The effects of social media on online shopping with especial reference Research Proposal - 1

The effects of social media on online shopping with especial reference to consumers buying behaviour and demand patterns - Research Proposal Example The elements on how social media inspires behavior pattern of the consumer in development and models varies. This proposal’s primary purpose is to examine factors that affect social sites in influencing the behavior of the consumer. It also examines what category of social media operators does have a positive view concerning advertisement done on public networking sites (Arora 2014). A Public networking service is a wired service that is termed as an explanation for the concern of practice, increasing the number of social and business contacts by way of creating connections with individuals. Social networking as a way of marketing has brought about new ways of sharing information and also communicating. Social media and networking sites have improved in terms of popularity, at a worldwide level in present times. According to statistics, Social sites like Facebook have millions of active users from its commencement in the year 2004. Other sites that are used for marketing online are LinkedIn, Twitter, among others. This, therefore, explains the concept that two people from different continents can communicate easily through social media and transact business. Social networking is founded on six-degree notions that describe how it establishes connected internet groups, thus, enabling individuals to create contacts that would be of noble use to them. These concepts start from joining one social site and inviting those people you are familiar with also to join. After, inviting people you know, the chain moves down to those people you know to invite also people they know. This procedure repeats itself, thus creating a wider connection, and any person can communicate with to anyone that has a link with any of the individuals (Abidi 2012) In marketing, social media is a tool of communication that is used in today’s world in marketing of services and services by organizations to consumers

Corporate Finance Company Profile of PepsiCo Essay

Corporate Finance Company Profile of PepsiCo - Essay Example Pepsi is working on heightened regulatory and market scrutiny of corporate governance practices in order to communicate and represent the organization in a manner that pleases the shareholders, utilizing resources in a new and evolving compliance environment. Management should be eyeing the macro factors like Government’s policies, competition and tax rates where they operate a business because local, national or international jurisdictions and new or changing regulations might create hurdle in their way. Company’s strong point is that they have sharpened their focus on sales, service and customer orientation and are eagerly looking forward to improving its product and service quality. In order to retain its market share in every possible manner, the management is keen on maintaining the performance momentum and competitive advantage in the marketplace. There has been a positive increment in cash and cash equivalent in the year 2008 in comparison with the year 2007 and 2006. The sole reason behind this is the decrease in investment in the securities .Moreover, holding of the short-term borrowing makes an impression on cash and cash equivalents. Pepsi utilizes its reserve or liquid cash in a profitable manner because Pepsi makes an investment in securities, which in the end makes a profit for the company. The utilization of cash for investment purposes also shows in the current and quick ratio, and is a healthy sign for the company’s future prospect. In the year 2008 and 2007 no significant moment is observed in fixed assets of the Pepsi. Pepsi has applied proper inventory management techniques and policies. Due to the high demand of the company product, less percentage of inventories is in hand, and the inventory turnover is also evidence of proper inventory system adopted by the Pepsi throughout these three years (Myers, Bre aley and Marcus, 2001). Pepsi is primarily financing their activities through debt.

