Monday, August 19, 2019

Xenophanes Concept of God :: Philosophical Philosophy Religion essays

Xenophanes' Concept of God Xenophanes of the late 6th and early 5th centuries BC should be credited, in opposition to his critics and misinterpreters, with an advanced contribution to the Western philosophy of religion, namely that there is one God. First, he exposes the weaknesses of the Greek pantheon. Then he satirically demonstrates the narcissistic limitations of human conceptions of the nature of the divine. Third, he logically structures a coherent concept of the nature of the only God. Then finally he reveals how his concept explains certain observable natural phenomena in an account of physical reality. 1. Xenophanes said "there is one god, among gods and men the greatest... "[1] but why would that idea be unusual for his culture, in its history? He explains that everyone in his culture had been taught by the famous poets and writers, including Homer, that a pantheon of multiple deities existed and affected the lives of humans in various ways. The nature of these gods, however, defies the whole notion of deity. Anaximander had earlier conceived of the underlying "stuff" of the universe as apeiron, an unexplainable something. But Xenophanes carries the notion much farther by attacking the mythology of his time and giving definition to the ineffable source of life. The famous writers "attributed to the gods all things that are shameful and a reproach among mankind: theft, adultery, and mutual deception" [2]. Illogically also, humans thought that gods were born and had clothing, voices, and bodies as well [3]. Surely, gods had to be more than glorified albeit often more immoral than hu mans, by the definition of "god." Probably Xenophanes viewed God from two perspectives. First, the Homeric gods demonstrated behavior that simply resembled the behavior of humans. God, by definition, had to be someone greater, better than humans in some way(s). He said that the One God is "greatest among the gods, not like mortals in form or thought." Thus worship of this God implies that an all-encompassing greatness is a factor of worship, which means primarily submission to and reverence for a being greater than oneself. As well, morality seems to be recognized by all cultures in some form or another, but reveals a certain weakness or propensity in humans to behave badly at times, as opposed to behaving well at times. There is an inherent recognition that there are good and bad actions and God is "not like mortals in form or thought.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Its Time for More Bible and Less Welfare Essay -- Argumentative Persu

It's Time for More Bible and Less Welfare      Ã‚   Government has considered and tried many plans for dealing with poverty in the United States, from all different points of view-welfare, workfare, charities, economic interference, and the like. There is one method, however, which has fallen out of popularity in this age. This is the biblical method.    What God says about the poor The Christian, or biblical, view of poverty is liberal in some respects and conservative in others. For example, Paul gives this rule to the early church: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10). At the same time, the leaders of the church placed great importance on providing food for the poor, and James says that pure and faultless religion is to "look after orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27). While the early church cared for the poor as a community, pooling together their resources and assigning deacons to oversee the distribution of food to the poor (Acts 6:1-6), in the Old Testament the welfare of the poor was not the responsibility of the church or any form of government, but of individuals: "There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land" (Deuteronomy 15:11). Paul's rule, if a man will not work he shall not eat, is balance d by the God-given rights of the poor (Psalm 82:3). Proverbs indicates that poverty is often the result of laziness or foolishness (Proverbs 6:10-11, 10:4), yet makes it clear that the happiest people may be poor through no fault of their own (Proverbs 13:7, 15:17, 19:1). Proverbs also declares it a virtue to help the poor: "He who is kind to the poor l... ...inated while this world lasts. However, by following the guidelines in the Bible to establish a modern-day system of gleaning, we can do something about poverty. The gleaning system, although it is almost completely opposite of what U.S. policy has been for many years, is neither impossible nor improbable. Before government welfare was instituted, the poor relied on the charity of individuals and churches. A nationwide gleaning program, bringing back the values of charity and neighborliness that our modern society seems to have lost, would be more successful than welfare can ever be in this country.    Works Cited: Osborne, David and Gaebler, Ted (1993). Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit is Transforming America (New York: Penguin Books).    The Holy Bible, New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press. 16 Feb. 2002. .

