Philosophy Essays Daoism Confucianism

Philosophy Essays Daoism Confucianism Daoism Confucianism Daoism: An Introduction China has contributed immensely towards the culture of the world, some significant contributions include Tangculture which is Bhuddhist influence in art and the same is predominant in the field of sclupture and numerous other masterpieces which are well admired all round the world.One such masterpiece is Daoism, the term may sound complicated but in reality it is not as complicated as it sounds. This paper will discuss the evolution and the principles of Daoism. Daoism has a native connection like another term which is Confucianism, the spirit of the Chinese people is reflected by Daoism. It evolved from the ancient Chinese society and it portrays the beliefs and idealogy of the Han nationality. The souce of its origination is from the workship of gods and spirits. Daoism is regarded as philosophical tradition of China malong with Confucianism. Daoism encompasses thought and practice that sometimes are viewed as philosophical, as religious, or as a combination of both. While modern scholars, especially those in the West, have been preoccupied with classifying Daoist material as either philosophical or religious, historically Daoists themselves have been uninterested in such categories and dichotomies.(IEP.UTM 1, September 2008) Scholars across Europe have been working maticulously on how to classify Daoism, whether it constitutes to philosphy or religion. The confusion has prevailed for quite sometime now. During the time of the Han Dynasty, Daoism was not in existence but early texts like Daodejing and the Zhuangzi triggered off the beginning of Daoism. There is a common belief among the people that a teacher by the name Laozi founded the school and also wrote himself all the major works called as Daodejing, the same is also known as Laozi. Daoists were the people who followed Daoism; they firmly believed that immortality was not a gift from god. They also believed that this is a connection between the nature and their bodies. People who though like this were believed to be living in the mountains and considering the same they considered their bodies to be mountains and walked on the path of immortality. They involved themselves in interesting activities such as physical exercises, discovering new sexual p ostitions to make sure that the flow of energy is greater than what it wasin the earler position, they also tried their hands at Chemistry but many of them died becuause of over experimentation. Not only did they die but a few emporers who followed in their footsteps also met with the same fate as the Daiosts. Get help with your essay from our expert essay writers Daoism always wanted people to cultivate the quality of self-cultivation in them. The teachings that were later called Daoism were first known under the name of Huanglao Dao in the 3rd and 2nd cent. BCE. The thought world transmitted in this stream is what Sima Tan meant by Daojia. The Huanglao School was a center of Daoist practitioners in the state of Qi (modern Shandong). Huangdi was the name for the Yellow Emperor, from whom the rulers of Qi said they were descended. When Emperor Wu, the sixth sovereign of the Han dynasty (r. 140-87 BCE) elevated Confucianism to the status of the official state ideology and training in it became mandatory for all bureaucratic officials, the tension with Daoism became more evident. And yet, at court people still sought longevity. Wu continued to engage in many Daoist practices, including the use of alchemy, climbing sacred Taishan (Mt. Tai), and presenting petitions to heaven. (IEP.UTM 1, September 2008). Principles of natural order as first established in ancient Chinese philosophy To define the principles, a step by step approach towards learning a few new concepts is required. The most important term is Dao, translating the Chinese word into English is very difficult because no word in English exactly gives the Chinese meaning but the english word which comes closest is the way, the meaning is the right path, the word describes the nature of the world in the true sense. People believe that Dao keeps the universe balanced, it is a strange belief but the sentiments of the Chinese people are attached with it. Knowing the key terms is very important as it paves the way in understanding Daoism better. The term Dao should not be misunderstood, it is not treated as god or a guiding figure, it is merely the path which should be adopted by an individual. The term is also perceived as a road. By this it is understood that the Chinese believed in changes, where as resisting changes is human nature, so from this it can be made out that the Chinese were unlike other peopl e who had this feeling of resisting changes. The next important term is Wu Wei, this is the core of Daoism or in other words it will not be unfair to say