Enzyme Activity Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Enzyme Activity - Lab Report Example The researcher states that enzymes are protein molecules with a three-dimensional shape that includes an active site whose shape is complementary to the shape of the substrate. For this reason, each enzyme is specific to the type of substrate and reaction that it can catalyze. Several factors affect the rate of enzyme activity. They include temperature, enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, and pH. Enzymes, being made of proteins, are sensitive to factors that affect the structure and function of proteins. Therefore, each type of enzyme has an optimum range of temperature and pH at which it exhibits maximum activity. Any deviation from the optimum pH of an enzyme leads to interactions of the charged groups of the amino acids in the active site of the enzyme, which leads to a distortion of the enzyme active site that consequently lowers catalysis. For example, the enzyme catalase is responsible for the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide into oxygen and water. Therefore, the amoun t of oxygen produced is proportional to the activity of catalase. Hence, it is important to measure the amount of oxygen produced to measure the activity of catalase. Three test tubes were filled with 4ml of catalase and 2ml of distilled water while three other test tubes were filled with 5ml of hydrogen peroxide. The tubes containing peroxide and catalase were labeled as 2oC, 37oC, and 80oC. A plastic tube was then filled with cold tap water to an approximate depth of 3 to 4 inches after which the temperature of the water was adjusted to between 37 and 40oC using warm water. 50ml graduated cylinders were then prepared by submerging them in the water tubs and allowing them to fill without any air bubbles. The cylinder was then put upside down with its mouth submerged. The cylinder was then put on a ring stand and secured in position with the mouth just below the surface of the water.

He Loved Light, Free

He Loved Light, Freedom and Animals and Pneuomconiosis Essay Both poems are about death and the acceptance of death although are written from different perspectives and are different for the fact that in He loved light, freedom and animals by Mike Jenkins the young boys death was quite a shock, but it could have been prevented whereas in Pneumoconiosis written by Duncan Bush the mans death is inevitable, there is nothing he can do to change it. Both poems also have connection with coalmines. Pneumoconiosis is a disease caught from working down in the mines, and the background of He loved light, freedom and animals is about a mining disaster that happened in Aberfan where a slag heap on the side of a mountain collapsed and engulfed parts of the small town. The first poem I studied was Pneumoconiosis, and as the title suggests, the poem is about the killing lung disease that many coalminers suffered and died from. Pneumoconiosis was renames The Dust by the sufferers because it was mainly caused by inhalation of a lot of dust. The dust would get trapped in the lungs and made breathing difficult, and eventually killed after many years of effecting colliers lives. Duncan Bush wrote in the form of an old retired coalminer who is slowly dying from the disease. The elderly man is now feeling the effects of the disease more than ever. He shows his feelings towards the disease and reflects to his past. The poor man worked down in the mines for thirty years without realising the fatality of his coughing and breathing difficulties but now he begins to see the truth, hes now walking at a much slower pace and can not talk as fast and fluent. The constant repetition of the line I try not to think about it gives us the impression that in the back of his mind he cannot help the feeling of ominous foreboding that his life will soon be coming to an end. He is worried about when his death will come but doesnt want the remainder of his life to be a misery. The opening line, This is the Dust is an introduction to the illness, it simply tells us what the whole poem and the title is about. The second line then describes it as Black diamond dust. It is a good way of describing the dust from the coal, as coal is similar to diamond in many ways. They are both valuable, and a fair amount of coal sparkles, as diamonds do. We understand that the man came from the South Wales valleys; the poet shows this by adding boy at the end of the line and uses informal English to punctuate his accent which symbolizes the location of the industry. It is a personal poem, Darren Bush is writing in the first person as though he is the old man telling his story I had thirty years in it. This is affective because we can relate with his character better by understanding what he is going through and feeling. The man was happy in his work back in the day; he didnt have the slightest idea that one day working there would lead him to his death. A laughing red mouth He would be covered at work in black dirt, and his mouth would stand out, as it was the only clean part of him. We realize the first symptoms of his illness when he used to spit smuts black but obviously, he was unaware and didnt realize the cause of his spluttering. The poet uses alliteration to describe the young collier suffering, the hard constant s conveys the way the sound the man made and it stands out. In the second verse, the man continues telling us about the disease he suffers from and points out the fact that he accepts it and he bravely admits he will die with it. The poet cleverly uses the line its had forty years in me now which follows the line I had thirty years in it. This shows that he is quite old, because he retired ten years ago. The disease isnt only affecting his inside; his illness is visible like my blued scars. The scars are a part of him that wont go away, he can not erase them. The sufferer tells us how he gets by from day to day and how things have changed since hes been ill in the third verse. There are a few pauses in the third stanza which conveys the shortness of breath the man has. One step at a time; especially the stairs. It is quite jerky, as I can imagine his breathing and talking would be like. He then goes on to talk about his past and his experiences. His own brother also died of Pneumoconiosis, so he knows what he is facing. He explains that he saw his brothers last moment, which I think is very emotional. Although he seems calm, he must be quite frightened that he will be going through the same thing. He doesnt want to let the image of his brother that will always be with him scare him. The description the poet uses about the brothers last moment are very good, and give us a vivid image of how much he struggled worse than a hooked carp drowning in the air. The last three lines of the poem are very emotional and sad, he emphasises his slow walk and the occasional cough he lets out involuntary by telling people to know him as that man. This shows that the illness has effected him so much, he is different to a lot people when he used to be as healthy as the rest. After reading the poem, I admire the character in the poem because he can handle and accept his death, rather than complain and give up all hope. He is trying to lead his life as normal as possible and trying not to make the last of his life a misery which I respect. Another poem I studied was He loved light, freedom and animals. Mike Jenkins writes as if he is the father and he reminisces and remembers happy memories he shared with his son. He doesnt believe that his son is dead and in his mind the boy is still as lively as ever. The disaster of Aberfan happened on the 21st of October in 1966. The slagheap was balancing on a mountain overlooking the small village. The flood of waste had slipped and rushed down the mountain shattering homes, farms and the village school, which killed 116 young villagers. Critics say that the disaster should never had happened and young, innocent peoples lives such as the character in the poems son shouldnt have been lost. The poem contains many good descriptions that create strong images of both the child and the slag heap. This creates a good balance of positive and negative emotion in the poem. The images of the slagheap and the child are a complete contrast to one another; the descriptions of the boy are happy and beautiful foe example his eyes gleamed as gorse-flowers do now whereas the slagheap is described by the use of dark, depressing phrases such as tumour on the hillside burst and the black blood coal. The unpleasant phrase of the tumour growing on the top of the mountain reminds us of illness and gives us the thought people would want to stay as far away from it as possible. But tumours can be detected and defused, like the slagheap, it could have been manually moved but nobody had thought of the consequences until it was too late. The poet refers to the characters son throughout