Cryobiology: Low Temperature Studies Of Biological Systems
Thesis: Low temperature biology, or cryobiology, has the possibility, and may very easily and very drastically affect everyones' lives in the future. Through rapidly approaching cryobiological medical procedures and techniques, the presence of intense ethical issues may play an important role in many everyday decisions that do not now exist.
Introduction
What is cryobiology? It is "the study of the effects of freezing and low temperatures on living organisms" (Read, 1999). While the main focus of cryobiology is on living organisms (as suggested above), cryobiological techniques have been expanded to include treatment of nonliving things as well. This addition of non-living objects has expanded the focus to not only include plants, animals, and humans, but also to include machinery and other metal objects.
A common synonym of cryobiology is "cryogenics". According to the New American Desk Encyclopedia (1989), cryogenics is defined as "the branch of physics dealing with the behavior of matter at very low temperatures, and with the production of those temperatures." As can be seen, cryogenics is a slightly more focused study of the cryobiological field dealing primarily with production methods of those freezing temperatures. Another sub-study field, if you will, is that of cryonics. Cryonics is defined as
the practice of freezing humans who are not curable by current medical technology, in the hope that ways may be found to bring them back to life at some future time when ways of repairing the damage caused by the freezing process have been developed, as well as cures of the diseases or other causes of death which necessitated their cryonics suspension (Cryogenics International, 1999).
As suggested above, cryobiology is primarily centered on the effects on those living organisms or non-living objects, although the methods and procedures are also very important. All around the world new and improved techniques are being tested to make this a better medical and preservational procedure. Not only are the different techniques and procedures getting increased attention, but also many accompanying controversial issues are as well. Low temperature biology, or cryobiology, has the possibility to very easily and very drastically affect everyoneís lives in the future. Through rapidly approaching cryobiological medical procedures and techniques, the presence of intense ethical issues may play an important role in many everyday decisions that do not now exist.
Cryobiology Techniques
There are many different cryobiological techniques that exist and are being used today.
Maintaining normal core body temperature (normothermia) in patients within perioperative environments is both a challenging and important aspect to ensure patient safety, comfort and positive surgical outcomes (Tanner, 2011; Wu, 2013; Lynch, Dixon & Leary, 2010). Normorthermia is defined as temperatures from 36C to 38C, and is maintained through thermoregulation which is the balance between heat loss and heat gain (Paulikas, 2008). When normothermia is not maintained within the perioperative environments, and the patient’s core body temperature drops below 36C, they are at risk of developing various adverse consequences due to perioperative hypothermia (Wagner, 2010). Perioperative hypothermia is classified into three
As a result, back then when the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision in the 1954 case Brown v. Board of Education, the effect was felt across the country. More than simply a document written in lawful language, the ruling was a catalyst that sparked a movement: the civil righ...
The medical procedure of Xenotransplantation, (transplanting animal organs into humans) has been happening for many years, this medical practice was proceeding mixed results and mixed views regarding the procedure. In the year 1984, a baby girl whom was named Baby Fae by medical staff, became known world wide for the medical procedure she endured. Baby Fae had a potentially fatal heart problem, she was suffering from Hypoplastic left heart syndrome which is a fatal disease if not treated by surgery, (Time Magazine, 1984). The only way to save her was to replace her failing heart with a healthy seven month old baboon heart. The medical professionals that were working on Baby Fae were excited to be able to perform this Xenotransplantation on the infant. After the procedure Baby Fae was acting like any normal healthy infant would. But unfortunately, the replacement heart surgery wasn’t a true success story as the medical staff had hoped. Baby Fae died 20 days after her surgery because her tiny body rejected the baboons heart, which then went on to cause other fatal damage such as kidney...
Before the decision of Brown v. Board of Education, many people accepted school segregation and, in most of the southern states, required segregation. Schools during this time were supposed to uphold the “separate but equal” standard set during the 1896 case of Plessy v. Ferguson; however, most, if not all, of the “black” schools were not comparable to the “white” schools. The resources the “white” schools had available definitely exceed the resources given to “black” schools not only in quantity, but also in quality. Brown v. Board of Education was not the first case that assaulted the public school segregation in the south. The title of the case was shortened from Oliver Brown ET. Al. v. the Board of Education of Topeka Kansas. The official titled included reference to the other twelve cases that were started in the early 1950’s that came from South Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and the District of Columbia. The case carried Oliver Brown’s name because he was the only male parent fighting for integration. The case of Brown v. Board o...
“We conclude unanimously that in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” (qtd. in Irons 163). Many African-Americans waited to hear this quote from Chief Justice Earl Warren after many years of fighting for better educational opportunities by means of school desegregation. African-Americans went through much anguish before the Brown v. Board of Education trial even took place, especially in the Deep South. Little did they know that what looked like the beginning of the end was just another battle in what seemed like an endless war. Brown v. Board of Education was an important battle won during the Civil Rights Movement; however, it did have a major drawback simply because no deadline existed, an issue that author James Baldwin grasped from the moment the decision was made. The South took full advantage of this major flaw and continued to keep its segregated schools with no intention of ever integrating.
