Monday, 24 February 2014
Know the Star of the Sea - The Starfish By Carlos J Garcia
By Carlos J Garcia
Known for their unique physical appearances, the starfish is one
of the electrifying inhabitants of the underwater world. They are also
known as sea stars. Though they are inhabitants of the ocean, they are
not exactly fish. Apart from their unique physical structures, what
distinguishes them from normal fish is that starfish do not have
backbones, which means they are invertebrates. Because of their hard
surfaces, predators like otters, birds and other fish do not trace the
starfish as their food sources.
According to marine biologists, there are over 2,000 species of starfish. Starfish are generally found in different types of marine habitants like coral reefs, rocky shores, sea grass and kelp beds. Some of them are even found thousands of feet below the sand.
While describing their physical appearances, the size of Starfish ranges between one to ten inches each. However, the smallest Starfish can be less than one-half of an inch and the largest can be more than three feet in size. Depending on the species, the lifespan of starfish may vary from two to 35 years. You can see starfish in various colors including red, brown, pink and orange.
Starfish may have five or more arms which appear emerging out of their body. However, the number of arms can get to be 50 in many cases. The bottom surfaces of their arm are covered by suckers which act like pinchers. With the help of tube-like organs, starfish can gradually creep across the ocean floor. They can expand them by pumping sea water into the tubes.
Like any other living species, Starfish do not have normal eyes. Instead, they have eyespots that may be found on their bodies. Using these eyespots, they can trace foods and sense the lights and shapes in an area. Their eyespots are located at the tip of each arm. Their food-tracing habits keep them grazing along the sea floor. Starfish are carnivores and they enjoy eating snails, oysters, clams, mollusks and more. You can also find some species that eat algae.
Like their unique physical structures, starfish are also known for their unique ways of consuming food. Their mouth is in the base of their body and they have throats that are extended to the stomach. While taking a grasp on its prey, a sea star can extend its stomach through its mouth. It can digest the food outside the body through special enzymes and then the digested food gradually gets into the stomach through the throat. Every tiny organism that is eaten will be swallowed whole.
While talking about their lifestyles, they generally prefer to keep a distance from other species. This makes them solitary creatures. However, you may find them in groups on occasion.
An interesting fact about their arms is that starfish are capable of reviving their lost arms. When they are threatened by predators, they leave their arms behind and form new ones. This is a special type of defense mechanism applied by this unique living creature. However, it may take a year for such a being to grow its arm back to a full length.
According to marine biologists, there are over 2,000 species of starfish. Starfish are generally found in different types of marine habitants like coral reefs, rocky shores, sea grass and kelp beds. Some of them are even found thousands of feet below the sand.
While describing their physical appearances, the size of Starfish ranges between one to ten inches each. However, the smallest Starfish can be less than one-half of an inch and the largest can be more than three feet in size. Depending on the species, the lifespan of starfish may vary from two to 35 years. You can see starfish in various colors including red, brown, pink and orange.
Starfish may have five or more arms which appear emerging out of their body. However, the number of arms can get to be 50 in many cases. The bottom surfaces of their arm are covered by suckers which act like pinchers. With the help of tube-like organs, starfish can gradually creep across the ocean floor. They can expand them by pumping sea water into the tubes.
Like any other living species, Starfish do not have normal eyes. Instead, they have eyespots that may be found on their bodies. Using these eyespots, they can trace foods and sense the lights and shapes in an area. Their eyespots are located at the tip of each arm. Their food-tracing habits keep them grazing along the sea floor. Starfish are carnivores and they enjoy eating snails, oysters, clams, mollusks and more. You can also find some species that eat algae.
Like their unique physical structures, starfish are also known for their unique ways of consuming food. Their mouth is in the base of their body and they have throats that are extended to the stomach. While taking a grasp on its prey, a sea star can extend its stomach through its mouth. It can digest the food outside the body through special enzymes and then the digested food gradually gets into the stomach through the throat. Every tiny organism that is eaten will be swallowed whole.
While talking about their lifestyles, they generally prefer to keep a distance from other species. This makes them solitary creatures. However, you may find them in groups on occasion.
