Abstract This paper gives an introduction to the chemical substances of life: proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. It describes how proteins are formed, their primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structure, and gives examples of protein use in the human body. The paper also describes mono- and poly-saccharides, their structure, reactions, and functions in the human body. Lastly it describes lipids and fatty acids and their functions in the human body.
From the Paper "Proteins contain the elements carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen and some may also contain sulfur. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids. There are twenty essential amino acids found in cells and some proteins contain special amino acids which are derived from the essential twenty by a change in their constituents. They contain an amino group at one end (NH) and a hydroxyl group at the other (OH) and in between there is a carbon atom with one hydrogen and.
Abstract This paper analyzes John Updike's novel "Rabbit is Rich" with the following question in mind: Is Rabbit truly rich? The paper contends that in spite of material success, Rabbit's life is hollow.
From the Paper "In the third novel in John Updike's Rabbit series "Rabbit is Rich" Updike's protagonist, Harry Rabbit Angstrom has achieved financial security as the owner of a Toyota dealership. Indeed Harry appears to be enjoying the good life and he believes himself as happy and fulfilled. However, as the novel progresses it becomes obvious that the life that Harry believes he has built for himself is truly an illusion."
Abstract This paper looks at two groups of people who migrated to Washington D.C. after the Civil War - the African- Americans, mostly freed slaves, and the white nouveau riche. The paper then contrasts their experiences in the city.
Abstract This paper attempts to explore the proper timing of amino acids and carbohydrates in regard to protein synthesis. It does this by examining the causes of catabolism and what happens during this process, by looking at the building blocks and the types of proteins involved in the process and by studying the function of insulin and how it functions in relation to the intake of carbohydrates.
From the Paper "The field of Biochemistry which ?studies the structure, synthesis and degradation of large molecules found in living cells, their metabolic regulation, and their expression (Spencer, 1997)? is known as molecular biology. These large molecules, or macromolecules, include DNA, RNA, proteins and carbohydrates, and their complexes."
Abstract This paper examines the effects of a high fat/low-carbohydrate diet such as Atkins, on body weight and composition. This paper compares such a high fat diet to the effects of a calorie-reduced, fat-restricted diet in an attempt to answer the question of whether weight loss occurs because of a metabolic advantage. Metabolic advantage means that the body begins to use fat as energy due to a lowered carbohydrate intake.
From the Paper "One possible reason that the subjects in the Pogliaghi and Veicsteinas (1999) study did not appear to benefit from a low-carbohydrate/high fat diet might be that they have not been participating in endurance training. As an individual exercises, the resulting muscle contractions are done using ATP. How the body creates and uses this ATP is dependant upon the amount of the energy sources available, and the intensity and duration of the exercise. In all individuals, even those who are non-obese, glycogen is generally used for ATP and thus, during moderate exercise, the body creates ATP from available glycogen. As the intensity of exercise is increased, oxygen levels in the body decrease, which makes the creation of ATP difficult. The body, at this point, will begin to burn fat to substitute for this lack of ability. Since prolonged endurance training has the affect of conditioning the muscles to "crossover" to burn glycogen after longer time duration, trained individuals will burn more fat and less glycogen than untrained individuals will. This might explain why the study done by Pogliaghi and Veicsteinas (1999) yielded such results as it did, since the individuals in the study were not trained athletes."
Abstract The paper discusses evidence for and against the Atkins diet, which calls for a reduction in carbohydrate intake. The paper discusses the recommendations on carbohydrates by the government and the medical establishment and evidence offered by critics of the Atkins approach, including concerns on the part of some doctors that the diet may be dangerous.
From the Paper "The Atkins diet has been the subject of considerable controversy as it has become popular, leading to concerns on the part of some doctors that the diet may be dangerous. This diet is a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet, promising weight loss from a change in dietary habits in terms of reducing the consumption of carbohydrates and increasing the consumption of protein rather than by simply reducing intake. In this way, the diet promises that dieters will lose weight without going hungry. The Atkins diet was developed by Dr. Atkins in 1972."
