Gangs and gang behavior - week 8 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Gangs and gang behavior - week 8 - Essay Example The Mexikanemi gang is highly organized, as evidence suggests that its members operate under a paramilitary structure (Shelden, Tracy & Brown, 2013). The gang’s structure comprises of three components. They include the connections they have with other non-members, prospects and its members. It has lieutenants, soldiers and sergeants. The gang members are mostly involved in serious criminal offenses such as murder, drug trafficking and robbery among other crimes (Walker, 2014). Currently, the gang is still active in prisons and on the streets. For example, in the last 4 years, the gang members had murder and racketeering charges where the members also executed people. Unlike other gangs in prisons or on American streets, the gang does not have gang allies. It is only in alliance with drug cartels in San Antonia and Laredo. The gang conflicts with other gangs such as the Texas Syndicate and New Mexican Mafia. It requires all of its members to remain loyal and a potential member has to kill someone to become a gang member. Those who want to get out can only do so if they die, hence the term â€Å"blood in, blood out† among its members (Shelden, Tracy & Brown, 2013). The use of drugs and homosexuality are all

Agglutination of bacteria Thesis Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Agglutination of bacteria - Thesis Proposal Example The bacterial typing tests are based on serology and they rely on antibodies that recognize given specific bacterial strain. Antibodies are proteins and they are secreted by plasma B cells. B lymphocytes are white blood cells which respond to antigen epitopes and after antigen recognition they differentiate into plasma B cells and secrete antibodies which recognize specific antigen epitopes. The antibodies have at least two binding sites and they non-covalently bind with specific antigen epitopes (Burry). Agglutination reactions can be described as direct or passive assays. Direct assays involve interaction of antibody or lectin with cellular antigen and example for direct assays is bacterial agglutination which are used to type strains of bacteria and to diagnose infection. For agglutination between antigen and antibody, the antibody and antigen epitope must be combined in the proper proportions and it is called zone of equivalence. During agglutination, the antibody molecules bind to epitopes on two or more antigens and form a â€Å"cross-linked network† (Bacterial Agglutination Protocol 6). If the number of antigen and antibody is more, the mass of agglutination becomes visible to naked eye in the form of clumps. Bacterial agglutination is the serological identification of bacteria. Apart from the specific antigen antibody reaction, there are other substances which lead to agglutination of bacteria. Certain chemical and physical properties of the medium in which the organism is suspended influence the degree of dispersion of the cells like in acid agglutination. Some â€Å"variant† forms of bacteria are also seen to agglutinate on addition of electrolytes (Shrigley). Gram positive bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus is the causative agent of wide range of acute and chronic infections including bacteremia. Staphylococcus bacteremia can lead to sepsis and

The represesentation of disability and illness in Victorian England Essay

The represesentation of disability and illness in Victorian England novels - Essay Example r themselves in all this plentitude and opportunity, those who were somehow stricken with illness or disability were determined to be of somehow lower or disdainful quality. This was largely because people tended to judge others based upon their material acquisitions in these quickly changing times. Wealth was taken to be an accurate measure of the person’s character while illness or disability was seen to be a reflection of a diseased soul. These attitudes in society were explored in books written in the time. As will be discovered in this paper, novels emerged during this time period as society’s most accurate means of reflecting on the social ills of the day and novels such as those written by Charles Dickens or George Elliot repeatedly demonstrated that the ill or disabled Victorian was somehow held to be of lower quality or worth than whole-bodied individuals. During the Victorian period, the process of psychoanalysis had not yet been published, much less widely discussed and applied to social structures. The principle means of reflecting issues common to the contemporary society was through the explorations provided in the fiction produced during the period. Borislav Knezevic says of Dickens and his contemporaries: â€Å"Professional novelists became not only providers of relatively lucrative cultural products, but also voices of great social authority, and representatives of that middle-class wisdom and success. [†¦] The novel became a locus of middle-class symbolic power† (Knezevic, 2003: 4). In the Victorian era, the novel was as much about information as about entertainment, as Salman Rushdie observes in his entry on The Nation: â€Å"The word ‘novel’ derives from the Latin word for new; in French, nouvelles are both stories and news reports. A hundred years ago, people read novels, among other things, for i nformation. From Dickens’s Nicholas Nickleby, British readers got shocking information about poor schools like Dotheboys Hall, and