Essay --

R.K. Narayan’s initial works drew inspiration from his own childhood and school days. In his first few books, he tries to introduce Malgudi and its characters to his readers. This had helped in creating a strong base among his readers about the settings of his books. As in seen in his initial four books, starting from ‘Swami And Friends’ to ‘The English Teacher’ , the characters are confined to Malgudi and most of the story takes place in that town. ‘Swami and Friends’, R.K. Narayan’s first book was described by The Guardian,in 2011, as one of the best novels ever written by an Indian author. Undeniably, an average Indian always thinks of ‘Swami and Friends’ and ‘The Guide’ as Narayan’s best work. The novel follows the life and adventures of Swami, a schoolboy in British India. The characters in this book are very typical of an Indian village: a dominating father, a submissive mother, a religious grandmother who mollycoddles her grandchildren, a stern headmaster and of course, the playful Swami. After having been dismissed from Albert Mission School, Swami is made to join Board High School. While his close friends, Rajam and Mani from his previous school decides to form a cricket team called Malgudi Cricket Club (MCC), Swami has little choice but to skip his Drill classes and go for daily evening practice. Problems ensue when he decides to leave Malgudi after being reprimanded by his Headmaster. After a series of dramatic events, Swami misses the much anticipated and much prepared for match, against Young Men’s Union, a team from Chennai, to Rajam’s ire. The novel ends with Rajam leaving for Trichinopoly, while Swami and Mani bids him farewell at the Malgudi Rail way Station. As with a lot of his other novels, Narayan leaves the ... ...is wife to return home, assuming that it was just another tantrum that she throws. Though the novel ends on a negative note in regard to women rights, it makes a successful attempt in at least bringing the issue to the forefront. With ‘The Dark Room’, Narayan tries to bring to the attention of his readers the plight of women at that time. While Savithri’s house is symbolic for the conservative and orthodox customs, practices and beliefs in Malgudi, the dark room in her house where she seeks refuge from her husband’s tantrums represents the space where a woman is separated from the rest of the world. The dark room is just a temporary retreat for women struggling to survive in an old-fashioned world. The author, in all probability gained inspiration for this work from the women’s movement that gained strength in the 1930’s along with the nationalist movement in India.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Novel by Haruki Murakami Essay

The short story â€Å"On Seeing the 100% Perfect Girl One Beautiful April Morning† by Haruki Murakami connects with the reader through the idea that you can encounter true love by chance. Unfortunately, that chance can get away from you without any real action from yourself. The story is set in Tokyo in 1981 on what is described as a beautiful April morning. It sounds like a regular day, what made it beautiful for the main character was that he saw the girl that was 100% perfect girl for him. The methods of fiction help us better understand and connect to stories. The narration is done in the first and third person points of view. The first person point of view inserts the reader into the situation, making the story very personal. The third person narrative gives a different, larger perspective on the story and gives us more of an insight into the concept of chance. From a characterization stand point the main character is portrayed as a regular person and really only encounters a regular girl but in his eyes, she is really more like a girl from another world. There is one other person in the story but only provides a little bit of dialogue and is not developed at all. The third person narrative develops the two different main characters in ways first person does not. The overall tone of the story is somber. The idea of once having your true love so close then letting â€Å"fate† run its course only to never feel the same way again is depressing As a whole, this story connects the reader to an event that many have probably encountered in their life; seeing the perfect person, just for a second but not taking action. We go on with our lives and think nothing of it but this story delves a bit deeper into a possible scenario connecting the two people. In the end however, the characters still lose each other.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Company Analysis Johnson And Johnson Essay

Internationalization Overview It was the joint efforts of three brothers, Robert Wood Johnson, Edward Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson that lead to the inception of Johnson & Johnson in 1886 at New Brunswick, New Jersey. Even today the company strongly follows the Credo, which was formulated by its founder Robert Wood Johnson as philosophy that guides their business. It is a multinational firm established in 60 countries with over 275 companies over the world and is mainly diversified in three different fields namely Consumer Healthcare, Medical Devices & Diagnostics and Pharmaceuticals. Johnson & Johnson has an asset of $131.19 billion. (jnj.com) With all the companies that it owns, it comprises as the largest and the most diverse medical devices and Diagnostics Company, the sixth largest consumer health company, sixth largest pharmaceuticals company, and the sixth