that this forms the center of Daosim. If the literal meaning of this term is taken, it means without action or in other words doing a task effortlessly. The main goal of Wu Wei is to align with Tao, hence it can be made out that the two terms are realted in more ways than one. Wu wei should be the way of life, because the dao always benefits, it does not harm (ch. 81) The way of heaven (dao of tian) is always on the side of good (ch. 79) and virtue (de) comes forth from the dao alone (ch. 21). What causes this natural embedding of good and benefit in the dao is vague and elusive (ch. 35), not even the sages understand it (ch. 76). But the world is a reality that is filled with spiritual force, just as a sacred image used in religious ritual might be (ch. 29). (IEP.UTM 1, September 2008). The next term is Pu, the terms sound really strange because these are taken from Chinese language and any language which is not familiar creates a strange impact on people. The term means simplicity; it is all about passive reception. This is perception of people leaving prejudice out of the equation, which is very difficult in any circumstances. Prejudice plays a key role in anyones perception and leaving it out of the equation is a very very big ask for all the normal people. The term Pu is all about being content with what is available with a person. The fourth and the last principle is De, the concept is very very complex and obviously very difficult to understand. To simplify the concept and understand it better it is fair to say that De is nothing but the expression of personal integrity. So the four terms aim at developing four qualities in a person namely oneness, all are equal and no differentiation of any kind should be shown towards anybody, harmonial action aims at mainta ing harmony among the people, dynamic balance focusses upon bringing stability in the people and cyclic growth makes sure that the people grow as individuals which is imperative for any individual, everyone should always strive to grow, there should not be a standstill as far as growth is concerned. All the four principles have their aims and all are meant to instill some quality or the other in an individual. How the style of poetry conforms to the basic ideals of the Daoists The poems written by the Daoists were called the Ci-poetry; it followed strict rhymic notes and lines. It was also made sure that the words used in the poetry were precise and made good sense. The Daoists composed Ballads, a musical poem which tells a story. The Book of Laozis Conversion of the Barbarians also collects 18 pieces of Ci of the Venerable Sovereigns 16 Transformations. They belong to Daoist tales about deities transformation. Tales about deities transformation are a means of relating the transformation of deities. Daoist tales about deities transformation refer to the style of relating the transformation of Daoist deities. In order to be adapted to the need of reciting and singing, this genre always adopts the form of yunwen (i.e. literary composition in rhyme). For example, Ci of the Venerable Sovereigns 16 Transformations is a piece of yunwen. The author arranges the plots according to the changes in orientations, and the shifting in places is based on the positions of the Eight Trigrams 4 in nine palaces of change. The Eight Trigrams represent the eight directions, and two cycles of the Eight Trigrams produce 16 pieces of Ci of transformation. (Eng. Taoism, 1 September 2008). The concept of the poems generally focussed upon immortality, ways to become immortal and what it takes to be immortal. Poetry was very influencial in shaping up the people at that time. Conclusion Classifying the term Daoism as philosphical or relioginal causes an ambiguity, let the scholars decide that but the positives can be taken and applied in day to day life, results will surely be visible if people stick to the four principles of Daoism which focus upon oneness, harmony, growth and dynamic balance. References Daoist Philosphy. In Iep.Utm. Retrieved on 1 September 2008 from: http://www.iep.utm.edu/d/daoism.htm#H2 A General Introduction. In Taoist.Org. Retrieved on 1 September 2008 from: http://www.taoist.org.cn/English/daoism.htm Daoism in Brief. In His.com. Retrieved on 1 September 2008 from: http://www.his.com/~merkin/daoBrief.html Taoism. In ReligiousTolerence. Retrieved on 1 September 2008 from: http://www.religioustolerance.org/taoism.htm

Hot Wet Equatorial Climate