Sunset Boulevard Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sunset Boulevard - Essay Example film director Max Von Mayerling’s manipulation of Norma Desmond by paving her way to stardom and later on exerted his manipulative efforts to prevent the former star’s depression from plummeting further. In the persisting cycle of manipulation, Norma Desmond also plays the part of a manipulator as manifested in her relationship with writer Joe Gillis wherein she pays Gillis to keep her company later on caused her to murder the young writer. This manipulation continues its cycle in Hollywood at present with young actors and actresses being manipulated by the film industry who benefited from these actors and actresses when they were young and later on became less profitable as the young stars became exposed with the privileges of fame resulting to self-destruction and eventually losing their jobs as actors and actresses. The film industry produced child stars who in the long run became either self-destructive, had unstable family life, end of their acting careers or sadly, leads to their death An example of such is actress Lindsay Lohan who is currently on the news because of her drinking problems. Producers and other influential people in the motion picture business can’t even intervene and help Lohan on her drinking problem. Another example is actor Brad Renfro who had a constant problem with drugs and died only this year. Fans are also manipulated by these producers and influential few in the film industry by covering up the repulsive acts of the hottest stars while making profits out of these stars while feeding the fans with illusive stories and faà §ades of the profitable stars and later on withdrawing their support on these stars when they are no longer profitable because they had become uncontrollable in their wayward activities. Although some fans still remain devoted to celebrities, producers will not even consider these faded stars for neither a lead role nor a tiny role in their new films. Some fans maintain their admiration and respect for these

Criminal Justice Administration in New Jersey Essay Example for Free

Criminal Justice Administration in New Jersey Essay Spending is an important aspect of criminal justice administration in any jurisdiction. In many instances, budgeting in public administration is a crossroads between policy issues and politics which makes prioritizing very essential. According to New Jersey Policy Perspective (2003), the spending in the state’s criminal justice system especially the correctional facilities has increased tremendously in the last few decades. This has been as a result of the rapid increase in the number of incarcerated offenders in the state correctional facilities where the number has tripled since early 1980s. Consequently, spending in the correctional facilities in the state of New Jersey has been the fastest growing compared to other departments in the states and was estimated that the figure in the 2005 fiscal year would surpass the amount spent by all states in 1975. Moreover, since late 1990s, the correctional facilities in New Jersey have been operating at over capacity and are rated the sixth most crowded facilities in the country. However, this increased spending due to increased incarceration has taken place as the rate of crime in the country is on a downward trend. The correctional facilities in New Jersey consists of fourteen state facilities, nine of which houses male offenders, one reserved for female offenders, three for juveniles while the one is designated as a reception and intake center. It is also the responsibility of the same department to manage offenders who have completed their sentence but are considered dangerous to the society (NJPP, 2003). As the number of offenders housed in New Jersey states correctional facilities from under capacity in the early 1980s to over 135 percent in 2003, the spending in the correctional department increased proportionally. The large number of convicts incarcerated translated into a need for more staff to manage the systems. For example, the number of employees in the correctional facilities and related jobs were about 13,685. This number of employees was only second to the Department of Human Services. However, the parole officers were needed due to the increased number of individuals under parole in the states surpassed the number of prison officers required in the correctional facilities. The number of offenders under parole rose from under ten thousand to over thirteen thousand between 1983 and 2003 (NJPP, 2003). As the number of individuals under incarceration and parole has increased over the years, the need for more budgetary allocation to the state correctional department has been inevitable. According to the New Jersey Policy Perspective report, the money allocated to the correctional programs in the states rose by about 555 percent in twenty years hitting 1. 1 billion dollars in 2003 up from 203 dollars in 1983. There are many factors including changes in the law that are considered responsible for the increased number of inmates in the states correctional facilities and consequently increased spending. Some of them include changes in the law and statutes within the state’s jurisdiction such as the criminal code and drug laws enforcement statutes (NJPP, 2003). In conclusion, the increased spending in the New Jersey correctional facilities is inevitable. Just as in other states and federal correctional institutions that have been overwhelmed by the increased number of incarcerated offenders or individuals under paroles in the last three decades, the New Jersey facilities have been equally affected by the trends. The increased need for more prison and parole staff, training and caring for offenders in the states facilities has skyrocketed spending in the New Jersey correctional department.

Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff

Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff Short Response to Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff My initial thought of this reading was that the title would be some metaphor for something else that happens. The story was short and straight to the point. It starts off with a man in a bank waiting, he has to wait in a long line due to going right before it closes. Anders starts off by seeming like a very irritable guy. Immediately he is annoyed with the two when in front of him. They are just complaining about everything. This is where we first see a sense of who Anders is. Two masked men come in to the bank making an attempt to rob it. Anders irritable attitude gets him in trouble a he starts making snide comments to the annoying lady in front of him. One of the men hears him. The man repeatedly tells Anders to be quite, but Anders does not listen. The man shoots Anders in the head, and then he his brain reflects on a distant memory. One from long ago that had much been forgotten. It recalls on a summer when Anders was out playing baseball with him friends. One friend brings a co usin who wants to play as well. When they ask him what position he wants to play he say short stop because ..Thats the best they is. Anders is shocked by what this boy has said, but it stays in his mind for the rest of the game. Memory is what builds this story. It is also what keeps this story going. We first start off with the scene of him in the bank, but eventually more to his recollection of a particular event in his life. Surprisingly he does not remember his first love, his daughter, or his wife. He remembers a time long ago playing baseball with friends. The memory is not one that you would expect from the first character we meet. Initially Anders is irritable and rude. Due to the use of memory in this story we see that Anders is not all bad. He once loved his job as a book critic, but the longer he did this the less he grew to like it. The actual memory that Anders draws on makes me think that this may have pushed him into the direction of being an editor. He remembers a friends cousin say Thats the best they is, he did not stop to fix his grammar but replayed what this boy said in his head. After being shot he plays a distant memory, but to him this is one that was really good for him. Anders memory definitely redeems him. My first thought of Anders is that I dont like him. He just does not seem like the type of person you would want to be around. On top of this, he is provoking one of the robbers. This memory takes us back to a time where Anders was happy. A young boy playing baseball with his friends. It shows us that Anders has not always been and irritable jerk, but a kind person. Someone who is accepting of you no matter. Due to circumstances throughout his life, Anders became a completely different person from that boy on the baseball field that day. Memory gives us a big look into his life, who he is and what he loves (or doesnt love). Memory and Identity The formation of identity comes from the World around you. I believe that your identity is formed based off of your family and environment. We learn morals and rules based off what our parents believe are good morals and rules to have. Each parenting style is different. I have always had more lenient parents while others have parents that can be pretty strict. This formed my identity. I never had to lie to do the things that I wanted. I would always tell my parents, and I knew that if they ever said no what I wanted to do probably wasnt a good idea. I would accept this and move on. Identity does not just come from your parents or your family, but from the places you visit frequently. You dont really form you identity until you are older. I am twenty, and still feel as if I am forming my identity. I often times ask myself Who is Kaylee Strahl? Who do I want to be? As we go to school we start to get a sense of our identity from a different perspective. We will be similar to the people we interact with frequently. I went to a really small school, this formed my identity in a different way. All of the people I graduated had a similar mind set. If you played sports or danced or other things like this. This also plays part in forming your identity. Memory and identity are similar because one has to build off the other. In order to form your identity we base it off the things that have happened in the past, our memory. Memory helps to shape us into the person that we eventually become. If there have been traumatic events in your life, your identity can change based off of that memory.

