Taro Leaves Drying Kinetics and Monolayer Moisture Content

Taro Leaves Drying Kinetics and Monolayer Moisture Content INTRODUCTION |1 A study on the drying kinetics and monolayer moisture content of taro leaves This research was aimed to develop dehydrated products based on Taro leaves and finding out the effect of drying parameters such as loading density and temperature on that control the drying kinetics. To determine the end point of drying studies on the sorption isotherm was conducted. From the moisture sorption isotherm data, the monolayer moisture content was estimated by Braunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation using data up to a water activity (aw) of 0.52 and monolayer moisture content was found to be 8.92 g water per 100 g solid for taro leaves. By using another most important model, GAB (Guggenheim-Anderson-DeBoer) model, using data up to aw=0.9, the monolayer moisture content of taro leaves was found to be 19.78g water per 100 gm solid. INTRODUCTION It is estimated that by 2020, the population of Bangladesh will be as high as 200 million, which means that there is a need to produce more food from the limited land resources. In this context, there is a need to explore alternate food crops, which could supply food in food insecurity situations. â€Å"Taro† can be the alternative to the other vegetables for developing and under developed country. Apart from acting as cheap energy and dietary source, this crop provides other micronutrients, vitamins and dietary fiber as well. In Bangladesh, taro is used as vegetable throughout the country. Corms and cormels are used as starchy vegetables whereas leaves and leaf stalks are used as ‘shak’. During famine, a large number of people reportedly survive simply on food materials made by boiling the corms, cormels, stolons, leaf stalks and leaves of different varieties of Taro. The subfamily Colocasioideae of family Araceae consists of three edible tubercrops, namely taro (Colocasia esculenta Schott), `tannia (Xanthosoma spp.) and giant Taro (Alocasia spp.). Among these crops, taro and tannin are cultivated to a larger extent, while giant taro is not as common as commercial crop like the other two. In general, these are crops of third world countries, particularly grown in Africa and Asia. About 88 % of the total world acreage is in Africa which produces about 80% of total production (Onwueme, 1978). Among the three crops, taro is more common in South-East Asia. It is one of the ancient crops with an interesting history blending with the evolution of agricultural systems (Gopalan et al., 1974). A large number of horticultural varieties of taro are widely cultivated in Bangladesh and still larger varieties grow wild. During the rainy season when other vegetables are in scarcity in Bangladesh this taro goes a long way to meet the demand for vegetables. The leaves, petioles, stolons, corms and cormels, and indeed all the parts of some taro are taken as food in large quantities by the rural population in our country. Hence the use of Taro as vegetables, both leaves and roots, in the diets of the people of our country assumes special and added importance. The taro has also medicinal value. Processed Bishknchu is used in Ayurvedic medicine for the treatment of rheumatism. Juice from petioles and whole leaves are used as antiseptic to check bleeding from minor injury in the rural areas of Bangladesh (Chowdhury, 1975). The possibility of wider use of the Taro leaves as vegetables crops in our country may be ascribed to their unusual environmental adaptability and ease of cultivation. The lowland types grow in standing water which is rarely possible for other crops. The taro can be produced with minimum capital investment. Growing of this crop does not require any special technological skill. Their keeping quality in most cases is excellent. The best way of preserving the leasfy vegetables is drying or dehydration. This process costs less, then other preserving methods and require simple instrument. The type and conditions of the blanching treatment prior to drying affect the retention of ascorbic acid, carotene, and ash in the dried vegetables. The sun-dried vegetables had inferior color, texture and acceptability compared to the vegetables dried in the cabinet dryer. In the mechanical dryer, desired temperature and airflow could be maintained. Compared to sun/solar drying, higher airflow and temperature can be used in mechanical drying. This leads to high production rates and improved quality products due to shorter drying time and reduction of the risk of insect infestation and microbial spoilage as well as minimum nutrient loss. Since mechanical drying is not dependent on sunlight so it can be done as and when necessary. Based on the above information, the present experiment was broadly aimed to study on development of shelf stable taro (Colocassia esculenta) leaves product. The specific objectives of this study are as follows: To determine the composition of fresh and processed Taro leaves To develop the isotherm To study the drying characteristics of taro leaves during mechanical and vacuum drying To study the storage stability of processed taro leaves Materials and methods 3.2.3 Sorption isotherm studies The moisture sorption properties of dried Taro leaves were determined at room temperature under conditions of various relative humidity (11-93% RH) in the vacuum desiccators. The various RH conditions were achieved in vacuum desiccators using saturated salt solutions. The following salt solutions (Table. 