Readers react to Jennifer Foote Sweeney's "A Cruel Choice" and to Creature Features.
Read "A Cruel Choice" by Jennifer Foote Sweeney.
I'm not sure words can suffice in expressing my outrage, my sheer and utter contempt for Ms. Foote Sweeney's viewpoint and her blatantly ignorant article. As a woman with a birth defect, a birth defect for which no medical source knows the cause (and which therefore could possibly pass down through my gene pool), I can tell Ms. Sweeney that neither she nor anyone else shall look down upon me from their ivory tower of "medical perfection" and express their distaste for my procreating -- defining that "selfish choice" basically as child neglect. How dare you, lady?
First, your points are misleading and ludicrous. Since when is allowable adoption a litmus test for a good parent? In Florida, for example, a gay person can't adopt a child. Does that mean gays wouldn't make good parents?
Second, exactly what guarantees have you deluded yourself into thinking this life provides? My father was an alcoholic, and I would happily have traded him for a few good years with a man who was kind to me and loving, even if that meant he would fall into early dementia.
Life isn't fair. And defining a life as worthy merely on whether or not a person has a fully functioning parent is to negate a good portion of the population. I suppose in your mind, it is better to have a fully functioning parent that beats and molests their child, or at least emotionally abuses their child, than to have one with whom you can no longer converse.
In your Ozzie and Harriet world, we would all be born to both a mother and a father, no one would get sick, and no parent would die (I suppose the ultimate "child exploitation"). I don't know what realm of reality you exist in, but it's not the one the rest of the population inhabits. Third, it is so very kind of you to allow the rest of us the legally binding (at least until Bush gets his grimy paws into the mire) ability to choose whether or not to bring a fetus to term. However, your elitist argument harks back to the days of arguments against biracial children (oh, the horror of the life they will endure), bi-religious families (how can two parents of different religions possibly raise spiritual children?), gay couples (What? No mom and dad?) and the ultimate argument of arguments: Poor people really shouldn't bring children into the world, as they don't have the money to provide a "worthwhile" life. Why don't we the people just hand over to you the power to pick and choose which of us you deem acceptable to have children? That way there would be no child neglect in the world we live in. Lastly, Ms. Foote Sweeney, define for the "unwashed" of us exactly which birth defects you believe are allowable under your system. I would deem your attitude of contempt and superiority a much more damaging defect than anything physical.
Even though she clearly states that the parents of this child have not been interviewed, Ms. Foote Sweeney has no problems passing holier-than-thou judgment on the motives of this family. I personally think that, in light of the tragedy that has befallen this woman's family, they are not unwarranted in wanting to continue the family line without this genetic curse. I daresay that these afflicted relatives would be glad to know that their family lives on without this curse. The lives and memories of this family will reside in this new child, as will a testament of the parent's love. The nuances of such a decision are certainly beyond me and very clearly beyond the article's author as well.
I honestly have no idea what Jennifer Foote Sweeney has managed to get so upset about. The mother destined to descend into early Alzheimer's is married, after all, and the child will still have a parent to raise her after the Alzheimer's sets in. Presumably the woman's husband loves her and wants to have a child with her. If they'd gone and had the child themselves without outside assistance, which they certainly could have done, this wouldn't be news. Instead, they bother to make sure that their child won't contract the same early-onset Alzheimer's, and suddenly, ooh, they're amoral. Please.
Jennifer Foote Sweeney neglected one crucial point in her piece: The woman in question is herself a geneticist, if I am reading other news reports correctly.
What would be the crueler choice? To have a child with her husband without the procedure and let nature play Russian roulette? Or to leave her husband with nothing of her? I don't know this woman, but I say "Right on! Tell fate to take a flying leap!"
The history of humanity, the courage of humanity, is daring to overcome nature. To inflict a child with one disease in order to instill protection from another is folly against common sense. Edward Jenner would have been hanged if that boy died after exposure to cowpox. Go look at the handbills and protests of the times aimed at Jenner.
Didn't the Wright brothers and other flight experimenters have families at risk when they ventured into their claptrap machines?
Hasn't every man who has left his wife and children over the centuries to defend freedom done so at the risk of shattering personal cost to those he left behind?
This woman is voting for life and hope, the hope that in 10 years biotech's rapidly accelerating "seven-league boots" strides of progress will sweep past this crushing horror she faces, hope that her legacy of love, courage, and sacrifice will be a treasure for the young adults she may never have an opportunity to know.
I was struck by the tone of your author's response to the couple who chose to have a baby knowing that the mother will soon be struck with early onset Alzheimer's. Your author "mourns" the birth of the baby, because the baby will have painful memories of her mother's illness. The author's thesis is that the parents are cruel to give birth to this child and that the child should never have been born.
Speaking for the baby, I have to say "Screw you, lady" to your author. I'm a recovering alcoholic. My childhood was a mess. My mother was a drunk. My father beat the crap out of us regularly. I tried to commit suicide three times before I turned 15. My high school and college years are stormy. And yet, if I had known all that before I was born, I would still choose my life. I got over my childhood. I'm happily married, recovering and have a job I love. I'm planning to have kids. I've reconciled my relationship with my parents. Given a choice, I would choose my whole life, even with all of its pain and messiness.
No one lives a life without pain or family tragedy. Period. To suggest that the only families who can guarantee a "perfect childhood" should bring children in this world fetishizes an oversimplified view of childhood. Most children live a world in which they rapidly lose their innocence. To a certain extent, parents exist to help their children lose that innocence in a protected environment, so that they don't get too hurt when they leave the nest. In addition to the simple joys of childhood, most children learn that the world is a frightening place and that there are hard truths in it. Pets die. Grandparents die. Parents get sick. The teacher doesn't like you. Little girls are kidnapped from their beds, murdered and left in a field. People fly airplanes into large buildings and kill thousands. It's a hard, cruel world.
It's also a beautiful world. People fall in love daily. They create beauty through art and music and dance. They find beauty in nature. They struggle to help others live better, happier lives. They struggle to excel in sports, and sometimes they succeed. They laugh and make love and enjoy a really good California roll at the local sushi joint.
To be born is to be given the opportunity to experience both the struggle and joy of being human. Just because one source of this pain in this baby's life is known doesn't mean that she should not be born. She has a father who will love her when her mother becomes sick. She will go to school and fall in love and have a life. Whether it is a good life or a bad one will ultimately depend on her, but I don't count her choices any less than my own or anyone's for having a happy life.
I usually agree with Ms. Foote Sweeney, but I feel she is way off the mark here. First of all, carrying a gene does not guarantee you will come down with the disease. By her logic, none of us should have kids because surely all of us are "destined" for some disease or another. Should diabetics be "allowed" to have children? What about overweight people who no doubt are putting their future heart health in danger? One day genetic testing will be so widespread that each one of us will know what defective genes we carry. Perhaps we should just all be sterilized now. I bet the author would vigorously defend the right of an HIV-positive woman to bear children. How is this different?
Thank God someone is talking about parents' responsibilities to their children. All too often, people do not really think about how they are going to raise their children. Do they think, am I responsible enough, am I nurturing enough, patient enough, generous enough, confident enough, strong enough, to raise a child? Do I have the financial resources? Considering the people I see mistreating their children on the subway every day, I think not. We don't need any more fucked-up, unhappy people in this country. Think before you procreate!
Jennifer Foote Sweeney may as well mourn for all unborn children, because we all come into a world steeped in loss. Can anybody guarantee their newborn child that they will be around in four or five years, that they won't suffer some debilitating accident or terminal illness? She suggests that this woman's choice to have a baby is cruel. I say it's life.
Many children grow up in devastating circumstances, but these don't, in and of themselves, preclude the possibilities of joy and love. Likewise, the idealized vision of what parents should be (i.e., parents our society deems suitable to adopt) does not guarantee that a child will grow up happy and well adjusted.
In many ways we treat children like porcelain figurines, and I think we underestimate what they can adapt themselves to and grow from, especially with a strong support system of family and friends around them. While I am saddened by this couple's situation, I cannot bring myself to call their choice indefensible. To me, it seems hopeful, giving, life-affirming.
Ms. Foote Sweeney seems so focused on trashing the self-absorbed mother and money-grubbing doctor that she tells us little or nothing of the couple's support system (this is a couple, after all; the husband is only mentioned in passing). By the end of this article, we really don't know this couple at all, only that what they're doing is "wrong." Instead of what could have been a portrait of a family struggling to grasp the inevitable difficulties of their situation, the author has offered a shallow and self-righteous indictment of them, resting her case on anecdotal evidence and thoughtless conjecture.
What a perfectly silly editorial! The piece begins with a false premise and reaches a predictably shaky conclusion. Contrary to what the writer would like to believe, the only "opportunity to spare a child completely" that any of us will ever have is not to have a child at all. Life will not spare any of us, children or otherwise. Because this woman knows her fate is not relevant. If anything, it gives her and her husband and perhaps even her child time to plan, to prepare, and to mourn, together. Parenthood is always a gamble. How many babies were born into suddenly fatherless homes after Sept. 11? How many infants have lost their mothers, dying to deliver them? Car accidents, cancers, diseases, heart attacks, strokes -- the risks are endless, and mostly unpredicted. Most parents, or parents to be, don't assume they will die suddenly and leave their children devastated, yet this happens every single day. To suggest that this family should be chastised because they have acknowledged this reality is ludicrous. To suggest that a slow parental decline is inherently worse for a child to experience than a sudden loss is foolishness. How can you measure the depth of any such emotional blow? Would you honestly turn to the children who lost parents on Sept. 11 and say, "Well, at least that was quick!"
Finally, not many of us are spared parental decline anyway. Even if our parents happily live into old age, we will see them slowly fade before our eyes. My mother buried her mother last year, after a long, debilitating illness, one that left my grandmother bedridden in the end, incontinent, and not always able to recognize the family who gathered around her at the end. Though she was 83 and my mother 58, it was no easier to handle. My mother's so-called mature age did not make her feel any more prepared to witness the changes that swept over her mother.
Spare a child completely? Rather, Salon, spare me.
Many people lose parents at a young age. When you see these people, do you cluck your tongue and say "Gosh, if only they'd been lucky enough not to have been born, they wouldn't have had to go through that"?
But we all eventually lose our parents, and I don't believe there is an age when it's less painful. It seems, in your eyes, that the loving mother the child will have for her first few years isn't worth enduring the pain of watching her die. Better the child never be born, you say.
But if you're never born, you never have the opportunity to know your parents at all. I guess that's the ultimate question we face in life -- is it worth loving someone, when at some point one of you will have to watch that person die?
Your answer seems to be no. Which seems to me to say more about a lack of appreciation for the love between a parent and child than a concern for the suffering of that child.
Read "A tail of treachery" by Erika Raskin.
You are just so droll. I love it. What a great title that would be for a children's story or even an allegory for adults. But from my experience with rats, the greedy Wall Street inside trader who can pay many tens of millions of dollars in fines out-of-pocket has much more in common with the rat than any philosopher. Years ago when my son was still a boy, one of his newspaper route customers called and offered us a pet that her daughter could not take to college. It was a brown rattus norvegicus. Though it looked like any common sewer rat it was quite domesticated. The previous owner would take it for rides in her car and it would perch on her shoulder as it wrinkled up its little whiskery nose at the crack in the window, savoring the scents of the larger world outside. He was named Lester and came to be quite a favorite with my daughter.
One night our husky/terrier mix, Bob, was scratching at her door. I heard the TV on in her room and it was late after bedtime. I rapped and got no answer. So I entered and found she had fallen asleep on the floor while playing with Lester and he had curled up for warmth at the hollow of her throat beneath her chin. After she woke up groggily I scolded her for her carelessness. When the door opened Bob made a mad dash to dispatch Lester and the only thing saving the innocent rat from an early death was Bob's tail. I grabbed Bob by the tail as his fangs snapped in the air scant millimeters from Lester's innocently twitching whiskers. Getting one arm around the dog, I scooped up the rat and got him back into the 10-gallon fish tank used for his terrarium. He scampered playfully about his glassy home, none the worse for his near escape from the canine grim reaper.
It is an apt comparison between the rat and the stock trader (or the CEO who sells his stock while freezing sales for his hardworking serfs) in that a rat will risk his all to greedily stockpile reserves of food greater than his needs. Lester's tank came complete with a Hartz Mountain Hamster Town. This was a maze of ladders, wheels, tubes and elbow joints to give him a playground that far surpasses in ingenuity any McDonald's Playtown. Bob was so intent on catching Lester that the tank was put up out of the dog's reach on a highboy dresser. That Lester was in mortal danger from Bob's sanguine attentions there was no doubt. When taken out for romps in the woods Bob would again and again prove his terrier heritage on rodents much larger than house rats. I have seen him victorious in mortal combats with groundhogs in the spring when they leave their dens to find mates. Somehow he even managed to get between a muskrat and the creek to chalk up another quick kill. One foggy night in late autumn he chased an opossum right back to me. This marsupial is the most primitive of mammals and it saw me as the greater threat, so it opened up a tooth-lined jaw and made fierce beastly threats in my direction. To keep it from ripping out my ankles I whipped at it with Bob's leash (I would use the leash to get him out into the woods, then set him loose to run). Thus distracted from the real threat of Bob, it turned its back to him, allowing him to dash in and seize its body in his jaws. He opened and closed his teeth rapidly and repeatedly from tail to throat of the unfortunate creature. My pity for the opossum was somewhat assuaged by my own gaze down its toothy maw. Just a few steps above the reptile on the evolutionary ladder, this animal has dental equipment much more like a crocodile than I care to get close to.
So Lester was indeed living in mortal peril in the same house with Bob. Yet Lester was so sweet and docile that you could more than feed him from your hand. Just to entertain visitors with a delectable frisson, I often arranged one tube of the Hamster Town to hang out off the edge of the dresser at the level of my chin. Lester then squeezed his ratly bulk up through the narrow tunnels to come to the end of the open tube. Then, hanging by his back legs and anchored by his tail, he would reach out over the void of empty space to take a crunchy nugget of dog food from my pursed lips. He would do this again and again until our guests grew tired of shrieking, "Eyuwww! How gross!" Yet all the while he performed this aerial act, Bob would be sitting at my feet howling his doggy executioner's song. His howl was a bit like a warbling yodel, "OwrrlOwrrllOwrrl." Lester had to be aware of Bob's cruel intentions, yet he made one death-defying trip after another to add to his horde of kibble. When it came time to clean Lester's home, we never failed to find close to five pounds of moldering dog food buried beneath a pile of urine-soaked cedar shavings. Now consider both the hard work and extreme risk Lester went through to accumulate such a pile. It was more than he could ever use, so why did he risk death to gather it all? Was this all the ratly equivalent to human thrill seeking?
So what was going through his ratty little brain while stretching out above Bob's snapping jaws to reach for just one more kernel of dog food that he had no real need for? Is the same instinct operating somewhere beneath the conscious level in the head of the wealthy inside trader, the CEO practicing creative accounting, or the celebrities who invest in third world sweatshops? Events like this prove that Darwin was more than correct. Before Man could descend from the ape, he had to descend from the rodent.
The author closes her tirade against the pesky rodents by noting that she's noticed snakes near her new home, and that she doesn't like them either. But snakes eat rats! So I hope the author will take heart.
I have a simple solution for anyone who has trouble with rodents: Get a cat or two. Not only are they much more appealing (and environmentally sound) than exterminators, they also actually work. In each of my last two apartments, there has been exactly one mouse encounter. Mouse comes in. Cats catch mouse. Mouse lets out death cry, warning other nearby mice of the presence of cats. Mice never set foot in my apartment again.
When I read the title and tag-line to this article, I knew that I wasn't going to read it. Usually, I like to at least skim most of the articles on Salon's site during the course of the day, but this one ... I just knew that I didn't want anything to do with it. Of course, afternoons in the office often drag. I had already perused the site, and I was content to just do some busywork until knock-off time. But unfortunately, my curiosity got the better of me, and my attention wandered to the "rodent" article I had been avoiding all day. I clicked on the red link -- it seemed to be pulsating like an overburdened artery -- and read the story with one eye open, the other caught in an anxious twitch that still lingers as I write this letter. Why did I bow to my curious nature? Why couldn't I have been content with an hour of simple busywork? I live in an apartment in Boston, and I've had a few problems with mice ... But dear God! (They can come up through the toilet?!) Thank you, Ms. Raskin, for plummeting me into at least a week of restless nights, anxiety attacks, and nervous glances toward the floorboards that will undoubtedly leave my neck ravaged and my mind in shreds. At least your perseverence and ability to adapt in the face of so many unlucky encounters gives me some sense of comfort -- but not much.
Oh my, Ms. Raskin is hysterical! Thanks for the fun. I'm so sick of all the terrible news. This piece hit the spot.
Read "The existence of dog" by Elena Sigman.
While Elena Sigman's attitudes about dogs may have changed for the better, she still is misinformed about one of their characteristics. Dogs do not have "deep, deep fur," as they do not have pelts. Instead dogs have skin follicles, and like humans, they grow hair on their bodies, only they have much more of it.
Halleluja, sister, and welcome to our wet-nosed club.


