Animals and Man Essay -- Analysis, G.W. Leibniz

G.W. Leibniz asserts that humans are superior to all other creatures. Admittedly, Leibniz’s ideas on this matter are somewhat ambiguous, making it difficult to ascertain his exact position. In some instances within the Discourse on Metaphysics, he appears to hold that animals do not have souls. On other occasions, however, he seems to express beliefs to the contrary. For example, Leibniz first expresses doubt about souls of animals when he questions â€Å"if they [animals] have any [souls]† (Leibniz, 11). In another example, on the contrary, he hints that â€Å"the souls †¦ of other bodies are entirely different from intelligent souls† (12). This gives the impression that both other bodies and humans (â€Å"intelligent souls†) have souls albeit different to some degree. Later, however, Leibniz definitively remarks â€Å"that animals have souls† (37). In The Monadology, any remaining uncertainty vanishes. Here, he first mentions that â €Å"nature has given heightened perceptions to animals, from the care she has taken to furnish them organs †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (71). Then, a few words later Leibniz vows to explain â€Å"how what occurs in the soul represents what occurs in the organs† (71). What he implies with this passage is that animals, just like humans, have souls which are influenced and impacted by sensory perceptions. Then, in XXVI of The Monadology, he explains that â€Å"[m]emory provides a kind of sequence in souls, which imitates reason, but which must be distinguished from it† (71). Leibniz continues, providing an example of a dog remembering abuse with a stick to suggest that animals have some form of memory or perception. As a result of the memories of abuse and a recollection of the pain, the dog flees when presented with a stick. In arguing as much, Lei... ...ecies. Since humans cannot catch prey, without the use of tools or weaponry, as efficiently as a lion, the lion could then be deemed superior. Reframing what supposedly makes man superior out of an anthropocentric view hopefully elucidate the idea that no trait makes any being superior over any other. I agree with Leibniz that a mind created in the image of God should, indeed, â€Å"act with knowledge in imitation of the divine nature† (39). This includes acting as moral agents to consider the good and inherent worth of all beings. After all, in many respects, animals and man are very similar. But, assuming human superiority is an abuse of our unique position as moral agents of God. Moreover, if we believe God has infinite and perfect virtues who acts in a divine nature, then it seems that such an omnibenevolent being would not value any creature over any other.

Epicatechin content in green tea (Camellia sinensis) supplements and their antioxidant activities