History plays a tremendous role in the present-day. Awareness of one’s history aids in understanding the significance of its effects. The Brown v. Board of Education case is a landmark in the history of the United States society and the judiciary system. It drastically affected education systems, the civil rights movement, and is known as one of the first cases to acknowledge social science results. This Brown v. Board of Education case took place over sixty years ago, and its affects continues to influence many aspects of today’s society, and more specifically today’s education systems. Despite its numerous accolades, it is still argued that Brown v. Board of Education failed to successfully accomplish its goal of desegregating
Patterson, James. “Brown v Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone and Its Troubled Legacy (Pivotal Moments in American History).” Oxford University Press., 2001.
There have been numerous developments in the subject of biotechnology. One of these advancements contains xenotransplantation. It is the transplantation of living tissues, cells or organs from one species to another. For example, it covers transplantation of vital organs like heart, kidney and also skin graft, bone transplant s, corneal transplants. The purpose of human xenotransplantation is that it proposes a possible solution for the problem of the shortage in human organs because the number of accessible organs is not equal to the number of needed organs. For instance, according to M. Anderson’s article the number of people waiting for an allotransplant (it refers to a same-species transplant such as human-to-human.) is progressively increasing without organ donations. In addition, approximately half of those demanding an organ transplant will die while on the organ donor waiting list (Anderson 205). Furthermore, it can also be used to treatment other illness where there is a scarcity of human material accessible such as Alzheimer, Parkinson, diabetes. As we can see, in theory xenotransplantation provides good solution for human beings, however, when look at the history we cannot see same good things. For instance, in 1964, a scientist who is Keith Reemstma transplanted a chimpanzee kidney into a human with end period nephritic disease, increasing the participator’s life a record nine months (Anderson 205). However, there is another case which is Baby Fae. In this case doctors transplanted a baboon hearth into the baby and he survived just four w...
The Brown versus Board of Education decision was an immense influence on desegregation of schools and a milestone in the movement for equality between the blacks and whites that continues today. The Brown versus Board of Education case was not the first of its type. Since the early 50's, five separate cases were filed dealing with the desegregation of schools. In all but one of these cases, the schools for whites were finer than the schools for the blacks. The black people argued that this situation was not right and unconstitutional (Dudley, 1).
...ontgomery bus Boycotts and the March on Washington. Without the Brown vs. Board of Education case, great civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks would not be well known today. In fact, schools would still be segregated today if it weren’t for the Brown vs. Board of Education case. The Brown vs. Board of Education case determined that education was not equal and that segregation in schools was unconstitutional. Without the help of the Brown vs. Board of Education case, widely populated areas such as New York City would not be as diverse. Today, although we still have not completely attained racial equality, we have advanced much further into the “battle” because of the Brown vs. Board of Education case. With all in consideration, it can clearly be seen in today’s society how the case of Brown vs. Board impacted America since the 1950s.
Introduction: A phase change is a result from the kinetic energy (heat) either decreasing or increasing to change the state of matter (i.e. water, liquid, or gas.) Thus saying, freezing is the phase change from a liquid to a solid which results from less kinetic energy/heat. Also, melting is the phase change from a solid to a liquid which results from adding kinetic energy/heat. So, the freezing and melting point of something is the temperature at which these phase changes occur. Therefore, a phase change will occur when a vial of 10 mL of water is placed into a cup of crushed ice mixed with four spoonfuls with 5 mL of sodium chloride for 30 minutes. If 10 mL of water is placed in an ice bath, it will then freeze at 5 degrees Celsius because the kinetic energy will leave quicker with the ice involved. The purpose of this lab is to observe what temperature the water must be to undergo a phase change.
Retrieved December 30, 2013, from http://www.alcor.org/. Wolf, A. (2011). The 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Secondary' of the 'Se What is cryonics? Institute for Evidence-Based Cryonics. Retrieved December 30, 2013, from http://www.evidencebasedcryonics.org/what-is-cryonics/. Watson, S. (2013). The 'Secondary'.
Every year, millions of animals experience painful, suffering and death due to results of scientific research as the effects of drugs, medical procedures, food additives, cosmetics and other chemical products. Basically, animal experimentation has played a dominant role in leading with new findings and human advantages. Animal research has had a main function in many scientific and medical advances in the past decade and is helping in the understanding of several diseases. While most people believe than animal testing is necessary, others are worried about the excessive suffering of this innocent’s creatures. The balance between the rights of animals and their use in medical research is a delicate issue with huge societal assumptions. Nowadays people are trying to understand and take in consideration these social implications based in animals rights. Even though, many people tend to disregard animals that have suffered permanent damage during experimentation time. Many people try to misunderstand the nature of life that animals just have, and are unable to consider the actual laboratory procedures and techniques that these creatures tend to be submitted. Animal experimentation must be excluded because it is an inhumane way of treat animals, it is unethical, and exist safer ways to test products without painful test.
Barnett, M., Weiss, T.G. (Ed.). (2008). Humanitarianism in question: Politics, power, ethics. Ithaca, New York: Cornell University Press.
According to Laland and Hoppitt (2003:151), culture is mainly about the socially learned and transmitted behaviours in a certain group; however, more and more social scientists find that culture is too complicated to give a perfect and reasonable definition (2003:151). Boesch and Tomasello (1998:591) point out that culture is suggested to be viewed as an evolutionary process rather than an actual thing. Ironically, it seems that working on humans’ own culture cannot satisfy them so that they tend to figure out if culture exists in other biological populations. This also could be regarded as a good sign that humans are continually exploring their knowledge about evolution in connection with other species especially some hominid species like