Curium Facts (Cm or Atomic Number 96)

Curium is a radioactive element with atomic number 96 and element symbol Cm. It is a dense, silver metal in the actinide series that glows purple in the dark. It is named for Marie and Pierre Curie – pioneers in radioactivity research. Curium  Basic Facts Atomic Number: 96 Symbol: Cm Atomic Weight: 247.0703 Discovery: G.T. Seaborg, R.A. James, A. Ghiorso, 1944 (United States). Because of World War II, the discovery remained a secret until November 1947. Electron Configuration: [Rn] 5f7 6d1 7s2 Biological Role: Like the other actinides, curium presents a radiological hazard. Curium accumulates in the bones, liver, and lungs. It is primarily an alpha particle emitter and can cause cancer. Curium Physical Data Atomic Weight: 247.0703 Element Classification: Radioactive Rare Earth Element (Actinide Series) Name Origin: Named in honor of Pierre and Marie Curie. Density (g/cc): 13.51 Melting Point (K): 1340 Appearance: silvery, malleable, synthetic radioactive metal Atomic Radius (pm): 299 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 18.28 Pauling Negativity Number: 1.3 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): (580) Oxidation States: 4, 3 Sources Emsley, John (2011).  Natures building blocks: An A-Z Guide to the Elements. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-960563-7.Greenwood, Norman N.; Earnshaw, Alan (1997).  Chemistry of the Elements  (2nd ed.). Butterworth-Heinemann. ISBN 978-0-08-037941-8.Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements, in  Handbook of Chemistry and Physics  (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 978-0-8493-0485-9.Seaborg, Glenn T.; James, R. A.; Ghiorso, A. (1949). The New Element Curium (Atomic Number 96). NNES PPR (National Nuclear Energy Series, Plutonium Project Record). The Transuranium Elements: Research Papers, Paper No. 22.2. 14 B.  Weast, Robert (1984).  CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.

Can We Clone a Woolly Mammoth

You can forgive the average person for thinking that cloning Woolly Mammoths is a slam-dunk research project that will be realized within the next several years. True, these prehistoric elephants vanished off the face of the earth over 10,000 years ago, shortly after the last Ice Age, but their carcasses are often found encased in permafrost. Any animal that has spent the last 100 centuries in deep freeze is bound to yield boatloads of intact DNA, and isnt that all we need to clone a living, breathing Mammuthus primigenius? Well, no. What most people refer to as cloning is a scientific technique by which an intact cell, containing intact DNA, is turned into a plain vanilla stem cell. (Getting from here to there entails a complicated, equipment-heavy process  known as de-differentiation.) This stem cell is then allowed to divide a few times in a test tube, and when the moment is ripe, its implanted into the uterus of a suitable host, the result being a viable fetus and (a few months after that) a live birth. As far as cloning a Woolly Mammoth is concerned, though, there are gaps in this procedure wide enough to drive a Pleistocene truck through. Most importantly: We Have Yet to Recover an Intact Woolly Mammoth Genome Think about it: if your beef patties become inedible after theyve been in your freezer for two or three years, what do you think happens to the cells of a Woolly Mammoth? DNA is a very fragile molecule, which begins degrading immediately after death. The most we can hope for (and even that may be a stretch) is to recover individual Woolly Mammoth genes, which can then be combined with the genetic material of modern elephants to produce a hybrid Mammoth. (You may have heard about those Russian scientists who claim to have collected intact Woolly Mammoth blood; virtually no one believes this is actually the case.) Update: a reputable team of researchers claim to have decoded the near-complete genomes of two 40,000-year-old Woolly Mammoths. We Have Yet to Develop Reliable Host Technology You cant just genetically engineer a Woolly Mammoth zygote (or even a hybrid zygote containing a combination of Woolly Mammoth and African elephant genes) and implant it into the womb of a living female pachyderm. Invariably, the zygote will be recognized as a foreign object by the hosts immune system, and a miscarriage will occur sooner rather than later. This isnt an insurmountable problem, however, and one that can presumably be solved by suitable new medications or implantation techniques (or even by raising genetically modified female elephants). Once a Woolly Mammoth Is Cloned, We Need to Give it Somewhere to Live This is the part of the lets clone a Woolly Mammoth! project to which few people have devoted any thought. Woolly Mammoths were herd animals, so its hard to imagine a single genetically engineered Mammoth thriving in captivity, no matter how much help its  given by human keepers. And lets say we did clone a sizable, free-range herd of Mammoths; whats to prevent this herd from reproducing, spreading into new territories, and wreaking ecological havoc on existing species (like the African elephant) that also deserve our protection? This is where the problems and challenges of cloning Woolly Mammoths meld into the problems and challenges of de-extinction, a program by which (its advocates claim) we can resurrect extinct species like the Dodo Bird or the Saber-Toothed Tiger and make up for centuries of environmental depredation by heedless humans. Just because we may be able to de-extinct vanished species doesnt necessarily mean we should, and we certainly shouldnt do it without the requisite amount of planning and forethought. Cloning a Woolly Mammoth may be a neat, headline-generating trick, but that doesnt necessarily make it good science, especially if youre a bewildered baby Mammoth with a strange-looking mommy and a team of scientists constantly looking at you through a glass window!