Strength And Conditioning Programme Physical Education Essay

Strength And Conditioning Programme Physical Education Essay Strength and Conditioning is the combination of resistance training and endurance conditioning that is used by athletes and sports teams to improve and assist their performance (Driskell, 1999). Sport specific fitness can include a structured progressive program that could comprise of power, muscular endurance, strength, speed, aerobic or anaerobic conditioning (Steindler, 1955). It has been shown that strength and conditioning programs increase sports performance, producing better athletic results and reducing the incidence of injury (Burrows, 2007). Strength and conditioning programs are suitable for athletes performing at recreational levels, elite levels, sports teams or anyone else looking to ascertain new training methods that might raise their performance capabilities (Baechle Earle, 2000). The aim of this assignment is to undertake a needs analysis for a chosen sport and position and to design and outline a six week training programme suitable for the individual athlete. The assignment will consider periodization as well as an analysis of the macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle sections of a training programme. The sport and position that will be discussed within this report is football and a central defender. Football is a demanding sports in terms of the effort the players need to put into the game. Football training and conditioning is essential. Players can cover around 8-12km during a match of which 24% is covered by walking, 36% covered by jogging, 20% coursing, 11% sprinting, 7% moving backwards and 2% moving whilst in possession of the ball (Reilly, 1996). Central defenders need a wide range of attributes, which include height, Strength, balance and a good mentality. Saif (2002) claimed that a defender needs to have good concentration during games and also require skill attributes such as tackling and heading. Football players need to have excellent endurance. They require a VO2max that has been reported to range between 55 and 70 ml/kg/min in elite performers (Bangsbo, 1991). The game is played approximately 80-90% of maximum heart rate (Helgerud et al, 2001). The greater a players aerobic capacity, the greater the distance they would cover during a typical game (Reilly Thomas, 1976). Many factors need to be considered to plan and implement a successful training programme. These factors include periodization, macrocycle, mesocycle and microcycle along with other essential phases. These are all factors that need to be taken into account in order for a successful training programme. Periodization is a planned execution of particular training phases (Bompa Haff, 1996). The training during the periodization phase is based on increasing and decreasing the volume of repetitions, time and amount of sets. In addition an increase and decrease in intensity. These measures are implemented when planning a structured training program. An important characteristic of periodization training is the scheduling of a recovery period. The principal attributes of periodization include creativity, tactical preparation and utilization of the recovery (Bompa, 2005). Examples of periodization programmes include, Stepwise where training includes high volume with low intensity and progresses to low volume and high intensity. In addition, Undulating periodization is used. This is where volume and intensity of training are changed throughout the course of a short period of time. Periodization is the most effective form of training when aiming to improve on muscle strength, motor performance and body composition. The macrocycle can be defined by four different components. These components include the number of competitions, dates of competitions, the recovery period between competitions and the preparation period before competition. (Dick, 2002) The microcycle is the smallest part of the overall program as it accounts for only one week of the training. The mesocycle is the part of the year that the athlete is in, for example mesocycle 1 will be the pre-season phase. The macrocycle is the overall program based over a year (Dick, 2002). The Anatomical Adaptation is established at the start of the season or immediately after the transition phase. It is introduced before the season starts as it adapts the body for future strength programs. The aim of this stage is to involve all of the muscle groups which prepare muscle, ligaments, and tendons and joins in preparation for training. These strength programs should look to include all parts of the body such as arms and legs but also for the core area, which includes the lower back, abdomen and spinal column musculature. The muscle areas present support for the arms and legs, to help absorb any shock during exercises that require landing or falling. This period is essential because it generates objective growth of the muscles. Maximum strength phase sets to develop the highest force possible. The training requires the athlete to train at 85-100 percent of 1RM. Many sports require power, muscular endurance or a mixture of both. This phase will last between 1 and 3 months depending on the athletes needs (Bompa, 2005) The conversion phase transforms the maximum strength that has been developed ready to use during competitive. This conversion occurs when specific training is performed. Throughout this phase an assured level of maximum strength must be acquired otherwise power will deteriorate. Weight training is the most appropriate method of doing this. The duration of this period depends on the ability being converted. The customary period is between 4 and 5 weeks. Conversion to muscular endurance is 6-8 weeks due to anatomical changes that take longer to transform (Bompa, 2005). The competition phase consists of work carried out during pre-season and must be maintained to reduce the probability of detraining. If an athlete does not maintain their pre season training then muscle fibres can decrease, power is lost as there is a decrease in motor recruitment and speed which can result in a decrease of power. These decreases can result in poor performance during the season. A transition period is commonly known as the off-season. The aim of this phase