We only accept clean meat to ensure that your product is made to the quality that you deserve. Proper care and cleaning of the meat is important to guarantee the best taste and quality. There is a required 25-pound batch minimum on each item. We always guarantee the return of your own meat!
Example: 15lbs game meat and 10lbs pork equals 25lbs.
Steaks, roasts, vacuum sealing and freezing.
For a juicy hamburger, 10-15% fat should be added.


text:
'Esau Hates Jacob' Conflict and Religious Elite Rhetoric in Israel
MIT Political Science Department Research Paper No. 2016-9
39 Pages Posted: 8 May 2016
See all articles by Michael Freedman
Michael Freedman
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Political Science
Date Written: May 4, 2016
How do religious elites respond to conflict? While scholars have shown that elite rhetoric influences civil and interstate war, work on how conflict affects elite rhetoric remains limited. In this paper, I examine to what extent Israeli religious elite rhetoric becomes more hawkish during periods of military conflict with the Palestinians. I exploit the variation of conflict intensity over time, in order to compare religious elite discourse before and after different periods of conflict. I use unsupervised and supervised learning methods to classify weekly Sabbath leaflets, which serve as an important media platform for Israel's religious elites. My results suggest that there is a significant increase in nationalist rhetoric during times of military conflict. Additionally, during conflict nationalist rhetoric shifts from an emphasis on connection to the land to nationalist incitement towards the enemy. In contrast, my results suggest that religious elites experience no similar increase in anti-government rhetoric during times of domestic conflict. Overall, these results suggest that religious elites experience short-term radicalization in response to military conflict, but remain relatively unaffected by domestic conflict.
Freedman, Michael, 'Esau Hates Jacob' Conflict and Religious Elite Rhetoric in Israel (May 4, 2016). MIT Political Science Department Research Paper No. 2016-9. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2775392 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2775392
Michael Freedman (Contact Author)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Department of Political Science ( email )

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Back to Bursaries
David Goodhew Bursary
David Goodhew leaves Latymer at the end of this academic year after a decade as our Head. Since he joined in 2012, Latymer has gone from strength to strength on every front, and our gates are now open to academically ambitious young people from a wide range of backgrounds.
To mark the lasting impact that David's leadership has had on our School and our students, we would like to create a new 11+ bursary in his name, for a young person joining Latymer next academic year. Each year, our annual Bursaries Appeal aims to fund five new bursaries. This year our aim will be to fund six, to include the new "David Goodhew Bursary".
Thanks to the remarkable response of the Latymer community, funding for the David Goodhew bursary is now at more than £130,000. If we can raise the remaining £35,000, we will be able to offer this sixth bursary to a young person in September, in addition to the five funded by our annual Bursaries Appeal.
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text:
package sk.tuke.xhl.core;

import com.google.common.collect.ImmutableMap;
import sk.tuke.xhl.core.Token.TokenType;
import sk.tuke.xhl.core.elements.Position;

import java.io.BufferedReader;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.Reader;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Iterator;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Stack;
import java.util.regex.Matcher;
import java.util.regex.Pattern;

import static sk.tuke.xhl.core.Token.TokenType.*;

/**
 * Lexical analyzer for XHL -- makes a list of tokens from input stream.
 *
 * @author Sergej Chodarev
 */
public class Lexer {
    // Regular expressions and maps for tokens
    private static final Pattern numberRx =
            Pattern.compile("-?\\d+(\\.\\d*)?([eE]-?\\d+)?");
    private static final Pattern operatorRx = Pattern.compile("[-+*/_=<>?!:&|]+");
    private static final Pattern symbolRx = Pattern.compile("[a-zA-Z]\\w*");
    private static final ImmutableMap<Character, TokenType> simpleTokens =
            new ImmutableMap.Builder<Character, TokenType>()
                    .put('(', PAR_OPEN)
                    .put(')', PAR_CLOSE)
                    .put('[', BRACKET_OPEN)
                    .put(']', BRACKET_CLOSE)
                    .put('{', BRACE_OPEN)
                    .put('}', BRACE_CLOSE)
                    .put(',', COMMA)
                    .put('.', DOT)
                    .build();
    private static final String OPEN = "([{";
    private static final String CLOSE = "}])";
    private static final ImmutableMap<Character, Character> escapes =
            ImmutableMap.of('b', '\b',
                            'f', '\f',
                            'n', '\n',
                            'r', '\r',
                            't', '\t');

    // Name of the processed file (for nice error messages)
    private final String filename;
    // Input stream
    private final BufferedReader input;
    // Currently processed line
    private String line;
    // Cursor position
    private int lineN = 0;
    private int columnN = 0;

    // Lexer state
    private final Stack<Integer> indent = new Stack<>();
    private int braceLevel = 0;

    // List of tokens
    private final List<Token> tokens = new ArrayList<>(120);
    // List of errors
    private final List<Error> errors = new ArrayList<>();

    /**
     * Get list of tokens read from the input stream.
     *
     * @param input    Input stream to read from
     * @param filename Name of the file (used in token position info)
     * @return Read tokens
     */
    public static MaybeError<Iterator<Token>> readTokens(
            Reader input, String filename) throws IOException {
        Lexer lexer = new Lexer(input, filename);
        lexer.readTokens();
        if (lexer.errors.isEmpty())
            return MaybeError.succeed(lexer.tokens.iterator());
        else
            return MaybeError.fail(lexer.errors, lexer.tokens.iterator());
    }

    /**
     * Initialize lexical analyzer.
     *
     * @param input    Input stream.
     * @param filename Name of the read file (will be include in the position
     *                 of tokens).
     */
    private Lexer(Reader input, String filename) {
        this.filename = filename;
        this.input = new BufferedReader(input);
        indent.push(0);
    }

    /**
     * Read all tokens from input stream.
     */
    private void readTokens() throws IOException {
        line = input.readLine();
        while (line != null) {
            lineN++;
            columnN = 0;

            // Read indentation
            int indentation = readIndentation();
            // Skip empty line
            if (endOfLine()) {
                line = input.readLine();
                continue;
            }
            // Add INDENT or DEDENT tokens
            if (braceLevel == 0)
                processIndentation(indentation);
            // Read tokens on the line
            while (!endOfLine()) {
                tokens.add(readToken());
                skipSpace();
            }
            // End of line
            if (braceLevel == 0)
                tokens.add(new Token(LINE_END, getPosition()));
            // Next line
            line = input.readLine();
        }
        if (braceLevel > 0)
            // Braces was not closed, but the logical line must end
            tokens.add(new Token(LINE_END, getPosition()));
        // DEDENT on the ond of file
        while (indent.peek() > 0) {
            indent.pop();
            tokens.add(new Token(DEDENT, getPosition()));
        }
        // Add EOF
        tokens.add(new Token(EOF, getPosition()));
    }

    /**
     * Generate INDENT or DEDENT tokens for indentation change.
     *
     * @param indentation
     *            Level of indentation.
     */
    private void processIndentation(int indentation) {
        if (indentation > indent.peek()) {
            indent.push(indentation);
            tokens.add(new Token(INDENT, getPosition()));
        } else if (indentation < indent.peek()) {
            while (indentation < indent.peek()) {
                indent.pop();
                tokens.add(new Token(DEDENT, getPosition()));
            }
            if (indentation != indent.peek())
                errors.add(new Error(getPosition(), "Indentation error"));
        }
    }

    /**
     * Is and of line reached?
     *
     * Comment also ends line.
     */
    private boolean endOfLine() {
        return (columnN == line.length() || line.charAt(columnN) == '#' || line
                .charAt(columnN) == ';'); // ; only for backwards compatibility
    }

    /**
     * Read spaces and count the amount of indentation.
     *
     * @return indentation level.
     */
    private int readIndentation() {
        char c;
        int indentation = 0;
        while (!endOfLine()) {
            c = line.charAt(columnN);
            switch (c) {
            case ' ':
                indentation++;
                break;
            case '\t':
                indentation += 8;
                indentation -= indentation % 8;
                break;
            default:
                return indentation;
            }
            columnN++;
        }
        return indentation;
    }

    private void skipSpace() {
        while (!endOfLine() && (" \t".indexOf(line.charAt(columnN)) != -1))
            columnN++;
    }

    /**
     * Try to match regular expression at the current cursor position.
     *
     * @param rx
     *            Regular expression
     * @return Matched text or null if regular expression did not
     *         match.
     */
    private String matchRx(Pattern rx) {
        Matcher m = rx.matcher(line.substring(columnN));
        if (m.lookingAt()) {
            columnN += m.end();
            return m.group();
        } else
            return null;
    }

    /**
     * Read one token at current position.
     */
    private Token readToken() {
        if (line.charAt(columnN) == '"')
            return readString();

        char ch = line.charAt(columnN);
        // Punctuation
        if (simpleTokens.containsKey(ch)) {
            TokenType type = simpleTokens.get(ch);
            if (OPEN.indexOf(ch) != -1)
                braceLevel++;
            else if (CLOSE.indexOf(ch) != -1)
                braceLevel--;
            columnN++;
            return new Token(type, getPosition());
        }