3.1) of known water activity were used for the study (Islam, 1980). Table 3.1: Water activity of saturated salt solution Petri dishes were used for preparing saturated salt solution. The various salts were put in the Petri dish and water is added to give a saturated condition. The method involved putting a small accurately weighed about 1g sample in a previously weighed Petri dish into desiccators contained saturated salt solutions. The sample and the solution was separated a perforated plate to avoid mixing. The desiccators were evacuated to less than 50 Torr. At various intervals, the vacuum was broken with air, the sample weighed and replaced in the desiccators, which was then re-evacuated. The sample was weighed daily in the initial period and less often, as the sample started to reach equilibrium. Weighing was continued until the sample weights were constant two days in row. In the mid-1970s, water activity came to the forefront as a major factor in understanding the control of the deterioration of reduced moisture, drugs and biological systems (Labuza, 1975). It was found that the general modes of deterioration, namely physical and physicochemical modifications, microbiological growth, and both aqueous and lipid phase chemical reactions were all influenced by the thermodynamic availability of water (water activity) as well as the total moisture content of the system. Control of initial moisture content and moisture migration is critical to the quality and safety of foods. Ideally, food manufacturers develop products with defined moisture contents to produce a safe product with optimum shelf- life. Quality and safety factors that the manufacturer must consider are microbial stability, physical properties, sensory properties, and the rate of chemical changes leading to loss of shelf-life. Water activity or the equilibrium relative humidity of a system is defined as: Where Vapor pressure of water in equilibrium with the dry system Saturation vapor pressure of pure water at the same temperature. Sorption properties of floods (equilibrium moisture content and monolayer moisture) are essential for the design and optimization of many processes such as drying, packaging and storage (Muhtaseb et al., 2002).The moisture sorption isotherms show the equilibrium amount of water sorbed onto a solid as a function of steady state vapor pressure at a constant temperature (Bell and Labuza, 2000). There are many empirical equations that describe this behavior, but the water sorption properties at various RHs should be experimentally determined for each material. The general shape of the isotherm, specific surface area of the sample, reversibility of moisture uptake, presence and shape of a hysteresis loop provide information on the manner of interaction of the solid with water (Swaminathan and Kildsig, 2001). Sorption properties are important in predicting the physical state of materials at various conditions, because most structural transformations and phase transitions are significantly affected by water (Roos, 1995). Langmuir (1917) developed an equation based on the theory that the molecules of gas are adsorbed on the active sites of the solid to form a layer one molecule thick (monolayer). The Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) sorption model (Brunauer et al.1938) is often used in modeling water sorption particularly to obtain the monolayer value (Eq. 2.10) which gives the amount of water that is sufficient to form a layer of water molecules of the thickness of one molecule on the adsorbing surface (Bell and Labuza 2000, Roos, 1995). The BET monolayer value has been said to be optimal water content for stability of low-moisture materials (Labuza, 1975 and Roos, 1995). The BET equation was developed based on the fact that sorption occurs in two distinct thermodynamic states; a tightly bound portion and multilayer having the properties of bulk free water (Zografi and Kontny, 1986). The BET equation is: Where, = the measured moisture at water activity = the monolayer moisture content (the optimal moisture content for maximum storage stability of a dry food); c = the isotherm temperature dependence coefficient (energy constant) Vanchy (2002) determined the moisture sorption isotherm of Whole milk powder (WMP). The WMPs were stored at 20 and 35 °C under 11%, 22% and 33% relative humidity . The monolayer moisture content was 4.8%, (solids not fat basis) at 0. 11 using the BET equation and 5.1 % at 0.23 according to the GAB equation. Nikolay et al. (2005) determined the moisture equilibrium data (adsorption and desorption) of semi-defatted (fat 10.6 % wet basis) pumpkin seed flour using the static gravimetric method of saturated salt solutions at three temperatures 10 °C, 25 °C, and 40 °C, found that the equilibrium moisture content decreased with the increase in storage temperature at any given water activity. They fitted the experimental data to five mathematical models (modified Oswin, modified Halsey, modified Chung-Host, modified Henderson and GAB). The GAB model was found to be the most suitable for describing the sorption data. The monolayer moisture content was estimated using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation. The BET model (Brunauer et al. 1938) gives the best fit to the data at aw of up to 0.5 (Bell and Labuza 2000, Roos 1995). Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) sorption model (Anderson 1946, Boer 1953, Guggenheim 1966) introduces a third state of sorbed species intermediate to the tightly bound and free states. The GAB equation has a similar form to BET, but has an extra constant, K (equation 2.11). BET is actually a special case of GAB. The GAB equation is: Isotherm equations are useful for predicting the water sorption properties of a material, but no equation gives results accurate throughout the entire range of water activities. According to Timmermann (2003), the GAB monolayer value is always higher than the BET monolayer value. Prediction of water sorption is needed to establish water activity and water content relationship for materials (Roos, 1995) Where m = the measured moisture at water activity; = the monolayer moisture content (the optimal moisture content for maximum storage stability of a dry food), =the GAB multi-layer constant; c=the isotherm temperature dependence coefficient (energy constant). The GAB model can be used to a maximum water activity of 0.9. The following procedure is suggested by Biozt (1983) to fit data on water activities and equilibrium moisture content. Equation (2.11) can be transformed as follows: Where Equation (2.12) indicates that GAB equation is a three-parameter model. The water activity and equilibrium moisture content date are regressed using equation (2.12) and values of three coefficients, and are obtained. From these coefficients, the values of k,, and c can be calculated. To overcome this weakness of the GAB equation, modifications of the equation have been proposed (Schuchmann et al. 1990; Timmermann and Chirife 1991). Timmermann and Chirife (1991) used one additional parameter in the GAB model and studied the so-called third stage of sorption using experimental data of starch with satisfactory results. Isotherm equations are useful for predicting the water sorption properties of a material, but no equation gives results accurate throughout the entire range of water activities. According to Timmermann (2003), the GAB monolayer value is always higher than the BET monolayer value. Prediction of water sorption is needed to establish water activity and water content relationship for materials (Roos, 1995). Results and discussion: The sorption isotherm is an extremely valuable tool for food scientist because it can be used to predict potential changes in food stability, for selection of packaging, for selection of ingredient and for predicting drying time. A sorption isotherm for dehydrated taro leaves obtained by Vacuum oven drying (VOD) was established to determine how the taro product will behave in a confined environment. To obtain the moisture sorption isotherm, moisture content (dry basis) versus water activity were plotted on linear graph paper (Figure 4.1). The results shown in Figure 4.1 (tabulated data given in Appendix-II, Table 2.1), indicate that samples absorb little water particularly at lower aw ( Figure 4.1 Graphical presentation of sorption isotherm of Taro The water sorption isotherm of taro follows the shape of the sigmoid type isotherm. The resultant curve is caused by the combination of colligative effects (physical properties of solution), capillary effects, and surface-water interactions (Bell and Labuza, 2000). A distinct knee usually indicates a formation of a well-defined monolayer. The monolayer moisture content was estimated using the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) equation. The BET equation is an extension of the Langmuir relationship that accounts for multilayer coverage. BET equation was used (eq. 2.10) to calculate monolayer moisture content (mo) and energy constant (C). mo represents the optimal moisture for maximum storage stability in the dry state. Results obtained from BET equation are shown in Table 4.2. Table 4.2 Data for BET and GAB methods From the slope and intercept of BET equation (Appendix II, Figure 2.1), monolayer moisture content and energy constant of taro leaves calculated for VOD samples. The monolayer moisture content of taro leaves was found to be 8.92g water per 100 g solid (Table 4.2). The calculated monolayer moisture content are greater than those found by Islam (1980) who reported 5.5 for potato slice and 6 for potato powder and by Kamruzzaman (2005) who reported 7.52 for aroids. Another important model of sorption isotherm behavior stated by GAB (Guggenheim-Anderson-DeBoer) in equation 2.11 and 2.12 to determine the monolayer moisture content of food products. This is very important for safe level of storage of food. Dry foods are usually considered to be most stable to chemical reactions if their moisture content is at or near the BET monolayer (Labuza et al., 1970). Usually air dried products are dried to moisture content corresponding to aw 0.6 (Nickerson and Sinskey, 1977). From this study it is seen that VOD taro leaves give 25% (Figure 4.1) moisture content at 0.6 aw. From this standpoint, freeze dried products are considered best for sorption studies (Islam, 1980). It may be mentioned here that the current study was concerned with adsorption isotherm so as to avoid risk due to hysteresis effect. At same moisture content adsorption path gives higher water activity than desorption path. Thus product dried to safe aw level according to adsorption isotherm will be even safer when it follows desorption path. After fitting data (Appendix II) the following figure was developed and from the developed equation the monolayer moisture content of taro leaves were found for GAB model. Fig. 4.2 Graphical presentation of GAB model of sorption isotherm From the developed Figure (4.2) and equation (4.1) the coefficients found, and were -0.121, 0.114 and -0.003 respectively (Table 4.2). Taking k= 0.9 and found the monolayer moisture content 19.78gm water per 100 gm solid. It is shown that the standard GAB equation is adequate to describe experimental data for water activity values up to 0.90 but fails to adequately describe the experimental data when data in the range of aw 0.9-1.0 are included in the calculation.