THE HOT, WET EQUATORIAL CLIMATE Distribution -Is found between 5 ° and 10 °N and S of the equator. Its greatest extent is found in the lowlands of the Amazon, Congo D. R, Malaysia and the East Indies. -Further away from the equator, the influence on the on-shore Trade Winds gives rise to a modified type of equatorial climate with the Monsoon influences. -Within the tropics, the equatorial highlands have a distinctively cooler climate, modified by altitude such as the Cameron highlands, northern Andes and Kenyan highlands in East AfricaMap CLIMATE 1. Temperature – The most outstanding feature of an equatorial climate is its great uniformity of temperature through out the year – The mean annual temperatures are always around 27 °C with very little variation. -there is no winter. -cloudiness and precipitation help to moderate the daily temperature so that even at the equator itself the climate is bearable. -regular land and sea breezes also assist in maintaining a tr uly equable climate. -the diurnal range is small and so is the annual range.Figures below illustrate the rhythm of climate experienced in two different equatorial regions, one on lowland (Kuala Lumpur) and the other on the highland (Bogota). Kuala Lumpur Month JFMAMJJASOND Temp( °C)262627272727262626262627 Rainfall (mm)170170236279216127104157185274257231 Annual precipitation 2 413mm Annual temperature range 1 °C (27 °C – 26 °C) Bogota Month JFMAMJJASOND Temp( °C)141415151414141414141414 Rainfall (mm)948912424416581668474213224142 Annual precipitation 1 610mm Annual temperature range 1 °C (15 °C – 14 °C) 2. Rainfall – Rainfall is heavy, between 1 524mm and 2 540mm and well distributed throughout the year. There is no month without rain. There are two periods of maximum rainfall, April and October which occur shortly after the equinoxes. The double rainfall peaks coinciding with the equinoxes are a characteristic feature of equatorial climates not found in any other type of climate. -Due to great heat in the equatorial belt mornings are bright and sunny. There is much evaporation and convection air currents are set up, followed by heavy downpours of convectional rains in the afternoon from the towering cumulonimbus clouds. -Besides the convectional rainfall, mountainous regions also experience much Orographic or relief rainfall.In addition, there are some intermittent showers from cyclonic atmospheric disturbances caused by the convergence of air currents in the doldrums. -The relative humidity is constantly high (over80%) making one feel sticky and uncomfortable. NATURAL VEGETATION -Equatorial region support a luxuriant type of dense vegetation –the tropical rain forest- because of heavy rainfall and uniform temperature. -In the Amazon lowlands, the forest is so dense and so complete that a special term ‘Selvas’ is used. 1. A great variety of vegetation -The equatorial vegetation comprises a multitude of evergreen trees that yield tropical hardwood e. . mahogany, ebony, greenheart, cabinet woods and dyewoods. -There are smaller palm trees, climbing plants like lianas or rattan which may be hundred of metres long and epiphytic and parasitic plants that live on other plants. -Under the trees grow a wide variety of creepers, ferns, orchids and lalang 2. A distinct layer arrangement .-From the air, the tropical rain forest appears like a thick canopy of foliage. All plants struggle upwards for sunlight resulting in a peculiar later arrangement. -The tallest trees attain a height of 45m with dense undergrowth that can tolerate shade. 3. Multiple species Trees of equatorial rainforest are not found in pure stands of a single species like in the temperate where forests where only a few species occur in a particular area. This has made timber exploitation to be difficult. 4. Forest clearings -Many parts of the virgin tropical rainforests have been cleared either for lumbering or shifting c ultivation. When these clearings are abandoned, less luxuriant secondary forests, called belukar in Malaysia, spring up. -These are characterised by short trees and very dense undergrowth. Mangrove forests thrive in the coastal areas and brackish swamps. LIFE AND DEVELOPMENTThe equatorial regions are generally sparsely populated. In the forests most primitive people live as hunters and collectors and the more advanced ones practice shifting cultivation. Food is so abundant in such a habitat that many people worry very little the life of the next day. There are numerous animals, birds and reptiles and can be hunted to serve the needs of the community. Crops grown include manioc (tapioca), yams, maize, bananas and groundnuts. Plantation agriculture is also practised widely with the outstanding crop, rubber. Malaysia and Indonesia are the leading producers of rubber.Another tropical crop is cocoa, which is more extensively cultivated in West Africa in Ghana and Ivory Coast. Other crops include oil palm, cocoanuts, coffee, tea, tobacco, spices, bananas, pineapples, etc. FACTORS AFFECTING DEVELOPMENT †¢Equatorial climate and health: excessive heat and humidity expose human beings to sunstroke and to such diseases as malaria and yellow fever. †¢Prevalence of bacteria and insect pests. †¢Jungle hinders development and maintenance. †¢Rapid deterioration of tropical soil. †¢Difficulties in lumbering and live stock farming. †¢Poor pasture.