the poem, almost in every stanza which I believe makes the poem very interesting. It also shows that he will always think of his son, and will not give up the happy thoughts. He remembers the things he used to do when he was happiest. His son would be in the classroom waving an answer like a greeting. This emphasises how very enthusiastic and eager the boy was and obviously he was a pupil who enjoyed school, but it was there where he had died. When the poor boy was pulled out, the poet writes that his son must have been like a child collier, dragged out of one of Butes mines. A child collier would have been in a very dangerous job, and often lost their lives. They would come out of the mines hurt and covered in black dust but his son wasnt a collier, he was at school. School is meant to be a safe place, but not for the pupils on the day of the disaster. A good example of a simile in the poem is the one about the son and his mother shown in the last stanza. Ears attuned as a ewes in lambing. The connection the boy had with his mother was like no other, his mother can still hear his laugh and like and ewe and a lamb, she was attuned to her son. This is a good way of showing that they were close, and his mother is lost without him. She will always recognize his laugh, and can still hear it clearly in her head. The parents of the boy will always remember him as they last seen him, young, healthy and happy. They will be hearing his laughs springing down the slopes for a long time. Mike Jenkins uses personification in his poem to make it more alive and colourful. An example of him using personification is shown in the fourth verse, he creates a character out of the slagheap when the poet describes it s if it has a greedy belly that ate up all the children and villagers. The tone of the poem is conversational, the father tells us as the reader about his son, and about his sons death. Its a dramatic poem, and is very emotional. Both negative and Positive feelings are shown in the poem. Although the theme of the poem is sad, the lines about the boy are happy; they are lines that bring a smile to the readers faces. In a way this makes us feel even sorrier for the father and makes it more emotional. The lines about the slag heap are bitter, expressing the fathers feelings towards it. In my opinion, the fact that the poem begins with a line about the grave No grave can contain him and then ends with a line about the grave I try to foster the inscription, away from its stubborn stone is clever. It emphasizes the fact that he is in his grave and will not do the things that were mentioned in the middle of the poem, he will not be climbing a tree again or calling out names. I personally enjoyed reading this poem because I felt I could relate to the father, as it was from a personal point of view and can relate to the loss of someone special. It was very emotional and made me sympathize for the mother and father. It was unfair for the innocent, fragile boy to die in such a horrific accident and it made me angry that people had not thought of the consequences they were facing by putting the slagheap on top of the mountain. Both poems are very successful in creating sad emotions, and also anger and frustration. In He loved Light, Freedom and Animals, anger is created because the boy and his classmates were so young when they died, and they didnt deserve to have their lives taken away. In Pneumoconiosis, anger is created because the old man had been affected by the dust silently, and is expecting his death. This is very frustrating, as there is nothing we as the reader can do to change what has happened and what is going to happen. In my opinion, He love Light, Freedom, and Animals made the biggest impact to my emotions. As the child was only young, it is easy to relate to, and it makes the reader realize that life can be cut so short, although Pneumoconiosis is also very emotional, as the reader acknowledges the long term effects miners suffer. He has been, and is still fighting bravely but he knows he cant hold on forever.

Diet and Digestion as Factors for Large Size in Sauropods

Diet and Digestion as Factors for Large Size in Sauropods Dinosaurs have captured the imagination since the very first fossils were discovered. The mystical creatures in many ancient cultures may be attributed to fossils weathering out of the earth. Nearly every culture had some form of dragon in their mythology, a uniformity best explained by fossilized dinosaurs. Some scientists believe the fossils of ceratopsians are the source of the mythological griffin. Part of the fascination with dinosaurs is their size. With few animals reaching such massive proportions, the creatures that produced single bones as tall as a human must have seemed other worldly to ancient peoples. They still draw fascination today; their features so different from anything living. As more and more fossils are found, explanations and extrapolations of the features, size, and behavior become more comprehensive. The unknown element of dinosaur life allows for wild projections and suppositions, and the drama of discovery and scientific discourse and hypothesis disproval continue to draw the interest of people. As more is discovered, more questions are raised. One field of questions pertain to sauropod size. Sauropods are distinct in their absolutely massive bodies. Far larger than anything known by living humans, they are fascinating to consider. Trying to imagine their size is in some ways like trying to imagine the vastness of space. Without actually standing next to a mounted skeleton, there is no living reference to fix the size of sauropods in the imagination. Some estimates place the largest sauropods at 80,000kg, or 170,000 lbs. Conservative estimates suggest weights of 40,000-50,000 kg. Sauropod height is in some specimens 60 feet, about 3 times the height of a two-story house. Some sauropods were a third of a football field in length! Such sizes are nearly unfathomable, raising the question of how they got to be so massive and how their bodies functioned. Modern herbivores are often much bigger than carnivores, because in general, their e nergy expenditure is less and the biomass of their food source is higher. The huge size of sauropods is definitely tied to their diet, and it is likely that their food source and digestive mechanisms were a major factor in their growth to such massive sizes. The food available to sauropods was not very nutritive. Before the evolution and diversification of angiosperms 125 million years ago, herbivorous animals had to rely mainly on gymnosperms and ferns. The best measure of plant nutritional value is in the concentration of nitrogen and nonstructural carbohydrates like sugars. Protein levels largely correspond to the nitrogen levels in leaves. Because non-angiosperm plants dont have the xylem transport network that evolved, there is less nutrient flow, and therefore less nitrogen concentration. Ferns, cycads, and conifers, some of the main plant types available to the sauropod dinosaurs, were low in nutrition, and gymnosperms had secondary chemical defenses that made them unpleasant to eat and harder to digest (Midgley, 2005). A study by Zvereva and Kozlov (2006) found that the nitrogen concentration in gymnosperms drops in environments with elevated temperature and CO2 concentration, compared to the modern environment. Sugar levels tend ed to stay the same. The toughness of leaves increases when CO2 levels are higher. The carbon-nitrogen ratio is significantly increased by elevated CO2. It is well-known that the environmental conditions during the age of dinosaurs was both higher in temperature and higher in CO2 concentration. This would have produced plant material significantly less nutritious than the plant matter today. The lesser food quality supports the evolution of large sauropod dinosaurs, as the Jarman-Bell Principle states that larger species can feed on diets of lesser quality food, evidenced by the relatively large size of modern grazing mammals (Clauss, et. al., 2009). The physiology of the dinosaurs shows evidence of partitioning. Some sauropods, such as diplodocids, were low browsers, who were unlikely to life their heads higher than a couple meters (Stevens and Parrish, 1999). This separated their food source from the mid to high browsers, limiting their available food source in some ways, yet also preventing competition amongst sauropod species. The lower plant quality requires that herbivorous animals consume more material in order to meet their nutritional and energy needs. Given the quality of available plants, extended digestion would have been required. Of several methods to process plant material, sauropods digestion was extremely fermentation heavy. They had very little oral processing. Their teeth were either broad and leaf like, with serrations in the crown, or later more narrow and peg like. In most sauropods, teeth were present in the front part of