        String text = matchRx(numberRx);
        if (text != null)
            return new Token(NUMBER, Double.valueOf(text), getPosition());

        text = matchRx(operatorRx);
        if (text != null)
            return new Token(OPERATOR, text, getPosition());

        text = matchRx(symbolRx);
        if (text != null) {
            if (text.equals("true"))
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        errors.add(new Error(getPosition(), "Unexpected character '"+ ch +"'"));
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            else if (ch == '\\')
                ch = escapedChar();
            sb.append(ch);
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            errors.add(new Error(getPosition(), "Unclosed string"));
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        else if (cc == 'u') {
            String code = line.substring(columnN+1, columnN+5);
            char[] chars = Character.toChars(Integer.parseInt(code, 16));
            return chars[0]; // TODO: Can we be sure that second char is not needed?
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            return escapes.get(cc);
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I could understand why perspective adoptive parents would be skeptical about choosing open adoption route, especially if they have gone through many years of infertility and the emotions involved in that. Their goal is to be a parent and the idea of taking on an additional relative seems unnecessarily complicated. And I understand that, but you are not choosing open adoption because it´s in your best interest, you are choosing open adoption because it´s in your child´s best interest. Open adoption allows a child to grow up in the healthiest environment possible in an adoptive family. They know they weren´t abandoned. They weren´t abandoned. They know who they are. They don´t focus or concentrate constantly on the past because they know it. They can look towards the future. So adoptive parents will often choose it because it is in the best interest of their child but the ironic part is that the studies show over and over again that parents in an open adoptive relationship are actually more confident in their role as the real parents than parents in closed adoption. There isn´t the anxiety of who is she, where is, is she going to steal the baby back, is she hiding behind the bushes. She doesn´t need to in an open adoption. You know where she is. She is Megan. She lives in Chino and she´s dating a guy named Bob. You are going to see her next summer when she is in town. There´s no mystery and there´s no fear because everything is out in the open.


