MALDI-TOF Advantages and Disadvantages

MALDI-TOF Advantages and Disadvantages Abstract Rapid diagnosis of microbial pathogens or infections in clinical laboratories is decisive to guarantee accurate therapy and efficient patient care. Although the conventional method, which is mostly based on biochemical testings and long incubation procedures, are precise and sensitive; they are rather slow. Until recently, matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) has emerged as a powerful technique for identification of microorganisms in clinical microbiology. MADLI-TOF has the advantage of identifying bacterial or fungal species directly on the culture plates as fast as 10 to 15 minutes in a few simple steps. The principle behind MALDI-TOF is based on mass spectrometry and soft ionization technique. Depending on the time of flight of each pathogen, the characteristic spectrum will be analyzed and displayed via the inbuilt software. This review describes the advantages and limitations of MALDI-TOF. It also compares the identification efficacy of bacteria between MALDI-TOF and the culture methods. There are several comparative studies between the conventional techniques and the MALDI-TOF systems in terms of reliability and accuracy of their methods. Keywords: MALDI-TOF, diagnostic microbiology, spectrometry Introduction Microbiological identification of pathogenic bacteria and fungi has used to be performed by conventional methods which involved long process of culturing and biochemical/phenotypic testings. Although cultures are powerful methods in retrieving pathogens, multiplying a single viable pathogen in an appropriate medium logarithmically, it is time consuming and the phenotypic tests could delay over 24 to 48 hours. In the circumstances, such as bacteremia, which requires a rapid diagnosis and treatment, delay in adequate management could cause mortality to rise by 10 to 20% as shown by Kumar et al.. Length of hospital stay and the price of admission equally decrease with early identification of the etiology of sepsis. New diagnostic methods have been developed, and they do not depend on bacterial or fungal growth and are effective even when the pathogens are not viable. The methods employing nucleic acids are already in clinical use; however, although faster than cultures, they demand tech nical time and at least 6 to 8 hours of work by a dedicated professional. A major advance is the use of proteomic studies for rapid diagnosis as fast as 5 to 15 minutes of etiology of infections, and it is represented by MALDI-TOF. THE IMPORTANCE OF MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Mass spectrometry is an analytical technique that measures ionized chemical compounds based on their mass to charge (m/z) ratio (). By combining the technique of ionization and biomolecular detection from mass spectrometry (), matrix assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight (MALDI-TOF) was developed and is widely used in microbiological diagnosis (). There are three main units that compose the MALDI-TOF spectrometer: ion source, mass analyzer, and detection device (). The purpose of the ion source is to ionize molecules thus transferring them into the subsequent gas phase (). The mass analyzer unit aids in ion separation based on mass to charge ratio (). Lastly, detection device is there for monetization of separated ions (). Principles and methodologies In order for MALDI-TOF to begin processing the biological material (ex: a colony or a blood culture concentrate), sample is placed on a plate containing polymeric matrix (). Next, irradiation occurs through the medium of a laser (). During the process, laser would also vaporize and ionize molecules within the sample (). Afterwards, aspiration of those molecules into the vacuum tube will transport them to the detection device (). Depending on which bacterial or fungal specie is being examine, the time of flight will also be different (). Lastly, the computerized database of MALDI-TOF will generate a chart with different peaks-providing results and interpretations all very quickly (). Advantages A major advantage of MALDI-TOF is its rapid turnaround time (

Motivation Techniques for Businesses to Motivate the Work Force Essay

Motivation Techniques for Businesses to Motivate the Work Force Introduction ============ For this assignment I am going to look at different motivational techniques that businesses use in order to motivate their work force, I will then decide on which I feel to be the most effective and why it is so effective. Hypothesis ========== All businesses want a motivated workforce, and expend a lot of time and money in order to attempt to achieve this, what these people need to look at is the common goals that there employees hold, for example: Self-esteem: needs for self -respect and self-confidence, for autonomy, for achievement, for competence, for knowledge. Status: needs for recognition, for appreciation, for the deserved respect of others. These needs tend to be at the top of most employees priority list, once these are fulfilled the employee will be happy and therefore motivated, e.g. if a worker is appreciated and competent in their job, they tend to be happier and therefore more highly motivated, but if they do not fully understand their job, and do not feel appreciated for what they do, they tend to feel unhappy and under perform. It is only recently that employers have learnt to be more like coaches then law enforcement officers in the workplace, they have discovered that it is far more effective to praise an employee rather than punish them, and give them constructive criticism rather than shout at them Another factor that strongly affects employees' motivation is security, if an employee feels secure in their job, i.e. have a permanent position there than they will be a lot happier and therefore ... ...y would much rather be payed a reasonable salary in a job they enjoy instead of a high salary in one that they don't. The perfect worker in my view is somebody who enjoys what they do, and therefore does it well. Evaluation ---------- I have come to the conclusion that happiness is the key to the perfect workforce because as they say 'a happy worker is a good worker.' I also feel that we have only scratched the surface of motivation in the workplace, it is only now that people have realised due to being open-minded just how huge a part psychology has to play in the effectiveness of a workforce, and there are still bosses that believe that discipline is the way to go rather than encouragement, so if these people could open their minds I think that the world of work would be better for employees everywhere.