An interesting fact about their arms is that starfish are capable of reviving their lost arms. When they are threatened by predators, they leave their arms behind and form new ones. This is a special type of defense mechanism applied by this unique living creature. However, it may take a year for such a being to grow its arm back to a full length.
Carlos J Garcia has written various supporting companion page
articles for A Reading Place and if you would like to see the companion
page to this one, please visit All About Starfish
to see two related videos, a collection of photographs and more
articles. If you would like to see a wonderful children's book, About Starfish on Amazon is a great choice.
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlos_J_Garcia
Industrial Uses Of Linseed Oil
By
Anita Bern
Flax plant (also known as lin) has been cultivated for thousand
of years. One variety - flax type - has been grown for fiber production,
and the other one - seed type - for its seed.
Linseed - sometimes referred to as flaxseed - is the seed of the flax plant. Linseed oil, which is pressed from flaxseed and extracted with a petroleum solvent, is used primarily for industrial purposes. It can also be produced by cold press and used in its crude state, but more often than not, linseed oil is the starting oil for many industrial processes.
Linseed oil has a number of interesting properties - such as film forming, fast drying, binding - that have found their use in manufacturing. There are various viscosity levels and grades available. This versatile substance can be used in the following industries: paint, petroleum, construction, nutraceuticals, agriculture, livestock, leather and sports goods.
Linseed oil has resolvent properties. Its drying properties are the most often exploited, because the initial material is liquid, or a least pliable, and the aged material is rigid without being brittle. It is also used for protecting against rust, and on wooden materials for shine and longevity.
It is best known for its function in the production of paints and coatings. Because of its drying and hardening properties when exposed to the air and light, paints and coatings containing linseed oil are considered the highest quality and most durable of products.
Furthermore, it is used as a binder for pigment pastes, and to make synthetic resins for printing inks, stand oils, and varnishes. It is considered as the primary drying oil for its performance against cost. That's why it has also found its use in lacquers, enamels, oilcloth, oil clothing, tarpaulins and tenting, patent leather, textiles, soap, shoe polish and other specialty items.
Linoleum flooring, putty, wood finish, and plastics may all contain linseed oil. It is used for making lubricants and sealants. Traditionally, it is used as a finish for gun stocks. In recent years, it is also regaining importance as a renewable raw material. Many bio-products can be produced using flax: for example, linoleum is biodegradable, non-allergenic, and has natural antimicrobial properties.
The largest producer of linseed oil in the world is Canada, and the majority of linseed oil that trades internationally is imported by developing countries. The demand for this crop with a broad range of uses is expected to increase further.
Linseed - sometimes referred to as flaxseed - is the seed of the flax plant. Linseed oil, which is pressed from flaxseed and extracted with a petroleum solvent, is used primarily for industrial purposes. It can also be produced by cold press and used in its crude state, but more often than not, linseed oil is the starting oil for many industrial processes.
Linseed oil has a number of interesting properties - such as film forming, fast drying, binding - that have found their use in manufacturing. There are various viscosity levels and grades available. This versatile substance can be used in the following industries: paint, petroleum, construction, nutraceuticals, agriculture, livestock, leather and sports goods.
Linseed oil has resolvent properties. Its drying properties are the most often exploited, because the initial material is liquid, or a least pliable, and the aged material is rigid without being brittle. It is also used for protecting against rust, and on wooden materials for shine and longevity.
It is best known for its function in the production of paints and coatings. Because of its drying and hardening properties when exposed to the air and light, paints and coatings containing linseed oil are considered the highest quality and most durable of products.
Furthermore, it is used as a binder for pigment pastes, and to make synthetic resins for printing inks, stand oils, and varnishes. It is considered as the primary drying oil for its performance against cost. That's why it has also found its use in lacquers, enamels, oilcloth, oil clothing, tarpaulins and tenting, patent leather, textiles, soap, shoe polish and other specialty items.