Introduction/background Green tea produced from Camellia sinensis is a popular beverage and is consumed worldwide. Green tea produced from Camellia leaves are mainly consumed in East Asian countries including China, Japan and Taiwan; whereas in western parts and south Asian countries, black tea is relatively popular (Chan, et.al. 2011). Green tea produced from Camellia is believed to have several health benefits. The tea from Camellia mainly contains flavanols or catechins, epigallocatechins, epicatechin gallate and epicatechin. The tea is manufactured in such a way that the catechin oxidation by polyphenol oxidase is prevented (Chan, et.al. 2011). Although all of these components in green tea are reported to have several health benefits, in this study only the role of epicatechin in green tea from Camellia has been extensively reviewed. Epicatechin is a strong antioxidant, which has been suggested to have several health benefits (Ravindranath, et.al. 2009).1.1. Project Aims Considering the antioxidant acti vities of epicatechin content in Camellia sinensis, and having reviewed available literature on the subject area, this project therefore aims to; Identify and quantify epicatechin content in herbal supplements by using standard compound. Understand and evaluate the antioxidant property of the standard compound that has been reported to be the antioxidant activity of the supplements. These aims were targeted with the views to providing clearer understanding of the role of antioxidants, present in green tea, as well as the health benefits associated to it.1.2 Standardization of plant extractsHerbal supplements are the complex mixtures containing organic chemicals derived from different plant sources including leaves, stems, flowers, roots and seeds. Although most herbal supplements and their compounds present in them are safe, many have been reported to have biologically active compounds that can alter several physiological processes within the body, as well as may interact with drugs. Thus, it is important to know the presence of active ingredients in the herbal supplement (Bent, 2008). Moreover, plant extracts are found to be rich in free radical and reactive oxygen species that are implicated in the alterations of various metabolic processes, and may lead to human diseases (Cases, et.al. 2010). Information on the biologically active compounds in herbal products will also help consumers in many aspects. Higher therapeutics effects can be seen in standardized extracts compared to the whole herb or non-standardized extracts; this is because, active principal is concentrated to a much higher level in the extracts than in the plant itself. Thus, purchasers of herbal products will get health benefits if extracts are standardized (Cases, et.al. 2010). 1.3 AntioxidantsAntioxidants are the compounds that are commonly derived from enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase; from minerals such as selenium, manganese, copper and zinc; as well as naturally from A, C and E vitamins (Lobo, et.al. 2010). Natural antioxidants are commonly found in plants consumed in the diet including carotenoids and phenolic compounds. Moreover, plants contain high concentrations of numerous antioxidants that include polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, glutathione and ascorbic acid (Charles, 2013). Their most important role in the body is to protect cells against the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are the unstable molecular species containing an unpaired electron that are able to exist independently. Most of these species are highly reactive and are potentially damaging to the cells (Lobo, et.al. 2010). Some of the common oxygen- free radicals that are involved in many human diseases include hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion radical, hydrogen peroxide, oxygen singlet, hypochlorite, nitric oxide radical, and peroxynitrite radical. Increased levels of these reactive species in the body cells induce damage of the DNA, proteins, carbohydrates and lipids. Thus, a balance between free radicals and antioxidants is necessary for proper physiological function (Lobo, et.al. 2010). Any dis-balance in this may result the initiation of various diseases including cancer, vascular diseases and degenerative diseases. Hence, the study of antioxidants and their sources have been the focus of intense research.1.4. Brief information on herbal supplements to use in the projectThis project studies the presence of epicatechin content in Camellia sinensis; thus, the project uses herbal capsules from Camellia sinensis as herbal supplements. Camellia sinenis is taken as green tea and contains antioxidants i n it, which is why it is commonly used in herbal medicine. Epicatechin is abundantly found in Camellia sinensis herbal supplement. Cameillia sinensis also contains various active compounds as extracts. Some of the major active compounds found in Camellia sinensis include catechins, caffeine, flavonols and proanthocyanidins (Charles, 2013). The health benefits of green tea (Camellia sinensis) epicatechins are being extensively studied and explained . Endothelial cells are associated to vascular function and homeostasis whose dysfunction may have implication in cardiovascular disease including atherogenesis. (Moore, et.al. 2009). Moreover, some studies suggest their anticancer role by enchaining apoptosis (Ravindranath, et.al. 2009). With findings emerging from several new studies regarding the health benefits of the green tea from Camellia sinensis, it is being increasingly popular among the people. Methods Simple and reliable techniques will be chosen in this project to investigate epicatechin content in Camellia sinenis. Experiments will be carried out using reflux extraction to determine the biologically active compounds present in the test supplement (herbal capsules from Camellia sinensis). This will be confirmed by NMR analysis. NMR analysis will be done to confirm that determination of correct biological compound including antioxidants from Camellia sinensis. Crude extract will be made from the material extracted from herbal capsules using a suitable solvent under reflux, which will then be run on thin layer chromatography (TLC) to see if a corresponding band for the standard also appears in the extract. This will tell whether or not the compound is present in the extract, as the study of organic compounds present in the supplement of Camellia sinensis can be made using this technique. To cut of the evaporation time, rotary evaporation method will be employed while evaporating th e solvent. Reverse phase analytical high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) will be used to identify the standard compound in the extract and then to quantify the amount of compound in it. Finally, the antioxidant assay will be carried out to determine the antioxidant activity of the extracted compound; as a control, plant Flavonoid quercetin, which has antioxidant activity, will be used. REFERENCES Charles, J.D. (2013). Antioxidant Properties of Spices, Herbs and Other Sources. Natural Antioxidants. 39-64. Chan, E.W.C, Eu, Y.S, Tie, P.P, Law, Y.P. (2011). Pharmacognosy Research. Antioxidant and antibacterial properties of green, black, and herbal teas of Camellia sinensis. 3(4), 266-272. Irshad, M and Chaudhuri, P.S. (2002). Indian journal of experimental biology. Oxidant-antioxidant system: role and significance in human body.. 40(11), 1233-1239. Lobo, V, Patil, A, Phatak, A, Chandra, N. (2010). Pharmacogn Rev. Free radicals, antioxidants and functional foods: Impact on human health. 4(8), 118-126. Moore, R.J, Jackson, K.G, Minihane, A.M. (2010). The British journal of nutrition. Green tea (Camellia sinensis) catechins and vascular function. 96(4), 597-605. Ravindranath, M.H, et.al.,. (2006). Evid Based Complement Alternat Med.. Epicatechins Purified from Green Tea (Camellia sinensis) Differentially Suppress Growth of Gender-Dependent Human Cancer Cell Lines. 3(2), 237-247. Ravindranath, et.al., (2009). Evidence-based complementary and alternative medicine. Differential Growth Suppression of Human Melanoma Cells by Tea (Camellia sinensis) Epicatechins (ECG, EGC and EGCG). 6(4), 523-530. Roman, M, (2001) Natural Products Insider, http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/2001/04/the-benefits-and-pitfalls-of-standardizing-botanic.aspx, 11/12/2013. Uzunalic, A.P, et.al.. (2006). Food Chemistry. Extraction of active ingredients from green tea (Camellia sinensis): Extraction efficiency of major catechins and caffeine. 96(4), 597-605. Yang, Z, Xu, Y, Jie, G, He, P and Tu, Y. (2007). Asia Pac J Clin Nutr. Study on the antioxidant activity of tea flowers (Camellia sinensis) . 16(1), 148-152.