text:
Antioxidants: Chemistry and Their Impact on Health
Home /Health Mind Body/Antioxidants: Chemistry and Their Impact on Health
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1. Introduction In the aerobic environment, the most dangerous by product are the species of reactive oxygen. The role of antioxidants is to detoxify reactive oxygen intermediates (ROI) in the body. Over the past several years, nutritional antioxidants have attracted considerable interest in the popular press as potential treatment for a wide variety of disease states, including cancer and other causes e.g. cancer, chronic inflammatory diseases and aging (Delany L. 1993).
Naturally occurring inhibitors of oxidation in food generally originate from plant-based materials. The active components, namely phenolics and polyphenolics, including tocopherols, are secondary plant metabolites and are first derived from phenylalanine and in certain cases and in some plants from tyrosine. The resultant phenylpropanoids may then undergo further transformation to yield benzoic acid derivatives as well as flavonoids, isoflavons, and other complex polyphenols. Thus, natural food phenolics are present as a complex mixture of compounds that provide a cocktail of many active components present in the free, esterified, glycosylated and bound forms (Shahidi and Naczk, 1995). The potency of preparations is therefore dictated by their chemical structures and governed by the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of the participating molecules in a concentration- and system-dependent manner. Thus, the mode of action of natural antioxidants may involve multiple mechanisms, depending on the source material and possible presence of synergists and antagonists.
In order to use any antioxidant preparation in food, it must be safe, easy to incorporate, effective at low concentrations, with no undesirable odour, flavour or colour, heat stable, nonvolatile and with good carry through properties and cost-effective. In addition, presence and possible effects of antagonists must be carefully considered, as an antioxidant may become a prooxidant in the presence of certain other molecules. As an example, chlorophylls may overwhelm the antioxidant effect of phenolics due to photosensitized oxidation and transition metal ions such as those of iron and copper may render conditions that favour oxidation. Synergism among different phenolic antioxidants and between phenolics and non-phenolics should be considered in all application areas. Definition
Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction. Their chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free radical the body has a defence system of antioxidants.
An antioxidant is a substance that when present in low concentrations relative to the oxidizable substrate significantly delays or reduces oxidation of the substrate (Halliwell, 1995).
Antioxidants get their name because they combat oxidation. They are substances that protect other chemicals of the body from damaging oxidation reactions by reacting with free radicals and other reactive oxygen species within the body, hence hindering the process of oxidation. During this reaction the antioxidant sacrifices itself by becoming oxidized. However, antioxidant supply is not unlimited as one antioxidant molecule can only react with a single free radical. Therefore, there is a constant need to replenish antioxidant resources, whether endogenously or through supplementation.
2. Review of Literature
Qin Yan Zhu et. al.(2001) studied antioxidant property of oolong tree. Inhibitory effect on FeCl2/ H2O2 – induced damage and the inhibitory effect on erythrocyte hemolysis of an oolonge tea extract (OTE) were evaluated. The OTE was found to have strong antioxidant activity in all model system. When OTE was separated into fractions according to molecular weight it was found that fraction with higher amount of phenolic compound (with low molecular weight) have strong antioxidative activity.
Yi Fang Chu and Xianzona Wu (2002) reported that increased consumption of fruits and vegetables containing high levels of phytochemicals have been recommended to prevent chronic diseases related to oxidative stress in human body. 10 common vegetables were selected. The study showed that Red peeper had highest total antioxidant activity followed by Broccoli, Carrot, Spinach, Cabbage, Onion, Potato etc.
Jie Sun and Yi Fang (2002) reported that consumption of fruit & vegetable associated with reduced risk to Chronic disease due to present of antioxidant. According to them vitamin C is the major antioxidant in fruit.
Jeong- Chae Lee (2002) assessed an ethanol extract of stem of opuntia to determine the mechanism of its antioxidant activities. The ethanol extract exhibited a concentration dependent inhibition of linoleic acid oxidation.
Keni Chi Ya na Gimoto et. al. (2002) investigated the antioxidant activity of column chromatographic fractions obtained from brewed coffee to find antioxidant and to assess benefits of coffee drinking. Coffee contain many antioxidant and consumption of antioxidant rich brewed coffee may inhibit disease caused by oxidative damage.
Anaberta Cardadose et.al. (2003) showed that fraction extracted with ethyl acetate have antioxidant activity with potent free radical scavenging activity.
Joon Hee Lee et. al. (2003) reported that Muscadine Grapes and its winary bi product have antioxidant capacity.
Kizhiyedathu et. al. (2003) reported that extract obtained from sesame cake and oil have free radical scavenging capacity i.e. antioxidant property.
K.S. Shivashankara and Seiichiro Isobe (2004) reported that if greenhouse- grown tree ripe ( TR) and mature green ( MG) mangoes (cv. Irwin) were exposed to high electric field treatment before 20 and 30 days of storage at 5O C. MG fruits were allowed to ripen at room temperature after low- temperature storage and antioxidant capacity were estimated before and after the storage period. Antioxidant capacity of fruits remained unchanged up to 20 days of storage period and decreased thereafter. Antioxidant capacity of fruits was significantly correlated only to ascorbic acids.
Joseph O. Kuti et.al. (2004) reported that total phenolics and antioxidant capacity were higher in raw that in cooked leaf extracts. Cooking reduced antioxidant activity. The results of their study indicate that tree spinach leaves are a rich source of natural antioxidants.
Mahinda Wella singh and Kirk Parkin (2004) studied a broad range of antioxidant activities in crude extract of beet root tissues. Betalain pigment have been shown to posses various antioxidant function.
3. Classification of antioxidants Table 1. Classification of antioxidants based on their roles
Superoxide dismutase (SOD)
Mitochondrial
Cytoplasmic
Extracellular
Dismutates O2· to H2O2
Contains Manganese (Mn.SOD)
Contains Copper & Zinc (CuZnSOD)
Contains Copper (CuSOD)
Catalase
Dismutates H2O2 to H2O
Tetrameric hemoprotein present in peroxisomes
Glutathione peroxidase (GSH.Px)
Removes H2O2 and lipid peroxides
Selenoproteins (contains Se2+)
Primarily in the cytosol also mitochondria
Uses GSH
Alpha tocopherol
Breaks lipid peroxidation
Lipid peroxide and O2· and ·OH scavenger
Fat soluble vitamin
Scavenges ·OH, O2·and peroxy radicals
Prevents oxidation of vitamin A
Binds to transition metals
Directly scavenges O2·, ·OH, and H2O2
Neutralizes oxidants from stimulated neutrophils
Contributes to regeneration of vitamin E
Water soluble vitamin
Table 2.Classification Of antioxidants based on their sources
Tocopherols
Tropical Oils
Tocotrienols
Plant Oils
Rosemary and Sage
Complex phenolics
Wheat and buckwheat
Flavenoids
Oil Seeds
Canola and Mustard
Phenolic acids & Phenylpropanoids
Catechins and Polyphenols
Fruit skin and seeds
Grape seed and skin
Polyphenols and Tannins
4. Antioxidant chemistry of some vitamins 4.1 Alpha tocopherol (vitamin E) Vitamin E -2D structure – C26H44O2 4.1.1 Nomenclature It is the major lipid soluble antioxidant found in cells. The name originated in the early 1920s when vegetable oil was discovered to restore fertility in rats. This unknown substance was designated vitamin E by Sure in 1924.The term tocopherol was first used by Evans. Because this compound permitted an animal to have offspring, he named it tocopherol from the Greek word tokos, meaning childbirth, and added the verb phero, meaning to bring forth. To indicate the alcohol nature of the molecule, ol was added to the ending.
Vitamin E is a generic term that includes all entities that exhibit the biological activity of natural vitamin E, d-alpha-tocopherol. In nature, eight substances have been found to have vitamin E activity: d-alpha-, d-beta-, d-gamma- and d-delta-tocopherol (which differ in methylation site and side-chain saturation (Kellof et al. 1996); and d-alpha-, d-beta-, d-gamma- and d-delta-tocotrienol. Also, the acetate and succinate derivatives of the natural tocopherols have vitamin E activity, as do synthetic tocopherols and their acetate and succinate derivatives.
Of all these, d-alpha-tocopherol has the highest biopotency, and its activity is the standard against which all the others must be compared. It is the predominant isomer in plasma.
4.1.2 Source and Nature
Vitamin E is an essential nutrient that functions as an antioxidant in the human body. It is essential, by definition, because the body cannot manufacture its own vitamin E and thus it must be provided by foods and supplements.
Tocopherols are present in oils, nuts, seeds, wheat germ and grains. Absorption is believed to be associated with intestinal fat absorption. Approximately 40% of the ingested tocopherol is absorbed. Most tocopherols enter the blood via lymph where they are associated with chylomicrons. Vitamin E was shown to be stored in adipose tissue. Phospholipids of the mitochondria & endoplasmic reticulum & plasma membranes possess affinities for alpha tocopherol & the vitamin tends to concentrate in these sites.
4.1.3 Mechanisms of Action
Vitamin E is more appropriately described as an antioxidant than a vitamin. This is because, unlike most vitamins, it does not act as a co-factor for enzymatic reactions.
Also, deficiency of vitamin E does not produce a disease with rapidly developing symptoms such as scurvy or beriberi. Overt symptoms due to vitamin E deficiency occur only in cases involving fat mal absorption syndromes, premature infants and patients on total parenteral nutrition. The effects of inadequate vitamin E intake usually develop over a long time, typically decades, and have been linked to chronic diseases such as cancer and atherosclerosis.