the mouth but not the back. The body plan in the early Mesozoic seems to have been to maximize food intake through teeth adapted for cropping, stripping, and pulling plant material but with little oral processing. There is some evidence in the tooth replacement rate and wear that teeth farther back in the mouths of sauropods were not used in oral processing or food acquisition, but rather served the purpose of cheeks, to keep the food in the mouth (Schwarz, et. al., 2015). Prosauropods had some check development, but in the sauropod line, cheeks were lost early (Chure, et. al., 2010). There have been no teeth found in association with sauropods that had a large horizontal surface, indicative of use for chewing (Christiansen, 1999). The heads of sauropods were extremely small compared to their body size. Any dental batteries or cheeks would have increased the head mass and likely made it prohibitively heavy, especially at the end of a long neck. Christiansen also noted that the muzzle width in sauropod dinosaurs is proportionally wider than the width in herbivorous animals. This enables sauropods to intake more food per bite, increasing their intake rate. With relatively poor food nutrient quality, sauropods would need to consume a great amount of food to meet their daily needs. The length of the neck adds length to the digestive envelope, another way to maximize food consumption. The lack of oral processing, wide muzzle, and long neck work in conjunction to increase the consumption capability or sauropods, increasing their ability to meet their dietary needs and shortening thei r feeding time. With such high consumption and such little processing, digestion would be almost entirely focused in the gut. The particle size would be very large, making digesta harder to break down, and the longer it takes to digest. There has been some debate about the presence of gastroliths and a gastric mill in sauropod dinosaurs. Gastric mills certainly would help break down the plant material into smaller particle sizes and speed the digestion process. Unfortunately, the fossil record seems to rule out the presence of a gastric mill for most sauropod dinosaurs. Wings and Sander (2007) tested the hypothesis of sauropod gastroliths by testing gastrolith usage in farm ostriches. They found that rose quartz, which has the same properties as the white vein quartz found in association with sauropods, last the longest. Using granite cubes, they found that the general shape of the stone stays the same. They also found that the gastric milling process quickly roughens the face of the stone. None of the stones that he used in his test retained a shine, unlike those suspected to be sauropod gastroliths. He also found that gastroliths are about 1% of the total body mass. According to them, the largest mass of gastroliths found in association with a sauropod is 15kg, much lower than 1% of the estimated sauropod body mass. Gastroliths likely scale with body mass simply because organ size roughly scales with body mass. The stomachs of sauropods could have been proportionally smaller than expected, although it is unlikely with the amount of food that they are estimated to have consumed. Using projections from living herbivores, it is estimated that the large sauropods would consume several hundred kilograms worth of food (Englemann, et. al., 2004). This estimate accounts for the proportional decrease in required food consumption for successively larger and larger organisms. In another study focusing on the distribution of gastrolith stones amongst sauropod remains, it was found that gastroliths were found with about 4% of sauropod fossils. There are some species of sauropod that have strong evidence of gastric mills, but they are not widespread enough (Wings, 2014). With little to no processing of plant material, and with no evidence of any other break down processes, sauropods must have heavily relied on fermentation to digest their food. The relatively low density of nutrients in the gymnosperms at the time already required longer fermentation times. In order to achieve longer fermentation time, the gut size needs to increase, or the amount of food eaten needs to decrease. As the food particles must have been large, the time taken for fermentation would need to be even longer. With no internal soft tissues preserved in the fossil record, it is hard to determine where fermentation took place in the gut. Fermentation demands a large digestive tract. Larger intestines allow for longer digesta retention, pulling more nutrients from the food. The large torsos of s auropods could certainly fit and extensive gut. Estimates based on living animals gives a digesta retention time between 8 and 16 days. Galapagos turtles, which do not chew their food, retain theirs for 11 days (Franz, et. al., 2009). Sauropod dinosaurs could have evolved to be so large because those individuals with larger guts had better survival chances than those who had smaller guts. As stated previously, the amount of food needed in relation to the body mass would likely have been much lower than other, smaller herbivorous organisms. As sauropods heads were evolved to take in the maximum amount of food, the intake of food would likely not have consumed most of the sauropods time. This time advantage would have been especially needed in semiarid environments, like the Jurassic area preserved in the Morrison formation. Although there is lush vegetation in the Morrison fossil record, it is not widespread instead found in clusters. The Morrison Formation suggests that the environm ent during the time of sauropods was savannah-like. The dense vegetation found was likely due to seasonal rains, or centered around areas of water, such as lakes or streams. The vegetation likely moved, growing in different areas depending on rainfall (Englemann, et. al., 2004). Large herbivores would need to follow the seasonal changes, and migrate in search of new food sources. The size of the sauropods and the advantages of that size would have been a major edge in a semi-arid environment. Such sizes would have also made locomotion more efficient. Longer strides afforded by the overall large body size decreases the amount of energy per unit of distance. This, too, increases the ability of sauropods to migrate in search of food. Sauropod reliance on fermentation was so great that their methane production has been linked to the warm climate of the Mesozoic era (Wilkinson, et. al., 2012). Assuming a more reptilian metabolism, one paper puts the global biomass of large sauropods at 2 00,000 kg/km2. Their total estimated annual methane emission is about 520 million tons. For comparison, modern day ruminants produce about 50-100 million tons of atmospheric methane, and the total modern day global emissions are about 500-600 million tons a year. The author notes that their estimate could have been overstated by a factor of two, but also understated by the same amount, depending on assumed metabolic function and density of sauropods. Sauropods large sizes and reliance on fermentation to digest food was a major influence on their environment, and created a positive feedback loop, where the temperature increase would push nutritive values of plants lower. Massive sauropod bodies were well adapted to their environment and digestion. Of course, such large sizes bring their own challenges. The most debated question is whether or not dinosaurs were endothermic or ectothermic, and whether endothermy was even possible in mega dinosaurs like the sauropods. At body masses estimated between 20,000 kg and 80,000 kg, overheating would have been a huge problem in large sauropod dinosaurs. While it is unknown if they had special soft tissue adaptations in order to combat their size, it is speculated that their long necks and tails may have helped them keep cool by increasing surface area without adding too much internal volume (Eagle, et. al., 2011). The accelerated growth capable in endothermic animals is a major factor in favor of sauropod endothermy. Sauropods grew several size magnitudes, from hatchlings estimated to be about 10kg, to the hulking adult dinosaurs, in only a few decades (Sander Clauss, 2008). But does the size of adult sauropods rule out endothermic metabolisms? According to Eagle and others (2011), endo thermy was not impossible in large sauropods. In lower temperatures, more 13C-18O clumps form, which are preserved in the fossil record. The analysis of these clumps is not dependent on knowing the oxygen isotope composition of the surrounding water. These clumps can be observed in the tooth bioapatite of dinosaurs. The accuracy of this method is 1 °C, with precision within 1 °-2 °C. The accuracy of this method comes from tests of modern taxa, in which the isotopic temperature agrees with the expected temperature of the organisms. Eagle found the average body temperature of Brachiosaurus to be 38.2 °C  ± 1 °C and the temperature of Camarasaurus to be 