largest biologics company. The company has been driven by innovation from their inception. One of their first products was a first aid kit for treating small injuries, which could be used by anyone. The use of child care products was introduced by them in 1894, which is highly successful till date. It was in the year 1924 that Johnson & Johnson started their internationalization, expanding their operations to the United Kingdom. This was extremely successful expansion and it added a great boost to the company’s growth. This carved a path for further expansion internationally into British colonies like South Africa in 1930 and Australia in 1931 and neighbouring country of Mexico in 1930.With the Robert Wood Johnson II taking the leadership of the company he changed the company’s Global strategy and made the company as a decentralized family of companies. Their operations were further expanded into Argentina and Brazil in 1937 flowed by the formation of Ortho Research Laboratories Inc. and Ethicon Inc. in New Jersey. In 1957 they established their operations in India, the first expansion into Asia. In the 1959 there were many acquisitions by the company, McNeil Laboratories in Fort Washington, United States, Cilag AG in Switzerland followed by acquisition of Janssen Pharmaceutica in 1961, it was considered one of the most innovative firm then. (jnj.com) In the late 70’s and 80’s Johnson & Johnson enters into new health care markets such as diabetes management, vision care and mechanical closure of wounds. This created the possibilities for more expansion, and they entered into China and Egypt. The late 90’s was followed by a series of acquisitions; some of them were Centocor, Cordis Corporation, Kodak’s Clinical Diagnostics and Neutrogena Corporation. The expansion into Eastern European market and Russia was a major move. In 2002 they acquired Tibotec-Virco, a firm which helps patients with non curable diseases such as Tuberculosis and AIDS. A major acquisition was Pfizer Consumer Healthcare in 2006. The main goal for them was to follow their Credo, which has been immensely successful. The internationalization strategy was to adapt to changing global markets and basically decentralize their operations. This was what mate them Strengthen their Global Presence. Most of their international expansion was through large acquisitions of established firms. Their steady growth shows how they have captured markets all over the world. They use mainly use adaptation strategy, hence they are focused on the particular target market and have different methods of operations in  different markets. Network Analysis With over 275 companies under one roof Johnson & Johnson group of companies is one of the largest in the world. The Data sets provided gives us a clear idea of how the network is connected from the parent to its subsidiaries. The main objective is to identify how the main subsidiaries are connected to the parent. (Fig. 1) Subsidiaries The above figure depicts the layout of how the main subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson are connected. Generally nodes with higher centrality measures cannot be considered as main subsidiary, hence a series of analysis is done on the identified subsidiaries using network analysis techniques. The main subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson are different in each scope of their diversified areas. The Consumer Health Segment is under Johnson & Johnson brand name and they are established in more than 60 countries and are having individual ties with each country and they have their own presence by themselves without any strategic tie ups. However, the administration and finance department seem to have many ties with subgroups within the organization as well as external sources. The Pharmaceutical segment is also one of the largest networks, with Janssen Pharmaceutica which is their main subsidiary. As a main subsidiary, they operate with a number of companies under this banner. Cilag which is also a big company is under the Janssen Pharmaceuticals. Crucell which is a firm developing vaccine is also under the Janssen group. Galapagos which is a joint venture between Crucell and Tibotec deals with the research and development in pharmaceutical industry and is a major contributor to the innovations achieved by Janssen Pharmaceutical. The Medical Devices & Diagnostics segment is the largest and the most diverse  segment in the world. Johnson & Johnson have one of the biggest companies in terms or Research and development under this segment. Some of their subsidiaries are Animas Corporation, Cordis Corporation, Depuy Synthes companies of Johnson & Johnson, Ethicon, Ethicon Endo Surgery, Janssen Diagnostics, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, mentor and Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics. Most of these are directly connected to the parent firm, but they also seem to have feeble ties within themselves. The comparison of different centrality measures such as Degree, Betweenness, Eigenvector, Closeness and other analysis such as Density, K-cores, Structural Holes, and subgroup division Algorithms like Girvan-Newman, Fractions will help us identify how the parent subsidiary network is formed. Density The complete network Density or the Average Matrix Value is 0.003 for the given data set. The Standard Deviation of the Density is 0.058 and the average weighted degree is 1.278 Centrality Measures Degree (Fig. 2) Degree Centrality The above figure shows the degree of each node with respect