Hence, its main function is to prevent the peroxidation of membrane phospholipids, and avoids cell membrane damage through its antioxidant action. The lipophilic character of tocopherol enables it to locate in the interior of the cell membrane bilayers (Halliway and Getteridge, 1992; Borg, 1993). Tocopherol-OH can transfer a hydrogen atom with a single electron to a free radical, thus removing the radical before it can interact with cell membrane proteins or generate lipid peroxidation. When tocopherol-OH combines with the free radical, it becomes tocopherol-O·, itself a radical. When ascorbic acid is available, tocopherol-O· plus ascorbate (with its available hydrogen) yields semidehydroascorbate (a weak radical) plus tocopherol-OH (Halliway and Gutteridge, 1992). By this process, an aggressive ROI(Reactive Oxygen Intermediate) is eliminated and a weak ROI (dehydroascorbate) is formed, and tocopherol-OH is regenerated. Despite this complex defence system, there are no known endogenous enzymatic antioxidant systems for the hydroxyl radical.
Vitamin E also stimulates the immune response. Some studies have shown lower incidence of infections when vitamin E levels are high, and vitamin E may inhibit cancer initiation through enhanced immunocompetence.
Vitamin E also has a direct chemical function. It inhibits the conversion of nitrites in smoked, pickled and cured foods to nitrosamines in the stomach. Nitrosamines are strong tumour promoters.
Alpha-tocopherol has been shown to be capable of reducing ferric iron to ferrous iron (i.e. to act as a pro-oxidant). Moreover, the ability of alpha-tocopherol to act as a pro-oxidant (reducing agent) or antioxidant depends on whether all of the alpha-tocopherol becomes consumed in the conversion from ferric to ferrous iron or whether, following this interaction, residual alpha-tocopherol is available to scavenge the resultant ROI (Yamamoto and Nike, 1988).
4.1.4 Possible therapeutic effects
Ø Vitamin E decreases the incidence of ischaemic heart disease (Gey et al. 1991).
Ø Decreases the incidence of cataract (Packer, 1991; 1992).
Ø Decreases the incidence of osteoarthritis (Blankenhorn, 1986).
Ø Decreases the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis (Kheir El-dein et al. 1992).
4.2 Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) Vitamin C -2D structure C6H8O6 4.2.1 Source and Nature
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is a water-soluble, antioxidant present in citrus fruits, potatoes, tomatoes and green leafy vegetables.
Humans are unable to synthesize l-ascorbic acid from d-glucose due to absence of the enzyme L-gulacolactone oxidase (Ensimnger et al.1995). Hence, humans must therefore obtain ascorbic acid from dietary sources.
4.2.2 Mechanism of Action
The chemopreventive action of vitamin C is attributed to two of its functions. It is a water-soluble chain breaking antioxidant (Ishwarial et at 1991). As an antioxidant, it scavenges free radicals and reactive oxygen molecules, which are produced during metabolic pathways of detoxification. It also prevents formation of carcinogens from precursor compounds (Block and Menkes, 1988). The structure of ascorbic acid is reminiscent of glucose, from which it is derived in the majority of mammals.
One important property is its ability to act as a reducing agent (electron donor). Ascorbic acid is a reducing agent with a hydrogen potential of +O.08V, making it capable of reducing such compounds as a molecular oxygen, nitrate and cytochromes a and c. Donation of one electron by ascorbate gives the semi-dehydroascorbate radical (DHA). Ascorbate reacts rapidly with O2·?and even more rapidly with ·OH to give DHA. DHA, itself can act as a source of vitamin C.
Ascorbic acid + 2O2· + 2H ® H2O2 + DHA
It has also been shown that ascorbate is more potent th
an a-tocopherol in inhibiting the oxidation of LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) in a cell free system (Jialal et at 1990). Co-incubation of LDL with ascorbate during similar oxidative condition inhibited LDL oxidation and resulted in preservation of the endogenous antioxidant in the LDL particle (Ishwarial et at, 1991). The concentration of ascorbate used to inhibit LDL oxidation (40-60 mm) is well within the normal plasma range (23-85 pm).
Vitamin C also contributes to the regeneration of membrane bound oxidized vitamin E. It will react with the a -tocopheroxyl radical, resulting in the generation of tocopherol in this process itself being oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid (Ward & Peters 1995). Vitamin C supplementation in animals leads to increased plasma and tissue levels of vitamin E.
In vitro studies suggest that the antioxidant properties of ascorbic acid may not increase linearly as ascorbic acid concentrations rise (Frei et al. 1989). Moreover, ascorbic acid alone can act as a "pro-oxidant" or reducing agent to react with copper or iron salts. Ferric iron (Fe3+) formed by the reaction, Fe2+ + H2O2 ® HO + ·OH + Fe3+, is converted by ascorbic acid to ferrous (Fe2+) ion. Ferrous iron is therefore recycled to promote the conversion of more H2O2 to ·OH (Halliway et al. 1992).
4.3 Beta Carotene
2-D Structure of Beta Carotene 4.3.1 Source and Nature
Carotenoids are pigmented micronutrients present in fruits and vegetables.
Carotenoids are precursors of vitamin A and have antioxidant effects. While over 600 carotenoids have been found in the food supply, the most common forms are alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lycopene, crocetin, canthaxanthin, and fucoxanthin. Beta-carotene is the most widely studied. It is composed of two molecules of vitamin A (retinol) joined together. Dietary beta-carotene is converted to retinol at the level of the intestinal mucosa.
The antioxidant function of beta-carotene is due to its ability to quench singlet oxygen, scavenge free radicals and protect the cell membrane lipids from the harmful effects of oxidative degradation (Krinsky and Deneke, 1982; Santamaria et al. 1991). The quenching involves a physical reaction in which the energy of the excited oxygen is transferred to the carotenoid, forming an excited state molecule (Krinsky, 1993). Quenching of singlet oxygen is the basis for beta-carotene's well known therapeutic efficacy in erythropoietic protoporphyria (a photosensitivity disorder) (Matthews-Roth, 1993). The ability of beta-carotene and other carotenoids to quench excited oxygen, however, is limited, because the carotenoid itself can be oxidized during the process (autoxidation). Burton and Ingold (Burton and Ingold, 1984) and others have shown that beta-carotene autoxidation in vitro is dose-dependent and dependent upon oxygen concentrations. At higher concentrations, it may function as a pro-oxidant and can activate proteases.
In addition to singlet oxygen, carotenoids are also thought to quench other oxygen free radicals. It is also suggested that beta carotene might react directly with the peroxyl radical at low oxygen tensions; this may provide some synergism to vitamin E which reacts with peroxyl radicals at higher oxygen tensions (Cotgreave et al. 1988).
Carotenoids also have been reported to have a number of other biologic actions, including immuno-enhancement; inhibition of mutagenesis and transformation; and regression of premalignant lesions
5. Antioxidant chemistry of some enzymes
This includes superoxide dismutase, catalase, and peroxidases.
5.1 Superoxide dismutase (SOD) 5.1.1 Source and Nature
SOD is an endogenously produced intracellular enzyme present in essentially every cell in the body.Cellular SOD is actually represented by a group of metalloenzymes with various prosthetic groups.The prevalent enzyme is cupro-zinc (CuZn) SOD, which is a stable dimeric protein (32,000 D). SOD appears in three forms: (1) Cu-Zn SOD in the cytoplasm with two subunits, and (2) Mn-SOD in the mitochondrion (Mayes, 1993; Warner, 1994). A third extracellular SOD recently has been described contains Copper (CuSOD).
2O2· + 2H + SOD ® H2O2 + O2
SOD is considered fundamental in the process of eliminating ROI by reducing (adding an electron to) superoxide to form H2O2. Catalase and the selenium-dependent glutathione peroxidase are responsible for reducing H2O2 to H2O.
The respective enzymes that interact with superoxide and H2O2 are tightly regulated through a feedback system. Excessive superoxide inhibits glutathione peroxidase and catalase to modulate the equation from H2O2 to H2O (see Fig.5). Likewise, increased H2O2 slowly inactivates CuZn-SOD. Meanwhile, catalases and glutathione peroxidase, by reducing H2O2, conserve SOD; and SOD, by reducing superoxide, conserves catalases and glutathione peroxidase. Through this feedback system, steady low levels of SOD, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase, as well as superoxide and H2O2 are maintained, which keeps the entire system in a fully functioning state (Fridovich, 1993).
SOD also exhibits antioxidant activity by reducing O2·? that would otherwise lead to the reduction of Fe3+ to Fe2+ and thereby promote ·OH formation. When the catalase activity is insufficient to metabolize the H2O2 produced SOD will increase the tissue oxidant activity. Hence, it was found that the antioxidant enzymes function as a tightly balanced system, any disruption of this system would lead to promotion of oxidation .
5.2 The catalase enzyme
This enzyme is a protein enzyme present in most aerobic cells in animal tissues. Catalase is present in all body organs being especially concentrated in the liver & erythrocytes. The brain, heart, skeletal muscle contains only low amounts.
Catalase and glutathione peroxidase seek out hydrogen peroxide and convert it to water and diatomic oxygen. An increase in the production of SOD without a subsequent elevation of catalase or glutathione peroxidase leads to the accumulation of hydrogen peroxide, which gets converted into the hydroxyl radical. Indeed research in the pathogenesis of Down's syndrome has revealed that the existence of trisomy 21 leads to the overproduction of SOD, the gene for which is located also on chromosome 21. This finding is intriguing in that it reveals the possibility of a genetic link to the increased activity of free radicals. (Krinsky, 1992)
2 H2O2 ® 2 H2O + O2
5.3 Glutathione peroxidase enzyme
The glutathione redox cycle is a central mechanism for reduction of intracellular hydroperoxides.
It is a tetrameric protein 85,000-D. it has 4 atoms of selenium (Se) bound as seleno-cysteine moieties that confers the catalytic activity. One of the essential requirements is glutathione as a cosubstrate.