35.7 °C  ±1.3 °C including a sample from a different fossil site. These temperatures are within the range of modern mammals, and lower than the body temperatures of many birds, which can be greater than 40 °C. Eagle does note that the temperature reflects the temperature of tooth formation, which may differ from the main body temperature. Body temperature is a product of metabolism, size, environmental temperature, and any special adaptations for the regulation of heat. The temperatures given for these sauropods is close to the temperatures estimated by earlier research done by Gillooly (2006). Such temperatures in such large animals suggests that they were either ectothermic, had low basal metabolic rates, or had some special methods of heat dissipation. Some researchers suggest that large sauropods were fermentative endotherms (Mackie, 2002). Because sauropods needed a lot of energy to reach their adult size in such little time, it is likely that they were endotherms who underwent some sort of change at maturation that prevented overheating as an adult. Metabolic changes through development is not unusual, so it is very possible that it also occurred in sauropods. They could have shifted from a higher metabolic endothermy during their rapid growth phase, to a lesser metabolic homeot hermy supported by the fermentation heat output from their fully formed guts. Other evidence in support of endothermic sauropods are growth lines, or the lack there of, in sauropod bones (Kohler, et. al., 2012). Lines of arrested growth are normally associated with ectotherms, which have periods of rapid growth interspersed with periods of slow growth. These lines are found in mammals as well, and in the majority of dinosaurs. The pattern the lines leave are not found in sauropod bones. This suggests unbroken, stead growth rates, highly unlikely in ectotherms. The evidence suggests endothermy in sauropods, even in large ones. Because endothermy requires more energy to maintain, sauropods would have had to consume a massive amount of food, unless they had a low basal metabolism. Hippopotami, while mammals and clearly not the size of sauropods, have particularly long retention times because they have low food intake and enormous gut capacity. Their required energy for maintenance is r emarkably low. This strategy is common in non-ruminant foregut fermentators and some small hindgut fermentators (Clauss, et. al., 2009). The metabolic process of sauropods is linked to their energetic needs and dietary restrictions. In some research, one of the byproducts of fermentation, heat, supports the endothermic theory, and endothermy in sauropods as juveniles helps explain how they managed to reach their massive adult size. The herbivorous, fermentative nature of sauropods is not an obstacle in understanding their ability to function at such large sizes. Sauropods likely evolved to be large because of the abundance of plant materials, especially after many herbivores died out during both the Permian extinction, but also the Triassic-Jurassic extinction. Their adaptations allowed them to widely diversify and fill the newly opened ecological niches. Some have speculated that their large body size was driven by predation, as larger bodies, especially the size of sauropods, were a natural defense (Sander, et. al., 2011). Given the evidence, it is more likely that immunity to predation was a lucky side effect of size, not the driving factor. It seems more likely that the resource opportunities of plants drove the initial adaptation, especially with the diverse nature of sauropods and their apparent partitioning, than protection. The size of sauropods is inextricably linked to their diet and digestive methods. Much of the discussion of sauropod feeding is based on conjecture is based on living animals, that are obviously very different from sauropods. As there is are no known records of internal tissues, it is hard to know anything about how sauropods functioned internally beyond comparing them to existing behaviors and traits in todays animals. Even though todays herbivores are different than sauropods, patterns of herbivory are similar in very different taxa. The circumstantial evidence offered by analysis of modern organisms still enables scientists to attempt to fit sauropods within the known herbivorous patterns, with allowances for the unknowns. Perhaps this analysis is just another element of the imaginative aspect of dinosaur life. Until more evidence is found, I believe that the evolution of the massive sauropods was in large part due to their diet and digestion. The nutrition offered by gymnosperms demanded higher levels of processing. The minimal oral digestion evidenced by small heads and non-chewing teeth led to greater digesta retention times in the gut. A greater gut size would have sped fermentation, compensating for the large particle size of the plant material and its low nutrient density. There is some evidence for resource partition amongst sauropods, both between different species and within the same species. Different tooth structure and browsing levels are some adaptations driven by available resources. The other benefits of the large body size of sauropods, in my opinion, do not seem likely to be as important in size evolution as the plants and their digestion. When the sauropods appeared, they filled an ecological niche left by previous extinctions, and quickly diversified, creating a hugely successful group of organisms, both in overall diversity, but also in longevity. Works Cited Christiansen, Per, 1999, On the Head Size of Sauropodomorph Dinosaurs: Implications for Ecology and Physiology. Historical Biology, v. 13, iss. 4, p. 269-297. Chure, D., Britt, B. B., Whitlock, J. A., Wilson, J. A., 2010, First complete sauropod dinosaur skull from the Cretaceous of the Americas and the evolution of sauropod dentition. Naturwissenschaften, v. 97, iss. 4, p. 379-391. Eagle, R. A., Tà ¼tken, T., Martin, T. S., Tripati., A. K., Fricke, H. C., Connely, M., Cifelli, R. L., Eiler, J. M., 2011, Dinosaur Body Temperatures Determined from Isotopic (13C- 18O) Ordering in Fossil Biominerals. Science, v. 333, n. 6041, p. 443-445. Englemann, G. F., Chure, D. J., Fiorillo, A. R., 2004, The implications of a dry climate for the paleoecology of the fauna of the Upper Jurassic Morrison Formation. Sedimentary Geology, v. 167, iss. 3-4, p. 397-308. Franz, R., Hummel, J., Kienzle, E., Kà ¶lle, P., Gunga, H., Clauss, M., 2009, Allometry of visceral organs in living amniotes and its implications for sauropod dinosaurs. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, v. 276, iss. 1662, p. 1731-1736. Gillooly, J. F., Allen, A. P., Charnov, E. L., 2006, Dinosaur Fossils Predict Body Temperatures. PLoS Biology, v. 4, iss. 8, p. 1467. Kohler, M., Marà ­n-Moratalla, N., Jordana, X., Aanes, R., 2012, Seasonal bone growth and physiology in endotherms shed light on dinosaur physiology. Nature, v. 487, iss. 7407, p. 358-361. Mackie, Roderick I., 2002, Mutualistic Fermentative Digestion in the Gastrointestinal Tract: Diversity and Evolution. Integrative and Comparative Biology, v. 42, n. 2, p. 319-326. Midgley, J. J., 2005, Why Dont Leaf-Eating Animals Prevent the Formation of Vegetation? Relative vs Absolute Dietary Requirements. The New Phytologist, v. 168, n. 2, p. 271- 273. Sander, P. Martin Martin Clauss, 2008, Sauropod Gigantism. Science, v. 322, n. 5899, p. 200- 201. Sander, P. M., Christian, A., Clauss, M., Fechner, R., Gee, C. T., Griebeler, E., Gunga, H., Hummel, J., Mallison, H., Perry, S. F., Preuschoft, H., Rauhut, O. W. M., Remes, K., Tà ¼tken, T., Wings, O., Witzel, U., 2011, Biology of the sauropod dinosaurs: the evolution of gigantism. Biological Reviews, v. 86, p. 117-155. Schwarz, D., Kosch, J. C. D., Fritsch G., Hildebrandt, 2015, Dentition and Tooth Replacement of Dicraeosaurus hansemanni (Dinosauria, Sauropoda, Diplodocoidea) from the Tendaguru Formation of Tanzania. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, v. 36. Stevens, Kent A. J. Michael Parrish, 1999, Neck Posture and Feeding Habits of Two Jurassic Sauropod Dinosaurs. Science, v. 284, n. 5415, p. 798-800. Wilkinson, D. M., Nisbet, E. G., Ruxton, G. D., 2012, Could methane produced by sauropod dinosaurs have helped drive Mesozoic climate warmth?. Current Biology, v. 22, iss. 9, p. R292-R293. Wings, O., 2015, The rarity of gastroliths in sauropod dinosaurs a case study in the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, western USA. Fossil Record, v. 18, iss. 1, p. 1-16. Wings, Oliver P. Martin Sander, 2007, No gastric mill in sauropod dinosaurs: new evidence from analysis of gastrolith mass and function in ostriches. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, v. 274, iss. 1610, p. 635-640. Zvereva, E. L. M. V. Kozlov, 2006, Consequences of simultaneous elevation of carbon dioxide and temperature for plant-herbivore interactions: a metaanalysis. Global Change Biology, v. 12, iss. 1, p. 27-41.