Effect of Coffee Essay

Abstract The present study was undertaken to evaluate the use of ground roasted coffee (Coffee Arabica; GRC) as a natural feed additive in practical fish diets and its impact on growth, feed utilization, biochemical variables, and body composition of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L. ). Ground roasted coffee was added to the ingredients of tested diets to represent 0. 0 (control), 0. 5, 1. 0, 2. 0, or 5. 0 g/kg diet. Fish (1. 9 Â ± 0. 03 g) were distributed to various treatments at a rate of 20 fish per 80-L aquarium and fed one of the experimental diets for 10 weeks. No growth-promoting influences of GRC were observed; however, the optimum fish growth and feed utilization were obtained at 0. 0 – 1. 0 g GRC/kg diet. The inclusion of GRC in fish diet over 1. 0 g/kg diet reduced fish growth, feed consumption, and the protein contents in fish body. The highest lipids and ash contents were obtained at 5. 0 g GRC/kg diet. Glucose, plasma protein, and plasma lipids decreased significantly, meanwhile aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and creatinine increased significantly in fish fed 5. 0 g GRC/kg diet. Fish survival (93. 3 – 97. 8%) was not affect by GRC inclusion in fish diets. These results indicate that GRC supplement is not a promising growth stimulant for Nile tilapia. Keywords: Nile tilapia, ground roasted coffee, Coffee Arabica, fish growth, feed utilization, body composition, biochemical variables, fish health. INTRODUCTION Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L. ) is one of the most popular species in Egypt and worldwide (El-Sayed, 2006). As the regular use of antibiotics and chemicals as preventative and curative measures for disease leads to drug-resistant bacteria and harmful effects on the environment (Teuber, 2001; Bachere, 2003; Hermann et al., 2003), alternatives to antibiotics and chemicals to improve the quality and sustainability of aquaculture production have been seen as desirable (Meunpol et al. , 2003; Vaseeharan and Ramasamy, 2003; Li et al. , 2006). Medicinal plants have been used as immune-stimulants for human in China and old civilization for thousands years (Tan and Vanitha, 2004). These plants contain many types of active components such as polysaccharides, alkaloids, or flavonoids that have immuno-stimulating activities in mice, chickens, or human cell lines (Cao and Lin, 2003; Lin and Zhang, 2004). The use of medicinal plants as immuno-stimulants in fish diets has been considered (Abdel-Tawwab et al. , 2010; Ahmad and Abdel-Tawwab 2011; Ahmad et al. ; in press). Many studies have been conducted on using coffee pulp in fish diets and they found adverse effects of coffee pulp on fish growth and feed utilization (Fagbenro and Arowosoge, 1991; Moreau et al. , 2003; Ulloa and Verreth, 2003; Chatzifotis et al. , 2008). Some other studies reported that coffee shows an antioxidant activity because it contains many substances like caffeine, cafestol, kahweol, and chlorogenic acids (Pellegrini et al., 2003; Vinson et al. , 2005). Due to the abundance of antioxidant compounds in coffee, these agents must be seriously considered when elucidating potential pharmacological effects of coffee intake. Therefore, the present research aims to evaluate the effect of ground roasted coffee (GRC) supplementation on growth, feed efficiency, feed consumption, biochemical variables, and proximate composition of Nile tilapia, O. niloticus. MATERIALS AND METHODS Fish culture and feeding regime – Ground roasted coffee (Coffee Arabica; GRC) was obtained from the local market. Five different diets containing 0. 0, 0. 5, 1. 0, 2. 0 and 5. 