Quantitation by Extraction

Quantitation by Extraction Syed Masood Hassan Akbari INTRODUCTION A liquid-liquid extraction phase consists of a component (a) which is to be removed from the feed phase. The addition of a second phase (b) a solvent phase which is immiscible with the feed phase but the component (a) is soluble in both the feed phase and the solvent phase. As it happens the solute (a) is transferred from the feed phase to the solvent phase. After extraction the feed and solvent phases are called the raffinate and the extract phases respectively. Usually one of the two phases is an organic phase while the other is an aqueous phase. Under equilibrium conditions the distribution of the solute (a) over the two phases is determined by the distribution law. After the extraction the two phases can be segregated because of their immiscibility. Component (a) is then separated from the extract phase by distillation and the solvent is then regenerated. Further extractions may be carried out to remove more of the component (a). Once the product of interest has been extracted finally an absorbance reading can be found at its corresponding ÃŽ »max. Figure 1: Shows the chemical structure of trimethoprim. Figure 2: Shows the chemical structure of sulfamethoxazole. This experiment consisted of three main components: The quantification of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in a suspension of Septrin. Interpreting the data gathered and using it in calculating the content of trimethoprim in Septrin. Interpreting the data gathered and using it in calculating the content of sulfamethoxazole in Septrin. EXPERIMENTAL Extraction of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole from SEPTRIN. Figure 3: Illustrates a schematic of the entire extraction procedure consisting of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in SEPTRIN oral solution. Sulfamethoxazole (Standard, Sample and Blank prep) Figure 4: Illustrates sulfamethoxazole’s sample preparation. The standard was prepared in the exact manner in a 250ml volumetric flask with using 0.2g of sulfamethoxazole in 50ml 0.1M NaOH and topping up with water. The procedure to follow was the exact same as the sample prep. The blank was prepared in the same manner and water was used along with the reagents outlined above in sample prep. Trimethoprim (Sample and Blank prep) The already extracted bottom layer with chloroform was extracted again using four 50ml quantities of 1M acetic acid and the top layers were combined and washed with 5ml chloroform and the top layer added to a 250ml volumetric flask and filled with 1M acetic acid to the mark. 10ml of this solution was then added to another 100ml volumetric flask and 10ml of 1M acetic acid was also added and topped up with water. The blank was made by using 0.2M acetic acid solution. RESULTS Determining the quantity of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in an oral suspension of SEPTRIN. Table 1: Shows the absorbance values obtained at each respective Ɔºmax for trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole. Calculations: Trimethoprim The sample had a dilution factor of 1:1000 which meant that there were two dilutions carried out where the suspension was diluted to 250ml, which is a 1:100 dilution. Secondly the sample was diluted too 100ml, which is a 1:10 dilution. These two dilutions steps combined gave a 1:1000 dilution factor. The calculations were carried out as below. 2.5ml in 250ml 1:100 (Dilution ratio) 1:10 (10ml in 100ml) Therefore 1:1000 dilution factor. Absorbance: 0.332 x 1000 = 332 A1%/1cm=204 so 1% solution has 204 absorbance 1%conc = 204 X = 332 332(1)/204 = x X= 1.627% w/v It complies with the compliance limit of (1.44-1.76)% w/v. Sulfamethoxazole 0.2g in 250ml 200mg in 250ml (1:100 dilution ratio) 0.8mg in 1ml (1:50 dilution) 0.016mg in 1ml (1:10 dilution) 0.0016mg in 1ml Sample of sulfamethoxazole absorbance = 0.075 So, 0.0016mg in 1ml = 0.293 And, x = 0.025 0.0250.0016/0.293 = x X = 0.0001365mg in 1ml 0.0001365mg in 1 ml x 50000 = 6.826mg in 1ml 6.826mg in 1ml à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   