Linoleum flooring, putty, wood finish, and plastics may all contain linseed oil. It is used for making lubricants and sealants. Traditionally, it is used as a finish for gun stocks. In recent years, it is also regaining importance as a renewable raw material. Many bio-products can be produced using flax: for example, linoleum is biodegradable, non-allergenic, and has natural antimicrobial properties.
The largest producer of linseed oil in the world is Canada, and the majority of linseed oil that trades internationally is imported by developing countries. The demand for this crop with a broad range of uses is expected to increase further.
Canrex invests in
the origination, processing, packaging and supply of the following
commodities: oilseeds, oils, pulses, biofuels, feedstuffs and grains.
Article Source:
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Sunday, 23 February 2014
Study Of Human Locomotor Activity Using Actiwatch
By Dr. Ranjeeta Chatterjee
INTRODUCTION:
Human locomotor activity could be recorded using the Actiwatch, which is operative through Actiwre host software. The Actiwatch device uses an accelerometer to detect and log wrist movement. This method is known as actigraphy and has been shown to be a useful means for discriminating sleep from wake activity. An objective recording is accomplished within the patient's normal living environment for multiple, consecutive 24-hour periods. The small size (similar to a wrist-watch) and rugged nature of the Actiwatch allow it to be comfortably worn during activities of daily living, including bathing, swimming and even vigorous movement.
Once activity data are retrieved using the Actiware host software and communication dock, they are displayed as an actogram which is an insightful graphical display of sleep/wake patterns. This display allows for quick and easy interpretation and confirmation of sleep schedule and is a useful tool to help sleep professionals accurately educate patients about their sleep patterns. It also helps to identify the steps to achieve sleep improvement or benefits achieved. For in-depth analysis, individual sleep periods can be selected for interpretation via software algorithms to quantify sleep statistics.
The Actiwatch device can contribute to the assessment, therapy and follow-up of patients with a variety of sleep complaints. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has made various recommendations in its practice parameters for actigraphy in the study of sleep and circadian rhythms (Ancoli et al, 2003). These practice parameters are a guide to the appropriate use of actigraphy, both as a diagnostic tool for the evaluation of sleep disorders and as an outcome measure of treatment efficacy in clinical settings with appropriate sleep populations. Actigraphy can contribute to the diagnosis of insomnia assessment. Actigraphy is useful as an adjunct to routine clinical evaluation for diagnosis of circadian rhythm disorders and excessive sleepiness.
The usefulness of Actiwatch is maximized when demonstration of a multi-day rest-activity pattern is necessary, objective information about rest-activity patterns is needed or severity of sleep disturbances reported by the subject or caretaker is inconsistent with clinical impressions or laboratory findings. It is also helpful when clarification is needed of effects or compliance with pharmacologic, behavioral, phototherapeutic or chronotherapeutic treatment and even for collection of history cannot be obtained and polysomnographic study is not indicated or will not be of benefit. Actigraphy provides an alternative for daytime sleepiness information when it is not practical to administer the multiple sleep latency tests (Sadeh et al, 1995).
Actigraphy may be used effectively in the special populations like elderly, newborns, patients with hypertension, depression and schizophrenia. Actigraphy may also be useful in determining rest-activity patterns during portable sleep apnea testing.
METHODOLOGY:
The study was conducted on 20 subjects, attending a workshop, of various age groups ranging from 20-60 years. The system was installed on the subjects and the settings of devices were done directly to the subjects by strapping them on wrists. The work had been done by the help of computer experts, who installed the watches to the computer using Actiware software. The subjects were instructed how to treat it and wear the device properly. A log book was maintained to register each Actiwatch device, which consist all the required information of the subjects like, name, age, sex, medication, special physiological conditions and to record any significant developments or notes about the subject's experience.