is to remove any fatigue a player has developed. It is a method of replenishing the energy systems by decreasing the volume of exercise. This can also be an effective way of reducing the psychological stresses that the player could experience during training and competition. This relaxation period can allow the player to loosen up and rest. Although this period has benefits it should last no longer than 4-6 weeks as there would be great deterioration of the players training. (Bompa, 2005). Training programmes can be developed to aid the development of the player.The goal set to achieve in the training program is to try to improve performance levels. This includes fitness and skill levels. To find the improvements of a player the measurements will be recorded through fitness testing as a marker to distinguish if certain component skills are improving or not (Fleck and Kraemer, 2004). When planning a training programme for a particular sport, Specificity must be considered. This associates to how much difference there is between training and performance. This is very important, as training inappropriately could ultimately have a negative effect on performance. Performance levels are measured through fitness testing. The levels will be assessed prior to the training program and after the training program to see if, there has been any improvement. Alternatively, the program may show signs of a decrease in skill levels because the training program did not work and therefore changes will need to take place to solve the problems immediately (Brooks, 2004). When designing a strength and conditioning program the experience of the player must be taken into account. This is because it would be easier to improve a player at a lower level such as amateur league or Sunday league than a player who is at professional level (Reynolds, 1982). This is because; to improve a professional player other factors must be taken into account such as the attitude of the payer. If the players attitude to improve is good then it will become easier to improve than if the player has a bad attitude towards it however this could also be a factor for amateur players (Magnusen and Rhea, 2009). Strength and conditioning programs must take into account the time of year such as if it is Pre season or in season etc. Moody (2007) suggests The 4 Phases of a football strength training program which includes, off-season, Off-Season/Early Pre-Season, Late Pre-Season and In-season. During the off season players should look to build functional strength. Football like any sport, places a lot of demand on the body. Most players kick the ball with a predominat foot and using the same motor patterns, some muscles develop more than others. Some joints are also experience more stress than others. The goals of this phase are to prepare the joints, muscles, ligaments and tendons for more intense work in subsequent phases. With a good foundation to build on after phase one the player is prepared to move into phase 2 which is the off-Season/early pre-season period where they set to build maximal strength. The goal of this phase is to develop the highest force possible. Since power is our overall outcome, it makes sense to develop strength first and then convert it into football specific power. The aim is to complete this phase before the start of the season. That way the latter stages of pre-season training can focus on power and strength endurance training. Phase three is the late pre-season muscular power and strength endurance. In this phase of football strength training, goal is to convert your strength gains into soccer-specific power and muscular endurance. Football is one of the few sports demands roughly equal amounts of explosive force and strength endurance. Plyometric training and/or circuit training should replace sessions in the weight room for this phase. It will last roughly 4-6 weeks depending on your schedule. Phase four is the in-season maintenance which aims to maintain the gains youve made during a strenuous pre-season period without over reaching or over training. This is not one big, continuous phase in your soccer strength training routine. Because the competitive season can last up to 9 months, it should be split up so the strength routine is in smaller cycles. Periodization of a player to perform maximally at competition level is crucial at times. For example, if the England team try to get maximum performance out of a midfielder for a world cup in four years time, they should make use of a young midfielder of 22, who would then be more of a mature player at 26 when the world cup begins. This Periodization is a long-term assessment; but for the amateur player a short-term assessment will be made (Bompa and Carrera, 2005) The program will focus on training pre-season for the player so that the player is prepared for the new season in our training program. In addition, the competitive status of which the player will be training for is the amateur league so it will be competitive for the player and with in reason. The strength of the player will need to be improved through free weights, as in a game situation the player will not be supported by any machines. Muscle groups that are a key in the sport are lower body muscles such as the quadriceps and hamstrings. The movements that will be involved with this are a squat position to strengthen quadriceps, hamstrings and calves. This may need to be done through maximum power. Tackles that the player makes needs to be explosive although the athlete also needs to be able to do this through out the 90 minutes. Upper strength also needs to be maintained to be able to keep balance and be strong enough to jostle for the ball and gain possession. Another key skill component that will be needed is maintaining cardiovascular endurance. This is maintained by running on a regular basis in an environment, which the player would be performing. This is so that the player is aware of the environment and surroundings. Although working in a regular environment can help with the development of the player, the use of treadmills can also be efficient. Kravitz et al (1996) has shown that heart rate levels are higher with the use of treadmills than is an athlete uses a cycle. These findings suggest that the player would work harder