0.06826g in 1ml à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   6.826g in 100ml X = 6.826% w/v It does not comply with the compliance limit of (7.4-8.6)% w/v. Trimethoprim and Sulfamethoxazole The concentration of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in 5ml of SEPTRIN were calculated as shown below. Trimethoprim: 1.627% à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   1.627g in 100ml So, x in 5ml 100x = 8.135g X = 0.08135g in 5ml SEPTRIN Sulfamethoxazole: 6.826% à ¯Ã†â€™Ã‚   6.826g in 100ml So, x in 5ml 100x = 34.13g X = 0.3413g in 5ml SEPTRIN CONCLUSION The active ingredients in SEPTRIN, trimethoprim 1.627% w/v and sulfamethoxazole 6.826% w/v were segregated by extraction. The concentrations of trimethoprim and sulfamethoxazole in the 2.5ml suspension were calculated to be as stated above respectively. The content of trimethoprim fell within the compliance limit but for the sulfamethoxazole the content fell a bit short of the compliance limit suggesting apparatus malfunction or human error in making up sample. Trimethoprim complies with the limit set out on the BP but for sulfamethoxazole it falls under the limit stated on the BP. QUESTIONS Illustrate the extraction procedure. Support the separating funnel in a ring clamp on a ring stand. Make sure the stopcock of the funnel is closed. Place a stemmed funnel in the neck of the separating funnel. Add the liquid to be extracted, then add the extraction solvent. The total volume in the separating funnel should not be greater than 75% of the funnel volume. Insert a stopper in the neck of the separating funnel. Pick up the separating funnel with the stopper in place and the stopcock closed, and shake it once gently. Point the stem away from your face and slowly open the stopcock to release some build-up of excess pressure, reclose the stopcock and repeat this procedure until only a small amount of pressure is released with it is vented. Shake the funnel vigorously for a minute, release the pressure and then again repeat the step of shaking a few times till there is less pressure and the solutes are at equilibrium between the two solvents. Place the funnel back into the ring and let it rest undisturbed until the layers are clearly segregated. While waiting, remove the stopper and place a beaker under the separating funnel. Carefully open the stopcock and allow the lower layer to drain into the beaker. Drain just to the point that the upper liquid barely reaches the stopcock. The top layer can be left in the separating funnel if further extractions need to be carried out which do need to be carried out. When finished with the separating funnel store the stopper away from the funnel. Explain why sulfamethoxazole is soluble in the alkaline aqueous solution and trimethoprim is not? It is already known that trimethoprim is classified as a benzylpyrimidine and it protentiates the antimicrobial activity of sulphonamides eg., sulfamethoxazole. So trimethoprim has a tendency to form insoluble complexes when combined with sulfamethoxazole in alkaline aqueous media. Write out the chemical reaction which leads to the coloured product. The reaction mechanism above shows the coloured dyeing agent N-(naphthalene-1-yl)ethane-1,2-diamine reacting with the diazonium to form the coloured product. Why is ammonium sulphanate added? What would happen if it was forgotten? AMS is used as a reagent to speed up the chemical reaction if it is not included in the reaction before adding the dying agent then the process will either delay in reaching to its completion or not reach it at all. After extraction of sulfamethoxazole, how is the organic solvent processed? The organic solvent was extracted in four 50ml quantities of 1 M acetic acid. The upper layers were all combined and kept and washed with 5ml of chloroform. The top layer was then dispensed into a 250ml volumetric flask and topped up with 1 M acetic acid. 10ml of this solution was transferred to a 100ml volumetric flask, 10ml of 1 M acetic acid was also added and the flask was topped up with water. A blank was made and the sample from the organic layer was read at 271nm.