If people are just complex machines, what does that suggest about the Essay

If people are just complex machines, what does that suggest about the moral status of machines Could I be committing murder every time I turn off my computer - Essay Example Every machine has a system that makes it work, which is composed of several electrical and mechanical subsystems. Likewise, human body functions as a result of mutual work of circulatory system, digestive system, and respiratory system etc. On the other hand, like every machine either needs charging or fueling to work, human body needs food for the systems to work. This paper analyzes the moral status of the act of turning a computer off and discusses whether it can be called as a murder or not in light of the perception that humans are just complex machines. While humans may qualify to be called machines keeping these factors in mind, there is a very important factor that humans contain that machines do not; Emotions. Humans have feelings. They can not only think, but also evaluate the pros and cons of different options and select the most suitable option in a given context. Machines do not have this capability. Some machines like computers do have the capability to evaluate the different variables of certain mathematical procedures, but that knowledge is fed into the computer by humans themselves. A computer does not have the capability to feel for something nor does any other machine. On this basis, it is irrational to define humans as complex machines. Hence, on the basis of the argument that humans are much more than complex machines, it is not justified to comment upon the moral status of machines as the laws of machines are different from those of the humans. While a human can be sentenced to death for having committed the murder of another human, a machine cannot be dealt with in the same way since the machine cannot commit murders in the first place. Likewise, turning a computer off is not similar to committing a murder. Concluding, on the basis of the points discussed in this paper, it is wrong to think of the act of turning a computer off

The acid and enzymatic hydrolysis of glycogen Essay

The acid and enzymatic hydrolysis of glycogen - Essay Example Glycogen structure is similar to the amylopectin molecule and it is highly branched. The presence of the monomer compounds are identified by both acid and enzymatic hydrolysis. The acid hydrolysis takes place over a period of time. The acid hydrolysis by the mineral acids takes place readily. The acid hydrolysis product is glucose.(Melville and Alsberg 1930). The enzymatic hydrolysis of the glycogen by the a-amylase (a(1 ®Ã‚  4) glucan, 4-glucanohydrolase, E.C.3.2.1.1) cleaves the alpha 1ïÆ'   4 linkage in the glycogen molecule yielding a mixture of glucose, maltose and dextrin at the end. (Barbour, 1929). The alpha 1ïÆ'   6 hydrolysis does not takes place as the enzyme is specific for the alpha 1ïÆ'   4 cleavage. As the hydrolysis occurs in a random manner, a variety of the products are formed. (Plummer, 2001).In both the hydrolysis procedures the end product differs. The glucose is the only compound in acid hydrolysis whereas in the enzymatic hydrolysis glucose, maltose and dextrin are the products. The end products are reducing sugars hence the estimation of the reducing sugars is carried out by the Dinitro salicylic acid method. The increase in the number of the reducing sugar production as the hydrolysis takes place is determined by the Dinitro salicylic acid method. The reducing sugars have free carbonyl group with them. This free carbonyl group is oxidized by the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS). Simultaneously the DNS is reduced to 3-amino,5-nitrosalicylic acid under alkaline conditions. This is a basic redox reaction. (Miller, 1959). The reducing sugars are easily measured by the 3,5-dinitrosalicylic acid (DNS) method. According to the Lambert Beer’s law, the concentration of the solution is directly proportional to its optical density. So if the absorbing index of a particular solution is known then the concentration of the given solution at that particular wavelength can be determined by measuring the optical