Froebel’s Kindergarten Essay

Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 2 fullest extent. Who is Friedrich Froebel? What did he do to become so memorable? He created the Froebel’s Gifts. What are Froebel’s Gifts? How has Froebel influenced today’s children? In the town called Oberweibach located in Germany is where a man named Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel was born on April 21, 1782 (Manning, J. P. , 2005. p. 371). Nine months after Froebel was born his mother fell ill and passed away (Friedrich Froebel Biography, 1999). His father Johann Jacob Froebel was a Lutheran pastor. He remarried when Froebel was 4 – years – old. Froebel’s stepmother did not care for him and his father was too busy for him. This resulted in Froebel having a terrible childhood. Having a family with a father and stepmother whom did not care or did not have the time is what pushed Froebel to become who he was before he passed. It pushed him to become stronger and more independent. Froebel’s father thought of him as dimwitted. Froebel’s father insisted he goes to a school for all girls (Friedrich Froebel Biography, 1999). Froebel most likely felt very small as if no one listened to him. Froebel had five older brothers. His brothers did not live at home with him, his father, and his  stepmother. One day his eldest brother came to stay at his father’s house for quite some time. Froebel and his eldest brother had a discussion about plants one day. Froebel, â€Å"expressed delight at seeing the purple threads of the hazel buds (Michaelis, E. & Moore, H. 1889. p. 12). † His eldest brother shared with him the knowledge that there was a similar sexual difference in plants. Froebel says, â€Å"From that time humanity and nature, the life of the soul and the life of the flower, were closely knit together in my mind; and I can still see hazel buds, like angels, opening for me the great God’s temple of nature (Michaelis, E. & Moore, H.1889. p. 12). † This is where the first seed was already planted into Froebel’s mind. He had seen a connection with humanity and nature itself. This connection developed all throughout Froebel’s life. In 1793, Froebel moved. Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 3 Froebel moved to Stadt-Ilm to live with his maternal uncle, Herr Hoffman (Friedrich Froebel Biography, 1999). When Froebel moved he was just 10 – years – old. He was allowed to attend the local school. He no longer had to attend the school for girls. Froebel thought the best subjects at the local school in Stadt-Ilm were reading, writings, arithmetic, and religion  (Michaelis, E. & Moore, H. 1889. p. 20). His favorite subject to study was arithmetic. In 1798, his father tried to get Froebel an apprenticeship for farmers, but they wanted to high of a premium. His father came to terms with a forester (Michaelis, E. & Moore, H. 1889. p. 24). By this age, Froebel wanted to be an agriculturist. Ever since he was a child, he loved nature, such as the mountains, fields, forests, and flowers. In order for Froebel to do well at becoming an agriculturist he would have to be acquainted with geometry and land-surveying (Michaelis, E. & Moore, H. 1889. p. 20). The forester had a reputation as land-surveyor and valuer. Froebel started his apprentice for the forester on a Midsummer Day in 1797. Froebel was only 15 and a half. He apprenticed for the forester for two years learning forestry, valuing, geometry and land-surveying (Michael, E. & Moore, H. 1889. p. 20). After two years Froebel left the apprentice job even though the forester wanted him to stay another year. Froebel wanted to learn mathematics and botany. Botany is the study of plants. He received a book on botany where his love of nature flourished even stronger. It was the year 1800 when he left the forester. Froebel had decided to continue his schooling, only problem was he did not have the money. He had a very small piece of property left to him that he inherited from his mother. He did not think it would be sufficient enough. He had to ask his trustee for the consent to realise his property (Michaelis, E. & Moore, H. 1889. p. 28). When he obtained it at the age of 17 and a half he went to Jena as a student in 1799. He later went to Yverdon. Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 4 â€Å"Froebel attended the training institute that was run by Johann Pestalozzi (Mann, H. , 1887). He attended the institute from 1808 to 1810. When Froebel left the institution within the two years, he left with the basic principles that Pestalozzi used for his theory. Those basic principles were, â€Å"permissive school atmosphere, emphasis on nature, and object lesson (Froebel Web, 1998-2008). † Froebel was raised to be very religious and because he was religious his view of education became religious. After the school in Yverdon Froebel went to the University of Gottingen in 1811, but then switched to the school in Berlin to study Mineralogy in 1812 (Froebel Web, 1998-2008). Froebel joined the â€Å"Black Riflemen†. In 1813 to 1814, Froebel joined the â€Å"Black Riflemen†. He was in the Prussian army against Napoleon (Froebel Web, 1998-2008). In the army against Napoleon is where he met two people. Their names were Heinrich Langentha and Wilhelm Middendorf. They ended up becoming friends whom supported Froebel and remained with him throughout his lifetime (Froebel Web, 1998-2008). In 1826, Froebel wrote his first book called The Education of Man. It was one of the most important books that he wrote. In 1885, his book was translated into English. Many say this was his greatest work. In 1837, he opened his first kindergarten. Froebel moved to Bad Blankenburg (near Keilhau), where he opened his first kindergarten (Columbia, 2013). Froebel did not just open his first kindergarten. He was 58 years old when he created the first kindergarten. He became known as Father Kindergarten. In German, kindergarten means â€Å"Children’s Garden (Braun & Edwards, 1972). † Froebel’s kindergarten was created for younger children. He created his kindergarten for children ages three to seven. School back then started at age seven. His kindergarten is where he applied all of the knowledge that he gathered over many years from schooling or his own self-discovery. Froebel believed that children learned through play. According to Froebel, when children played Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 5 it was â€Å"free expression of what is in a child’s soul† giving â€Å"joy, freedom, contentment, inner and outer, rest, [and] peace with the world (Boyd, A. , n. d. ). † Froebel incorporated plants into his