The Actiwatch devices were worn for 7 days in order to obtain a representative sample of sleep/wake behaviors. The subjects were instructed to maintain more or less similar routine. As all of the subjects were attending the same workshop, they were bound to maintain similar routine, which include:
Breakfast: 08:00 - 09:00
Session I: 10:00 - 13:00
Tea break: 11:30 - 11:45
Lunch: 13:00 - 14:00
Session II: 15:00 - 18:00
Tea break: 16:30 - 16:45
Presentation: 18:30 - 19:30
Dinner: 20:30 - 21:30
The subject details were uploaded in the computer and sampling information was set to the Actiwatch system. The Actiware software and Actiwatch was installed as per the Software Install Guides, the Actiware Software Manual. After 7 days, the Actiwatch devices along with the log book were returned for data processing.
After getting back, the data were retrieved from Actiwatches. This process placed the stored activity information from the Actiwatch into the patient database in computer within the Actiware Sleep Analysis Software for interpretation and analysis. The task was performed according to the Technician's and Software Install Guides, the Actiware Software manual.
For every subject, the bedtime and rise time was set for each major sleep period (Rest Interval). Those data were entered from the event marker of the subject and sleep log. The time was also cross checked with the activity pattern. After initial configuration of the software program, a report was generated automatically and printed.
RESULT:
The rest activity patterns and calculated sleep statistics were reviewed with the subjects to understand their sleep patterns and their locomotor activities. The locomotor activities of 20 subjects for 7 days were recorded and the actigraphy was done, which revealed a more or less similar pattern of activity, which might have resulted due to similarity in their daily routine. The sleep wake pattern in 20 subjects were observed and analyzed considering their similar routine and was found that the maximum average rest interval (RI) was 514.3 of subject 6 and minimum 380.7 of subject 19. The average rest interval of 20 subjects for 7 days was 457.6.
DISCUSSION:
Actigraphy has been used to study sleep/wake patterns for over 20 years. The advantage of actigraphy over traditional polysomnography (PSG) is that actigraphy can conveniently record continuously for 24-hours a day for days, weeks or even longer. The wrist actigraphy can usefully approximate sleep versus wake state during 24 hours and have noted that actigraphy has been used for monitoring insomnia, circadian sleep/wake disturbances, and periodic limb movement disorder. Actigraphs are devices generally placed on the wrist, although they can also be placed on the ankle or trunk, to record movement. Collected data are downloaded to a computer for display and analysis of activity/ inactivity that in turn can be further analyzed to estimate wake/sleep. The latter technology is based on the observation that there is less movement during sleep and more movement during wake (Sadeh et al, 1995).
Actigraphs today have movement detectors (e.g., accelerometers) and sufficient memory to record for up to several weeks. Movement is sampled several times per second and stored for later analysis. Computer programs are used to derive levels of activity/inactivity, rhythm parameters, such as amplitude or acrophase, and sleep/wake parameters such as total sleep time, percent of time spent asleep, total wake time, percent of time spent awake and number of awakenings (Ancoli et al, 2003).
Actigraphy is increasingly being used in clinical research involving individuals of various ages, who are of normal health or with a variety of health conditions, and in a number of different settings. In the majority of these studies, actigraphy was used to measure sleep and activity rhythms that might not otherwise be available using traditional (e.g., PSG) techniques. In a growing number of sleep intervention trials, actigraphy performed for multiple days and nights of testing was reported to show evidence of beneficial treatment effects. Actigraphy has also been used in studies involving otherwise healthy adults to demonstrate sedating effects of various medications and to show differences in sleep during periods of sleep deprivation, for example, among military aircraft personnel on long flights. In addition, several large studies have used actigraphy in community-based samples to demonstrate differences between individuals based on age, gender, ethnicity, depressed mood, and other characteristics.
In the present study, the human locomotor activity of 20 subjects were recorded and analysed, using Wrist Actiwatch aided with Actiware Host Software. The subjects were having no significant sleep disorder and had shown regular sleep wake pattern and rest interval. The daily routine for all the subjects were similar as they were attending a workshop and were bounded to follow the schedule decided by the workshop.