Homoeroticism in the novel Between Men by Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick :: literature gothic fiction homosexual gay

"Homoeroticism in The Monk and Christabel" The Monk In Between Men Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick presents an idea of the "Male homosocial continuum", which is outlined on our poster. In analysing the relationship between Ambrosio and Rosario, it is evident that the two share a "social bond"; yet whether or not this bond is evidence of desire is uncertain. Kosofsky Sedgwick also describes points of 'radical disruption', which in The Monk appear to result from the heterosexist framework to which we are introduced on the very first page, through Lewis' statement: "The Men came to see the Women". The homosocial relationship between Ambrosio and Rosario is disrupted by "the ambient heterosexist culture" (Kosofsky Sedgwick Epistemology of the Closet 46) that is physically manifested in Matilda. Ambiguity remains, however, concerning the author's intent. Lewis initiates a homosocial bond between Ambrosio and Rosario; he easily could have circumvented any notion of homoeroticism in the novel. He chose not to, but then chose to 'heterosexualise' the novel through revealing Rosario to be a woman. We would like to raise the question -- why did Lewis portray Ambrosio and Rosario in this way? The historical context for "Christabel" - its production, reception, and how that relates to homosexual or ambiguous sexuality. This poem, (composed in 1798 and published in 1816), sparked 7 verse parodies and 15 continuations in the years before 1909. What the parodies do to the figure of Geraldine is of particular interest. There are many answers to who and what she is. Some, following the conventions of Gothic romance suggest a "fairy tale" resolution which re-establishes the hetero-sexual order (Christabel marries her far away lover) and the supernatural and mysterious Geraldine is expelled. In 1819 David Moir wrote "Christabel, Part Third". In this, he uses the mundane to decrease the Gothic elements, but he increases the sexual content. For him, however, Geraldine turns out to be a man, and impregnates Christabel. Many of the interpretations of the relationship between Geraldine and Christabel work to remove any mystery or ambiguity. The anonymous poem Christabess, from 1816, increases the amount of sexual content in the poem, but this version subverts the expected heterosexual encounter and leaves Geraldine a woman. There however, is still ambiguity as to their relationship. There are quotes from the parodies and Coleridge himself on the poster which reveal the uncertainty of the relationship between the women and the conflicting interpretations of the writers.

A Plead for Weed :: Legal Issues, Drugs, Marijuana

â€Å"All Mexicans are crazy and this stuff [marijuana] is what makes them crazy,† (Anonymous, 1927). While marijuana has been seen as a malignant substance that causes insanity, the specific reason marijuana became illegal still remains unknown. Most Americans assumed marijuana was illegal due to the process involving scientific, medical, and government hearings that it was to protect citizens from the dangerous drug (Guither, 2011). However, the United States should completely legalize marijuana because it has its own benefits to improve the society. The debate over the legalization of marijuana is not a new phenomenon as it has been an ongoing controversy in the United States. In 7000 – 8000 B.C., marijuana was legal and used in woven fabric, food, incense, cloth, and rope (Guither, 2011). Marijuana remained legal until the Mexican-Americans smoked it and brought the plant with them during the Mexican Revolution in 1910. California then initiated the first marijuana state law outlawing the preparations of hemp (Guither, 2011). In addition, Latin Americans and black jazz musicians were also involved with marijuana, which played an essential part in the music scene. A newspaper in 1934 also editorialized that â€Å"marijuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men’s shadows and look at a white women twice,† (Guither, 2011). Based on history, racism became the charge against marijuana. The history of marijuana has influenced the United States’ decision not to legalize marijuana completely today. Legalizing marijuana is still a concern because the United States has failed to recognize the potential benefits of marijuana. Some states have recently legalized a small portion of marijuana only for medical purposes. The people who oppose to the legalization of marijuana have never given a chance to understand the benefits of marijuana. They should take into consideration that legalizing marijuana could create major changes to the world. The current interest of legalizing the use of marijuana has led to two arguments: The entrance of people into the field of drug abuse, and the insistence that people believe marijuana is not a detrimental drug compared to alcohol and tobacco (Bloomquist, 1967). With the strict laws prohibiting the use of marijuana, individuals have decided to use their own methods to obtain marijuana illegally. This type of criminal behavior causes the police to arrest individuals for marijuana violation (Bloomquist, 1967). This convinces proponents to believe that the current laws have restricted and violated people’s constitutional rights to smoke marijuana instead of tobacco or instead of drinking alcohol (Bloomquist, 1967).

Negative Impact of Advertisement Essay

Advertising is a tool widely used by businesses and the media to promote their products. Unfortunately, advertising is pushing America more and more into a quick downward spiral. Advertisement acts like a fish hook for consumers. They have baits about the interest and wants of their consumers. Then when consumers grab a hold of it, advertisers reel them in on buying the products. The majority of advertisements are alarmingly misleading. They also convey an unrealistic view of certain products. Companies pay millions of dollars a year on advertising and go beyond the limit to persuade their customers. Little do consumers know they are indulging in this unnecessary luxury with nothing to gain. Advertising is unethical due to its negative impact on children, false images, and unrealistic expectations; however, advertisements do perform an important role on providing services to society. Without a doubt children are affected the most by advertising. At a young age, a child allows their mind to be molded and constructed. They don’t have much understanding of all the negative effects of the media and its advertisements. Children grow up to be everything they are surrounded by, as they are very susceptible to all outside influences. In many cases, children are most likely tended to misinterpret the messages conveyed through the advertisement. They end up having misinformed beliefs about many issues, which creates a desire to own a particular product being advertised. Joseph McLaughlin, a researcher from Fordham University, stated that â€Å"Children younger than 6 are especially susceptible to television advertising because many of them can’t tell the difference between a commercial and a program.