to its size, the highest degree is Johnson & Johnson with 119 ties, followed by Indaver with 30 ties Indaver BV with 18ties, Cilag Holdings AG with 17 ties, Johnson & Johnson management limited with 16 ties, Johnson & Johnson International Finance with 15, Synthes Holdings AG with 14 and Crucell N.V. with 12. Indaver has higher degrees than the subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, though it is not its subsidiary. Janssen pharmaceutical is one of the share holder with Indaver, which provides them with waste management solutions, they have helped them to cut CO2 emission by 270 tonnes annually (Indaver Sustainability Report, 2013).The main subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson have  also higher degree centrality. The labelled nodes were identified to have the higher degree. Eigen vector (Fig 3) Eigenvector Centrality Eigen vector centrality is measured with respect to the connectivity of nodes with higher degrees. This is effective in helping to identify firms with more social importance or higher level firms such as management and operations level. The key observations from this centrality are that all the nodes they represent the Main subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson, have higher eigenvector values, as they had connectivity to nodes with higher degrees, Cilag, Depuy Synthes, Crucell, Janssen Pahrmaceutica, Ethicon, Apsis, all of them have higher eigenvectors as they are the main subsidiaries and are connected with nodes with higher degree. Betweenness (Fig 4) Betweeness Betweeneess represents the nodes that are involved in linking major nodes to lesser connected nodes, thereby making a strong coordination within a network. This identifies the nodes of the network that are bridges between the stronger and the weaker connected nodes. The analysis from fig 4. implies that companies such as Adimmune Corporation, Taiwan Biotech, Indaver, Galapagos , Janssen Pahrmaceutica, Crucell , have very high betweenness and are majorly involved in coordination of work between firms. Closeness (Fig 5) Closeness The closeness determines how close the next node is to the main node, hence  the nodes at the periphery of the network are more closer to the next node inside the network. The nodes with lesser closeness are more harder to be reached for any communication. Fig. 5 shows the different closeness of each node. Nodes of higher degree were not really close to each subset of nodes. Nodes with higher betweenness had proportional farness, which mean they had very low closeness. The lower closeness nodes were mostly the major subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson. Network Cohesiveness K- Core Analysis The K-core analysis identifies nodes of a network that are more connected to other nodes in other parts of the network. The analysis provided us with three k values 1, 2 and 3. This is helpful to identify the core network which is more important than the other nodes. (Fig 6) K-Core Analysis In the above figure the nodes in re have a k value of 1. These nodes are mainly in the periphery of the network and are lesser connected to the main network, the sub nodes connected to them have degree 1. (Fig 7) K-Core Analysis with k value 2 These nodes in fig. 2 have a k value of 2, these are mainly the nodes which bridge the main core to the other network. The labelled nodes are the subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson which are in the sub-core. (Fig 8) K-Core Analysis with k value 3 The above figure show the core network of the organization, these nodes are more connected the main node that the others with their connected nodes having higher degrees than others. Hence the labelled nodes are the major  nodes that are involved in the functioning of the organization. The observations of the k-core analysis are that the subsidiary such as Cilag, Ethicon, OMJ pharmaceuticals, Depuy, forms the major core of the organization. The main core also consists of investor management firm, which helps the organisation fund innovations that are much needed for the growth of the company. Turnbull Investment Company plays an important role in handling investments of Johnson & Johnson. Sub Group Analysis Girvan-Newman Algorithm This algorithm helps in sorting out different community of structures within a network that forms a cohesive sub group. The main objective is to identify different subgroups in a large network by removing important nodes and leaving only the sub group intact. Fig. 9 clearly shows the division of subgroups that having different colour. Indaver , Adimmune Corporation, Prime Oil Service Corporation, Taiwan Biotech Co. Ltd., these are external companies that have ties ups or technology sharing with Johnson & Johnson. Other Subgroups that are divided are subsidiaries of Johnson & Johnson, some of them are Janssen Pharmaceutica, Synthes Inc., Crucell N.V., Johnson & Johnson Holding Gmbh, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services Company, Johnson And Johnson Management Limited. These firms form the major subgroup in the network. (Fig 9) Girvan Newman Algorithm Factions The Factions sub grouping is another method to find the subgroups within a network. Here again we are able to input the number of groups to be divided.  