Wednesday, December 25, 2019

10 Fascinating Facts About Crickets

True crickets  ­(family Gryllidae) are probably best known for their incessant chirping on late summer evenings. Most people can recognize a house or field cricket, but how much do you know about these familiar insects? Here are 10 fascinating facts about crickets: Close Cousins of Katydids Crickets belong to the order Orthoptera, which includes grasshoppers, locusts, and katydids. While all these insects share traits with crickets, katydids are their closest cousins. Crickets and katydids feature long antennae and ovipositors (tubular organs through which they deposit eggs), are nocturnal and omnivorous, and use similar methods to make music. Masterful Musicians Crickets sing an impressive variety of songs, each with its own purpose. A males calling song invites receptive females to come closer. He then serenades the female with his courtship song. If she accepts him as a mate, he might sing a song to announce their partnership. Male crickets also sing rivalry songs to defend their territories from competitors. Each cricket species produces a signature call, with a unique volume and pitch. Rubbing Wings Makes Music Crickets produce sound by stridulating, or rubbing body parts together. The male cricket has a vein at the base of his forewings that acts as a file or scraper. To sing, he pulls this ridged vein against the upper surface of the opposite wing, causing a vibration amplified by the thin membrane of the wing. Ears on Front Legs Male and female crickets have auditory organs on their lower forelegs, oval indentations called tympanal organs. These tiny membranes are stretched over small air spaces in the forelegs. Sound reaching the cricket causes these membranes to vibrate. The vibrations are sensed by a receptor called a chordotonal organ, which turns the sound into a nerve impulse so the cricket can make sense of what it hears. Acute Hearing Because the crickets tympanal organs are so sensitive to vibrations, its remarkably difficult to sneak up on a cricket without it hearing you coming. Have you ever heard a cricket chirping and tried to find it? Every time you walk in the direction of the crickets song, it stops singing. Since the cricket has ears on its legs, it can detect the slightest vibration created by your footsteps. The best way for a cricket to avoid predators is to stay quiet. Chirping Can Be Hazardous Although a crickets keen sense of hearing can protect it from larger predators, its no protection against the sly, silent parasitic fly. Some parasitic flies have learned to listen for a crickets song to locate it. As the cricket chirps, the fly follows the sound until it finds the unsuspecting male. Parasitic flies deposit their eggs on the cricket; when the larvae hatch, they ultimately kill their host. Counting Chirps Reveals Temperature Amos E. Dolbear, a Tufts University  professor, first documented a relationship between the rate of a crickets chirps and the ambient air temperature. In 1897, he published a mathematical equation, called Dolbears Law, that enables you to calculate the air temperature by counting the number of cricket chirps you hear in a minute. Since then, other scientists have improved on Dolbears work by devising equations for different cricket species. Edible and Nutritious Much of the worlds population eats insects as part of their everyday diet, but entomophagy, as the practice is known, isnt accepted as readily in the U.S. But products such as cricket flour have made eating insects more palatable to those who cant bear to chomp on a whole bug. Crickets are high in protein and calcium. Every 100 grams of crickets you consume provides almost 13 grams of protein and 76 milligrams of calcium. Revered in China For more than two millennia, the Chinese have been in love with crickets. Visit a Beijing market and youll find prize specimens fetching high prices. In recent decades, the Chinese have revived their ancient sport of cricket fighting. Owners of fighting  crickets  feed their prizefighters precise meals of ground worms and other nutritious grub. Crickets are also prized for their voices. Cricket singing  in the home is a sign of good luck and potential wealth. So cherished are these songsters that they are often displayed in the home in beautiful cages made from bamboo. Breeding Is Big Business Thanks to the demand created by owners and breeders of reptiles, which eat crickets, cricket-breeding is a multimillion-dollar business in the U.S. Large-scale breeders raise as many as 50 million crickets at a time in warehouse-size facilities. The common house cricket, Acheta domesticus, is raised commercially for the pet trade. In recent years, a deadly disease known as cricket paralysis virus has devastated the industry. Crickets infected with the virus as nymphs gradually become paralyzed as adults, flipping onto their backs and dying. Half the major cricket breeding farms in the U.S. went out of business because of the virus after losing millions of crickets to the disease. Sources Crickets and Temperature, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Department of Entomology. Cranshaw, Whitney and Redak, Richard. Bugs Rule! An Introduction to the World of Insects.Elliott, Lang and Hershberger, Wil. The Songs of Insects.Evans, Arthur V. Field Guide to Insects and Spiders of North America.Frequently Asked Questions, Insectsarefood.com.The Cricket Paralysis Virus (C.P.V.), Cricket-Breeding.com.Ballenger, Joe. Cricket Virus Leads to Illegal Importation of Foreign Species for Pet Food, Entomology Today.