† Because they are not able to distinguish the difference, glossy images in magazines, billboards, or flashy advertisement on television only create the im pulse for excessive desire to buy. Eric Schlosseris a well-known journalist that wrote the article â€Å"Kids Kustomers†. Along with McLaughlin, Schlosser shares a similar statement about advertising toward children. He  says, â€Å"The aim of most children’s advertising is straight forward: get kids to nag their parents and nag them well† (521). This means that advertisers are trying to focus their attention to make kids want their products and nag their parents until they get it for them. Children are the future, and an important part of the present as well. With these kinds of effects of advertising on them, this only creates a very wrong impression on their young minds about living without the needs of materialistic joys. Above all else, advertising is unethical. It creates an unrealistic image that urges people to buy in on the product. It gives them a natural high from the initial â€Å"new† or â€Å"delicious† feeling and leaving them unsatisfied after the feeling has worn off. Fast food advertisements are well known for exaggerating their products. Katie Robbins from Delish, wrote an article called â€Å"Fast Food: Truth behind Advertising†. In the article she says, â€Å"It looked so juicy and hearty, piled high with crunchy pickles and onions and resting on a soft, pillowy bed of a bun. But the actual sandwich that greeted when we ordered it at the Golden Arches didn’t look quite like the images we’d been seeing on billboard. Tired and limp, it was the anemic younger brother of the plucky McRib of our dreams† (Robbins). This means that people invest in a product they believe they saw in the advertisement but in reality, it’s just a pathetic excuse for fast food joints to make money. False beauty in advertising and pressure to look good caused many women to strive for the ideal perfection. Like Robbins, Jo Swinson, a writer from CNNopinion also wrote an article about how advertising contains false images. She stated: For some, the desire to look as perfect as these models can become all-consuming, and a wealth of evidence suggests that people in the UK are experiencing serious body image problems — a trend undoubtedly replicated around the globe. People unhappy about their bodies can develop eating disorders, turn to diet pills or steroids, or try cosmetic surgery and Botox injections. This means that women everywhere are willing to starve themselves or go beyond the limit to get the perfect body, to make them look like their favorite celebrities even. Advertising create unrealistic expectations. Ads for prescription drugs aimed directly toward consumer have resulted in unrealistic expectations  about the effectiveness of the drugs and its side-effects. In these kinds of advertisements, the visual images only show healthy, happy people. It never truly shows the actual downside effects of the drugs. Beauty and health products share a similar component by not living up to their promises; therefore, resulting in wasting consumer’s money once again. Herman CP, a psychologist from PubMed stated, â€Å"The false-hope syndrome suggests that unrealistic expectations in advertising about dieting set dieters up for failure.† This shows that fitness and health ads set consumers up to failure when they don’t see a change in their body, thus lead them to lose hope and give up. Gina-Marie Cheeseman from TriplePundit, shares a similar argument with Herman about unrealistic expectations. She says, â€Å"One of the implicati ons is that is creates an unrealistic expectation about the product that the company is advertising. Airbrushing sure does create unrealistic expectations, and U.S. women are shelling out money to meet those expectations.† This means that women everywhere are spending money on products to enhance their beauty to look like the one they see in the advertisements. Little did they know, advertisers used Photoshop and airbrushing to enhance the look of their models. Advertising however, still plays an important role on providing services to society. It offers social benefits. Along with that, advertising can be used to promote free speech since it is free speech: â€Å"This is especially true in countries where free speech has been suppressed. Advertising there, especially when it comes from the Western world where free speech is embraced, can encourage the idea that free speech is important,† says by Miranda Morley, a writer from SmallBusiness. This shows that advertising can be influential to foreign country that doesn’t allow freedom of speech. Like Morley, John E. Calfee also talks about how advertising is useful. He says, â€Å"But advertising does much more. It routinely provides immense amounts of information that benefits primarily parties other than the advertiser. This may sound odd, but it is a logical result of market forces and the nature of information itself† (98). Through providing information, it gives it a reason for research, and that research is backed-up by a firm sponsor thus creates credibility through its products. Although advertising plays an important role in society, unfortunately it is one of the major reasons why America is spinning into a downward spiral, doing major harm with little positive intention. Murray Lunn, a writer from Helium says, â€Å" Deceitful advertising, over the years, have caused consumers to associated the majority of advertising as a â€Å"sleazy† attempt to make them buy a product or service; participating in these types of advertising methods can cause a â€Å"black eye† on a business to the marketplace.† This means that businesses may put themselves in danger in the marketplace if they participate in these deceitful advertising. An article written by Shelly Frost, a writer from SmallBusiness, talks about how advertising affects businesses. She stated, â€Å"The Company is sometimes charged a fine for both current false advertising and any future incidents of deceptive advertising. If the company is sued, additional expenses come in the form of legal fees and money that must be paid to consumers who filed the suit.† Companies could lose more many than what they spend on making the advertisements if they’re caught false advertising. Advertising has long been seen as a way to convince consumers to spend their dollars on products or services they may not truly need. It is unethical. Women, who would see beauty ads, would want to emulate the thinness and beauty of such models. Today’s society has become cultures of consumerisms, and it is teaching children the false sense of self-worth. Also those consumers that were given the false impression about a product through various forms of media tend to suffer the most from society’s portrayal of the perfect body. Advertising is unethical and if not monitor carefully, it can affect and individual more negatively than for the better. Works Cited Calfe, John. â€Å"How Advertising Informs to Our Benefits.† Common Culture: Reading and Writing about American Popular Culture. 4th Edition. Ed. Micheal Petracca and Madeleine Sorapure. Upper Saddle River, NJ. 2004. 97-109. Print. Lunn, Murray. â€Å"The Negative Effects of Advertising.† Helium. N.p., 03 Feb. 2011. Web. 04 Apr. 2013. Frost, Shelley. â€Å"Negative Effects of False Advertising.† Small Business. Chron, 05 June 2010. Web. 02 Apr. 2013. McLaughlin, Joseph. â€Å"Researcher Shows Negative Effects of Advertising on Children.†Fordhamn.edu. Fordham University College, 17 May 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Morley, Miranda. â€Å"The Positive Effects of Advertising.† Small Business. Chron. N.p., 11 June 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2013. Robins, Kate. â€Å"Food in the News.Fast Food: Truth in Advertising?† Delish. N.p., 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 02. Apr. 2013. Swinson, Jo. â€Å"False Beauty in Advertising and the Pressure to Look ‘good'† CNN. Cable News Network. 10.Aug. 2011. Web. 01 Apr. 2013. CP, Herman. â€Å"Effects of expose to unrealistic promises about dieting.† PubMed. National Center for Biotechnology Information, 25 Mar. 2009. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Cheeseman, Gina-Marie. â€Å"British Regulatory Agency Bans Christian Dior Mascara Ad.†TriplePundit. N.p., 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 08 Apr. 2013. Schlosser, Eric. â€Å"Kid Kustomer.† From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Text and Reader. 2nd Edition. Ed. Stuart Greene and April Lidinsky. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 519-526. Print.