An estimate of 38 clusters could give an idea of how many major subgroups that existed in the network. Fig 10 shows the outcome of the factions sub grouping. (Fig 10) Factions From the analysis and the network datasets, the parent Network is Identifies as Johnson & Johnson, and some of the major subsidiaries are Janssen Pharmaceutica, Cilag, Depuy Synthes, Animas Corporation, Apsis, Mcneil Products, Crucell, Ethicon, Ethicon Endo surgery, Cordis Corporation, Mentor. Implications of the network structure on the innovation activity Johnson & Johnson has been a firm driven by innovation since its inception. As the outcomes of innovation influences the lives of many people Johnson & Johnson has managed to reach its products 175 countries. From the network structure it is evident that subsidiary firms are maintained with independent operations and the operations of the firms is decentralized. Pharmaceutical companies owned by them are independent by themselves for any innovations involved. They don’t seem to have influence on the other subsidiary firms. Firms such as Apsis, Ethicon, Ethicon Endo, Depuy, Synthes, have innovation activity of their own and are developing their own products, and do not reply upon other firms which are owned by Johnson & Johnson. These firms that deal with Medical Devices and Diagnostics are specific upon their product line and are bound to deliver their targets. Almost all the firms in this segment have Research and Development facilities of their own and do not rely on other investments from external sources. Many joint ventures within its network of subsidiaries have been beneficial for Johnson & Johnson, like Depuy Synthes, the collaboration between them has given birth to subsidiaries like Depuy Spine, Depuy Mitek, Depuy Orthopaedics, and Depuy Products. This shows the strength of Johnson & Johnson as the largest and the most diverse organization in the world. The Pharmaceutical segment which is under Janssen Pharmaceutica, has some firms like, Crucell, Cilga, and McNeill. These companies carry out innovations on their own as well. But they tend to have a collaborated structure within them and they are bound to share technologies with external firms outside their network, In order to share risks and benefits. Crucell have a technology sharing strategy with Adimmune Corporation. Whereas Janssen Pharmecutica are dependent on Indaver for waste management solutions. There are many benefits of collaborations and technology sharing. Johnson & Johnson is a firm with high collaborations within their firms, different companies within their firms have self sustainable resources to develop alliances with other firms, this allows them to grow to a higher potential than the parental firm. This has been the major reason for the vast expansion of Johnson & Johnson into many markets. Scope for further improvement in Innovation As there is no end for innovation the firms has been actively involved in various innovation programs that currently changing the trends in the world. One of the simplest innovations that changed the world was the Band-Aid. It just changed the way people have been treating wounds. The list of innovated products by Johnson & Johnson is vast. They are a firm which are totally depended upon innovation. Technology sharing within the companies within the firm must be initiated within all firms to enhance the ties within partnering firms. As on date they are the Sixth largest Consumer healthcare company, Their Target must be to become the number one company in the world. Only inventing more products will help them reach their target. Setting up more Research and Development programmes in underdeveloped countries will help in opening up new ventures for the firm, as well as then targeted area. Then development of vaccines for new virus that have been identified can be implemented. Viruses such as HIV, Ebola, Swine Flu, and Bird Flu are on the  rise, Johnson & Johnson must capitalize these opportunities and innovate new vaccines for cure. Hence the pharmaceutical companies must take combined efforts to make the firm strengthen its capacity. Diabetes is believed to be increasing in the younger population, hence controlling drugs and prevention methods or early diagnostics can be innovated. Setting up Innovation center in local market will help in bringing up more innovations into the firm, as only local people will understand the need of the local market. This could help them to leapfrog their position as to become the number one Consumer Healthcare Company. References Books: Borgatti, S., Everett, M. and Johnson, J. (2013). Analyzing social networks. Los Angeles [i.e. Thousand Oaks, Calif.]: SAGE Publications. Websites: Adimmune.com.tw, (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.adimmune.com.tw/eng/goods.php?catId=5 [Accessed 5 Mar. 2015]. antwerpes + partner, w. (2015). Fields of Activity – Cilag AG. [online] Cilag.ch. Available at: http://www.cilag.ch/en/about-us/fields-of-activity/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2015]. antwerpes + partner, w. (2015). History – Cilag AG. [online] Cilag.ch. Available at: http://www.cilag.ch/en/about-us/history/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2015]. antwerpes + partner, w. (2015). Portrait – Cilag AG. [online] Cilag.ch. Available at: http://www.cilag.ch/en/about-us/portrait/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2015]. Cordis.com, (2015). Global Home | Cordis | cordis. [online] Available at: http://www.cordis.com/ [Accessed 5 Mar. 2015]. Credo. (2015). [online] Available at: http://www.jnj.com/sites/default/files/pdf/jnj_ourcredo_english_us_8.5x11_cmyk.pdf [Accessed 5 Mar. 2015]. Crucell.com, (2015). Crucell’s history. [online] Available at: http://crucell.com/history [Accessed 5 Mar. 20 15].