Glutathione peroxidase reduces H2O2 to H2O by oxidizing glutathione (GSH) (Equation A). Rereduction of the oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG) is then catalysed by glutathione reductase (Equation B). These enzymes also require trace metal cofactors for maximal efficiency, including selenium for glutathione peroxidase; copper, zinc, or manganese for SOD; and iron for catalase (Halliwell, 1995).
H2O2 + 2 GSH ® GSSG + 2 H2O (equation A)
GSSG + NADPH + H+ ® 2 GSH + NADP+ (equation B)
6. Mode of action of antioxidants
There are four routes:
1.Chain breaking reactions, e.g. alpha-tocopherol which acts in lipid phase to trap "ROD" radical.
2.Reducing the concentration of reactive oxygen species e.g. glutathione.
3.Scavenging initiating radicals e.g. superoxide dismutase which acts in aqueous phase to trap superoxide free radicals.
4.Chelating the transition
metal catalysts: A group of compounds serves an antioxidant function by sequestration of transition metals that are well-established pro-oxidants. In this way, transferrin, lactoferrin, and ferritin function to keep iron induced oxidant stress in check and ceruloplasmin and albumin as copper sequestrants.
7. Antioxidant System in our body
The body has developed several endogenous antioxidant systems to deal with the production of ROI. These systems can be divided into enzymatic and nonenzymatic groups.
The enzymatic antioxidants include superoxide dismutase (SOD), which catalyses the conversion of O2·? to H2O2 and H2O; catalase, which then converts H2O2 to H2O and O2; and glutathione peroxidase, which reduces H2O2 to H2O.
The nonenzymatic antioxidants include the lipid-soluble vitamins, vitamin E and vitamin A or provitamin A (beta-carotene), and the water-soluble vitamin C and GSH. Vitamin E has been described as the major chain-breaking antioxidant in humans (Packer, 1992). Because of its lipid solubility, vitamin E is located within cell membranes, where it interrupts lipid peroxidation and may play a role in modulating intracellular signalling pathways that rely on ROI (Kagan et al. 1990; Azzi et al. 1993). Vitamin E can also directly quench ROI, including O2·, ·OH, and (Algayer et al. 1992) O2.
8. Commercial Sources of Natural Antioxidants
The most common natural antioxidant preparations in the market are mixed tocopherols, which are by-products of vegetable oil refining. In addition, spices or their oleoresins and extracts, such as those of rosemary and sage, green tea extracts, other plant-based mixtures, such as those of mustard and certain unsaponifiables of edible oils, and, of course, carotenoids are also important (Table 2) ( Ho et al., 1994; Shahidi, 1997).
9. Efficacy of anti oxidants in different systems
The chemical composition and structures of active extract components are important factors governing the efficacy of natural antioxidants in different foods. Thus, phenolic compounds with ortho- and para- dihydroxylation or a hydroxy and a methoxy group are more effective than simple phenolics. In addition, phenylpropanoids with extended conjugation are more effective than benzoic acid derivatives. Furthermore, hydrophilicity and lipophilicity of the active components is dictated by the appropriateness of antioxidants in systems. In general, more hydrophilic antioxidants are better in stabilizing bulk oil than oil-in-water emulsions while the activity of lipophilic antioxidants follows the opposite trend. There are also many other factors that must be taken into account when considering and selecting antioxidants and extracts for food application. Specifically, attention should be paid to the photosensitizing effect of chlorophylls in natural extracts. In addition, the level of incorporation of antioxidants in foods should be optimized and the use of chelating agents considered, when and where appropriate. Many antioxidants behave prooxidatively at high concentrations or when present together with ions of transition metals; such effects are also important when considering the in-vivo activity of antioxidants ( Shahidi and Ho, 2000). Some chelators, such as polyphosphates, in addition to metal sequestration, may also exert other beneficial effects such as to improve the cooking yield and juiciness of meat and poultry products or keeping quality of fresh seafoods. The role of natural antioxidants in foods is expected to rise over the years to come.
Antioxidant are molecules that can safely interact with the free radicals and terminate the chain reactions before the vital molecules are damaged.Although there are several enzyme system and vitamins that scavenges free radicals the principle antioxidant in the body are Vitamin E, Vitamin C,beta carotene, catalase enzyme, super oxide dismutase enzyme,glutathion peroxidase enzyme etc.Vitamin E ,a lipid soluble antioxidant prevent peroxidation of phospholipid.Vitamin C is a water soluble chain breaking antioxidant. Beta carotene protect cell membrane lipid from harmful effect of antioxidant damage.Catalase ,glutathion peroxidase ,super oxide dismutase etc. enzyme systems also prevent our body oxidative damage by free radicals.
Antioxidant plays an important role to prevent cancer,and other disease.They also have role in slowing ageing process and preventing heart disease.So antioxidant are very much necessary for our body .But our body can't manufacture these chemicals ,so they must be supplied through diet.Although there is a little doubt that antioxidant are necessary component for good health , no one knows if supplements should be taken or not and if so how much is optimum.Though antioxidant supplement were thought to be harmless but as we are becoming more aware of this chemicals we come to know that antioxidant may be harmful for our body in some cases.In normal concentration vitamin C and beta carotene are antioxidant but at higher concentration they are pro oxidant and thus harmful .Also very little is known about the long term consequences of megadoses of antioxidant .the body's finely tuned mechanism are carefully balanced to withstand a variety of insults.Taking chemicals without understanding of all their effect may disrupt this balance. So we should follow the following recommendations.
1. It will be helpful for us to follow a balanced training program that emphasizes regular exercise and to eat 5 servings of fruit or vegetables per day. This will ensure that we are developing our inherent antioxidant systems and that our diet is providing the necessary components.
2. Weekend warriors should strongly consider a more balanced approach to exercise. Failing that, consider supplementation.
3. For extremely demanding races (such as an ultra distance event ), or when adapting to high altitude, it will be helpful to take a vitamin E supplement @ 100 to 200 IU per day for several weeks up to and following the race.
4. We should look for upcoming FDA recommendations, but we should be wary of advertising and media hype.
5. We should not over supplement.
12. Future Scope of Research
Antioxidant are necessary for our health but we do not know the exact dose and the way how to supplement it. So further research are required to know more about antioxidant. There are so many flora and fauna in our environment which may contain antioxidant chemicals. So there is a huge scope to conduct research work in this interesting topic to know
1) How much antioxidant supplementation is required.
2) Natural sources of different antioxidant.
3) To discover antioxidant property of different chemicals.
4) To know whether they have any other pharmacological and toxicological effect.
Anaberta Cardadose et.al. (2003). Antioxidant Activity In Common Beans. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 6975-80.
Jeong- Chae Lee (2002). Antioxidant Property of An Ethanol Extract of the Stem of Opuntia fiscus. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 6490-6496.
Jie Sun and Yi Fang (2002). Antioxidant and Antiprofilactive Activities of Common Fruits. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 7449-7454.
Joon Hee Lee et. al. (2003). Antioxidant Polyphenolics in Muscadine Grapes Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp 480-485.
K.S. Shivashankara and Seiichiro Isobe (2004). Fruit Antioxidant Activity of Irwin Mango Fruits Stored at Low Temperature. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 1281-1286.
Kagan et al. 1990; Azzi et al. (1993).
Keni Chi Ya na Gimoto et. al. (2002). Antioxidative Activities of Fractions Obtained From Brewed Coffee. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp 1281-1290.
Mahinda Wella singh and Kirk Parkin (2002). Phase II Enzyme Inducing Activities of Beet Root From Phenotypes of Different Pigmentation. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 6704-09.
Qin Yan Zhu et. al.(2001). Antioxidant Activities of Oolong Tea. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 1280-1286.
Shahidi and Ho. (2000).Valcic, S; Burr ,J.A. Timmermann BN, Liebler DC. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, College of Pharmacy, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA.
Yi Fang Chu and Xianzona Wu (2002). Antioxidant and Antiprofilactive Activities of Common Vegetables. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. pp. 381-385.
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Features include Google Mail push to your inbox, 3G, web browser, Google Maps and Motonav which is Motorola's own navigation system. It also has a 5 megapixel camera complete with flash, image stabilisation facility, auto-focus, zoom and top DVD quality.
Motonav provides a hands free GPS system with spoken directions. It even converts into an alarm clock, digital photo frame, or music player with the addition of the optional Motorola Milestone multi-media station.
The Android operating system means that there is a huge range of apps in the Android Market that can make your phone do almost anything. The possibilities with apps are increasing continually.
Battery life is good on this model and you need it if you want to use a range of apps. You get up to 260 minutes of continuous talk time on 3G and 390 minutes on GSM. Standby time is up to 380 hours on its 1400 mAh Li lon battery.
If connectivity is your priority the Motorola Milestone does not disappoint with its html5 webkit browser, stereo Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, micro USB, and built in headset jack.
If you want all your contacts in the same place, easy access satnav, media player facilities and a camera, all in one very slim line package with a large, easy to view screen, then this is the answer.


