Ephedra: Asking For Trouble? :: Botany

Ephedra: Asking For Trouble? A member of the phylum Gnetophyta, the Ephedra genus is a perennial, dioecious shrub that reaches 1 1/2 to 4 feet tall (7). There are multiple species of this genus that inhabit the desert regions in certain parts of the world. The three species E. sinica, E. intermedia, and E. equisetina are found in Asia, particularly China and Mongolia. Ephedra distacha is from Europe. India and Pakistan are home to E. gerardiana. North American species consist of E. nevadensis (Mormon tea), E. viridis (desert tea), E. americana, and E. trifurca (7). It takes an average of four years for the shrub to achieve maturation (10) and is harvested in the fall (11). Ephedra has been used medicinally for hundreds, even thousands of years in the regions where it grows. For more than 5000 years, Ephedra's stems have been dried to cure multiple ailments in China. The first records of its use can be found in a Chinese compilation of herbs called Shen Nong Ben Cao Jing (11), which dates back to the first century A.D. (5) E. sinica, called Tsaopen-Ma Huang (2), is the most common species used. Ma Huang refers to the stem and branch, whereas Ma Huanggen refers to the root and rhizome. Ma Huang was used primarily in the treatment of the common cold, asthma, hay fever, bronchitis, edema, arthritis, fever, hypotension, and urticaria (hives). Ma Huanggen's effect is believed to oppose that of the stem and branches. Its use was limited to the treatment of profuse night sweating" (7). Ma Huang was believed to relieve other ailments such as headaches, urinary tract infections, and venereal diseases (10). The Chinese prepared Ephedra different ways, such as extracts and compresses. However, the most common preparation of Ma Huang was as a tea. The stems were dried in the sun and either broken into pieces or crushed into a powder. It was then boiled in a mixture of honey and water. Sometimes it was boiled until only the residue remained, and then consumed (8). Tea appears to be the most common preparation of Ephedra as a medicine in India and North America as well. In India and Pakistan, the stems of E. geradinia were used to treat asthma (8). An ancient collection of Hindu sacred writings called the Rigved gives mention of a drink called soma. Soma was a juice made from Ephedra and was believed to promote longevity (6).

CoCa-Cola MagiCan essay

My understanding of the magi can promotion was that It was a new and Innovative way of promotion by Coca Cola which should have brought In more fans but Instead created a negative perception towards Its product and attracted bad publicity towards its campaign. It was bold on Coca Cola's part to go ahead with such a costly advert but what it failed to do was make the necessary corrections to its campaign during its test marketing phase where the company decided to go ahead with the full blown promotion in spite of the mechanism failure rate's.Also compounding the robber was the mismatch in the number of cans that had the money versus the ones that did not have it. Its competitor Pepsi took a far simple yet similar style approach towards its promotion where instead of a mechanism to give money the cans had at the bottom a number that corresponded to a winning amount. Coca Cola should have taken the feedback its test customers gave seriously and make the necessary changes but being the first to try such a form of marketing there was bound to be some Issues but later on the same principle was adopted by other firms In a much simple format that was still appealing.Do you think longer test marketing should be done with promotions like magi cans? Mans According to me Coca-Cola had conducted a test marketing campaign for their magi cans in Iowa & Illinois for 3 months and therefore there was no need for extending it as they had identified potential problems in the application of the device. They should have gone back and reworked on the device based on initial feedback and then reliance it.What consumer behavior principles should Coke have considered before launch? Mans Coca Cola should have considered the psychological aspects of the consumer because the consumer Is under the impression they will win meeting that Is tangible has value to It. The campaign and the subsequent mage can was totally mismatched In Its reach to the audience. Coca Cola should have instead put numbers inside the can and customers can then check with customer care to see if they have one something.Should marketers put prizes in packages that contain food product? Would your answer depend on the type of packages? Mans Yes, putting prizes inside food products enhances the appeal of the food itself even if it does not taste or look good. The type of package is not the Issue but it's the prize Itself which should be able to fit Inside he food package. It should not compromise the quantity of food that goes In nor should It be easily damaged by the food around It.Do you think should Coca cola bring back mage cans? Mans I would say no because it's a promotion that went bad due to the misguided use the device vs.. The ones that did not have it. Coca Cola should understand as an FMC company, any misguided promotion on a product can dent its image for a long time and it takes even longer time to get the consumer confidence back. Hence, Coca Cola should instead learn from such mista kes and create new and safer campaigns.

Food Chains and Food Webs Whats The Difference

Confused about the difference between food chains and food webs? Dont worry, youre not alone. But we can help you sort it out. Heres everything you need to know about food chains and food webs, and how ecologists use them to better understand the role of plants and animals in the ecosystem. Food Chain What is a food chain? A food chain follows the path of energy as it is transferred from species to species within an ecosystem. All food chains begin with the energy produced by the sun. From there they move in a straight line as the energy is moved from one living thing to the next. Heres an example of a very simple food chain: Sun-----Grass-----Zebra----Lion Food chains show how all living things get their energy from food, and how nutrients are passed from species to species down the chain. Here is a more complex food chain: Sun-----Grass-----Grasshopper-----Mouse-----Snake-----Hawk   Trophic Levels of a Food Chain All living creatures within a food chain are broken down into different groups, or trophic levels, those help ecologists understand their specific role in the ecosystem.  Heres a closer look at each of the trophic levels within a food chain. Producers:  Producers make up the first trophic level of an ecosystem. They earn their name via their ability to produce their own food. They do not depend upon any other creature for their energy.  Most producers utilize the Suns energy in a process called photosynthesis to create their own energy and nutrients.  Plants are producers. So are algae, phytoplankton, and some types of bacteria. Consumers:  The next trophic level focuses on the species that eat the producers. There are three types of consumers. Herbivores: Herbivores are primary consumers that eat only plants. They may eat any or all parts of the plant, such as leaves, branches, fruit, berries, nuts, grass, flowers, roots, or pollen. Deer, rabbits, horses, cows, sheep, and insects are a few examples of herbivores.Carnivores: Carnivores eat only animals. Cats, hawks, sharks, frogs, owls, and spiders are just a few of the worlds carnivores.Omnivores: Omnivores eat both plants and animals. Bears, humans, raccoons, most primates, and many birds are omnivores. There are various levels of consumers that work there way on up the food chain. For example, primary consumers are the herbivores that eat only plants, while secondary consumers are the creatures that eat secondary consumers. In the example above, the mouse would be a secondary consumer. Tertiary consumers eat secondary consumers - on our example that was the snake. Finally, the food chain ends at the apex predator - the animal who resides at the top of the food chain. In the example above, that was the hawk. Lions, bobcats, mountain lions, and great white sharks are more examples of apex predators within their ecosystems. Decomposers: The last level of the food chain is made up by the decomposers. These are the bacteria and fungi that eat decaying matter - dead plants and animals and turn them into nutrient-rich soil. These are the nutrients that plants then use to produce their own food - thus, starting a new food chain. Food Webs Simply put, a food web describes all of the food chains in a given ecosystem. Rather than forming a straight line that goes from the sun to the plants to the animals that eat them, food webs show the interconnectedness of all of the living creatures in an ecosystem. A food web is made up of many interconnected and overlapping food chains. They are created to describe species interactions and relationships within an ecosystem.