The actigraphy could be a useful tool in understanding the sleep pattern of patients having various sleep disorders. By analyzing the actigram, the efficiency of the therapy of a particular sleep disorder could be outlined during treatment. Objective feedback to patients is often a very valuable tool to improve sleep. The actogram is a representation of normal sleep/wake patterns. The sleep periods typically appear at a similar point in the day and are of similar length. By showing patients a change to a pattern similar to this one, it is possible to reinforce behaviors that are conducive to good sleep.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:
The author would like to thank the Second SERC School of Chronobiology and the convener Prof. A.K. Pati, under guidance of whom the work had been done. The author would also grateful to her colleagues, who help her to make the project successful.
REFERENCES:
1. Ancoli-Israel S, Cole R, Allessi C, et. al. The Role of Actigraphy in the Study of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms. Sleep 2003; 26(3): 342-92.
2. Sadeh A, Hauri PJ, Kripke DF, Lavie P. The Role of Actigraphy in the Evaluation of Sleep Disorders. Sleep 1995; 18(4):288-302.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Ranjeeta_Chatterjee
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Saturday, 4 May 2013
The Benefits Of Agricultural Biotechnology
By
George Royal
Agricultural biotechnology is any technique in which living organisms, or parts of organisms are altered to make or modify agricultural products, to improve crops, or develop microbes for specific uses in agricultural processes. Simply put, when the tools of biotechnology are applied to agriculture, it is termed as "agricultural biotechnology". Genetic engineering is also a part of agricultural biotechnology in today's world. It is now possible to carry out genetic manipulation and transformation on almost all plant species, including all the world's major crops.
Plant transformation is one of the tools involved in agricultural biotechnology, in which genes are inserted into the genetic structure or genome of plants. The two most common methods of plant transformation are Agrobacterium Transformation - methods that use the naturally occurring bacterium; and Biolistic Transformation - involving the use of mechanical means. Using any of these methods the preferred gene is inserted into a plant genome and traditional breeding method followed to transfer the new trait into different varieties of crops.
Production of food crops has become much cheaper and convenient with the introduction of agricultural biotechnology. Specific herbicide tolerant crops have been engineered which makes weed control manageable and more efficient. Pest control has also become more reliable and effective, eliminating the need for synthetic pesticides as crops resistant to certain diseases and insect pests have also been engineered. Phytoremediation is the process in which plants detoxify pollutants in the soil, or absorb and accumulate polluting substances out of the soil. Several crops have now been genetically engineered for this purpose for safe harvest and disposal, and improvement of soil quality.
According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)'s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in reference to a section specific to the major biotechnology derived field crops, out of the whole crop plantings in the United States in 2004, biotechnology plantings accounted for about 46 percent for corn, 76 percent for cotton, and 85 percent for soybeans.
Agricultural biotechnology is any technique in which living organisms, or parts of organisms are altered to make or modify agricultural products, to improve crops, or develop microbes for specific uses in agricultural processes. Simply put, when the tools of biotechnology are applied to agriculture, it is termed as "agricultural biotechnology". Genetic engineering is also a part of agricultural biotechnology in today's world. It is now possible to carry out genetic manipulation and transformation on almost all plant species, including all the world's major crops.
Plant transformation is one of the tools involved in agricultural biotechnology, in which genes are inserted into the genetic structure or genome of plants. The two most common methods of plant transformation are Agrobacterium Transformation - methods that use the naturally occurring bacterium; and Biolistic Transformation - involving the use of mechanical means. Using any of these methods the preferred gene is inserted into a plant genome and traditional breeding method followed to transfer the new trait into different varieties of crops.
Production of food crops has become much cheaper and convenient with the introduction of agricultural biotechnology. Specific herbicide tolerant crops have been engineered which makes weed control manageable and more efficient. Pest control has also become more reliable and effective, eliminating the need for synthetic pesticides as crops resistant to certain diseases and insect pests have also been engineered. Phytoremediation is the process in which plants detoxify pollutants in the soil, or absorb and accumulate polluting substances out of the soil. Several crops have now been genetically engineered for this purpose for safe harvest and disposal, and improvement of soil quality.
According to the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture)'s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), in reference to a section specific to the major biotechnology derived field crops, out of the whole crop plantings in the United States in 2004, biotechnology plantings accounted for about 46 percent for corn, 76 percent for cotton, and 85 percent for soybeans.
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