when using a treadmill than training outdoors. To assess an athletes performance fitness tests can be introduced to identify strengths and weaknesses. When tests are complete, the player can then assess what skill components they need to improve on and what needs to be maintained. It is important to decide the most suitable fitness test, which can be used to measure these skill components. After the tests are identified data can be collected so that analysis can be made to see where the weaknesses and strength are obtained. After this analysis decisions can be made as to what exercises are needed to create the training programme. Before any training can proceed, a medical of the player must be undertaken. This is to make sure they have no illnesses that can harm them during their training (Waehner, 2010) The facilities in which the player or a team may train in can vary a persons ability to train. For example, if a player is training their football skills in the rain on outdoor grass, then it can become very difficult to train indoors as the difference in the environment can affect their ability. Although training outdoors in the rain can be off putting. However it can also be an advantage because it replicates playing in a competitive game where the weather conditions vary. When assessing the individuals performance we need to fitness test them, so by doing this we are going to assess their cardiovascular system. This can be done by the 12-minute cooper test, which is a field test, which measures how far a person can travel in 12 minutes. This will be done prior to the training program and 6 weeks after the programme to see if there are any improvements within 6 weeks. This will be the same with all the fitness tests that are included to measure the skill components. Next thing we need to asses is muscular power. We can do this by fitness testing one repetition max test. There are a number of exercises we could use to test this fitness component such as handgrip dynamometer and maximum bench press. The exercise we will be using for this is a squat as it improves lower body for tackling and needs explosive power when in a need for short bursts in a game situation. Before a training programme can be created, the following training principles should be used. The principle is abbreviated to S.P.O.R.T which stands for, Specificity, Progression, Overload, Reversibility and Tedious as a way of guiding my training program. Specificity is the principle of training that states that sports training should be relevant and appropriate to the sport for which the individual is training in order to produce a training effect (Triplett, 2006) The athlete is going to be training over a 6-week period prior to the new football season. It is important to emphasise the cardiovascular system whilst maintaining key component skill factors. Trying to improve Muscular Power is also a key factor so that the player can sharpen up and be more explosive ready for the new season. The Principle of Progression implies that there is an optimal level of overload that should be achieved, and an optimal period for this overload to occur (Shepard, 2009). For the athlete to progress when training cardiovascular endurance, he will start off at a level that he is comfortable with and is able to perform such as running for a 10-minute period. For the progression, the athlete can add on 30 seconds each time he runs. Therefore, the next time this athlete runs it will be 10 minutes and 30 seconds, then 11 minutes and so on. To progress when performing muscular power exercises the athlete could add on an extra 2.5kg every session. This is because if the athlete added to much extra weight they could become injured so progress made should be slower. This should only be prepared if and when the athlete feels, it is possible. If the athlete struggles with the weight, it is highly unlikely that the player will be able to lift anything heavier. The principle of overload states that a greater than normal stress or load on the body is required for training adaptation to take place (Kavanaugh, 2007). To make sure that the athlete does not over load on his training programme we will be organising a programme that includes three training sessions a week for a 6-week period. This can reduce the risk of the player becoming fatigued and unable to train. The Reversibility Principle dictates that athletes lose the effects of training when they stop working out. Conversely, it also means that detraining effects can be reversed when they resume training (Powers et al, 2006). When a player has started to progress their skill levels, they could become injured. If injury occurs, reversibility is a big factor that can affect progress. If the player trains three times during a week and sticks to the training program then this should not be a problem. It is much harder to get back into the fitness levels that you once were if reversibility sets in. This is in particular a big vulnerability when working with cardiovascular endurance. Tedium commonly occurs in those who regularly perform monotonous exercise routines. Unlike fatigue, boredom leads to a lack of desire to exercise, rather than an inability to exercise. Boredom is one of the main reasons why people stop exercising and drop out of sport. It can be avoided if the type and location of exercise is varied, if achievable but challenging targets are set, and if exercise is made more fun (Baechle and Earle, 2000). Boredom sets in when the training program becomes the same every week and there are no goals or challenges for the player to try to achieve. If a training program becomes to boring for a player they may become jaded and therefore it will be very difficult for them to stick to the training program and be motivated for future sessions. When designing a training program it is important to make sure that the coach assesses the situation of the athlete and starts the program at the level the athlete has reached. For example, if an athlete is at a low level of training then the coach must start the program with easier ability exercises. The emphasis on the first week of the program is to get the athlete ready and motivated to become active. To achieve this, the program will include high intensity training to get the athlete ready and