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15:14 Ameriabank Brings Apple Pay to Customers 18:17 Ameriabank has Raised EUR 15M Tier 2 Capital from Triodos Investment Management 15:04 A hospital room was opened in Armenia's first child palliative care clinic with the support of the "Tovmasyan" Foundation 16:28 OPEC Fund Partners Ameriabank to Address Problems and Help to Improve the Life of People in Armenia. T. Alnassar. 15:48 Generation A: Edition 14. Exclusive Chance to Begin Your Professional Career with Ameriabank 16:46 Katna Armenian cheeses enter the market: the new project of Galaxy Group of Companies 10:43 Mikayel Vardanyan has provided financial assistance to 464 children with disabilities in Shirak Province 19:39 Ameriabank and HSBC Armenia to provide their customers access to each other's ATMs without additional fees 18:08 Ameriabank. 62.5% Growth in Taxes YOY 12:47 PAUL Armenia will be located at a historical building in Yerevan: Co-Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Galaxy Group of Companies Artyom Khachatryan have been released details of the long-awaited project
COVID-19. Արցախում գրանցվել է վարակվելու 31 նոր դեպք, 10 հիվանդի վիճակը ծայրահեղ ծանր է
NK 17 October, 2021 18:13
Արցախում հոկտեմբերի 16-ին կատարվել է 141 թեստավորում, ինչի արդյունքում կորոնավիրուսային հիվանդության 31 նոր դեպք է գրանցվել:
Ինչպես տեղեկացրին Արցախի առողջապահության նախարարությունից, կորոնավիրուսային հիվանդությունից այս պահին ստացիոնար բուժում է ստանում 62 վարակակիր։ Բժիշկները 10 հիվանդի վիճակը գնահատում են ծայրահեղ ծանր, 36-ինը՝ ծանր, իսկ թեթև ձևերը բուժում են ստանում ամբուլատոր պայմաններում:
«Արցախում 2021 թվականի ընթացքում կորոնավիրուսի լաբորատոր հայտնաբերման նպատակով իրականացվել է 14 367 քաղաքացու հետազոտություն, որից 1348-ի մոտ արձանագրվել է դրական թեստի պատասխան։
Տեղեկացնում ենք, որ անհրաժեշտ է հանրապետության բնակչությունը՝ օր առաջ պատվաստվի (COVID-19)-ի դեմ պատվաստանյութով՝ պահպանելով Ձեր և Ձեր հարազատների առողջությունը»,- հայտնում են Արցախի առողջապահության նախարարությունից՝ հավելելով, որ կորոնավիրուսային հիվանդության (COVID-19) դեմ պատվաստումները իրականացվում են ԱՀ առողջապահության նախարարության «Հանրապետական բժշկական կենտրոն» ՓԲԸ ամբուլատոր-պոլիկլինիկական բաժանմունքում, «Արևիկ» և շրջանային բուժմիավորումներում:
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text:
CHAOS_TEST(LogStream, Chaos::FakeTester) {
  Chaos::LogStream os;
  auto& buf = os.get_buffer();