Oscar Wilde :: essays research papers

Oscar Wilde Oscar Wilde (real name Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde) was born on October 16th, 1854 in Dublin. His father, William Robert Wilde, was an eminent eye doctor, with an interest in myths and folklore. He was the founder of the first eye and ear hospital in Great Britain, as well as the appointed Surgeon Occultist to the Queen, who knighted him. His mother, Jane Francesca Elgee Wilde, was a poet who wrote patriotic Irish verse under the pen name Speranza, and had a considerable following. As a youngster, Wilde was exposed to the brilliant literary talk of the day at his mother's Dublin salon. In 1864 Wilde entered the Portora Royal School at Enniskillen, and in 1871 entered Trinity College in Dublin. In 1874 he left Ireland and went to England to attend Magdalen College at Oxford. As a student there, he excelled in classics, wrote poetry, and incorporated the Bohemian life style of his youth into a unique way of life. He came under the influence of aesthetic innovators such as English writers Walter Pater and John Ruskin. He found the aesthetic movement's notions of "art for art's sake" and dedicating one's life to art suitable to his temperament and talents. As an aesthete, Wilde wore long hair and velvet knee breeches, and became known for his eccentricity as well as his academic ability. His rooms were filled with various objets d'art such as sunflowers, peacock feathers, and blue china. Wilde frequently confided that his greatest challenge at University was learning to live up to the perfection of the china. Wilde won numerous academic prizes while studying there, including the Newdigate Prize, a coveted poetry award, for his poem Ravenna. In 1879 Wilde moved to London to make himself famous. He set about establishing himself as the leader and model of the aesthetic movement. Besides his hair and breeches, he added loose-fitting wide-collared silk shirts with flowing ties and lavender colored gloves. He frequently carried a jewel-topped cane and was caricatured in the press flamboyantly attired and holding an over- sized sunflower, an icon of the movement. Wilde quickly became well known despite having any substantial achievements to build on. His natural wit and good humor endeared him to the art and theater world, and through his lover Frank Miles, he found it easy to become part of the cliques that frequented London's theater circuit and drawing rooms. He became a much desired party guest, and eventually his popularity led to his being chosen as an advance publicity man for a new Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, Patience, that spoofed

Focus magazine :: essays research papers

History of The Company LIBERIS PUBLICATIONS S.A. was founded in its current legal status on the 2.6.1986 (Official Gazette 2324/11.6.86 S.A.s and LTDs Issue) by Antonios Liberis, with the goal of becoming involved in the sector of publications and presswork. In the course of all these years, the company has had a spectacular development, dynamically moving in the sector of publications, launching new and successful magazines that conquered the top ranks amongst their competitors. In addition, by concluding strategic alliances with large foreign companies of the sector, the most noteworthy of which being the participation of the Groupe Edipresse, the Swiss publishing group in the share capital of the company since 1998, and by founding or acquiring shares in new or well-established companies in this market, this company has fortified it position in the Greek publishing market and now expands its activities in new sectors. Today, it is one of the largest publishing companies in Greece, chartered in the stock exchange and heading a group of 2 companies (Mother company and Libecom S.A.). This group employs in total approximately 400 employees, with activities covering a broad spectrum in the media field, from the publishing sector - where it holds a leading position with 24 publications in the Greek market. In addition, the company holds 50% of DESMI PUBLISHING S.A., a company with experience in the field of publications and 10.05% of the daily and periodic press distribution company ARGOS S.A. In March 2000, the second international collaboration of LIBERIS PUBLICATIONS with GRUNER UND JAHR/MONDADORI publishing houses was put into effect with the publication of the scientific magazine FOCUS. This magazine aspires to make the reader become more involved in issues of science, technology, the environment, as well as historical issues. The way, in which all the topics are presented, in conjunction with impressive graphics and photos, has made this magazine not only impressive, but also easy to understand. Environmental analysis Marketing environment Doing a brief environmental analysis we have to examine the 6 basic forces that affect the environment  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Political forces Due to the fact that the specific magazine doesn’t have any political articles with the only exception towards its tendency to protect the environment is not affected by political forces in Greece.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Legal forces There aren’t any real limitations that affect this specific magazine especially due to the fact that European legislation is currently stronger than the national one as we observed after the last periods legal adventures

Music Censorship Essay examples -- essays research papers

Synthesis paper   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Racism, hate, sex, drugs, and profanity are among many things people encounter in everyday life whether they want to or not. The one thing that people do have control over is what kind of music they listen to and to take that right away from anyone would be more offensive than having the president of the United States of America get oral sex in the oval office, one of the most honored places in the country. People get more worked up over the things in life that mean nothing, than worrying about crucial issues. Our society can tolerate watching parents smack their children in *Wal-Mart more than they can stand to hear a curse word, or a sexual comment in a song. Music is an expression of the artist and should be treated as that. Censoring music is like telling Michelangelo he could not put the penis on â€Å"David†. The truth is that censoring music is an action that goes against the constitution of the United States of America and although some content may offend people, prohibition of freedom of expression violates the rights of more than those offended.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In a democracy, there is absolutely no chance to please everyone but taking away their rights as citizens will upset even more of the population. Under the first amendment of the constitution it states that congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or abridging the freedom...