prepared for the new season and the program will start with Cardiovascular Endurance Training. The skill of the player will also need to be tested and this can be performed by the 12 minutes cooper run and finding out how far the player can run over a 12-minute period. The results are assessed after the test to create a suitable starting time for this player. The player will start running at 10 minutes. This will then be done 3 times in the first week whilst adding 30 seconds on each time. In addition, muscular power will also be assessed. To perform this test the player will use weight training and perform squats. Adams et al (1992) found that squats exercises enhance power production, which is why we are using squats as the main exercise in producing muscular power. The player will start off at a weight he can lift and add on 2.5k each time. This will overload the progression of muscular power. Low weights with high repetition would increase muscular endurance and high weights with low repetition would increase muscular strength, so we need to try to avoid this and balance the weight distribution evenly to try to increase muscular power. Firstly we need to fitness test his ability and by doing this we will do a maximum repetition max test on how many this player can squat. One set of ten squats at a high intensity, which would be a high weight so that muscular power can be strengthened. The following weeks are set for a progression from week one and to maintain football skills and team work the players must attend club training sessions which is held once a week for an hour and a half. When the player reaches the final week of the programme, he should feel fit and ready to perform at a high level. His skill levels should be higher as well as his attitude and motivation, this then acts as an indicator to show he is ready to compete in a competitive game situation for the new season ahead. The final cardiovascular training session should consist of a 12 minute cooper run again to find out if the player has improved or not. My prediction would be that the player would run further this time than he did the first time he ran the 12-minute cooper run, if the results show an improvement then the training program has been efficient. The Athlete should also repeat a muscular endurance test. The one repetition max test should be carried out during the last session to see if the player has improved. In conclusion, Strength and conditioning programmes can be very useful to the progression of an athlete. Whilst other methods of training have been found useful, a well-designed programme has been shown to improve an athletes ability greatly (Burrows, 2007). This could be because the athlete knows exactly what is needed from them and exactly when the effort is needed. The structured plan can give a big confidence boost for the athlete therefore, they will be eager to test their ability with the addition of a test to improve their ability for the season ahead. With the programme set up the athletes and coaches, can set targets and the athlete can then work within the programme to reach the goals. With a well-organised and constructive programme, improvements should be found. When improvements are not found, this indicates that the programme was not successful therefore; a revised programme must be made to aid the athlete. I feel that there would be great improvements in the athletes ability because the programme sets out to achieve goals that were set and was specific to what the athlete needed to work on. No ineffective training was performed leaving the athlete training only what was needed to play at a higher level of football that before the programme.

Virginia Woolf :: Biography Biographies Authors Writers Essays

Virginia Woolf Missing Works Cited The Victorian Era was a time of very rigid and strict lifestyles. In the 1900's there were special rules of conduct to be followed for everything. Victorian society required everyone to follow every protocol and nobody was excluded from these 'duties'. Victorians and Edwardians believed that there should be no awkward silences or pauses during conversations, it was considered impolite. It was also believed that people should dress for dinner every night regardless of the presence of company. It was uncommon to express one's feelings or to hold an opinion or point of view other than the norm. These were among the many rules that made up the foundation of Victorian society. Virginia was born during the Victorian/Edwardian Era and lived under the iron fist of her father Leslie Stephen. Virginia's mother died when she was young which left her father in charge of the household. He was a man who strongly believed in the customs of Victorian society and he insisted that they were followed to the letter. He enforced the required rules of conduct and behavior but Virginia found it all very "oppressive". Virginia Woolf http://metalab.unc.edu/cheryb/women/Virginia-Woolf.html went through a lot of anguish throughout her life. She suffered numerous nervous breakdowns and never managed to lead a normal life. After her father's death in 1904 she moved with her brothers and sister to Bloomsbury. She thought her father's death was "the end of tyranny". She also thought that the move from Kensington, where she lived before, to Bloomsbury, " was the gulf between respectable, mummified humbug and life crude and impertinent perhaps, but living†¦ The new generation wanted air, simplicity and light and the move was escape from the past and all it's horrors"(108). During the early 1900's Virginia and her siblings were comfortably settled in . One Thursday evening her brother Thoby decided to start a ritual by inviting a few of his Cambridge friends home and thus began a circle of artistic and cultural group of friends. At first Virginia found them unusual but soon she joined in their lengthy conversations about art, poetry and culture. She was intrigued by their conversations which eventually took a different turn and soon they found themselves discussing topics such as religion, sexuality and other subjects that were considered taboo at the time. Thoby's Thursday evening friends originally included Clive Bell, who Virginia thought was, " a sort of mixture between Shelly and a sporting country squire"(112).