0 g GRC/kg diet were formulated. The dietary ingredients were thoroughly mixed and moistened by the addition of 100 ml warm water per kg diet and then made into pellets by a mincing machine. The pellets were cut into shape manually, dried in an oven at 55 oC till constant weight was obtained and stored in a freezer at -2 oC until use. Nile tilapia, O. niloticus were obtained from fish hatchery, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research, Abbassa, abo-Hammad, Sharqia, Egypt. Before starting the experiment, fish were acclimated and hand-fed to apparent satiation twice a day for 2 weeks. For the experiment, 15 80-L aquaria were used and oxygenated to saturation by air pumps. In each aquarium, 20 randomly distributed fish (1. 9 Â ± 0. 03 g) were stocked. The tested diets were administered to five fish groups with three replicates per each. Fish were hand-fed for satiation thrice daily 5 days a week for 10 weeks. Settled fish wastes along with three-quarter of aquarium’s water were siphoned daily. Siphoned water was replaced by clean and aerated water from a storage tank. Average weight per aquarium was assessed every 2 weeks by group-weighing all fish. Fish were starved for a day before weighing. Fish growth and feed utilization – At the end of the experiment, fish per each aquarium were harvested, counted, and weighed. Fish growth and feed utilization variables were calculated as follows: Weight gain (g) = final weight – initial weight; Specific growth rate (SGR; %/day) = 100 (Ln final weight – Ln initial weight) / days; Feed conversion ratio (FCR) = feed intake (g) / weight gain (g); Protein efficiency ratio (PER) = weight gain (g) / protein intake (g); Fat efficiency ratio (FER) = weight gain (g) / fat intake (g); Energy utilization (EU; %) = 100 x (energy gain / energy intake). Chemical analysis of diets and fish – The proximate chemical analyses of the tested diets and fish samples were done for moisture, crude protein, total lipids, and total ash according to the standard methods of AOAC (1990). Moisture content was estimated by drying the samples to constant weight at 95 oC in drying oven (GCA, model 18EM, Precision Scientific group, Chicago, Illinois, USA). Nitrogen content was measured using a microkjeldahl apparatus (Labconco, Labconco Corporation, Kansas, Missouri, USA) and crude protein was estimated by multiplying nitrogen content by 6. 25. Lipid content was determined by ether extraction in multi-unit extraction Soxhlet apparatus (Lab-Line Instruments, Inc. , Melrose Park, Illinois, USA) for 16 hours. Total ash was determined by combusting dry samples in a muffle furnace (Thermolyne Corporation, Dubuque, Iowa, USA) at 550 oC for 6 hours. Biochemical measurements – At the end of the 10-week feeding trial, feed was withhold 24 hour immediately prior to sampling and five fish per aquaria were randomly chosen and anesthetized with tricaine methanesulfate (20 mg/L). Blood samples were collected from the caudal vessel and the extracted blood was collected in Eppendorf tubes contained 500 U sodium heparinate/mL; used as an anticoagulant. The collected plasma was stored at –20 oC for further assays. Blood glucose, plasma total protein, plasma total lipids, and plasma creatinine were calorimetrically determined according to Trinder (1969), Henry (1964), Joseph et al. (1972), and Henry (1974), respectively. Activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) in plasma were determined colorimetrically according to Reitman and Frankel (1957). Statistical analysis – The obtained data were subjected to one-way ANOVA to evaluate the effect of GRC supplementation. Differences between means were tested at the 5% probability level using Duncan test. All the statistical analyses were done using SPSS program version 10 (SPSS, Richmond, VA, USA) as described by Dytham (1999). RESULTS In the present study, fish grow gradually by time in all treatments (Figure 1). Final fish weight, weight gain, and specific growth rate were not significantly (P < 0. 05) affected with the increase in GRC levels up to 1. 0 g/kg after which growth declined (Table 1). The lowest fish growth was obtained at 2. 0 – 5. 0 g GRC/kg diet. Moreover, fish fed on diets containing 2. 0 and 5. 0 g GRC/kg consumed less diet than the other treatments giving the highest FCR (1. 