Stefan’s Diaries Bloodlust Chapter 27 Free Essays

My heavy-lidded eyes fought to drift open. I didnt know how much time had passed. Was it one night? Two? A week? It was dark, wherever I was. We will write a custom essay sample on Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 27 or any similar topic only for you Order Now I was vaguely conscious, hearing footfalls and yelling, and once a voice that sounded like Callies, calling out my name. But one day I woke up without suddenly falling back into unconsciousness. I lifted my arms, realizing I was shackled to the wall. I had vervain burns on my arms and legs. Dried blood crusted my entire body, making it impossible for me to tell where I was wounded. Next to me, Damon was sitting with his knees to his chest. Blood covered his body, and his cheeks were gaunt. Dark shadows rimmed his sunken eyes, but a slow smile was spreading across his face. â€Å"Not so powerful now, are you, brother?† I struggled to sit up. My bones ached. The attic was soaked in a dim gray light that came from a filthy window. The padding and sniffing of a mouse sounded somewhere far across the room. It stirred a hunger inside me, and I realized that I hadnt fed since being here. In the corner, two unfamiliar guards were sitting, oblivious to our near-silent conversation. I shook my head in disgust. How could I have been so stupid? Lexi had been right. Of course she had. Callie had betrayed me. It must have been her plan all along, from the second shed noticed the ring on my finger that matched Damons. I should have realized it the moment Id seen her father in the room. How had I stepped into such a stupid, obvious trap? I deserved to be chained up like an animal. â€Å"Did you love her?† Damon asked, as if he could read my thoughts. I stared straight ahead. â€Å"She hasnt come to visit, in case you were curious,† Damon continued conversationally. â€Å"She is pretty, though in my humble opinion, you could do better.† Anger pushed my fangs into place. â€Å"Where are you going with this?† I growled. Damon gestured to the bars. â€Å"Nowhere, apparently. Excellent job on the rescue attempt.† â€Å"At least I tried,† I said, my fury ebbing and resignation flowing in its place. â€Å"Why even bother?† Damons eyes flashed. â€Å"Have I not made my feelings about you perfectly clear?† â€Å"I † I began, before I realized I had no idea where to even start. How could I tell him that rescuing him wasnt a choice? That our blood ran in each others veins, that we were bound to each other. â€Å"It doesnt matter,† I said. â€Å"No, it doesnt,† Damon said, adopting a philosophical tone. â€Å"After all, well both be dead soon enough. The question is, will you be killed by a crocodile or by a tiger? I heard Gallagher saying crocodiles are the best fight opponents, because they dont go for the kill. They drag it out.† Just then the attic door opened with a flourish, and Gallagher strode into the room, his boots echoing on the floor. â€Å"The vampires are awake!