Wgu Human Resources Code of Ethics - 7430 Words

To: Bon Jovi, CEO From: Xavier Smith, Division Manager Date: April 23, 2012 Re: Production Concerns Message I am thrilled to join Company X’s management team. My colleagues have been stellar in providing me support and helping me accilmate to the organizational culture, which is different from what I am accustomed to. I have encountered my first challenge, a challenge that is incumbent that I bring to your attention along with three detailed solutions, inclusive of attractive and detractive aspects of each. It is also important that I share with you the methodology I employed to arrive at these conclusions, since it is reasonable for you to have access to and test the methodology employed to engender these solutions. I will†¦show more content†¦Promotes high levels of customer service due to considering customers’ health. Holds all parties accountable for their actions due to process review and refinement. Weaknesses: Massive delays in production. Abrogation of contract with current supplier. Extensive training costs for new products. Extensive project-management costs to deploy new product. Substantial increase in customer churn due to offering different product. Possible negative press in foreign market. Possible domestic layoffs due to change in product. Opportunities: New streams of revenue due to new product. New streams of customers due to new-product demand. New, lower cost contracts with new suppliers. Possible employment of foreign workers to replace costly domestic workers. Threats: Legal threats from current employees subject layoff. Possible customer revolt if competitor unable to make up for our departure from whistle market. Increased regulatory scrutiny possible based on new product. Intractable board of directors. Based on these considerations, Solution A is a viable candidate for resolution. Celine Jiles Solution B Strengths: Minimal delay in production. Avoid lead-level requirements. Safter products for customers, thereby increasing customer satisfaction. Avoid legal issues from foreign and domestic governments. Contract abrogation with supplier if process failure due to supplier. Socially responsibleShow MoreRelatedEst1 Task21159 Words   |  5 PagesWGU EST1 Task 2 Company X Ethics Program Standards and Procedures: Company X expects all employees to conduct themselves with integrity, professional and responsible actions at all times. An employee’s actions in both personal life and professional life should avoid any situations that (A) could be construed as harmful to the company or its employees or (B) cause negative public reactions that could impact Company X customers or customer relations in adverse ways. You are a Company X representativeRead MoreWgu Professional Role and Value Essay1210 Words   |  5 Pagesutilize updated evidence based nursing practices articles and journals as resources. The Professional Nursing Organization also advocates the code of ethical and principles of nursing by contributing to the development of policies and best nursing practices (Nursing World webpage). The code of ethics in nursing serves as a tool for nurses and nursing organizations. There are nine provisions that constitute the nursing code of ethics and every single one is directly involved in my nursing practices.Read MoreMkc1 Study Guide Essay8083 Words   |  33 PagesBy requiring tailored marketing strategies C. By creating a need for a new marketing technologies D. By studying different cultural practices 2. What element should marketing managers consider when scanning the competitive environment? A. The human mind B. Transfer price C. Substitute products D. The distribution channel 3. When a group of retailers and wholesalers of a particular product decided to all raise prices together and they are accused of overpricing customers. Which federal lawRead MoreJJT2 Social Responsibility Task 1 WGU Essay4315 Words   |  18 PagesSocial Responsibility and Sustainable Business Practices WGU, JJT2 20 June 2014 ***PASSED*** Businesses, specifically larger corporations, play a major role in what occurs in society therefore, they are responsible to their stakeholders not only to pursue economic goals but the greater social good as well. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) means that a corporation should act in a way that enhances society and its inhabitants and be held accountable for any of its actions that affect peopleRead MoreProfessional Roles and Values7002 Words   |  29 PagesProfessional Roles and Values Melissa Hurst WGU Professional Roles and Values RUP1 Professional Roles and Values INTRODUCTION Nursing is not just simply going to school and passing the NCLEX. It truly is an experience like no other, filled with lifelong learning that continues far past the classroom. Nurses learn not only from their classroom and clinical experience, but also from past experiences and even our earliest predecessors. Although at times it can be very hectic and challenging