4 and 1. 5, respectively). Meanwhile, fish fed on 0. 0 – 1. 0 GRC/kg diet consumed approximately the same feed amount giving the same FCR (1. 3; Table 2). Table 1. Growth performance and survival of Nile tilapia fed different levels of ground roasted coffee (GRC) for 10 weeks. |GRC levels |Initial weight |Final weight |Weight gain |SGR |Fish survival | |(g/kg diet) |(g) |(g) |(g) |(%/day) |(%) | |0. 0 |1. 9Â ±0. 03 |14. 5Â ±0. 35 a |12. 6Â ±0. 38 a |2. 90Â ±0. 059 a |95. 6Â ±4. 43 | |0. 5 |1. 9Â ±0. 01 |14. 5Â ±0. 55 a |12. 6Â ±0. 55 a |2. 90Â ±0. 052 a |95. 5Â ±2. 23 | |1. 0 |1. 9Â ±0. 01 |14. 0Â ±0. 58 ab |12. 1Â ±0. 58 ab |2. 85Â ±0. 058 ab |97. 8Â ±2. 23 | |2. 0 |1. 9Â ±0. 03 |12. 5Â ±0. 55 bc |10. 6Â ±0. 52 bc |2. 69Â ±0. 043 bc |93. 3Â ±3. 84 | |5. 0 |1. 9Â ±0. 03 |11. 2Â ±0. 36 c |9. 3Â ±0. 38 c |2. 53Â ±0. 066 c |95. 6Â ±4. 43 | Means having the same letter in the same column are significantly differed at P < 0. 05. |Fish |[pic] | |growth (g)| | | |Weeks | Figure 1. The weight of Nile tilapia (g) fed different levels of ground roasted coffee (GRC) for 10 weeks. Furthermore, no significant differences were observed in fat efficiency ratio, protein efficiency ratio, and energy utilization at 0. 0 – 1. 0 GRC/kg diet levels and the lowest values of these parameters were obtained when fish fed 2. 0 – 5. 0 g GRC/kg diet (Table 2). On the other hand, fish survival range was 93. 3 – 97. 8% with no significant difference (P > 0. 05) among the different treatments. Table 2. Feed utilization by Nile tilapia fed different levels of ground roasted coffee (GRC) for 10 weeks. |GRC levels |Feed intake |FCR |Fat efficiency ratio |Protein efficiency |Energy utilization (%)| |(g/kg diet) |(g feed/fish) | | |ratio | | |0. 0 |16. 0Â ±0. 88 a |1. 3Â ±0. 033 b |10. 50Â ±0. 876 a |2. 86Â ±0. 238 a |32. 0Â ±1. 271 ab | |0. 5 |16. 0Â ±0. 44 a |1. 3Â ±0. 058 b |10. 08Â ±0. 123 a |2. 86Â ±0. 033 a |32. 8Â ±2. 119 a | |1. 0 |16. 1Â ±0. 44 a |1. 3Â ±0. 033 b |9. 45Â ±0. 568 ab |2. 74Â ±0. 154 ab |31. 4Â ±2. 227 ab | |2. 0 |14. 7Â ±0. 78 b |1. 4Â ±0. 033 ab |9. 22Â ±0. 108 b |2. 62Â ±0. 027 b |30. 1Â ±1. 266 bc | |5. 0 |14. 0Â ±0. 58 b |1. 5Â ±0. 058 a |8. 38Â ±0. 390 c |2. 39Â ±0. 106 c |28. 5Â ±0. 203 c |. Means having the same letter in the same column are significantly differed at P < 0. 05. The GRC supplementation in the present study significantly affected the whole-fish body constituents except moisture content, which did not vary significantly (P > 0. 05; Table 3). The protein content decreased significantly, meanwhile lipid and ash contents increased significantly by increasing GRC levels. The lowest protein (15. 1%), the highest lipids (9. 7%) and the highest ash (3. 8%) contents were obtained at 5. 0 GRC/kg diets. In addition, fish fed the control diet exhibited the highest protein (61.4%) and the lowest lipid (25. 5%) contents (Table 3). Table 3. Proximate composition of whole-body (%; on fresh weight basis) of Nile tilapia fed different levels of ground roasted coffee (GRC) for 10 weeks. | GRC levels |Moisture |Crude protein |Total lipid |Total ash | |(g/kg diet) | | | | | |0. 0 |72. 3Â ±0. 31 |17. 2Â ±0. 29 a |7. 1Â ±0. 03 c |3. 2Â ±0. 09 b | |0. 5 |71. 8Â ±0. 28 |16. 9Â ±0. 17 a |7. 7Â ±0. 19 bc |3. 2Â ±0. 07 b | |1. 0 |72. 0Â ±0. 27 |16. 4Â ±0. 18 a |8. 0Â ±0. 16 b |3. 3Â ±0. 13 b | |2. 0 |72. 1Â ±0. 87 |16. 5Â ±0. 53 a |8. 1Â ±0. 26 b |3. 2Â ±0. 17 b | |5. 0 |71. 7Â ±0. 41 |15. 1Â ±0. 30 b |9. 7Â ±0. 15 a |3. 8Â ±0. 21 a | Means having the same letter in the same column are significantly differed at P < 0. 05. The biochemical variables were significantly affected by GRC supplementation (P < 0. 05; Tables 4 and 5). The inclusion of 0. 5 – 5. 0 g/kg diet of dietary GRC resulted in significant decreases in glucose, plasma protein and plasma lipids, whereas the highest values of above parameters were obtained with fish fed the control diet (Table 4). Contrarily, AST, ALT, and creatinine values increased significantly with increasing GRC levels and the highest values of these parameters were obtained with fish fed 5. 