Growth and Development in Chhattisgarh: a Credible State

Chhattisgarh :Credible state with incredible potential Introduction Creation of the State of Chhattisgarh The creation of Chhattisgarh on November 01, 2000 fulfilled the demand for separate statehood that was originally raised in 1925 and subsequently rejected in the post independence era by the State Reorganisation Commission set up in 1954. The ‘Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2000’ was eventually passed by both houses of Parliament and approved by the President of India on August 25, 2000. This paved the way for the creation of the 26th State of India on November 01, 2000.The creation of the new State of Chhattisgarh has succeeded in granting a sense of identity to its people and has provided them with the unique opportunity to chart their own destiny. General Profile Chhattisgarh located in central India has been carved out of the sixteen eastern and south-eastern districts of undivided Madhya Pradesh. It is a landlocked state bound in the north by Uttar Pradesh an d Jharkhand, in the east by Orissa, in the south by Andhra Pradesh and in the West by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.Chhattisgarh is the tenth largest State in India with an area of approximately 135000 sq kms. The state now consists of 27 districts in 5 divisions with capital in Raipur and high court at Chhattisgarh. The population of the state as per 2001 census is 2,55,40,196(prov. ) In terms of population the State ranks 16th. 80% of the total population lives in rural areas. A large portion of the State’s population comprises of tribals, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes. State has a population density 189 which is fairly low as compared to India.Sex ratio is 991 per thousand of males and ranks 5th in India in this regard. The literacy rate is 71. 04% which is still quite low. Competitive analysis of Chhattisgarh For a comprehensive analysis of the state it is important to assess the State’s potential in terms of its inherent strengths and weaknesses. The SWOT analysis which I am going to present is not intended to be exhaustive. However, it is indicative of some of the primary issues that the State will need to contend with, going forward with its strengths and opportunities. . WEAKNESSES ThreatsThe absence of large local markets, skilled labour, adequate physical infrastructure and low urbanisation are some of the key weaknesses of the State. Landlocked and limited local markets As a virtually landlocked area, the State has to depend heavily on its road and railway network, which is to a considerable extent limited. Additionally a large rural population coupled with low per capita income limits the size of the local market. However, a few cities in the State have demonstrated the potential to develop into substantial local markets, which is evident from their current levels of per capita spending ? Low telephone density The telephone density in the State is low as compared to the national average. This particularly inhibits the effici ent functioning of the service industry that depends heavily on Information and Communication Technology (ICTs). Opportunities Low skilled labour The relatively low level of industrialisation in the State has limited the development of skilled labour. The current availability of skilled labour is further restricted to select industries only due to the absence of a divergent industrial base Limited physical infrastructureState still have vast area of undeveloped land and regions that have been untouched by modern development. While this is the result of years of prior neglect in developing proper physical infrastructure but now constitutes the weakest link in the progress towards economic development Frequent droughts Although the average rainfall in Chhattisgarh compares well with several other states, neglect of traditional water preservation practices in recent times has led to frequent droughts. Further, the proportion of irrigated area in the State is only 16 percent of the t otal cultivable area.There is however, potential to raise the proportion of irrigated area to 75 percent of the total cultivable area Low urbanisation The State ranks low on urbanisation index with limited number of urban centres, which are confined to central Chhattisgarh. Low urbanisation and lack of adequate physical infrastructure are the key reasons why Chhattisgarh is low on national perception, and also ranks low on development indicators along with the perceived potential for development. THREATS Over dependence on natural resourcesThe State must take care to use its natural resources judiciously. An emphasis on balanced and all-round development would be essential to ensure environmentally sustainable growth. Having said that, there is little doubt that the optimal utilisation of natural assets holds the key to State’s development process Political compulsions Political will at all levels is a must to enable any kind of change. Any disruption in the pace or direct ion of proposed reforms could hamper the swift movement towards economic development Suspicion of and opposition to changeThe people of the newly formed State being accustomed to prior neglect, may look upon any kind of change with doubt or suspicion. The State must, in the spirit of participatory democracy, take steps to build consensus and infuse a sense of confidence in its people with specific reference to the objectives, direction and pace of economic development While it is absolutely essential to understand the weaknesses and threats (significant but not exhaustive), it is the aggregate of strengths and opportunities that infuses the State and its people with a sense of optimism about the future.STRENGTHS Rich natural resources Undoubtedly the biggest strength of the State, Chhattisgarh used to contribute 46% of mineral revenues to undivided Madhya Pradesh and is ranked second in the list of mineral producing States in the country. It has rich deposits of limestone, iron-or e, copper-ore, rock phosphate, manganese ore, bauxite, coal, asbestos and mica. In fact Chhattisgarh, along with Orissa and Jharkhand constitute over 80% of the nation’s coal reserves. Chhattisgarh also has proven reserves of diamond – which can, in the future, be a large source of income for the State.Although the State already has a substantial presence of core industries, a large part of the mineral potential is yet untapped, providing Chhattisgarh with a unique opportunity to use its mineral wealth to spur economic development. Apart from minerals, Chhattisgarh also possesses a large forest cover encompassing approximately 44% of the total geographical area. However, the true potential of the minor forest produce is yet to be assessed and utilised. The State has abundant but untapped water resources – essential for harvesting the potential of agriculture. Surplus power Chhattisgarh is fortunate to be one of the few States that are currently power surplus. Th is could be an important criterion for Industrialists making project and investment decisions, to Chhattisgarh’s advantage. Presence of low grade coal makes Chhattisgarh an ideal location for setting up of low cost pit head based thermal power plant, capable of generating power to meet the requirements of other States . By exploiting its unique location along with large coal reserves, Chhattisgarh has the potential to become the power generating hub of India Favourable labour climate Though the relative skill base is low, the presence of a large number of willing and able-bodied people contributes to the presence of a substantial workforce. The State has a high worker participation rate (male and female) and a high labour force in the 15-39 age group. It also has one of the lowest losses in person-days in the country attributed to labour problems Relatively low land cost With a lower population density and urbanisation ratio, the State would be able to offer land at extremel y competitive prices for some time to come ? Fiscal position The fiscal deficit situation of the State is currently under control. It also has reliable sources of public finance and possesses no deficit on account of either the State Electricity Board or Road Transport Corporation. This is contrary to the situation in other states, wherein these agencies are the principal contributors to the fiscal deficit. Political Leadership and Bureaucracy The number of bureaucrats and government employees compared to the other States in the country.This has also resulted in one of the lowest expenditures in the country on government functioning. The presence of a strong, committed and focussed leadership is an asset. OPPORTUNITIES ‘New State’ advantage The fulfilment of the demand for a separate State has given a new sense of identity and pride to the local people. Being a new State and with limited legacies of the past, this is a historic opportunity for Chhattisgarh. It can lev erage on this status to undertake reforms and frame policies to aid rapid social and economic development.No past legacies provide the State with an opportunity to prepare policies which are based on contemporary economic principles and which help create responsive governance. Location advantage The geographic location of the State is strategic – it borders seven states in the country. NH-6, which connects the west to the east, passes through some of the most industrialised areas of the State. Chhattisgarh could use this geographic locational to its advantage to develop a logistics and warehousing network to service the region. Demand for Energy in the countryWhile the rest of India faces acute power shortages, the same is not true of Chhattisgarh. Further, in view of the presence of large coal reserves in the State and the fact that it is situated in the middle of the national power grid makes it an ideal location for setting-up coal pit-head based thermal power plants. P artnership The State recognises the opportunity of an increasingly borderless world and the resulting benefits of forging partnerships with national and international communities, private and developmental institutions to spur economic development. Value additionCurrently a large part of exports from the State is in form of raw material (across minerals, agriculture and forest produce). The state could capitalise on the abundant availability of basic raw material to encourage setting up of processing units for ensuring value addition and subsequently increasing avenues for employment and enhanced income Service industry India has made rapid strides in the service industry in the past few decades. The State could potentially capitalise on these areas of country advantage, specifically in the field of information and biotechnology.It is precisely this aggregate of strengths and opportunities that gives the State a positive and optimistic outlook on the future and the confidence to d raft its Vision Statement. ————————————————- Chhattisgarh Economy The union ministry of Statistics, has included Chhattisgarh as one of the top four states posting 10. 