Obesity Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Obesity - Research Paper Example There are various studies, which have been conducted on obesity. One of such studies has been conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). According to their study, obesity is associated with a poor quality of life. The quality of life is decreased with an increasing level of obesity. The research has also revealed that the quality of health life of obese people is lower than those with normal weight. Obesity is also associated with a poor health status. It has also been found that obesity results in depression. One of the key mechanisms employed to measure obesity is the Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is the index of weight for height. It is recognized as the most useful measurement for obesity. Individuals are considered to be obese when their BMI is 30 or more. Historically, obesity was considered only an imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. However, the recent research has indicated that there are many factors involved in obesity. There are various genetic, physiological, and behavioral factors that result in obesity. The specific causes of obesity vary among individuals. According to Butland et al. (2007), ‘At the heart of obesity lies a homeostatic biological system that struggles to maintain energy balance to keep the body at a constant weight. This system is not well-adapted to a fast-changing world, where the pace of technological progress has outstripped human evolution’. The researchers now accept that the changes in external environment impact the tendency of individuals to gain or lose weight. Obesity is the accumulation of excess fat in the human body. This condition reduces life expectancy and increase the chance of developing life threatening diseases. One of the most important prevention activities for overcoming obesity is physical activities. The constant exercise could result in an

Ambiguous Situations in Shakespeares Macbeth :: Macbeth essays

Macbeth's Ambiguous Situations      Ã‚   The audience finds in William Shakespeare's tragic drama Macbetha number of developments and words and situations which are equivocal, unclear, unintelligible. This essay will explore and analyze these parts of the play.    L.C. Knights in the essay "Macbeth" mentions equivocation, unreality and other possible causes of ambiguity within the play:    The equivocal nature of temptation, the commerce with phantoms consequent upon false choice, the resulting sense of unreality ("nothing is, but what is not"), which has yet such power to "smother" vital function, the unnaturalness of evil ("against the use of nature"), and the relation between disintegration in the individual ("my single state of man") and disorder in the larger social organism - all these are major themes of the play which are mirrored in the speech under consideration. (94)    In his book, On the Design of Shakespearean Tragedy, H. S. Wilson comments on the ambiguities surrounding the Weird Sisters:    Scholars have been much exercised to determine the status of the Weird Sisters; but again theirs seems to be a case like that of the Ghost of Hamlet's father: the ambiguities concerning these creatures are deliberate and meant to enhance our sense of their mystery without determining just what they are. They are something like the Norse fates in Holinshed, a good deal like ordinary English witches, and suggestive, besides, of a projection of Macbeth's ambition and his consequent fears [. . .]. (72-73)    In Everybody's Shakespeare: Reflections Chiefly on the Tragedies, Maynard Mack comments on the purposeful obscurity in which Shakespeare keeps the three Witches:    The obscurity with which Shakespeare envelops their nature and powers is very probably deliberate, since he seems to intend them to body forth, in a physical presence on stage, precisely the mystery, the ambiguity, the question mark (psychological as well as metaphysical) that lies at the root of human wrong-doing, which is always both local and explicable, universal and inexplicable, like these very figures. (185-86)    In "Macbeth as the Imitation of an Action" Francis Fergusson explains the irrational nature of the actions of Macbeth and his wife - a cause of ambiguity:      I do not need to remind you of the great scenes preceding the murder, in which Macbeth and his Lady pull themselves together for their desperate effort. If you think over these scenes, you will notice that the Macbeths understand the action which begins here as a competition and a stunt, against reason and against nature.

Pesticide Resistance Essay

Insect attack is a serious agricultural problem leading to yield losses and reduced product quality. Insects can cause damage both in the field and during storage in silos. Each year, insects destroy about 25 percent of food crops worldwide. The larvae of Ostrinia nubilalis, the European corn borer, can destroy up to 20 percent of a maize crop. European corn borer:A major pest in southern and central Europe. Insect resistant Bt maize is already being grown in Spain, France, Germany, Portugal and the Czech Republic. Western corn rootworm beetles feeding on a maize cob. Certain cultivars of Bt maize are resistant to this serious pest. GM rootworm resistant crops are not approved for cultivation in the European Union but are now being grown in the US. The â€Å"Bt concept† – pest resistant transgenic plantsBacillus thuringiensis, or Bt, is a bacterium that has attracted much attention for its use in pest control. The soil bacterium produces a protein that is toxic to various herbivorous insects. The protein, known asBt toxin, is produced in an inactive, crystalline form.When consumed by insects, the protein is converted to its active, toxic form (delta endotoxin), which in turn destroys the gut of the insect. Bt preparations are commonly used in organic agriculture to control insects, as Bt toxin occurs naturally and is completely safe for humans.More than 100 different variations of Bt toxin have been identified in diverse strains ofBacillus thuringiensis. The different variations have different target insect specificity. For example, the toxins classified under Cry1a group target Lepidoptera (butterflies), while toxins in the Cry3 group are effective against beetles.Researchers have used genetic engineering to take the bacterial genes needed to produce Bt toxins and introduce them into plants. If plants produce Bt toxin on their own, they can defend themselves against specific types of insects. This means farmers no longer have to use chemical insecticides to control certain insect problems.| Critics claim that in some cases the use of insect resistant crops can harm beneficial insects and other non-target organisms. Extensive ecological impact assessments have been addressing these issues. In the field, no significant adverse effects on non-target wildlife nor long term effects of higher Bt concentrations in soil have yet been observed. New concepts on the way Bt crops have been planted commercially for more than eight years. Other naturally occuring insecticidal compounds are now becoming available as alternatives to the Bt approach. Among these are chitinase, lectins, alpha-amylase inhibitors, proteinase inhibitors, and cystatin. Plants genetically modified to express these defense proteins are still in early stages of development.

Why Google s Digital Library Project Is A Violation Of...

A co-operation about digitizing the books in libraries was announced by Google and several major libraries on December 14, 2004. In this project, all the books in these libraries will be sent to Google for scanning and making digital copies, then they will entered into the Google search engine. At last, all the library books will be returned to libraries unharmed. Allowing all Google’ s users search the full text the these books by using Google search engine, which is the purpose of this project, can huge increase the assessment to the works open to public (Hanratty, 2004:1). This article will analyze why Google’ s Digital Library Project is a violation of international copyright law and discuss the practical implications for legislature†¦show more content†¦These rules require rigidly the users of fair use can not unjustly earn money by using these works, then the nature of the copyrighted work that can not do harm to the copyrightholder, at the same time the use which can decrease the value of the works in future market is also prohibited (Prasad and Agarwala, 2008:253). Consequently, the key point of determining whether Google’s project constitute infringement is a full fair use analysis. A.Purpose and character of the use The first factor examines the purpose and character of the use. Whether the use was â€Å"of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purpose.† (U.S.C 107, 2000 cited in Hanratty, 2005:16). should be determined. First of all, Google is a ‘for-profit’ company, Prasad and Agarwala argued that although Google can not received money from books directly, it still can make profit by the advertising space which Google sell on its digital library web page (2008:258). Moreover, Google can improve its value of service by this project, which increase the value and the reputation of Google, which is might not intentional. Google may can distribute the sales revenue to the copyright holders or the libraries to create a â€Å"win-win† situation, but this action is still out of the area of â€Å"fair