0 g GRC/kg (Table 5). Fish fed on the control diets exhibited the lowest values. Table 4. Changes in glucose, plasma protein, and plasma lipids in Nile tilapia fed different levels of ground roasted coffee (GRC) for 10 weeks. |GRC levels |Glucose (mg/dL) |Protein (g/dL) |Lipids (g/dL) | |(g/kg diet) | | | | |0. 0 |67. 53Â ±1. 362 a |1. 77Â ±0. 057 a |2. 69Â ±0. 167 a | |0. 5 |55. 23Â ±1. 468 b |1. 63Â ±0. 064 b |1. 61Â ±0. 067 b | |1. 0 |55. 42Â ±2. 669 b |1. 60Â ±0. 061 b |1. 57Â ±0. 083 b | |2. 0 |52. 63Â ±4. 435 b |1. 51Â ±0. 021 b |1. 53Â ±0. 035 b | |5. 0 |50. 23Â ±1. 386 b |1. 37Â ±0. 056 c |1. 42Â ±0. 059 c |. Means having the same letter in the same column are significantly differed at P < 0. 05. Table 5. Changes in AST, ALT, and creatinine in plasma of Nile tilapia fed different levels of ground roasted coffee (GRC) for 10 weeks. |GRC levels |AST (mg/dL) |ALT (mg/dL) |Creatinine (mg/dL) | |(g/kg diet) | | | | |0. 0 |52. 57Â ±2. 919 d |22. 60Â ±2. 023 d |0. 252Â ±0. 0147 d | |0. 5 |63. 60Â ±2. 386 c |37. 23Â ±3. 187 c |0. 328Â ±0. 0117 c | |1. 0 |76. 90Â ±2. 312 b |45. 20Â ±4. 046 bc |0. 386Â ±0. 0684 b | |2. 0 |80. 13Â ±2. 440 b |48. 46Â ±5. 017 b |0. 393Â ±0. 0392 b | |5. 0 |97. 10Â ±5. 103 a |59. 30Â ±1. 350 a |0. 467Â ±0. 0304 a |. Means having the same letter in the same column are significantly differed at P < 0. 05. DISCUSSION The present study showed that GRC adversely affected Nile tilapia growth at a concentration higher than 1. 0 g/kg diet. These results are in concomitant with Fagbenro and Arowosoge (1991), Moreau et al. (2003), and Ulloa and Verreth (2003) who found adverse effects of coffee-containing diets on fish growth. Similarly, Chatzifotis et al. (2008) reported that sea bream, Sparus aurata did not accept the caffeine-containing diet at a 10 g/kg dose but at doses at or lower to 5 g/kg caffeine appeared not to have a deterrent effect. They also stated that the negative effect of caffeine on sea bream growth can be traced in its increased FCR. Throughout the feeding period the fish in all experimental groups were in good health and dose-related mortalities were not observed, indicating that Nile tilapia can tolerate GRC levels (up to 5 g/kg diet) albeit with reduced growth rate and increased feed conversion ratio. It is worth mentioning that 2 – 5 g GRC/kg diet caused a significant decrease in feed consumption and a significant increase in FCR. These results suggested that GRC did influence the diet palatability, implying that the growth retardation at 2 – 5 g GRC/kg diet may be due to the low diet utilization. It has been inferred that caffeine in GRC, together with polyphenols and tannins can deter feed consumption in fish (Ulloa and Verreth, 2003); possibly because of its bitter taste usually perceived by animals (Mazzafera, 2002; Frank et al. , 2004). Furthermore, Kasumyan and Doving (2003) reported that caffeine inhibited the feeding behavior of turbot, Psetta maxima. The proximate composition of whole-fish body was significantly affected by GRC inclusion (Table 3). However, protein content decreased, meanwhile lipids contents decreased by increasing GRC levels. These results disagree with Kobayashi-Hattori et al. (2005) who reported that caffeine induced lipolysis and thereby reduce the body fat mass and body fat percentage in Sprague–Dawley rats fed on a high fat diet. Chatzifotis et al. (2008) found that caffeine cannot reduce the lipid content of white muscle and liver in heterotherm sea bream when reared in low winter temperatures. These changes in protein and lipid contents in fish body herein could be linked with changes in their synthesis and/or deposition rate in fish body (Abdel-Tawwab et al. , 2006). Glucose, serum protein, and serum lipids decreased significantly, meanwhile AST, ALT, and creatinine increased significantly in fish fed 5. 