God and the ancient Chinese Essay

I have read the whole book and understand the whole concept. According to the Book of Isaiah, the Chinese people were mentioned in the Prophecy. They were known as Sinim. When the Chinese Empire was first established; it was first form under God’s law. God was with each of the 4 dynasties. God chose each King for each dynasty if one King has failed to keep God’s Commandment. He would raise up a new King to conquer over the old King. China was established by two legendary rulers. Their names were Yao and Shun. They worship the God of Noah and through the Chinese Classics. It was believed that Yao and Shun witness the great flood. During the time of Babel; God confused the people language. Yao and Shun formed a similar language group and traveled from Mesopotamia to Sinim according to God’s will. In the Chinese classic there were some similar accounts to the Bible story. For example: â€Å"Boat†, â€Å"Eight†, â€Å"People†. We could Understand that the Chinese classics was referring to the story of Noah’s Ark. During the Qin Dynasty, King Qin Shi Huangdi prepared a feast for the Chinese Scholars. The feast was to bring all the scholars in one place so the King could punish them. The King was upset that the Scholars were not teaching the Chinese children present teaching instead they taught the past teaching. He asked advices from his Prime Minister. Li Si, the Prime Minister was against the teaching of Shangdi (God). Therefore, he advised the King to burn all the Chinese classics writing. Most of the writing were gather in one place and pile up and burnt. Fortunately, there were some Scholars who had hid away the book of Confucius so it could be read by younger generation. Some of these writing still exist to these days. There are Chinese sages that were compared to the Biblical characters. I will illustrate four Sages. Mencius was one of the Sages. He had an amazing prophecy about the King. This King is no ordinary earthly King. He is the Heavenly King. He prophesied that 500 or more years will another King rule according to God’s will. Like worth, Daniel’s prophecy was alike Mencius. Tang was a minister during a dynasty. He was compared to Joseph. Tang was appointed to gather grains and foods for the kingdom to supplies foods for the people to survive during the seven years drought. Pen Gen was chosen by Shangdi (God) to lead the people from the Shang Dynasty to the land that was chosen for them by God. He was compared to Moses, who led the Israelites across the Red Sea from Egypt. Lao Zi was a promising Chinese Sage. No one knows for sure who he was or what background he came from. He was compared to John the Baptist because he went to make way for the Great Dao [God]. All the event had happened simultaneously after one another and synchronous to the Biblical events. Both the Chinese Classics and the Bible contain the Seventh-Day as the day of rest. The early King had kept this commandment. On the seventh-day, the whole kingdom was to rest. The merchants and workers were to close their stall. The kingdom main gate was to be close on the seventh-day so no businesses would continue working. God had laid the law for the Chinese to live by and it was the Chinese’s duty to follow it. The Chinese Classics also talks about the sacrifice to Shangdi. After the first deception, men were to offer lamp to Shangdi. There is a pictograph showing a man and a woman offering their sacrifice. The sacrifice is call, â€Å"Border Sacrifice† which was done in the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. God might have chosen the Chinese Sages to tell the people to come to God. Confucius was a messenger of Dao (God). He spent most of his life teaching about the Dao. In the book of Yi Jing which was written by Confucius contained the redemption Plans of God. During the year, Chinese Sages lost track of God’s teaching and new religions began to come into the country. Therefore, the Chinese begin to worship idols and believing in sinful rituals. The true Dao [God] was lost and when the Dao come again; he will judge them fairly according to their sins. I have studied Church History about Christianity in China and I was really impressed how far back Christianity begins in China. My first impression on china before studying about the history was just broad. I thought their very first religion was Tao or Buddhist but Tao [Dao] God was the teaching of God but as times passes by the true teaching of God have been lost with it. Buddhism later influences the false teaching. I would have never thought after the Tower of Babel, the Chinese Dynasty would rise up as well. I am disappointed with this book because it was focusing too much on the Chinese Classics and the prophecy. Some of the Classics are riddle which is hard to understand. When I was studying Church History, the teacher would show us some statues and sculptors that have similar account to the Bible Story. From my perspective, I would love to see more statues or pictures rather than riddle which I can’t even understand. This is the third book; I have read that is related to china and by far the most details related to Christianity in China. I have always been interested in the history of china and this last book really shed some light for me about God’s love. Most of the events happen almost simultaneously with each other. One last history facts that really shock me is the belief of Confucius. I have always known him as one of the great Chinese Sage but he was more of the messenger of God [prophet] in China and he was a Christian.

