportunities. In theory, once a problem is pinpointed within a person’s DNA, there exists a possibility for correcting this defect. Gene therapy is a technique used for correcting defective genes responsible for disease development. This relatively new idea sparks much controversy when societal implications are examined. Bill Joy, chief scientist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, comments that â€Å"we can easily imagine an arms race developing over GNR [genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics] technologies, as it did with the NBC [nuclear, chemical, and biological] technologies in the 20th century†¦.This time†¦we are n't in a war †¦we are driven, instead, by our habits, our desires, our economic system, and our competitive need to know (Joy, 2000)." This paper provides an in depth look at gene therapy including a description as well as an examination of gene therapy as it affects societal issues. Faced with different applications for the recent knowledge gained in gene therapy, ethical considerations must be analyzed so that society can move forward with caution. II. Gene Therapy Review Gene therapy, with its first clinical trial in 1990, is a relatively new field that leaves much open to be explored. The idea of gene therapy focuses on locating the defective gene and treating it so that the fixed gene functions correctly by producing prot... ...e Without Wisdom: Human Genetic Engineering without Religious Insight. Christian Bioethics, 8, (2), pp147-63. â€Å"Gene Therapy†. (October 2004). Human Genome Project Information. http://www.ornl.gov/sci/techresources/Human_Genome/medicine/genetherapy.shtml#status. Joy, Bill. (April 2000). Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us. Wired, 8, (4). Silva, Fred G. (September 2002). Ethics of the New Biology and Genetic Medicine (Molecular Ethics). Pathology International, 52, (9), pp555-62. Thompson, Richard E. (May 2003). Does Patenting Genes Change the Meaning of Life? Physician Executive, 29, (3), pp40-43. Williams, D. (December 2002). Public Confidence in Medical Technology. Medical Device Technology, 13, (10), pp11-3. Wright, Richard T. (2003). Biology through the Eyes of Faith. New York : HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.