† he bellowed. The two guards hastily jumped to attention, pretending theyd been watching us the whole time. Gallagher strode toward the cage, kneeling at our eye level. His three-piece suit was impeccable, as if hed made his fortune as a financier rather than by torturing vampires. â€Å"Well, well, well the family resemblance is obvious. Im embarrassed to not have noticed it sooner.† He reached through the bars and grabbed the front of my shirt, pulling me against the side of the cage. My face clanged against the bars, and I winced as something wooden jutted into my chest. A stake. â€Å"And you almost got away with acting like a human!† Gallagher threw his head back and laughed, as if it were the most amusing thing in the world. â€Å"You wont get away withthis,† I hissed, pain ripping through my body as he dug the stake farther into my skin. â€Å"Pay attention, vampire!† Gallagher said, his lips curled back in a snarl. â€Å"You know, I think Im going to bet youre the one wholl get killed. Yes, I think that will do very nicely.† He turned toward the two guards. â€Å"Hear that? A tip from the boss. Bet on the dark-haired one,† Gallagher said, twisting the stake against my body. â€Å"I think his brother has more hatred in his belly.† I couldnt see Damons face, but I could picture the smirk that no doubt played on his lips. Gallagher snorted in laughter and threw the vervain-soaked stake to the floor. â€Å"Oh, and I dont want you using the stakes on the vampires for sport anymore,† he said in the direction of the guards. The heavyset one glanced guiltily down at the floor. â€Å"Why not?† the other asked indignantly. â€Å"Its good for em. Shows em their place.† â€Å"Because we want them in tip-top shape for their fight,† Gallagher said, his voice an exaggerated parody of patience. Then Gallagher smiled at us. â€Å"Thats right, boys. You two are going to be fighting, to the death. Its the perfect solution. Ill have one dead vampire to sell for parts, a live one for performances, and profit beyond my wildest imagination. You know, it might be sacrilege, but I say, thank God for vampires!† With that, Gallagher turned to leave the attic, slamming the door behind him. I sank back against the bars. Damon did the same, shutting his eyes. The two guards gaped at us through the bars. â€Å"I know the boss said the dark-haired one, there, but aint he lookin a little weak? My pennies are goin for that boy,† one commented. â€Å"Eh, I always go with what the boss says. Besides, aint all about size, right?† the scrawny one said, sounding affronted by the first guards implication. I slumped against the wall, closing my eyes. The hatred that my brother had for me was surely enough to want me dead. But would Damon really kill me? â€Å"Im more vicious than a crocodile, brother,† Damon said with a smile, his eyes still closed. â€Å"And this is the best piece of news Ive heard since we turned into vampires!† He laughed, long and loud, until one of the guards clambered over and, despite Gallaghers decree, jabbed him with a vervain-laced stake. But even then, he continued to laugh. How to cite Stefan’s Diaries: Bloodlust Chapter 27, Essay examples