Abstract This paper explains that, for overweight people and people with type 2 diabetes mellitus, the low calorie and low fat diets recommended by the government do not work well and actually worsen the condition. The author points out that low carbohydrate diets, such as the popular "Dr. Atkins Diet", are synonymous with a high-fat and moderate protein regime. The paper relates that, when carbohydrate intake is restricted, the insulin levels decrease and the levels of glucagon increase. The author underscores that the increased fats and oils keep the appetite under control. The author suspects that the mechanism of insulin resistance is not a disease but rather a mechanism of homeostasis used to keep the body's fat to muscle ratio in balance. The paper states that, when the body is out of balance, type 2 diabetes mellitus occurs to correct the epigenetic factors that caused the imbalance.
From the Paper "Insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes are now associated with decreased expression of genes that regulate oxidative phosphorylation in skeletal muscle. Uncoupling protein 3 (UPC3) is a protein transporter that uncouples oxidative phosphorylation of mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscle. Studies on UCP3 functions under various physiological conditions have suggested that the function of UCP3 is not limited only to regulation of whole-body energy metabolism but is also involved in regulation of lipids metabolism. Uncoupling proteins act to convert stored fat into thermal energy."
Abstract The paper discusses how understanding the effects of dietary changes is important from nutritional, health, chemical and performance standpoints. The paper discusses how bodybuilders might mistakenly believe that all one needs is more protein, since protein increases muscle mass. The paper explains that carbohydrates provide the energy that is critical to the support of the body's growth processes and explains why the body also needs fats. The paper describes the dangers and side effects associated with steroid usage. The paper shows how unfortunately, most bodybuilders make these dietary and chemical modifications without the thought of long-term sustainability; too many are looking for the quick-fix.
From the Paper "Knowing how important that protein is to increasing muscle mass, some bodybuilders might mistakenly come to the conclusion that all one needs is more protein. This erroneous belief, coupled with the current anti-carb craze, makes it difficult to assert the importance of carbohydrate intake. Nonetheless, carbohydrate intake has a very real place in the diet of the competing bodybuilder with very real consequences for any regimen. Part of what has given carbohydrates a bad name for bodybuilders is the fact that increasing the level of carbohydrates has the effect of boosting the body's levels of the hormone insulin."
Abstract This paper discusses the current worldwide economic gap between the rich and poor. The author examines some of the different reasons for this gap including a shrinking middle class, the exit of many production facitilites from the United States to countries with cheap labor. According to this writer, the information age has helped establish a global economy whose members do not all share the same successes, or political stability. The paper also discusses the differences between American and European economic policies and how these policies helped or hindered recovery from the economic downturn that began in the early 1990s. The author also discusses how economic inequality, government policies, or lack of them, international financial investments and policy, deregulation and privitization and abuse of free trade have have all contributed to the growing worldwide gap between the rich and poor.
From the Paper "In America, during the Great depression of the 1930, President Roosevelt placed on the back of the one-dollar bill, an unfinished pyramid with a glowing eye at the top. The pyramid represented the economic strength and the durability of the American economy. The unfinished section represented the vast potential that could still be attained. It encouraged the American people to work harder and attain more. The bill also has two Latin inscription (Annuit Coeptis) and (Novos Ordo Seclorum). The first tells Americans that God favors their undertakings; the second prophesies a new American order of wealth. (Thurow, 1999) This indicates that no matter how much society as a whole has progressed, the fundamental measures by which man measures himself in terms of wealth and possessions have not changed from the Egyptian society of prehistoric times to the current societies. The need for man to be able to satisfy his daily needs and save some thing for a rainy day will always be a good motivator."
Abstract This paper addresses two poems by poets Adrienne Rich and Sylvia Plath. First, it looks at Rich's poem, "Living in Sin", which confronts the traditional order and understanding of the relationship between genders in a new and intriguing way. The paper then looks at Sylvia Plath's poem, ?Daddy,? which offers a stringent critique of patriarchal notions of dominance within society.