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Life Of John Steinbeck Essays - 1314 Words

John Steinbeck was a writer who used naturalism in his works to to bring awareness about problems in society that he dealt with in his own life. He frequently dealt with the economic and social problems of migrant workers in California and how they dealt with everyday life. He wrote through his fiction about what he knew and what affected him personally. Specifically, he wrote a novella entitled, Of Mice and Men, about two California migrant workers, George Milton and Lennie Small, who are trying desperately to earn enough money to buy a couple of acres of their own so that they won’t have to keep running from there problems all the time. Naturalism was a literary movement throughout the U.S. and Europe in the late 19th century to the†¦show more content†¦At age 35, because of the success of Of Mice and Men, it was named a Book-of-the-Month Club choice and Steinbeck was named as one of Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Year. Also, Steinbeck was asked to write articles about migrant workers for magazines and newspapers, bringing further awareness to the hardships of the migrant workers (LIS 7 ). In Of Mice and Men , Steinbeck wrote about two laborers, George Milton and Lennie Small. George is a small, slender and smart man; Lennie is a large, clumsy mentally challenged man who is physically strong. George had promised Lennie’s Aunt Clara that he would take care of Lennie when she died. They have traveled from Weed, California, to work together on a ranch in Soledad. Lennie and George have fled from Weed because Lennie was accused of trying to assault a girl. He was touching her dress and when he stroked it too hard she screamed and he hung on to her in fear. George and Lennie have a dream, to earn enough money so that they can have a place to call their own. They want to have rabbits â€Å"An’ live off the fatta the lan’† (STE 5). They arrive in Soledad and meet The Boss, and his son Curley. George and Lennie also meet Slim, the ranch hand who seems to have authority in the bunkhouse, Curley’s wife, and Candy, the old swamper. Candy has a dog, it’s very old and dirty, and smells up the bunkhouse; so when Slim’s dog has puppies, they convince Candy to let them kill the old dog and give him one of the new puppies. The nightShow MoreRelatedLife of John Steinbeck974 Words   |  4 Pagesthe famous American writer was John Steinbeck. He earned a Nobel prize of literature from his American classic novels that he had written in the past. The Nobel prize was not the only award that he had earned for his literature, he earned different awards for his writings also (John Stein..). John Steinbeck is a man who had overcome different obstacles and being successful in life. Everyone has a life history, John Steinbeck also has a history of his own. His life story began on February 27, 1902Read MoreThe Life and Writings of John Steinbeck Essay1107 Words   |  5 Pagesearth.† John Steinbeck said this of all humankind. He thought highly of us as a species, just as Dr. Stockmann did in Henrik Ibsen’s play Enemy of the People. Both men had problems in their societies, Stockmann in his town and Steinbeck in America, and both believed that humans were capable of seeing the problem and fixing it. The rest of the population did not see this as the case. They believed he was an enemy of the people and a threat to their way of life. Because of how Steinbeck expressedRead MoreEssay about The Life Journey of John Steinbeck 1264 Words   |  6 PagesThe Life Journey of John Steinbeck Every great writer had their own influences, John Steinbeck was no exception. Steinbeck’s influences cam from family, friends, and his environment to write detailed descriptions to involve or influence the reader. Whenever someone reads one of John Steinbeck’s works they are in immersed in the scene he is describing, he makes you feel as if you are right there experiencing everything there first hand. Steinbeck had a relatively normal childhood growing upRead MoreThe Portrayals Of Life in The Pearl by John Steinbeck Essay919 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novella â€Å"The Pearl† by John Steinbeck, an improvised pearl diver finds a humungous pearl which is described as a â€Å" sea-gull egg. It was the greatest pearl in the world†(26), which he hopes to buy tranquility and happiness for his family. Instead, he learns that the valuable pearl cannot buy happiness but only destroy his simple life. Throughout this novella there is a constant theme woven through the characters and settings which encompasses the struggle among social classes to become successfulRead More John Steinbeck Essay1735 Words   |  7 Pages John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in Salinas, California, a farming community with of about 2500 people. He was the third of four children and the only son of John Ernst and Olive Hamiton Steinbeck. His sisters Beth and Esther were much older than John and he felt closest to Mary, the youngest. He spent his childhood and adolescence in the Salinas Valley, which he later called â€Å"the salad bowl of the nation.† John’s mother, Olive, was the daughter of Irish immigrants. She left her parents’Read MoreAnalysis Of John Steinbeck s The Grapes Of Wrath And Of Mice And Men 1433 Words   |  6 PagesJustina Recchia Mrs. Genthe HAL-Period 8 10 March 2015 â€Å"What is life, what is death, and what do they mean?