Informative Speech on Yoga

Informative Speech By:Amber Samworth Topic: Yoga General Purpose: To Inform. Specific Purpose: To inform my audience about yoga. Thesis Statement: I want my audience to be informed about what yoga is, its history, and why it has become so popular in recent years. Introduction I. (Open w/impact) According to Ann Pizer, a Yoga Alliance Certified Instructor, in an article last accessed on September 18th 2007, for Yoga. About. Com. â€Å"Yoga means â€Å"union† in Sanskrit, the language of Ancient India where yoga first originated. We can think of that union occurring between the mind, body, and spirit. II. (Introduce topic) As you can see, yoga is an incredibly healthy practice. III. (Establish credibility) I have just recently started doing yoga and I have already noticed a change in my life because of it. IV. (Audience adaptation) Most of you may be asking yourselves: â€Å"How can yoga possibly help me? † V. (Preview main points) Hopefully I can help you answer that qu estion by informing you about what yoga is, what its history is, and why it has become so popular in recent years. Body I. So what exactly is yoga? A. It’s basically a way to create balance in the body by developing strength, flexibility, spirituality and emphasizing a non-materialistic lifestyle. B. Ann Pizer goes on to say that â€Å"’Yoga’ is more accurately described by the Sanskrit word â€Å"asana† which refers to the practice of physical postures or poses. † C. The yoga poses are essential to a yoga class. Most people go to a class because there is an instructor and other motivated people. 1. Rod Hutchings, a member of the Yoga Teacher’s Association of Australia, states in an article on http://www. oga. net. au, last accessed on September 18th 2007, titled â€Å"What is Yoga† that â€Å"A class starts with breathing exercises, then begins with gentle asanas and works up to more difficult ones. † 2. A class will usually exercise all parts of the body and will include breathing practices as well as guided meditation. 3. The poses are as diverse as the instructor and inclu de: sitting, standing, forward bends, back bending, twisting postures, and upside-down asanas. 4. Classes are a good way to go for a lot of people but they do have their drawbacks. . The classes can be difficult for people with physical limitations. b. The classes can also be expensive and are not right for people who feel self conscious in a large group. D. However, there are other options for people who choose to do a yoga program on their own. 1. There is a wealth of knowledge online or they can watch a DVD. 2. Plus, there are several different kinds of yoga, which are tailored to fit what the person is trying to gain from it. a. Hatha yoga is the most common form; it deals with physical postures and breathing. b. Karma yoga and Bhakti yoga are recommended for people who want a more spiritual experience. Transition: Yoga appeals to a lot of people because it offers flexibility and is an art form that has been around for thousands of years. II. Yoga can actually be traced back to 3,000 BC but many people believe that it began with the creation of man. A. According to Shane Bance, a yoga historian, in an article on ABC of yoga. com titled â€Å"Yoga History†, written on April 25th 2006, â€Å"Ancient Stone seals that depict yoga poses were discovered recently. They are believed to be from the first civilizations in ancient India. † B. The history of yoga can be broken down into four periods. 1. The Vedic Period is the period in which yoga began. a. It started with the early religion Brahmanism which was early Hinduism. 