0 g GRC/kg diet. In this regard, Gagne et al. (2006) stated that in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, long-term exposure to caffeine could lead to lipid peroxidation. Furthermore, caffeine is an inhibitor of glycogen phosphorylase in the mantle tissue of mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis; Serrano et al., 1995) and of lactate dehydrogenase in the muscle of rabbit (Gardiner and Whiteley, 1985). The increase in AST and ALT activities is an indicative to liver dysfunction and the increase in creatinine is an indicative to kidney dysfunction. These results suggest that GRC may contain compounds that caused some kind of stress on fish affecting these biochemical variables. Corradetti et al. (1986) found a chronic-caffeine effect on rats. These results indicate that GRC supplement is not a promising growth stimulant for Nile tilapia and in some cases GRC should not exceed 1. 0%. Further work is needed to explore the role of GRC in enhancing antioxidant activity and/or the anti-toxicity effect against water pollutants Acknowledgment The author would like to thank Mohamed N. Monier and Nahla E. M. Ismael, Central Laboratory for Aquaculture Research (CLAR), Abbassa, Abo-Hammad, Sharqia, Egypt, for their assistance during the running of this study, and Sherien H. Shady, CLAR for doing the physiological assay. REFERENCES Abdel-Tawwab, M. , M. H. Ahmad, S. F. M. Sakr, and M. E. A. Seden. 2010. Use of green tea, Camellia sinensis L. in practical diet for growth and protection of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) against Aeromonas hydrophila infection. J. World Aquacult. Soc. , 41: 203-213. Abdel-Tawwab, M. , Y. A. E. Khattab, M. H. Ahmad, and A. M. E. 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Immigration Federal Of State Responsibility - 1228 Words

Bryson Huitt Professor Shine Government 2306 15 November 2015 Immigration: Federal of State Responsibility? There are few topics in America today that are more hotly debated than immigration. Because of our nation’s economy and current leadership, immigration seems to be a much more sensitive topic in today’s society than ever before. From the time our country was founded, people have immigrated to America for a better life. In an effort to escape religious persecution, war, or just to have better opportunities for their family, immigrants have tried to make their homes within the borders of the United States. Illegal immigration has reached epic proportion and everyone can agree that a solution is long overdue. Although many states†¦show more content†¦1070 which made it illegal for immigrants not to carry their documents and authorized police to detain people they ‘reasonably’ suspect are unauthorized.† (Renwick). Unfortunately, much of this policy was found to violate or infringe up on the immigrant’s rights. â€Å"Last year, the Supreme Court struck down most of Arizona’s immigration legislation, siding with the Obama administration and immigrant right’s activists who argued that Arizona’s law intruded on the federal government’s well-established authority over immigration† (Lane). Although this state law was argued in the Supreme Court, the controversial â€Å"papers, please† clause was allowed to remain in effect. While Arizona is doing its best to enact tougher immigration laws, states like California are trying to create laws to protect illegal, undocumented, immigrants. â€Å"California’s new law limits cooperation with the federal Secure Communities program, under which the fingerprints of arrestees that local police routinely send to the FBI also get routed to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement† (Lane). The problem with this law, which the Supreme Court will eventually need to rule on, is that it also infringes on the current Federal laws. Because the federal government has the responsibility for setting immigration policy, states are facing an uphill battle in trying to set their own policy and enforcing immigration law at the state level. Texas has tried to pass immigration legislation with a