† The answers to this question are â€Å"Life is a process, death is part of life, neither life nor death means anything-they simply are; and the important things in life are love and beauty, which bring joy to the process of living. These answers are the philosophy of John Steinbeck † (Benson 555). John Steinbeck was a major American writer who has written many books, which have come to be knownRead MoreAmerica Is Home To Many Great Writers Whom Come Different1709 Words   |  7 Pagesdifferent backgrounds. American authors like John Steinbeck who add biographical elements into their pieces of writing. John Steinbeck, one of the most honorable authors of time, is known for receiving Nobel Prize, California commonwealth club medal, Pulitzer Prize, and other great accomplishments towards publishing sixteen novels. Steinbeck’s realist style of writing and life experiences impacting his life show the reade r he’s been through a lot in his life and adds plenty of meaning into his storiesRead MoreSymbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck Essay1547 Words   |  7 PagesSymbolism in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck The Chrysanthemums, one of John Steinbecks masterpieces, describes a lonely farmers wife, Elisa Allen. Elisa Allens physical appearance is very mannish yet still allows a hint of a feminine side to peek through. John Steinbeck brings symbolism into play to represent Elisa Allens frustrations and hidden passions. Isolation is another representation through symbolism found in The Chrysanthemums. Elisas failing detached marriage is representedRead More John Steinbeck was born to middle-lower class family in the farming1689 Words   |  7 PagesJohn Steinbeck was born to middle-lower class family in the farming community of Salinas, California. John’s Steinbeck Imagine†¦ your town is suddenly stricken with poverty. Your family business goes under because the economy of your local community can no longer support it. Herds of your closest friends continually move out of the town you grew up in due to a severe shortage of work. The basic necessities of life are so scarce that everyone around you reverts to their animalistic urgesRead More John Steinbeck Essay1174 Words   |  5 PagesJohn Steinbeck A novelist is someone who writes novels, or writes a fancy work of fiction which often has a complicated plot, many major and minor characters, a significant theme, and several varied settings. A novelist will use literary devices such as characterization, tone, symbolism, imagery, and figurative language. John Steinbeck, an American novelist, uses many literary devices such as metaphors, similes, imagery, and figurative language along with excellent descriptive words to develop

Monday, December 9, 2019

Star Wars The Movie free essay sample

A discussion on the story telling in Star Wars and on various aspects of fairy tales. This essay analyzes the movie Star Wars in terms of it fairy tale stories. The author provides several examples of known fairy tales and discusses the relationship between fairy tales, culture and unconsciousness. Even who has ever seen the first Star Wars movie knows that it has its, well, less then stellar, moments. A good deal of the dialogue could charitably be described as wooden. The special effects are fine, but beginning to look their age. There are some serious holes in the plot. But none of this matters as much as it should for the simple reason that the film is a great piece of storytelling. Writer George Lucas has said about this film that I realized that there are really no modern fairy tales I wanted to make a film that would strengthen contemporary mythology and introduce a kind of basic morality and this is fact does capture what has made the film such a cult classic. We will write a custom essay sample on Star Wars: The Movie or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page By using the structure and much of the basic symbolism of traditional fairy tales, the film connected instantly with peoples sense of an archetypal quest.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The environmental factors that effect turnip peroxidase Essay Example

The environmental factors that effect turnip peroxidase Paper The changing of pH, substrate concentrations, temperature, and an inhibitor (Niacin) and the effects it hade on the enzyme turnip peroxides. Enzymes are biological catalysts which increase reaction rates by lowering the activation energies of substrates. A substrate is a reactant that interacts with the enzyme. The enzyme and substrate can be viewed as the recently discovered induced fit model, which suggests enzymes are flexible and dynamic things that change their shape so all these substrates (reactants) can become catcalled when the activation energy is lowered and the reactions happen a lot faster. Sometimes in cells though it may not need a particular substrate (reactant) so an inhibitor comes into play. Inhibitors are basically regulators that inhibit (disallow) the process of catalysis to take place within a particular substrate. There are two types of inhibitors that occur in such reactions. Competitive inhibitors are remarkably similar to the substrate, so much that it can match interchangeably with the substrate, thus leading to a halt in the production of the intended product. Another variety of inhibitor is the electric inhibitors. Electric inhibitors change the shape of the enzyme by binding to a different site other the active