Diffusion and Osmosis of Solutes and Water Across a Membrane

Diffusion and Osmosis of Solutes and Water Across a Membrane Brittany Bacallao Nova Southeastern University Abstract: This experiment gave a visual understanding of osmosis and diffusion. The first experiment proved that solutes would move down a concentration gradient if permeable to the selective membrane. The second experiment proved different solute concentrations affect the movement of water, depending on the solute concentration inside the cell. The purpose of this lab was to look for different solutes that can cross an artificial membrane and to observe the effect of different concentrations of sucrose on the mass of a potato cell.Results for Part One suggested that the molecular weight of albumin and starch was too large to pass through the dialysis tube, but glucose and sodium sulfate molecules were small enough to pass through the dialysis tube. Also, a decrease in water weight occurred due the dialysis tube being placed in a hypertonic solution. Results for Par Two showed the potato cell having a molar concentration of 0. 2734, which caused sucrose concentrations above 0. 2 M to have a decrease in mass. Inversely, sucrose concentrations below 0. 2 M caused an increase in mass.Diffusion is the random movement of molecules spreading evenly into available space (Cain, Jackson, Minorsky, Reece, & Urry, 2011). Movement of water also follows a similar concept, however, water can act as a shield for solutes and become unavailable to diffuse while in other cases water is free and will move to an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration: this processes is better known as osmosis (Keith, Messing, Schmitt, & Feingold, 2010). Osmosis and diffusion can occur along a permeable membrane or selective membrane.A cell with a selective membrane allows small molecules and ions to pass through but excludes others; also, substances that are able to pass through the membrane do so at different rates. On the other hand, permeable membranes al low nonpolar molecules, such as hydrophobic molecules (water fearing), to dissolve in the lipid bilayer, which allows the molecule to easily cross the membrane. However, molecules such as glucose can pass through the lipid bilayer, but not as rapidly as nonpolar molecule (Cain et al. , 2011).Understanding the concept of osmosis helps explain why lakes cannot have an increase in salinity. If saltiness of a lake increases, species living in the lake could die. This occurs when the lake water becomes hypertonic solution, which causes the animal cells to lose an excessive amount of water forcing the cell to shrivel up and die (Cain et al. , 2011). On the contrary, understanding the concept of diffusion can help explain why after spraying perfume in one area of the room, then after several minutes, the perfume is smelled throughout the room.This is because particles of the perfume move randomly and eventually spread out evenly throughout the room. Moreover, in the experiment performed, d iffusion and osmosis was observed using artificial systems (plastic membranes) and potato cells. The null hypothesis for Part One of the experiment is that the concentration gradient has no effect on the weight of the dialysis tube. The alternate hypothesis is that the weight of the dialysis tube will be affected by the concentration gradient.The null hypothesis for Part Two of the experiment is that the increase of sucrose concentration has no effect on the mass of the potato cell. The alternate hypothesis is that the difference in sucrose concentration will affect the mass of the potato cell. This experiment tests all hypotheses and helps to explain the concepts of diffusion and osmosis. Materials and Methods: Part One: Gloves were used to obtain a 20 cm section of dialysis tube that had soaked in a beaker of distilled water prior to the experiment. The dialysis tube was cleaned with distilled water and then tied off to form a pouch.Once the pouch was formed, 3 mL of starch and so dium sulfate solution was placed inside the tube, and then tied off and weighed. The weight obtained was recorded as initial weight. While weighing the dialysis tube with the solution of starch and sodium sulfate, eight test tubes were obtained and solution of starch/sodium sulfate was added to two test tubes labeled bag start (Keith et al. , 2010). After weighing dialysis tubing of starch/sodium sulfate and adding the solution to two test tubes, the tubing was placed in a beaker containing a solution of albumin and glucose.Next, 1. 0 mL of albumin and glucose were then placed in two test tubes labeled solution start. The tubing in the albumin/glucose solution was kept inside the solution for 75 minutes. Every 15 minutes the solution and tube was mixed (Keith et al. , 2010). At the end of the 75 minutes, two 1. 