2. The Pre-Classical period is the second era. a. It is during this period that we begin to see a correlation between yoga and Buddhism. b. Siddhartha Guatama, who is considered to be the main Buddha, was the first to study yoga. 3. By the third period, the â€Å"Classical Period†, yoga becomes more structured. a. In the 2nd Century, Patan Jali attempts to define yoga in his â€Å"Yoga Sutra† which is an eightfold path of yoga. 4. The fourth and final period is referred to as the Post Classical period, which extends into present day. a. Yoga was first introduced to the west in the late 1800s as an eastern philosophy class that most universities offered. b. Guru Swami Sivananda, a noted Malaysian Physician, modified Patan Jali’s 8 principles into just 5 that are still used today. Transition: It is believed that if you combine all five principles, you will be in tune physically, mentally, and spiritually. Now you can see why yoga has become so popular in our society. III. Many of the reasons why it has become so popular is because yoga is extremely beneficial to the body A. In an article on www. stress. about. com titled â€Å"The Benefits of Yoga for Stress Management†, last accessed on September 20th 2007; Elizabeth Scott M. S. says that the following ailments can be benefited by yoga. 1. Stress management. . Sound sleep. 3. Allergy symptom relief. 4. Lower blood pressure and heart rate. 5. Spiritual growth. 6. Sense of well being. 7. Increased strength and flexibility. 8. Slowed aging process, and these are just to name a few. B. Julie Stachowiak PhD admits in an article on ms. about. com last accessed on September 20th 2007, â€Å"When I have been dedicated to yoga, I have seen amazing differences in my strength and flexibility from week to week. I notice that I hold my body more erect, rather than slumping over my keyboard or leaning over the counter. I also notice that I sleep better. † 1. And many Americans agree with her, we have very hectic lives and find solace in activities that can take us to a so called â€Å"higher place† both physically and spiritually. Conclusion I. (Signal conclusion) I hope that my speech helped all of you to better understand what yoga is, a little bit about its history and why it has become so popular. II. (Summarize your main points) The main things to remember are: A. Yoga is a way to create balance in the body by developing strength, flexibility, and spirituality. B. Yoga can be traced back to 3,000 BC and has had four main periods in history. C. Yoga has the ability to treat many ailments, making it very popular in America today. III. (Close w/impact) I am going to leave you with a quote that will explain yoga the way it was meant to be explained. It is a quote from Krishna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead, to his pupil Arjuna in the epic â€Å"Bhagavad-Gita†. A. â€Å"In the state of perfection called trance, or Samadhi, one’s mind is completely restrained from material mental activities by practice of yoga. This is characterized by one’s ability to see the self by the pure mind and to relish and rejoice in the self. In that joyous state, one is situated in boundless transcendental happiness and enjoys himself through transcendental senses. Established thus, one never departs from the truth, and upon gaining this he thinks there is no greater gain. Being situated in such a position, one is never shaken, even in the midst of greatest difficulty. This indeed is actual freedom from all miseries arising from material contract. Works Cited Bance, Shayne. â€Å"Yoga History. † Abc of Yoga. 25 April 2006. http://www. abcofyoga. com Hutchins, Rod. â€Å"What is Yoga? † Yoga. net. au. 18 Sept. 2007. http://www. yoga. net. au Lord Krishna. â€Å"The Bhagavad-Gita† Pizer, Ann. â€Å"What is Yoga? † About. com. 18 Sept. 2007. http://www. yoga. about. com Scott, Elizabeth. â€Å"The Benefits of Yoga for Stress Management. † About. com 20 Sept. 2007, http://ww w. stress. about. com Stachowiak, Julie. â€Å"Yoga and MS. † About. com. 20 Sept. 2007. http://www. ms. yoga. com

The Two Fishermen

1. For what newspaper does Michael Foster work for? (1-2) Michael Foster works for the town paper, the Examiner. He is a reporter. 2. Why did Michael not want to be seen with Smitty? (3-4) Michael didn’t want to be seen with Smitty because Smitty is a hangman. Every hangman is hated because people think that he is cruel and because he kills prisoners who are friends or parents with people in the town. If Michael is seen to be friend with Smitty, he would have a bad reputation and people of his town would hate him because he is supporting someone that all the others hated. It won’t only affect his life, but also his work, because no one will collaborate with him anymore and he could never become a reporter for city paper as he always wished. 