  // unittest for boolean
  os.reset_buffer();
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string(""));
  os.reset_buffer(); os << true;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("1"));
  os.reset_buffer(); os << false;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("0"));

  // unittest for char
  os.reset_buffer(); os << 'a';
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("a"));
  os.reset_buffer(); os << 'A';
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("A"));

  // unittest for integer
  os.reset_buffer(); os << 1;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("1"));
  os.reset_buffer(); os << -5;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("-5"));
  os.reset_buffer(); os << 1212121;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("1212121"));

  // unittest for float
  os.reset_buffer(); os << 3.14;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("3.14"));
  os.reset_buffer(); os << 0.12134;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("0.12134"));

  // unittest for string
  os.reset_buffer(); os << "Chaos::LogStream";
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), std::string("Chaos::LogStream"));
  std::string s("Chaos::LogStream unittest");
  os.reset_buffer(); os << s;
  CHAOS_CHECK_EQ(buf.to_string(), s);
}


text:
Alliston dominates Woodside–again
Brit takes Tivoli, Mojo to their division titles
Special to the Horsetrader - November 1st, 2012 - Show & Event News
Captured Moment photo
James Alliston and Tivoli soar to victory at the Woodside International Horse Trials.
WOODSIDE — James Alliston galloped to victory in the CIC3* at the Woodside International Horse Trials, presented by Equine Insurance of California and Professional's Choice, for the second straight year, and this year he also galloped to victory in the CIC2*. On Tivoli (52.6) he claimed the CIC3*, and on Mojo (51.4) he claimed the CIC2*.
Jolie Wentworth finished second in both the CIC3*, aboard GoodKnight (58.9), and in the CIC2*, aboard Man On A Mission II (55.7). McKenna Shea rode Landioso to third place (69.6) in the CIC3*.
But it was still a slightly bittersweet weekend for Alliston, 27, of Castro Valley. He had been leading the CIC3* after Friday's dressage and show jumping phases aboard his trusted long-time partner Jumbo's Jake, but in Saturday's cross-country phase "Jake" said "no" three times to fence 17B, a narrow brush-filled corner set three strides after a drop fence, eliminating him from the competition.
"It was disappointing, that's for sure. He was flying before that. I was having a great ride," said Allison. "He was certainly a bit naughty, and he's not where I want him to be right now, so it's back to the drawing board."
Alliston thought he might try a different bit to keep Jumbo's Jake focused on the jumps in his next planned start, the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event on Nov. 1-4. Alliston is also aiming Tivoli and Parker, winner of the advanced horse trials at Woodside, for the Galway Downs CCI3*.
"This was a big effort for Tivoli. This show is the first time he's been at the head of the class after dressage, the first time I could really go for it," said Alliston of Tivoli's performance at Woodside. "Being the first out of the box, you don't really know how hard the time is to make, and I wanted to leave nothing to chance, but it wasn't a round that felt like it was on the edge."
Julie Flettner of Petaluma, an optometrist who works in a veterans' hospital in Santa Rosa, outraced the CIC1* field with PingPong for the title.
Tivoli, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood, also won the Fric Frac Berence Heart Award and $1,000 prize money after a panel of judges decided that he'd had the best cross-country performance in the CIC3*. Tivoli finished 17 seconds under the 6:15 optimum time and was the only CIC3* horse to finish without time faults. GoodKnight finished 1 second slow, to climb from third to second.
Second place with GoodKnight represented a comeback for Wentworth, of Crockett. She and the 10-year-old Selle Francais gelding had a rough spring, which ended with retiring on the cross-country course at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Wentworth suffered through a staff infection in her leg during the spring, which severely reduced her ability to ride and caused her to miss two preparatory events with GoodKnight.
"But everything's back on track now, and I certainly can't complain about finishing second twice!" said Wentworth.
"He's a fabulous jumper and a fabulous cross-country horse, but you have to be willing to let him do his job. You have to be careful that you don't over-manage him," said Wentworth, 31, who's aiming GoodKnight for the Galway Downs CCI3*. In 2011, Wentworth and GoodKnight finished second behind Jumbo's Jake.
"Maybe this will be our year?" she said.
Jumbo's Jake, Tivoli and GoodKnight each completed Friday afternoon's show jumping course with no jumping faults, but Tivoli, the first horse in the ring, finished 4 seconds slow for 4 time faults. All the international horses had performed their dressage tests earlier in the day, also in the Grand Prix Arena of the Horse Park At Woodside.
With James Alliston aboard, Mojo was the only horse in the CIC2* to complete cross-country within the optimum time of 5:21, wininng the division.
"For sure, there were a lot of options, but if you wanted to be on track with the time, you had to make the inside turns," said Alliston. "In hindsight, I wish I'd made the inside turns with Tivoli, but it's hard to know how tight the time is when you're first in the ring.
"I think the course had the right result. It was jumpable but by no means easy," Alliston added.
Like Tivoli, Mojo was the only horse in the CIC2* to complete cross-country within the optimum time of 5:21. He finished 12 seconds fast.
Mojo is a 10-year-old, Thoroughbred gelding, whom Alliston purchased at a Florida racetrack. "He can be a little bit frustrating, because he can be a bit of a freak at home. But at the shows, he's all business, and he seems to save his best for the FEI classes," said Alliston. Mojo won the CCI1* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event in November 2011.
Wentworth doesn't normally compete Man On A Mission II. He's owned by young rider Maddy Mazzola, a student at Kismet Farm, where Wentworth and Tracy Bowman run their training business. But Mazzola had to take her SAT test during the weekend. "So it was a good opportunity for me to have a really good go on him," said Wentworth.
Wentworth and Bowman imported Man On A Mission II from Great Britain two years ago. "He's a really, really good horse, so we sort of expected him to go well this weekend. It was a bit of pressure on me!" she said.
The cross-country course proved decisive in the CIC1*, as four of the 10 starters didn't complete the course and three horses were penalized by one or more refusals. No horse completed the course within the optimum time, but Julie Flettner and Ping Pong came the closest, finishing 2 seconds slow. Those 0.8 time penalties propelled them from third to first.
Last May, Flettner, 36, and Ping Pong, 12, won the rider division of the Preliminary Challenge at the Woodside Horse Trials. Flettner, of Petaluma, Calif., is an optometrist who works in a veterans' hospital in Santa Rosa, Calif., and this was the third time she's won a saddle for winning an event.
In November 2011 she and Ping Pong won a Voltaire dressage saddle for topping the training three-day event at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. For winning the Preliminary Challenge, they won a Devoucoux cross-country saddle, and for winning the Woodside CIC1*, they won a CWD jumping saddle.
"The last time I'd bought a saddle was when I got a dressage saddle for my 16th birthday. Now Ping Pong has a saddle for all three phases," she said.
A quick cross-country round kept Hilary Bates and Cassiopeia second in the CIC1*. Bates is a member of the Horse Park at Woodside Board of Directors, and her farm overlooks the north end of the cross-country course.
"I know this course like the back of my hand, and I thought this was a very fair course, but, for some reason, it was very hard to make the time. I was a little surprised at how much cross-country shook things up," said Bates.
Bates noted that the Horse Park At Woodside "is undergoing an Renaissance. We've made so many capital improvements in the facility, and we now have a competition of some kind here almost every weekend from April to October." She named several upgrades in the facility, most notably completion of the covered arena adjacent to the Grand Prix Ring and the all-weather footing in those two rings and one other ring.
"Having the CIC here, for the second year in a row, is fantastic for us riders, for the sport and for the Horse Park at Woodside," she said.
The Woodside International Horse Trials is a member event of the Professional Riders Organization Tour, which oversees the SSG "Go Low For The Dough" contest. Prize money of $4,000 was up for grabs in the CIC3* dressage at Woodside, for the rider wearing SSG gloves who earned the lowest score. James Alliston won the award after scoring 45.9 penalties on Jumbo's Jake.
In the CIC2*, prize money of $500 was available to any junior or amateur rider who finished the cross-country course with no jumping or time faults. The only eligible riders were Zach Brandt, who finished with 6.8 time faults, and Helen Bouscaren, who finished with just 0.8 time faults.
Thanks to the generous support of more than a dozen sponsors, the total prize money for this year's Woodside International Horse Trials was $20,000, with Devoucoux and Equine Comfort Products contributing as Gold Medal Sponsors. Saddlery Solutions, Voltaire Design and CWD were the event's Silver Medal Sponsors.
Auburn Laboratories Inc., California Horsetrader, Flair Equine Nasal Strips, Geranium Street Floral, Point Two Air Jackets, Professional Riders Organization, Ride On Video, SmartPak Equine and Sunsprite Warmbloods were the Bronze Medal Sponsors. The sponsors were just some of the equine-product manufacturers and service providers that, in addition to supporting the event with prizes, were on site for riders and spectators to meet in the event trade fair.
RESULTS ONLINE: http://bit.ly/211A_Wood


Telling my story could be kind of stunning, for as it is now, it seems like I'm in utopia. You see, I actually was leading my dream life and it ended up in limbo. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut after facing the hypocrisies, along with being stabbed in the back by those surrounding me.
Let's go back to those years before the political upheavals swept through my country, Iran. I was only twenty three years old when I got married. I married a young engineer who loved me immensely and when our three children came along, we led a happy life. After eight years into our marriage, we moved to Hamburg, Germany. My spouse, Nader, began his own business by opening an electrical appliance company. Soon, his business began thriving. He had hired a couple of Iranian and German secretaries. Every once in awhile, he took business trips abroad, while I was preoccupied with raising and taking care of our children.
Whenever my husband was out of the home, everyone tried to lure me. Surprisingly enough, my husband's close friends wooed me for a relationship. Still, I would seriously turn them down. But after awhile, those friends of my spouse disclosed that my husband took his secretaries along him, whenever he would go away from home.
Later on I learned that he had lured his German secretary and he boldly asked me for a divorce. He further added that he was fed up with me and wanted to start over. At this point, I asked him to provide me with a beauty salon so as to make the ends meet. He did not embrace my demand but instead gave me some ninety thousand Deutch Marks as settlement.
I purchased a tiny condo and lived with my three children. He gave us a little monthly allowance as child support. I opened my beauty salon in the backroom of the tiny condo. I really had to scramble to cover my bills. I was happy and satisfied because my children were so very diligent in their education. After my two sons graduated, they got married and my daughter was engaged to marry her favorite man. When my first grand child came along, I was full of joy and happiness.
Within a span of over eight months, my children migrated to New York and Los Angeles. On my part, I sold my condo and joined them. It wasn't long before I purchased a place of my own, this time it was an apartment complex, so as to make a living.
Then, five years ago, my mother went to Frankfort to visit her brother and I decided to fly to Frankfort to see my aging mother. On one occasion, when we both went to a hotel to visit a family friend who had come from London, I ran into a young Canadian man. He had just been robbed of his passport and all his cash. He was in trouble and had to check out because he couldn't pay his bill. I volunteered to pick up the tab and that made him so happy. When he realized what I had done, he got so excited. I explained to him that I looked to him as my son because he reminded me of my own son. Michael, the young Canadian man, handed me his business card and promised to pay me back the funds once he returned to Canada.
I was back in Los Angeles and right away Michael sent my money back. I called him and expressed my appreciation. During the conversation he invited me to attend his birthday party in Van Couver. He even sent me a round trip ticket! While attending his party, he kept introducing me as his guardian angel.
Now came the big surprise. Michael soon moved to Los Angeles and got a job. After awhile, he began insisting that he was falling in love with me. I just tried to ignore him, saying that we were not fit, in terms of our age. But he was so adamant in his efforts. Anyway, when my family and friends found out that we had been dating, they began rebuking me by accusing me of being a cougar who was going to take advantage of a young man. Their meanness really hurt me so bad that I went into a deep depression.
Michael hovered over my bed round the clock and tried to comfort me, so as to regain my health. Finally, he persuaded me to go on a trip to get away from everybody and everything.
When we returned from our trip, he suggested that I should give all my property to my children. That then, they could see that even without me having any assets, I didn't have anything to hogtie him with and I didn't have anything materially for him to want and we still loved each other. Then, when my older son came over he tried to avoid Michael. Michael tried to talk to him and make him understand our love. But my son just shoved him and he fell down the stairs. Michael was rushed to hospital. He even refused to blame my son for his ordeal. He still kept holding my hand saying he loved me much more than his own life. And then, suddenly my dream love ended up in a night mare, when he succumbed to his untimely death.
Now, I am alone, with my children and friends almost, (I cannot say happy; but rather), satisfied. I am grieving now and having a hard time of it. For now, I just want to be left alone, to grieve in my own way, until God lets me know how to go on.