school as well. Froebel stated: â€Å"Children are like tiny flowers, they are varied and need care, but each is beautiful alone and glorious when seen in the community of peers (Nichols, R. 2010). † Froebel realized that each child is unique and each child may learn differently than another. â€Å"Froebel’s philosophy revolved around three main ideas: the unity of creation, respect for children as individuals, and the importance of play in children’s education (Braun & Edwards, 1972). † All of Froebel’s ideas are shaped by his inherent belief in the linking of man, and of nature and God. In 1847, Froebel took his idea of women being trained as teachers to an all male conference where the subject and idea was evoked (Hewes, 1990. pp. 7-8). He was laughed at and ridiculed, but that never stopped him. Froebel in 1849 began training women to become kindergarten teachers. He believed that women would make a better teacher because women  were the ones who raised the children in their homes. Froebel’s kindergarten teachers became more of guides rather than lecturers to the children (Nichols, R. 2010). Froebel created gifts that he thought would help children. Froebel created these gifts so that children could continue to learn through play. Froebel built blocks that were 1 inch cubes. He thought that the decorative blocks lacked a realistic view. Froebel believed that building with these blocks would help children progress from the material to the abstract (LeBlanc, M. 2010). He also created gifts called occupations. â€Å"Occupations were  objects in which children would shape and manipulate freely using their own creativity, such as clay, sand, beads, and rope (â€Å"Who Invented Kindergarten? ’, 2010). † His classroom was set for individual development aimed towards each child. He had a garden where children could play and learn more about how plants worked. Froebel believed that children were like plants, such Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 6 as planting a seed and help it grow. They sprout and bloom to become something glorious one day. Froebel is so memorable that even in 2014 people still talk about his accomplishments. In  2010, the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW) celebrated the 238th anniversary of Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel’s birth. In Texas there were 14 teachers in 2006 that went to Germany. They visited every site and institution were Froebel lived and worked (Campos, D. , 2010. p. 74). Froebel’s philosophy is still alive today. Many schools in the world today still use Froebel’s philosophy. Many kindergartens use his curriculum to a point. He used free play, games, songs, stories, and crafts to stimulate their imagination while developing physical and motor skills (Nichols, R. 2010). He also included mathematics. Schools today even with the change of technology, still have children play with Froebel’s gifts and believe in play with to learn, but many schools no longer allow religion to be taught. Children entering into kindergarten start at age 5-6 years old. From the time Froebel opened his first kindergarten in 1837, until he became ill and passed away at the age of 70 in 1852, more than 90 kindergartens were opened all throughout Germany (New World Encyclopedia, n. d. ). In conclusion, Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel was born on April 21, 1782. He had a terrible childhood that pushed him to become the person he is today. Froebel had a relationship with plants that flourished over many years. He became an apprentice for a forester in 1797. He went to multiple schools and self-taught himself. He went to multiple classes by Pestalozzi. He joined the â€Å"Black Riflemen† where he met his two lifelong friends named Heinrich Langentha and Wilhelm Middendorf. He moved to Bad Blankenburg where he opened his first kindergarten in 1837. He became known as Father Kindergarten. He created gifts that allowed children to build or even manipulate to all development of physical and motor skills. He is still known Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 7  today for his philosophy and his development of kindergarten. Today teachers still use play as a way for children to learn by. References Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 8 Boyd, A. , (1988). Friedrich Froebel and Kindergarten. Retrieved from Engines of Our Ingenuity Web site: http://www. uh. edu/engines/epi2475. htm Braun, S. J. , & Edwards, E. P. (1972). History and Theory of Early Childhood Education. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company. Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel. (n. d. ). New World Encyclopedia. Retrieved July 29, 2014, from http://www. newworldencyclopedia. org/entry/Friedrich_Wilhelm_August_Fr%C3%B6bel Friedrich Wilhelm August Froebel. (2013). In Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia (6th Ed. , Vol. 1). Retrieved July 10, 2014, from http://search. ebscohost. com/login. aspx? diect=true&db=a9h&AN=39007863&authtype=cookie,cpid&custid=ns017336&site=ehost-live &scope=site Friedrich Froebel (1782-1852) – Biography, Froebel’s Kindergarten Philosophy, The Kindergarten curriculum, Diffusion of the Kindergarten. (1999). Retrieved July 29, 2014, from http://education. stateuniversity. com/pages/1999/Froebel-Friedrich-1782-1852. html Froebel, F. [1826] 1887. The Education of Man. London: Appleton Froebel Web (1998a). Froebel Timeline. Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www. froebelweb. org/webline. html Hewes, D. W. (1990). Historical foundations of early childhood tear training. The evolution of kindergarten teacher preparation. In B. Spodek, & O. N. Saracho (Eds. ), Early childhood teacher preparation (pp. 1-22). New York: Teachers College Press. Running head: FRIEDRICH FROEBEL RESEARCH ESSAY 9 LeBlanc, M. â€Å"Friedrich Froebel: His life and influence on education. † Community Playthings. < http://www. communityplaythings. co. uk/resources/articles/friedrich-froebel. html > 21, Dec. 2010. Manning, J. P. (2005). Rediscovering Froebel: A Call to Re-examine his Life & Gifts. Early Childhood Education Journal, 32(6), 371-376. doi:10. 1007/s10643-005-0004-8 Michaelis, E. & Moore, H. (1889). Autobiography of Friedrich Froebel. (pp. 1-30). Syracuse, n. y. : C. W. Bardeen Nichols, R. â€Å"Friedrich Froebel: Founder of the First Kindergarten. â€Å"HubPages. com. http://hubpages. com/hub/Friedrich-Froebel-Founder-of-the-First-Kindergarten > 21 Dec. 2010. â€Å"Who Invented Kindergarten? † German Culture. com. < http://www. germanculture. com/us/library/weekly/kindergarten. htm > 21 Dec. 2010.