site, which is the usual site for catalysis. Usually the electric inhibitors make contact with the side of the enzyme opposite the active site. We will write a custom essay sample on The environmental factors that effect turnip peroxidase specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The environmental factors that effect turnip peroxidase specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The environmental factors that effect turnip peroxidase specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer In some occasions however an electric activator is introduced and functions by connecting to the enzyme in a way that it allows for easy access for a substrate to the active site. Electric activators are the opposite of electric inhibitors. These regulators (both inhibitive and active in function) help keep the cell in homeostasis by not allowing too much or too little of a added or not needed product to be produced.. Enzyme activity is also regulated by cofactors which are either metal ions (e. G. Zen+, MGM+) or small organic molecules (e. G. Commence A, AND, NADIA, and many vitamins in our diet like iron). Cofactors main is to work together with enzymes to enhance the catalytic activity and by stabilizing the transition state. The transition state is the second of three steps of catalytic action of an enzyme. The transition state and termination state are important in regards to cofactors because the cofactors allow interactions between the enzyme and substrate lowering the activation energy required. The goal of the following paper is to inform you the reader on how environmental conditions such as temperature, pH, salt (an electrolyte), and how substrate concentration itself effects the rate of reaction and properties of turnip peroxides. If optimal rates of reaction can be determined for each parameter, perhaps a farmer can grow his turnips more effective and efficiently rather than if he didnt know that surrounding temperature, pH, cofactors, and inhibitors can effect the outcome of how much crop yielded. Turnip peroxides may be insignificant to us because its just a part of a urn but we must realize that the following experiments can and do affect us just as much if not more than these lifeless turnips. Inside our bodies right now things are being catcalled and pH. Enrapture, the amount of a particular substrate, and the presence of electrolytes (or absence of) can effect how we function from day to day. For instance if you over eat if you over eat, your body can only release so many digestive enzymes to break down this food (which can be seen as the substrate) so rate of reaction doesnt increase because their isnt enough digestive enzymes to digest this ridiculous amount of food. Thus an increase a digestive enzym es can catalyst more food leading to higher rate of reaction and less of a tummy ache. So the wise choice would be to eat small portions of food (substrate) so the digestive enzymes can breakdown evenly the food and produce energy for the body rather than wasting energy to breakdown the large amount of food. Thus the common hypothesis is that an increase in substrate concentration will effect peroxides activity. The null hypothesis is that the concentration of substrate will no effect on activity. PH is derived from the French puissant d hydrogen, or power of hydrogen . (biological science). The pH scale is a scale that indicates whether a substance is acidic or basic. The scale ranges from pH zero (acidic) to pH 14(basic). An example of an acidic product is lemon juice and milk of magnesia would be a base. Products are considered acidic because they give up protons during chemical reactions while basic receive protons. (Biological science). Neutral 7 is the point of reference. An example of a neutral solution would be rain water. Knowing the natural pH of turnip peroxides would be interesting to see whether its acidic or basic and to see what affect the two actors (acidic or basic) have on rate of reaction. The following information led the group to believe that the effect of pH activity will increase or decrease the natural pH of turnip peroxides and effect activity. The null hypothesis is that pH will have no effect on peroxides activity. The effect of temperature on an enzyme depends on the plant. Some plants can exist and grow hot climate like the desert and others can grow in cold climates respectively. Plants are said to be incapable of adjusting to internal temperature so it must be flexible to allow growth to occur when the Enrapture outside is optimal. To figure out optimal temperature for turnip peroxides could lead to better methods of choosing climates for the harvest of these turnips. An important term to know when it comes to temperature and the protein property of the peroxides is the term denatured. Denomination OCCUrs when an enzyme (with protein properties) is misfiled and rendered inactive. High temperatures usually lead to denominations because the increase in temperature essentially cooks the protein in the peroxides. Thus the increase in temperature will either increase peroxides activity of hinder it. The null hypothesis would that temperature will not effect activity. Salt is an electrolyte. Meaning the salt molecules (Niacin) will dissolve completely in water and individual and opposite charges will be a byproduct. Thus the amino acid property of peroxides can be affected by the An+ and CLC- ions. Denomination can occur is exposed to a high