3. Explain the final scene of the story? (5-6) The story finished with Smitty giving two big fish folded in a newspaper to Michael in front of everyone in the jail. But Michael let the other fisherman take the fish and through it at Smitty. First, the fish in this situation symbolize the friendship between Michael and the hangman and the newspaper represents the society, the people how hated, ridicule and criticize Smitty. When Smitty give Michael the newspaper folded fish, he is offering Michael to become his friend, and saying that Michael will need to deny other people’s judgments about him to become his friend, just like he needs to unwrap the newspaper to see the fish. The reporter, by accepting it, is accepting the friendship and the condition. Then, Michael let the other fisherman take his fish and through it at Smitty. By doing it, the young reporter is letting others to break the friendship between him and the hangman. He rejected the friendship and betrayed the hangman. In other words, he could unwrap the newspaper that folded the fish. After, when Smitty saw the fish, he could hardly believe it. Michael run off shamefully. Morley Callaghan, at the final scene, showed two conflicts. The first one is man versus society. This one is very evident. We can see clearly Smitty facing the whole society that criticizes, hates him. The second one is man versus himself. The man is Michael. He has to choose between Smitty and the rest of the society. He had the opportunity to explore the true personality of the hangman unlike other people and he knows that he is a really good guy. Even though he knows that there’s no reason Smitty should be hated, he still doesn’t want to be seen with him. We could see clearly his inner conflict when Morley wrote, â€Å" «it’s different now, it’s different,  » he kept thinking, as he held the fish in the newspaper tight under his arm. † Michael, at that moment, was questioning himself if he should help Smitty but risk his own reputation. At the end, â€Å"the expression on Smitty’s face as he saw the fish on the road made Michael hot with shame and he tried to get out of the crowd. † This shows that Michael is sorry for the hangman, but he couldn’t â€Å"get rid of the newspaper† The author, though the story showed us how a person can be betrayed even though he is a good friend and kind and moral person. 4. Explore the importance of the fish? (7-8) The fish in the short story â€Å"The Two Fishermen† is a very important symbol, a symbol of friendship. Smitty gives Michael a fish to show that he valued the time they spent together and that he was enjoying Michael and the company. It is a sign of their friendship. But Morley Callaghan, the author, added some detail to the simple fish. She gets it wrapped with newspaper. She gave the newspaper importance by repeating it various times, â€Å"[†¦] two good-sized salmon-bellied lake trout, folded in a newspaper†; â€Å"[†¦] he was carrying the fish, folded in the newspaper. † And â€Å"he held the fish in the newspaper. The use of newspaper means that Michael would be able to become real friend with Smitty only if he denies all the critics from other people and deny what the rest of the society thinks, like he would need to unwrap the fish from the newspaper to really see the fish. So, when Michael accepts the fish in front of everyone, he accepts the condition and the friendship, because if he doesn’t want to be friend, he could not take the fish and do like if he doesn’t know the hangman. Then, when he lets the other fisherman to through the fish at Smitty, he lets him at the same time break the friendship. Somehow, he betrayed Smitty and lets the newspaper to separate him and the fish forever. The fish is also a Christian symbol. It is a secret code used and only recognized by Christians to connect with each other without revealing themselves to the oppressors. This could also be linked to the Two Fishermen because their friendship is something secret. Their meeting is something secret too. Only they know why Smitty offers a fish instead of something else. In brief, the author used the fish as a very important symbol in this short story.