Thursday, August 15, 2019

Mayana Leaves Essay

I. Introduction People of different cultures have long used plants, especially those with therapeutic values. They believe plants to have healing powers. In most parts of our country, many people have embraced the powers of plants in their daily lives. Modern medicine has downplayed the importance of this traditional knowledge, but now it has begun to acknowledge the value of using plants for medicinal purposes. Plants supply the phytochemicals of the healing system needed by the body. Phytochemicals are secondary metabolites that are scientifically known as the bioactive constituents with therapeutic activity. They are non-nutritive plant chemical that contain protective, disease-preventing compounds. Thorough screening and analysis of these medicinal plants may expose the bioactive components responsible for their healing capacities. This screening involves processes like extraction, purification and characterization of the active constituents of pharmaceutical importance. The Philippines takes pride of its rich natural resources and its flora offers an abundant source of medicinal plants. Production and utilization of local plants with phytochemical properties must be given vital importance since there is an immense chance that locally produced and less expensive drugs can be sourced from them. This may also pave the way for the discovery of novel compounds and locally made drugs that can compete in the global market. Mayana (coleus sp. ) is a traditional plant used to dress cuts and bruises, because of this, we have decided to do a phytochemical screening. The project hopes to find in mayana, value as a new tool in modern medicine at the very least, increase the general  knowledge about the plant. The extract will be made by preparing a solution of crushed plants in 80% ethyl alcohol. The leaf and stem extract were screened for the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids and anthraquinones. The assay was done by the paper disc method of assay. Different concentrations of the extract will be assayed against different kinds of bacteria. The screening showed that the stems contained considerable quantities of alkaloids. The results of the assay showed that tradition holds true in the laboratory as the leaf extract strongly showed signs of antibacterial activity. The reverse was true for the stems as they were found out to facilitate bacterial growth instead of impeding it. Future researches may include identification of the specific kind of flavonoids, alkaloids and quinones present on the plant and their specific effects. They may also try to utilize the bacterial activity of the stem to make a mayana stem-based nutrient agar. Objectives To identify the presence of certain phytochemical constituents present in Mayana To screen the major phytochemical constituents and evaluate antibacterial activity tests of leaf extracts of Mayana To determine the antibacterial, antifungal, antiprotozoal, cytotoxic, and phytochemical properties of ethanol extracts of leaves of Mayana II. Materials and Methods A. Folkloric Survey Before proceeding with our choice of plant, we did a survey to determine the plants that are used by an â€Å"albularyo† or quack doctor in treating his/her patients. A folkloric survey has been prepared by the researchers and the questions used were given by the professor. The folkloric survey prepared aims to determine the a) the plants that the albularyo still uses at present, b) the medicinal purposes of those plants stated by the albularyo, c) the part of the plant that is used by the albularyo and d) the proper method of using the plant medicinally and the recommended dosage. We searched for an albularyo in local/rural areas. The community that we chose is located in Bataan. B. Phytochemical Screening Plant Collection and Preparation We collected about 50 grams of mayana leaves from the local or rural area. We washed it with clean water and drained off the excess liquid. After, we air dried them for one week or until the leaves are brittle making sure that they are constantly aerated to prevent the accumulation of fungi on the leaves. After air drying, the leaves were cut into small pieces. The small pieces of leaves were soaked for two days into a 500 ml beaker containing 200 ml ethanol. Plant Extraction After 2 days of soaking the leaves, we extracted the leaves using filtration. We used a glass funnel with a filter paper that is placed on a tripod for easier use. A beaker was used to collect the extract. The leaves were filtered in the funnel with the filter paper. After filtration, we obtained the filtrate in the beaker. The first layer of the liquid was removed through decantation until the extract was obtained and ready for analysis. Identification of Plant Constituents by