concentration of salt. Knowing the natural salt content of the turnip peroxides and adding more or less quantities can tell us when the peroxides becomes highly active and eventually denatured. The concentration of salt effects peroxides activity. The null hypothesis is that it doesnt. The equipment needed to test the parameters of the enzyme activity include a spectrophotometer set at Mann, civets, pipettes with pipettes , pipette tips, paraffin squares, blender, Kim wipes. To get the spectrophotometer ready to read our reaction, we need to first set the wavelength to Mann. Then set front left knob to 0%(no light). Insert the reference blank (with water) then set to 100%(no light block). Hen finally you can insert the sample tube into the chamber and red absorbent from the lower scale and the front of the spectrophotometer. Note: be sure to use Kim wipes on civets to prevent fingerprints that could throw off data). Regents or chemicals needed include hydrogen peroxide (1 percent H2O from 3% stock solution), turnip peroxides, glacial, pH buffers, and NCAA. To obtain turnip peroxides the lab instructor blended g of turnip into mm of water then filtered through a pa filter. T o obtain the correct amount of substrate (h2o) and NCAA, the CIVIC ;c.v. equation was necessary. C equals concentration and v equals volume in the equation. To test the effect the effect of pH on reaction rate we prepared 4 sets of action mixtures that contained glacial, h2o, peroxides. And 4 civets containing P HAS 2, 5, 7, and 10. (Note: mix peroxides last because the reaction happens immediately). The cavetti with h2o and glacial are mixed and added to a blank. The pH 2 is then poured in the blank as well. Then finally the peroxides is added. With paraffin covered over the cavetti the mix is inverted a couple of time to mix. The solution will turn brown due to the loss of hydrogen of glacial. Immediately after mixture insert the civets into already set spectrophotometer. Once set begin recording absences (start at zero) every 15 seconds until three minutes have elapsed-after reading values for three minutes discard the mixture appropriately in the waste beaker and clean civets. Now you can test PHS 5,7, 10. To test the effect of substrate concentration on peroxides activity different concentrations of substrate, peroxides glacial and h2o (the substrate) are needed. The procedures of adding chemicals (different amounts for h2o) and peroxides apply. Begin recording absorbency (start at zero) every 15 seconds until three minutes have elapsed. After reading values for three minutes discard the mixture appropriately in the waste beaker and clean civets. Unknown can test PHS 5,7,10. To test the effect of temperature the same amounts of peroxides, glacial, h2o, are used instead of using different pHs we used just pH 7. To regulate temperatures we used water/ice baths a 71 degrees Celsius. All solutions but the indicator (glacial) need to be at the temperatures. When ready the tubes sitting in the baths can be mixed (1 cavetti with h2o and pH 7 buffer, glacial, and finally peroxides) and set in the spectrophotometer. Begin recording absorbency (start at zero) every 1 5 seconds until three minutes have elapsed. After reading values for three minutes discard the mixture appropriately in the waste beaker and clean civets To test the effects of NCAA activity simply get 1 ml solutions of and 2 percent concentrations of 5% stock solution using call=c.v.. Follow same instructions as done for the temperature experiment and remember to mix the enzyme last so you get accurate results. Begin recording absorbency (start at zero) every 15 seconds until three minutes have elapsed. After eating values for three minutes discard the mixture appropriately in the waste beaker and clean civets. Figure 1 . Graph of absorbency of tubes in which salt was added to the assays that already contained a pH buffer (2. 1 ml), h2o (. 2 ml), turnip peroxides(l ml) and ecological(. Ml). Discussion PH had the lowest absorbent and had pH 10 had the highest. Thus peroxides is more prone to being a base. In the varying concentration levels of hydrogen peroxide on peroxides activity showed 2% to be the least active while 1% had the highest rate of reaction. This shows that an increase of the OIC Hahn results in a decrease of inactivity due to denomination. In the affect of temperature on enzyme activity as temperature went up so did the reaction but at the expense of denaturing of the peroxides. For the NCAA effect on peroxides activity showed increase for absorbent for all percentages and at 3% of . 1 ml of salt had the greatest absorbent. This shows that an increase or decrease of 3 hundredths of a ml of NCAA solution is going to denature the turnip peroxides. The hypothesis of each parameter was approved and the null was mulled. NCAA concentration indeed have an effect on the peroxides activity based on the graphs. The temperature did effect whether protein became denatured or not. The higher the pH the more activity occurred in peroxides and showed pH to be optimal for turnip peroxides. The increase of substrate effected the peroxides activity by denaturing the toxic h2o. Some problems were encountered in all the parameters of experimentation. The time between the the transfer of the assays to the spectrophotometeraffects the absorbencys. This could be easily solved by having the assay right by the spectrophotometer to make sure the sample gets in before the enzyme reacts.