From the Paper "Understood this way, the "daddy" of Plath's poem becomes a free-floating signifier whose attachment to the actual daddy of her childhood is tenuous at best. Indeed, the fact that Plath uses a childlike voice in the text that engages in a sort of nursery-rhyme call and response, further emphasizes the idea that the poem's daddy represents all of the frustrations and torment that the speaker has been forced to suffer by the patriarchal society in the world."
Abstract Are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer? The author brings a variety of articles that discuss the concept of inequality and how serious it really is. One article shows how income and wealth are not the same thing, another shows how rich and poor groups keep on changing, yet another discusses whether inequality is actually a problem, and finally an article defining the poverty gap as both income and asset poverty. There are differing views on what inequality consists of and what is problematic or just a product of the natural economy. The author concludes with these unresolved arguments and shows how complex the situation is.
From the Paper "An article published in the Multinational Monitor titled "The Wealth Divide: The Growing Gap in the United States Between the Rich and the Rest" presents an interview with Edward Wolff, a professor of economics at New York University. The article provides information on the wealth gap in the United States, starting by noting that there is a difference between wealth and income. Wolff describes how wealth refers to the things that people own, including a home, real estate, shares, general belongings, and savings. One of the important things about wealth is that it determines how much income a person needs. For example, a person who owns their home outright and does not have a mortgage will be better off than a person who does not own their home, even if the two individuals have the same level of income. The other important point about wealth is that it provides a measure of security when individuals are unable to produce income for any reason. Wolff also describes trends and statistics regarding wealth in the article. These statistics include that in 1998, the richest one percent of households had 38 percent of all wealth and that the gap between the most wealthy and the least wealthy becomes constantly larger. This shows the extent of the inequality that exists in regards to wealth. It also shows how the wealthiest people make up only a small amount of the total population, yet have over one-third of the wealth. This shows that inequality does not exist only in regards to income, but is equally concerning in regards to the distribution of wealth."
Abstract Aristotle strongly believes that neither the rich nor the poor are equipped for promoting a functional and balanced social environment due mainly to their lack of moral character. In order to circumvent this problem, it is necessary to ensure that the middle classes are empowered in terms of political structure, where the middle class does indeed have the knowledge of virtue that is essential for the forward- thinking society. There is an emphasis on the essay "Polis" from Aristotle's work Politics.
Abstract This paper looks at whether or not richer states are morally obliged to assist poorer states in their efforts at economic development. Using Rawls's distributive justice model as the backbone of the paper, it is concluded that such an obligation does exist in practice, though there is no underlying compulsion for states to assist others other than in their own self interest. The study concludes by arguing that the more important question may actually be what rich states can actually do to ameliorate inequality. In the end, it seems that good intentions and deeds may not be enough to overcome the natural laws of inequality.
Abstract This ten-page undergraduate paper analyzes and interprets a selected text in Luke involving the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. The author uses scripture study tools, commentaries, concordances, bible thesauruses, textbooks, and other interpretive texts in order to ascertain the meaning of the parable. In the process, he takes into account the parable's historical context, its social and political setting, and various religious interpretations. Finally, he discusses literary form and why that form was chosen, the theme of the text, his original understanding of the text, and how it changed after completing his research.
Abstract This paper is based on a discussion of class structures in the United States, with an emphasis on the "corporate rich" and how wealthy families benefit from a social network that perpetuates wealth and power. Specifically, it is a criticism of a study by M. Patrick Allen that used vague, qualitative factors such as the wealthy's emphasis on privacy and use of estate planning to ensure that their wealth passes on to successive generations. This paper argues that the factors he considers are too vague to be meaningful, and that new factors such as campaign reform have at least the potential to mitigate the influence of wealth on politics and power.
From the Paper "In his prodigious writings on early American history, French aristocrat Alexis de Tocqueville frequently noted the relative absence of a class system in the developing democracy. In the introduction of his essay "Democracy in America", de Tocqueville commented, "Among the novel objects that attracted my attention during my stay in the United States, nothing struck me more forcibly than the general equality of condition among the people." To this day, Americans pride themselves on a relative absence of a class system in a country founded on the principle that any child can grow up and become successful with a combination of skill and determination."