Thin Layer Chromatography The extract that we obtained through decantation was tested for the presence of phytochemicals using thing layer chromatography. A TLC plate was given to us which measures 2 cm x 7 cm. Using a pencil, we marked the TLC plate 1 cm from the top and 1 cm from the bottom. And then, we applied the plant samples in the bottom mark by blotting through the use of a capillary tube. The blot should be at least 2 mm in diameter but not more than 5 mm for it to climb up the TLC plate. After, we prepared solvent systems to determine the best solvent system for our plant extract. In the preparation of the solvent systems, we used hexane and ethyl acetate. There were 3 ratios used: 9:1, 7:3 and 6:4. Three TLC plates with the blotted plant extract were placed inside the developing chambers lined with filter paper and covered by a petri dish. The chambers were saturated first with 10 ml of the solvent using the 3 ratios to allow the solvent to move up the lining while covered before placing the blotted TLC plates. After, the  three TLC plates were placed inside the 3 developing chambers and it was kept covered until the solvent climbed up and reached the upper mark. At first, ours didn’t show any results and we did several tests. Finally, the blotted TLC plate in the 9:1 ratio traveled through the TLC. And in our test, the 9:1 ratio was the best solvent system for our sample. After obtaining the best solvent system to be used, we did another developing chamber with the 10 ml solvent. Just like what we did, we put the 9:1 ratio (10 ml solvent) in the beaker and lined it with filter paper to saturate the chamber. We were given two TLC plates, the other having three blots and the other having four blots, a total of seven blots. The TLC plates were placed in the developing chamber and waited for the solvent to reach the upper mark. There is a visible spotting or separation of the components in our TLC plates and then we proceeded with the spray reagent tests. The TLC plates were cut into seven pieces with the seven blots. Our professor assigned each group with a spray reagent. After doing the spray reagent tests, we obtained the results in our chromatograms. We obtained for positive results in: Phenols, Coumarins, Anthranoids, and Anthraquinones. The results were written in the data sheet provided. IV. Discussion of Results In the mayana leaves extraction, this was the leaves soaked in 200 ml ethanol. From this solution, we obtained the plant extract from the mayana leaves that we used for the phytochemical screening. In the second picture, the blotted TLC plates, this was done by using the capillary tubes to put the extract in the TLC plate. At the third picture, this shows the TLC plates in the developing chamber with the 10 ml solution which was 9 ml hexane and 1 ml ethanol. Lastly, after the spraying of reagents in the TLC plates, we obtained the results above. The positive results that we obtained are – Phenols, Coumarins, Anthranoids and Anthraquinones, respectively. According to our results, mayana plant had blue spots which indicate a positive result with phenols. Phenols have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties which is the same as the mayana plant. Phenols also have antiseptic and it may be present in minimal amount. It also gave a blue zone which tells us that it constitutes coumarins. This indicates that it can be used in wounds. It had yellow zone which shows positive result with anthranoids. Anthranoids can be taken when you have constipation which is the same property as mayana. Orange-violet color was obtained in mayana plant which indicates the presence of anthraquinones. Like phenols and  anthranoids, it can be used as anti-inflammatory and for constipation. Some scientists have demonstrated that some derivatives have activity in vitro against some parasitic species. V. Conclusion Coleus or mayana is a Southeast Asian plant that has brightly colored variated leaves that is popular as a house plant. On our phytochemical screening of this plant, we found out that it has positive results in coumarins which can be used in wounds, anthranoids which can be a treatment for constipation, phenols which can used as anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant and lastly, anthraquinones which can also be used as anti-inflammatory and for constipation. This plant is also commonly used as an ornamental plant due to its purple foliage. Mayana can grow in different habitats. It is one of the traditionally used folklore medicine and it is primarily used for pain, sore, swelling and cuts and other instances as adjunct medication for delayed menstruation. A chemist from the University of the Philippines isolated sterols and triterpenes from leaves of mayana and it exhibited analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Another