The Crucible - 805 Words

Katie Menzel 11/7/12 Conner Eng. Per. 2 â€Å"Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision.† This quote by V.S Niapaul demonstrates the idea that people limit themselves. They limit themselves to there own ideas. They don’t believe in themselves. Mary Warren in The Crucible demonstrates this by not believing in herself and settling for being a â€Å"follower†. Mary however, has a sincere sense of loyalty to John Proctor her employer. Mary Warren goes through an inner battle of peer pressure and her loyalty to Proctor. Mary’s yearning to fit in and loyalty to Proctor develops the theme that peer†¦show more content†¦Peer pressure eventually overcomes loyalty because peer pressure effect a person directly where as loyalty doesn’t profit you directly it may make you feel better about yourself, but that is it. In the case og The Crucible, Mary Warren choses the choice that saves her life. In The Crucible, Mary Warren loyalty to Proctor and her desire to fit in creates the theme that peer pressure easily overpowers loyalty. Mary Warren easly proves this theme as she throws the attention off her and on to Proctor. She quickly escapes her imminent fate by abandoning her loyalty and betraying Proctor. She saves her life while ending another. Mary carved out her own niche for herself as V.S Niapaul said by returning to her comfortable corner and returning to her â€Å"following†Show MoreRelatedThe Crucible1591 Words   |  7 PagesThe Crucible Many different parts form together to make up the society we see in The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller. Whether it be religion, government, or social roles; they all play some sort of impacting part to the characters we met while watching The Crucible. Who knew that religion and government could change a person’s life in a matter of minutes like it did so many times throughout the movie. The characters like Abigail Williams and John Proctor both knew the risks of going againstRead MoreThe Crucible805 Words   |  4 PagesThe Crucible â€Å"The witch-hunt was not, however, a mere repression. It was also, and as importantly, a long overdue opportunity for everyone so inclined to publicly express his guilt and sin, under the cover of accusations against the victims.† (Page 7 of Act One). These conflicts result and produce even more tragic occurrences. These conflicts are between either those have sinned and been accused – John Proctor, those who have been sinned against and accused out of jealousy and fear – ElizabethRead MoreThe Crucible1928 Words   |  8 Pagesï » ¿English Homework Sophia Cassan What role does sex, and sexual repression play in The Crucible? 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