Tag: growth

Cyber Bullying is a serious problem!


Internet and mobile phones have become an inseparable part of our lives. When the internet was out, there were restrictions on its usage that were imposed on children by the parents almost everywhere. At least they would use it under an adult’s supervision. Now that the use of the internet has become inevitable because of the school requirements and its necessity in the making of assignments and projects, parents really can’t help but make it accessible for their children.

Since we all are aware of the risks and dangers of cell phones and the internet entail, we ensure that they don’t adversely impact our children and their vulnerable brains. Are the web restrictions like age gate, safe search and family filters enough to keep our kids protected from every kind of possible harm in the cyber world? Do we only need to worry about that inappropriate content on the internet or there are other things too?

“Cyber bullying is a term used for bullying kids using technology including digital or social media. It involves the use of harassment, threat, and provocation that leave a negative impact on the mind, mood and overall psychological position of the child. It occurs in kids and teens and normally young children of all age groups. In adults, the same acts constitute a legally punishable crime known as cyber-stalking or cyber-harassment.”

Misuse of your child’s photos, messages or any other thing on digital media, any messages or calls that tend to scare your child out of their wits, acts like calling names, causing embarrassment and insult, faking identities etc., all are acts of cyber bullying. Most victims of cyber bullying don’t share their grief with their parents or teachers. According to a recent study, 1 in every 4 children encounters cyber bullying.

The consequences of cyber bullying vary from child to child. Some children are not that seriously affected by it while others can develop conditions like depression, anxiety, and disorders involving high stress. In some rarely reported cases, some children have even committed suicides that were either provoked by cyber bullying or merely attempted to get rid of it.

It’s not really difficult to spot if a child is being bullied online if we’re smart enough and know our children. Cyber bullying can result in increased distress for the victims along with increased anger and frustration. They will vent this out on various occasions, and it might force them to get addicted to the virtual world where they can have several identities to hide their real one.

The victims will automatically have lower self-esteem since that is the sole purpose of bullying. Prolonged bullying will lead to severe withdrawal from their family and friends. They will begin favoring isolation most of the time and indulging in harmful activities like drugs and alcohol.

Cyber bullying is a serious issue, and it can be truly horrific to go through such a difficult period. Staying strong and fighting back is the only option against these bullies. It’s possible to get over it and live your life again. Seeing a counselor can help the victims handle the incident in a better and a safe way. Life does not get over if you are a victim of cyber bullying and it is possible to fight back.

Internet

We live in the age of the internet. Also, it has become an important part of our life that we can’t live without it. Besides, the internet is an invention of high-end science and modern technology . Apart from that, we are connected to internet 24×7. Also, we can send big and small messages and information faster than ever. In this essay on the Internet, we are going to discuss various things related to the internet.

Reach of Internet

It is very difficult to estimate the area that the internet cover. Also, every second million people remain connected to it with any problem or issue. Apart from that, just like all the things the internet also has some good and bad effect on the life of people. So the first thing which we have to do is learn about the good and bad effect of the internet. Good effects of the internet mean all those things that the internet make possible. Also, these things make our life easier and safer. Bad effects of the internet mean all those things that we can no longer do because of the internet. Also, these things cause trouble for oneself and others too You can access in any corner of the world. Also, it is very easy to use and manage. In today’s world, we cannot imagine our life without it.

Uses Of Internet

From the time it first came into existence until now the internet has completed a long journey. Also, during this journey, the internet has adopted many things and became more user-friendly and interactive. Besides, every big and small things are available on internet and article or material that you require can be obtainable from internet.Tim Berners-Lee can be called one of the main father of internet as he invented/discovered the www(world wide web). which is used on every website. Also, there are millions of pages and website on the internet that it will take you years to go through all of them.

The Internet can be used to do different things like you can learn, teach, research, write, share, receive, e mail, explore, and surf the internet.

Convenience Due To Internet

Because of internet, our lives have become more convenient as compared to the times when we don’t have internet. Earlier, we have to stand in queues to send mails (letters), for withdrawing or depositing money, to book tickets, etc. but after the dawn of the internet, all these things become quite easy. Also, we do not have to waste our precious time standing in queues. Also, the internet has contributed a lot to the environment as much of the offices (government and private), school and colleges have become digital that saves countless paper.

Although, there is no doubt that the internet had made our life easier and convenient but we can’t leave the fact that it has caused many bigger problems in the past. And with the speed, we are becoming addict to it a day in will come when it will become our basic necessity..I would like to say that the internet is very important in todays modern world and nothing can be done without internet

Intrinsic factors affecting the growth of microorganisms in food

There are various types of interactions between microorganisms and other living organisms. These interactions are natural, constant and also play a significant role in maintaining the ecological balance and stability of the biogeochemical cycle of the nature. Mostly, the food products we consume are obtained from plants and animals and also these foods are rich in variety of microorganisms which may or may not be pathogenic to humans. Growth of microorganisms in food depends on various different parameters which can be broadly classified as INTRINSIC and EXTRINSIC factors.
INTRINSIC FACTORS –
These are the factors that are present in the food substance in which the microorganism is growing, or it may be said as the internal factors of that particular food substrate. Various intrinsic factors are-