interesting component of the plant is its high rosmarinic acid content. This compound was noted for its biological activities; prominent of those are its anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Lastly, we also found out that mayana has its anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-protozoal and cytotoxic extracts of mayana. Therefore, mayana is a herbal medicine that you may use in wounds, headaches, fever and bruises just like what is said in the survey. VI. References http://scinet.dost.gov.ph/union/ShowSearchResult.php?s=2&f=&p=&x=&page=&sid=1&id=The+phytochemical+screening+and+microbiological+assay+of+Mayana+(%3Cem%3EColeus+blumei%3C%2Fem%3E)+leaves+and+stems&Mtype=PROJECTS http://www.filipinoherbshealingwonders.filipinovegetarianrecipe.com/mayana.htm http://www.stuartxchange.com/Mayana.html

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

John Proctor vs Arthur Dimmesdale Essay

The sixth commandment states, â€Å"Thou shall not commit adultery. † This is something that both John Proctor from â€Å"The Crucible† and Arthur Dimmesdale from â€Å"The Scarlet  Letter†Ã‚  committed. John Proctor’s partner in crime is Abigail Williams and Arthur Dimmesdale’s is Hester Prynne. The big difference between these two men is that John accepts his sin and Arthur does not. They both  share  the same sin, but they lived two different but similar lives. Since they both were Puritans and people that the town looked up to. The most glaring difference between John and Arthur is the fact that John isn’t a holy man. Hell, he doesn’t even attend church on Sundays. But this doesn’t change the fact that he completely regrets his crime of adultery. I think it might affect John a lot more than Arthur because he already has a significant other. This makes the sin more personal for John in that regard. John’s reason for not being a holy man (which was a big deal for the time) can be traced to 2 things. 1: Him being a farmer makes his life revolve around the randomness of the weather and the brutality of nature. The corruptness of the religious members of the town. An example is all of the witch accusations that are completely ridiculous and the priest asking the townspeople for money instead of preaching god. John’s personality is also completely different. He is entirely confident in himself (sometimes appearing arrogant) but believes he is right all of the time. This is one of the factors why the townspeople look up to him. But also one of the reasons the townspeople turned against him so fast when he admitted to adultery. Arthur Dimmesdale is as holy as you can get. He is a famous minister that gets transferred to the town of the scarlet letter and is respected by everyone. He eventually commits adultery with Hester Prynne which tears him up inside because it goes against everything he knows. He then beats himself up over it the entire book going as far as mutilating himself as â€Å"punishment†. Now that I mention it maybe Arthur regrets it more. Think about it, he gets punished for having a â€Å"thing† with the only woman he ever loved. Also it breaks all the rules in his lifestyle. Challenging his very means of living. He even gets a child out of this â€Å"mistake†. Pearl, who is a constant reminder of what he did. Arthurs personality is definitely a lot weaker than Johns. He is an incredibly weak man after the affair. Leaving as a shell of his former self. He is in so much guilt over what happened that he starts losing his own sense of reality at one point. Arthur is also incredibly susceptible to Rogers tricks in the book making him a weak man. Now that you know the differences between the characters let’s talk about how they accept their sin. John is pushed to the point where he has no other choice but to confess to the town that he had an affair with Abigail Williams. John is 100% strong in his decision though. He gives Abigail a cold shoulder on his way to his death telling her that it was a mistake and that he never loved her. But he tells his wife that he’s sorry for everything and that he loves her. In my humble opinion I think Proctor went out in pride. Accepting what he did and taking it like a man. Arthur†¦not so much. He knows he’s dying so he decides to let the town know the truth by showing the â€Å"A† carved on his chest to the entire town. This literally takes the â€Å"burden† off his chest but dies immediately after. This shows that he couldn’t take the guilt and that’s what killed him. Revealing it was too much for him. This was my comparison of characters in Puritan society stories and I favored John Proctor over Arthur Dimmesdale. They are both good analysis’s of the human condition and really made me think. Just remember that†¦. â€Å"A person that never made a mistake never tried anything new. † – Albert Einstein