Access to Medicines in Developing Countries Essay

One of the appalling statistics that came out of a survey in 2000 was the percentage of the HIV/AIDS infections in Africa. It was reported that nearly 80% of the total number of affected people was from this continent. Now if this report sounds dreadful, one might get a bigger shock by looking at the picture of modern healthcare methodologies in Africa. Despite being a developing nation, Africa gets scarcely one percent of modern drugs. The value of all medical drugs transported to Africa amounts to the expenses spent on advertising by the leading pharmaceutical companies in the United States of America. Under the light of this reality, this paper is going to discuss the genuine scenario in developing countries that don’t have an affordable access to life-saving medicines. It might be noted that access to medicines is a fundamental human right, and there is a yawning gap between crisis and cure in a capitalistic social setup. Due to increased political pressure, many drug manufacturing companies have been forced to review their business strategies and produce medicines that are relatively less expensive. Moreover, it is also mandatory to formulate a well-organized delivery system that would ensure a proper and timely delivery of the medicinal goods to Africa and other Third World countries. Modern healthcare remedies are needed to be deployed in order to combat the menace of HIV and other diseases in the underprivileged tropics. (â€Å"Access to Medicine in Developing Countries†, 2000) Access to medicine in developing countries has always been a matter of great disputation, mainly because of the convoluted interaction between macroeconomic development, patterns of diseases and healthcare requirements and provisions. It has been an inescapable paradox for many countries where the national economic status can only be attained by improved health status. Hence, lack of supply of life-saving drugs hinders the scope and opportunity of national healthcare. (â€Å"Improving Access to Medicines in Developing Countries†, 2005) The impoverished countries find it a mammoth task to meet both ends successfully. It has been proposed that only a large scale international funding can inject some fruitful results in the context of healthcare and economic boost. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) are working together to provide the best possible framework for improved health status as well as the macroeconomic development of developing nations. WTO is primarily concerned with the organized growth of a capitalist, free market global economy. On the other hand, WHO is focused on improving health conditions by providing healthcare models that can be applied to both developed as well as developing nations. Institutional and public sector frameworks play a crucial role in realizing the objectives of WHO to the best possible extent. The newly incepted Global Health Fund is working relentlessly to provide remedies for HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria. The Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS agreement) are held, in some cases, as obstacles for access to essential medicines in developing countries. Ever since WTO finalized the TRIPS agreement in April 1994, this issue has been a matter of great debate. The main problems in accessing medicines, as viewed by experts, are the increasing expenses, which can shoot up to 66% of total expenditure in developing nations. Today’s scenario as far as having access to essential medicines is concerned is an alarming one, with more than one-third of the world’s population are deprived of indispensable drugs. According to the WHO, developing countries, especially those in Asia and Africa, must be provided with an all-encompassing solution in terms of health priority problems, and they must be able to gain access to life-saving medicines at an affordable deal. To make matters worse, the poorer section of societies in developing countries find themselves all at sea due to their inability to physically access life-saving drugs. So both availability and affordability are the key areas of concern. Now under these circumstances, the introduction of strong and worldwide product patents for drugs, as implemented through the TRIPS agreement, may cause drastic increase in prices for essential medicines. The ‘legal monopoly’ that comes with such rigid patent system prevents anybody from producing, selling or distributing medicines in an unauthorized manner. Even if there is no patent laws, access to medicines is going to be a problem for the developing countries, due to adequate purchasing capabilities and required infrastructure. Majority of the medicines for HIV/AIDS are still under ‘live’ patent coverage. It doesn’t make for affordable access to such medicines either. And since more than 95% of HIV/AIDS affected people are from developing countries, and 50% of them belong to the productive age group of below 25 years, serious socio-economic consequences are perceived with very little signs of relief. Before TRIPS were put to effect, most developing countries and some developed countries did not impose patent laws on medicines even if they were manufactured with innovative technological aids. But today, most of these nations being WTO members have to enforce the patent laws laid down by TRIPS. This has led to hike in prices of patented medicines. It is worth noticing that even under the TRIPS guidelines, patents are to be given only on applications received from 1995 onwards for new therapeutic inventions. So any medicine manufactured before 1995 should not be unaffordable for the developing nations. Manufacturers of the newer and more innovative pharmaceutical products file for patents only in countries where business of piracy runs rampant. Parallel import of drugs is another important issue that came into consideration after the TRIPS agreement. The Intellectual Property Rights owners of specific brands of medicines face problems when goods, legally distributed in the market of one country, are imported to another without the necessary legal authorization. Now, as long as there is no discrepancy in Intellectual Property Rights in two different countries, article 6 of TRIPS defends parallel import. But considering the economic side of such imports, it might be noted that price of the same medicine in one country may rise or fall to a great extent in another. So developing countries, without violating the Intellectual Property Rights protection, may find a way out to access essential but expensive drugs from its neighboring countries. (Watal, J. 2000) In addition to what is discussed above, one must bear in mind the supply side process concerning manufacture and distribution of medicines. The specific issue related to accessibility to medicines is directly linked with the development and implementation of more efficient and cost-effective measures in manufacturing and distributing drugs. A number of speculative theories and ideologies have been put forward to address the issue of maximizing the available resources to achieve a standardized health status around the globe. However, the aim of this paper is not to get into a particular ideological standpoint, or to promote distinct solutions, but to gain a deeper insight into the real constraints of manufacturing and distributive activities. One has to take into account the diverse theoretical concepts, the macroeconomic environment of international economics and technological nuances of the pharmaceutical sectors. Once we identify the constraints, it will be easier to suggest feasible solutions in terms of easy and regular access to medicines for the developing countries. The policies adopted by pharmaceutical companies are worth taking a look at.