  1. Hydrogen Ion Concentration – All the microorganisms have minimal, maximal, or optimal pH for their growth and survival. Thus, the growth of microorganisms in food is affected by the pH of the food material. Foods may be classified as low pH or high pH foods. Most fruits, fermented foods come under high acid foods whereas most vegetables, meat, fish and milk are low acid foods. pH range of different microorganisms are :
    • Molds – 1.5-9.0
    • Yeasts – 2.0-8.5
    • Gram-positive bacteria – 4.0-8.5
    • Gram-negative bacteria – 4.5-9.0
  2. Water activity or moisture content – Water activity can be defined as the measure of availability of water present in any substance which can be used for biological functions and it also gives an idea of free water present in any food product. Water is an excellent requirement for microorganism for their growth. It has been observed and noted that the water activity of fresh food substances is 0.99. Also bacteria require more water activity i.e. free water in any food substrate for their growth than molds and yeasts. If specifically studied, it will be observed that gram-negative bacteria have relatively higher water requirements than gram-positive bacteria. Free water in any food substance is an essential requirement for the growth of microorganisms. Water activity of any food can be reduced by various absorption techniques to reduce the affect of spoilage by microorganisms.
  3. Redox Potential – Redox potential can be defined as the reducing and oxidizing power of food and it also greatly influences the growth of microorganisms in food. The concentration of oxygen present in any food sample determines the type of microorganism that will grow in it. Like, aerobic microbes require the oxygen whereas anaerobic microbes can also grow in lack of oxygen. So, it can be said aerobes grow at positive O-R potential whereas anaerobes grow at negative O-R potential.
  4. Composition of nutrients – Food composition is also an another intrinsic factor which influences the growth of microorganisms in food. There are 5 major nutrients group which are counted i.e. carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins and minerals, amount of each varies with the type of food and so the type and growth of microorganisms. Bacteria require the most nutrient requirement than yeasts and molds. Microorganisms utilize large complex nutrient molecules and convert them into smaller molecules. For e.g. there are some proteolytic bacteria which acts on proteins and hydrolyze it. Also some microbes convert lipids into glycerol with the help of an enzyme lipase. Some microorganisms which require vitamins for their growth are called as fastidious microorganisms.
  5. Inhibitory substances – There are a number of inhibitory substances that are present in foods by their origin which naturally prevent the growth of microorganisms in them. For e.g. some plants contain essential oils possessing antimicrobial properties. Milk also contains several antimicrobials like lactoferrin, conglutinin, etc.
  6. Biological structures – The natural structure of some foods have the remarkable excellence in controlling the entry as well as the growth of microorganisms in or on them. It can be noted as the natural covering of some foods which prevents the entry of microbes. So, the inner parts of the healthy tissues are sterile and possess very less microbial count. For e.g. skin of egg, rind on fruits, etc.

PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA

Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria or PGPR is a group of bacteria that can be found in the rhizosphere or it can be said that bacteria that colonize the roots of the plants that enhance plant growth. It is observed that the rhizosphere is the zone of maximum microbial activity. It is the rhizosphere region of the plant from where most of the essential mico and macro- nutrients are extracted. The different species of Bacteria, Fungi, Actinomycetes, Protozoa, and Algae can be found in the rhizosphere region, Bacteria being the most abundant.
The term PGPR was introduced by Kloepper and Schroth. They concluded that PGPR are not only associated with the roots to exert beneficial effects on plant development but also have positive effects on controlling phytopathogenic microbes. Therefore, PGPR is one of the active ingredients in biofertilizer.
Based on the interactions , PGPRs are of 2 different types :

  1. SYMBIOTIC or INTRACELLULAR BACTERIA (iPGPR) live inside plants and exchange metabolites directly by biofertilization, stimulation of plant growth, rhizoremediation, and plant stress control. While performing direct growth promotion, they behave as Biofertilizers.
  2. FREE – LIVING or EXTRACELLULAR BACTERIA (ePGPR) live outside plant cells and indirectly increases plant growth by reducing the impact of disease, by Antibiosis, induction of systemic resistance, and competition for nutrients and niches. While performing indirect plant growth promotion, they behave as Biopesticide.

PGPR shows an important role in sustainable agriculture industry.
Undoubtedly, there is an increased demand of crop production now-a-days and also a significant reduction of synthetic chemical pesticides and fertilizers which is a big challenge. So, the use of PGPR has been proven to be one of the best ways of increasing crop yields by facilitating plant growth.
PGPR show synergistic and antagonistic interactions with microorganisms within the rhizosphere and in bulk soil, which indirectly boosts the plant growth rate. PGPR also works as a biofertilizer for agricultural sustainability.
Agriculture is one of the human activities which leads to the increasing amount of chemical pollutants with the excessive and continuous use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. This causes further environmental damage causing a serious risk for human health.
For e.g. N2O is excessively released by continuous use of nitrogen fertilizers which causes Greenhouse effect and finally Global Warming. Farmers apply a high concentration of nitrogen fertilizers in the form of ammonium nitrate to increase crop yield but continuous use of nitrogen fertilizers decreases the Biological Nitrogen Fixation in soil.

For Sustainable Agriculture fulfillment, crops which are produced must be grown with disease resistance, salt tolerance, drought tolerance, heavy metal stress tolerance, and better nutritional value. Also, the use of soil microorganisms is the one possible way. Soil microbes increase the nutrient uptake capacity and water use efficiency in the soil. Among these soil microorganisms, PGPRs are mostly used which are capable of performing all the activities without environmental contamination. PGPR include the species of Pseudomonas, Bacillus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, Azobacter, Variovorax, Azosprillum and Serratia.
But it is found that agricultural industries worldwide still not use the concept of PGPRs. This is due to the inconsistent properties of inoculated PGPR which can greatly influence the crop production.

 A PGPR must :

  1. Possess its survival in soil by tolerating several environmental factors.
  2. Be compatible with the crops on which it is inoculated.
  3. Be interactive with the already existing microflora in soil.
  4. Have a broad spectrum of action.
  5. Be safe for the environment.
  6. Enhance plant growth.
    Another challenge is that all Rhizobacteria do not possess the same mechanisms which is a major disadvantage for the environment therefore, PGPR still are not used as a biofertilizer in global agricultural productivity.