Economic Problem in the Philippines Sample Essay Example For Students

Economic Problem in the Philippines Sample Essay 1. Over-dependence on Global EconomyThe growing of the Philippines economic system drastically slowed to merely 3. 6 % in the first three quarters of 2011. which is significantly less than the 7 % -8 % growing targeted by administration’s Philippine Development Plan ( PDP ) . Though the lag may hold been due to the on-going planetary crisis. it was markedly slower in comparing to other South-East Asiatic neighbours. Economic public presentation figures indicated a contraction in exports and a bead in FDI. Though the remittals from abroad Filipinos to the state grew in the first 10 months of 2011. nevertheless the compensation that abroad Filipinos received really fell. in peso footings. due to an appreciating peso. In 2011 the Aquino disposal sought a FTA ( Free Trade Agreement ) with the EU and fall in the Trans-Pacific Partnership ( TPP ) . The disposal farther allowed the US to even more straight influence Filipino economic policy devising in its opportunism. by come ining in a Partnership for Growth ( PfG ) . These partnerships will accordingly foster the dependance of the economic system on the planetary economic system. whereas a regional agreement between less unequal Southeast Asiatic states is potentially utile. Greater attending has to be paid to turn toing to the internal jobs of the economic system and heightening domestic-oriented growing. A policy of taking structural hindrances to growing has to be adopted with lesser focal point on foreign investors and exporters. 2. Misplaced Fiscal AusterityPracticing financial asceticism merely to acquire favourable recognition evaluations can be counterproductive. The Aquino disposal. in 2011. pursued financial asceticism and spent 2. 1 % less in the first 11 months than it did in the same period last twelvemonth. This along with increased grosss brought down the financial shortage and later international recognition evaluation bureaus Standard and Poor’s. Moody’s and Fitch upgraded the country’s recognition evaluations and mentalities. In 2011 the authorities cut disbursement on economic services. including substructure. in the same vena did non make full in for deficits in instruction. wellness and lodging sectors. As a consequence. over the first three quarters of 2011. income from public building contracted by about 46 % whereas authorities ingestion reduced by a mere 1. 7 % in comparing to the same period last twelvemonth. Misplaced asceticism steps and an overdone concern about recognition evaluations contracts the economic system. reduces demand and undermines hereafter growing. The proposed public private partnerships ( PPPs ) are a hapless replacement to existent investing and public outgo. because the former are majorly driven by short-run net income while the latter drama a critical function to make development. These are merely some of the economic challenges looming big over the Philippines. The state is confronting important diminution in industrial production. gross domestic merchandise. income and employment and gross revenues. The Aquino presidential term purportedly is acquiring the support of the people. as indicated by its high blessing evaluations. for the necessary economic steps that are in the general public involvement. In 2011. the Aquino administration’s policy picks to give greater weight to contract foreign and domestic elite involvements. unluckily. underscores the challenge of forcing for existent reform in 2012. 3. Import-Export ImbalanceThe negative trade is heavy and merely counterbalanced by the service history excess. Over the last two decennaries. Filipino exports have shifted from commodity-based merchandises to fabricate goods. In the thick of the current planetary economic recession. the exports of electronics. garments and fabrics are yet to make a degree of import neutralisation. We can work out it by using a revenue enhancement straight to consumer and every one confront the job in their money and non in the cheque in to the state. Affirmative Action Essay FreeUnemployment is one of the effects of deficiency of instruction. The official unemployment figures for the Philippines in 2011 are among the worst in Asia. higher than its South-East Asiatic neighbours and harmonizing to the International Labor Organization the state is among the worst one-fourth in the universe in footings of unemployment rates. Without a strong fabrication industry or existent Filipino industry. the economic system will be unable to make adequate nice paying occupations. Till so fabricating or services will stay deficient. or of low value-addition. Harmonizing to employment figures. occupations in the Philippines fabrication sector increased by merely 8 % of the entire employment. About three out of every 10 people in the labour force are looking for work or are idle. The excavation sub-sector said to be one of the fastest turning industry in 2011 failed to bring forth new occupations ( merely 0. 6 % of entire employment ) . Steadily lifting rising prices has contributed to the eroding of the value of the minimal pay. Though the Aquino disposal increased the lower limit pay and announced hard currency dole-outs but deficiency of quality decent paying occupations and higher existent rewards continue to be a job. The government’s policy to promote foreign capital. even if in merely low value-added assembly operations will go on to impede existent growing and development of the fabrication sector. The Aquino disposal demands to be after over the long-run. and fix an industrialisation plan that encourages value-addition fabrication or services and builds Filipino-owned industries. To decide such job provide plenty company to work with.