8 per cent GDP growth during 2011-12. It may be termed as a ‘big success', as this was the third year the state has maintained over 10 per cent GDP growth which is more than the national average of 6. 5 %.Chhattisgarh’s success factors in achieving high growth rate are growth in agriculture and industrial production. Agriculture Sector Agriculture is counted as the chief economic occupation of the state. About 80% of the population of the state is rural and the main livelihood of the villagers is agriculture and agriculture-based small industry. The majority of the farmers are still practicing the traditional methods of cultivation, resulting in low growth rates and productivity. The farmers hav e to be made aware of modern technologies suitable to their holdings.Providing adequate knowledge to the farmers is essential for better implementation of the agricultural development plans and to improve the productivity. When a very substantial portion of the population is dependent on agriculture, a situation where nearly 80% of a state's area is covered only by one crop, immediate attention to turn them into double crop areas is needed. Also, very few cash crops are grown in Chhattisgarh, so there is a need to diversify the agriculture produce towards oilseeds and other cash crops. Chhattisgarh is also called the â€Å"rice bowl of central India†.Chhattisgarh has a limited  irrigation  system, with  dams  and  canals  on some rivers. Average rainfall in the state is around 1400  mm and the entire state falls under the rice agroclimatic zone. Large variation in the yearly rainfall directly affects the production of rice. Irrigation is the prime need of the st ate for its overall development and therefore the state government has given top priority to development of irrigation. Industrial sector Power sector Chhattisgarh is one of the few states of India where the power sector is effectively developed.Based on the current production of surplus electric power, the position of the State is comfortable and profitable. Strategically located in central India, Chhattisgarh's large surplus of power can be easily transmitted without losses to any of India's four grids. Chhattisgarh is in the chronically deficit western grid, and is linked to the southern and northern grids. Chhattisgarh provides electricity to several other states because of surplus production and its power hubs are  Korba  and  Bilaspur. Korba in Chhattisgarh is really the Power Capital of India.Apart from NTPC and State Electricity Companies, there are a number of private generation units of large and small capacity. The state government has pursued a liberal policy with regard to captive generation which has resulted in a number of private players coming up. As per a study made by the Power Finance Corporation Ltd. , New Delhi, the state has potential of 61000 MW of additional thermal power in terms of availability of coal for more than 100 years and more than 2500 MW hydel capacity. To use this vast potential, substantial additions to the existing generation capacity are already under way.Non conventional energy sources have been accorded very high priority. A special agency called CREDA (Chhattisgarh Renewable Energy Development Agency) has been set up, and over 1200 villages in dense forests are being electrified using off-grid energy. Micro-Hydel power potential is also being tapped in a big way, and several projects have been identified for viable private investment. Chhattisgarh is emerging as the Power Hub of India – which has the capacity to cover half the demand-supply gap in the entire country. Steel sector The steel industry is on e of the biggest heavy industries of Chhattisgarh.Bhilai Steel Plant, operated by  SAIL, with a capacity of 5. 4 million tonnes per year, is regarded as a significant contributor to the growth of the state’s economy . More than 100 steel rolling mills, 90 sponge iron plants and ferro-alloy units are in Chhattisgarh. Along with Bhilai, Raipur, Bilaspur, Korba and Raigarh have become the steel hub of Chhattisgarh. Today, Raipur has become the center of the steel sector, the biggest market for steel in India. Aluminium sector Bharat Aluminum Company Limited(BALCO), which has a capacity of around one million tonnes each year is the major contributor in this sector.Exports * Handcrafted wood, iron and steel, terra cotta, bell metal and handloom items are major attractions in the international market. * Chhattisgarh is the only state offering quality fabric in Tassar Silk/ Kosa, which has good export potential in the UK, France, Switzerland, Norway, the USA, Canada, Australia, So uth Africa and Japan. * The state has vast potential for exporting processed foods, organically grown cereals, herbal and medicinal products. * Agricultural products such as rice are presently exported in huge quantities to neighbouring countries .Derivatives and intermediates of rice products, processed foods and biodiesel have a huge potential for exports. * Mineral-based products including steel and pig iron, steel castings, forging and equipment, structural steel, cement and silico-mangnese are also exported from Chhattisgarh. Unlocking Natural Resources Realising the true potential of natural resources in Chhattisgarh would be one of the most immediate priorities of the state. This would ensure economic benefits to more than3/4th of the population and help create large markets within the State that would help propel growth in the secondary and the tertiary sectors.Unlocking the true potential of the natural resources would be contingent upon the State’s ability to addres s the issues facing agriculture, forestry, minerals and the water resources sectors as follows: Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people of Chhattisgarh. About 80% of the population depend on it for their livelihood. It is thus vital to the economy of the State, and any initiatives undertaken in this sector would have a lasting impact on the economy. Water being an important input for sustaining agricultural activities, its effective utilisation becomes vital for economic development.Chhattisgarh has sufficient water resources, but this resource largely remains untapped. In terms of the irrigation potential, it is estimated that 43- lakh hectare area can be irrigated as against the existing irrigation potential of 1. 34 lakh hectare Forestry has a significant role in the economic development of Chhattisgarh. 44% of the State is covered with forests, ranking it third in India in terms of forest cover. The State boasts of an abundance of minor forest produce like Tendu leav es, Sal seed, Mahua seed, gum, etc. , which have enormous economic potential Minerals: Chhattisgarh is rich in minerals.It produces 20% of the country's total cement produce. It ranks first in the nation for coal production and second in reserves, third in iron ore production and first in tin production. Limestone,  dolomite  and  bauxite  are abundant. It is the only  tin-ore producing state in the country. Other minerals include corandum,  garnet,  quartz,  marble,  alexandrite  and  diamonds Chhattisgarh has not fully realised the potential of its abundant mineral wealth. The presence of vast reserves of coal, iron ore, limestone, diamond, etc. have positioned the State second in the country’s list of mineral producing statesTOURISM Chhattisgarh, situated in the heart of  India, is endowed with a rich cultural heritage and attractive natural diversity. The state is full of ancient monuments, rare wildlife, exquisitely carved  temples,  Buddhistà ‚  sites,  palaces,  water falls, caves, rock paintings and hill plateaus. Most of these sites are untouched and unexplored and offer a unique and alternate experience to tourists, compared to traditional destinations which have become overcrowded. For tourists who are tired of the crowds at major destinations will like the  Bastar district, with its unique cultural and ecological identity.Conclusion Comparatively being a newly born state, Chhattisgarh is progressing by leaps and bounds. The global winds of changes can easily be sensed here. With its rich heritage it is competing with other states on number of counts and has been recognized at various forums for its achievements. It is both the land of opportunities and challenges. I, through this presentation could voice some of the challenges, which the state is facing, however with its inherent strengths, I am sure, the state will grow and develop at a high pace and can become leading state in the country.The people of Chha ttisgarh are determined to make the things happen, the way they have envisaged. The people are enterprising and are now well versed with change process. The state has exhibited growth pattern higher than targeted in recent past and would continue the trajectory. And therefore I must say in the end that Chattisgarh is the credible state with incredible potential. Now I would like you all to please watch this one minute video to get a feel of Chhattisgarh.