0 mL samples of the albumin/glucose solution from the beaker were added to two test tubes labeled solution end. Then, the dialysis tube was removed from the beaker and rinsed off with distilled water. Once the tubing was rinsed and blotted dry the final water weight was recorded.After measuring the final water weight, the contents in the tubing was dumped into a beaker and 1. 0 mL of starch/sodium sulfate solution was added to two test tubes labeled bag end (Keith et al. , 2010). In order to test for glucose, a glucose dip and read strip was placed in the first set of test tubes that were labeled bag start, solution start, bag end, and solution end. Then, a protein dip-and-read strip was placed in the same set of test tubes and the results were recorded from both glucose and protein strips.After testing for protein, solution and bag samples were tested for sodium sulfate. To test for sodium sulfate, three drops of 2% barium chloride were added to the second set of test tubes labeled bag start, solution start, bag end, and solution end. The results were observed and then recorded (Keith et al. , 2010). To see if starch was present in the solutions, iodin e solution was added to the first set of test tubes that were used for the glucose and protein strips. Results were then observed and recorded (Keith et al. , 2010). Part two: Seven beakers were obtained. 0 mL of solution labeled 0. 2 M sucrose, 0. 4 M sucrose, 0. 6 M sucrose, 0. 8 M sucrose, 1 M sucrose, distilled water, and unknown were each placed in different beakers. Then, a potato was sliced into 28 cylinders using a cork borer. The cylinders were separated into seven groups of four and then placed under a paper towel until the group was ready to weigh the potato cylinders. Once prepared to weigh the cylinders, the weight of each group of cylinders was recorded. Four cylinders were placed into each beaker and sat for an hour (Keith et al. , 2010).After the beakers sat for an hour at room temperature, the potato cylinders were then removed and blotted dry. Final weight was recorded for each group of potato cylinders. To calculate the percentage change, the following equation wa s used (Keith et al. , 2010): Percent change =Ending mass-Starting massStarting mass? 100% Results: Part One Results for the first experiment revealed certain molecular weights were unable to pass through the selectively permeable membrane. Table 1 shows that albumin (protein) and starch were unable to pass through the selective membrane.Albumin’s molecular weight was approximately 64,000 Daltons and starch’s molecular weight was greater than 100,000 Daltons; these results were already known. Initially, glucose was present outside of the dialysis tube but in final results glucose was found in the final bag and final solution. On the contrary, sodium sulfate was initially present inside the dialysis tube but in the final results only, sulfate ion was found in the final solution. The last result was the change in water weight. Water had decreased from the initial weight. The following results are shown in Table 1.Table 1: Diffusion of solutes through an artificial membra ne after 75 minutes. | Glucose | Sulfate ion| Protein| Starch| Water weight (g)| Inside bag| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Initial| -| +| -| +| 16. 59 g| Final| +| -| -| +| 16. 05 g| Outside bag| Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Â  | Initial| +| +| +++| -| Â  | Final| +| +| +++| -| Â  | Part Two In the second experiment results showed different concentrations of sucrose affected the potatoes’ mass. In the beakers containing 0. 0 M (distilled water) and 0. 2 M concentration of sucrose resulted in water entering the potato cell, which caused the cell to increase in mass.The beakers containing 0. 4 M, 0. 6 M, 0. 8 M, and 1 M of sucrose concentration had the opposite effect on the potatoes mass. Therefore, the higher the concentration was the greater amount of water left, causing the cell to decrease in mass. Also, the unknown concentration was found to be 0. 5 M of sucrose, which caused the mass in the potato cells to decrease as a result of water leaving the cell. The following infor mation is displayed in Table 2. Table 2: Percent change in mass of potato cells after being placed in different sucrose concentrations, also the differences in initial and final mass.Contents in beaker| Initial mass| Final mass| Mass difference| % Change in mass| a. Distilled Water| 0. 82| 0. 92| 0. 1| 12. 20%| b. 0. 2 M Sucrose| 0. 65| 0. 69| 0. 04| 6. 20%| c. 0. 4 M Sucrose| 0. 62| 0. 56| -0. 06| -9. 70%| d. 0. 6 M Sucrose| 0. 69| 0. 58| -0. 1| -15. 90%| e. 0. 8 M Sucrose| 0. 61| 0. 48| -0. 13| -21. 30%| f. 1 M Sucrose| 0. 74| 0. 57| -0. 17| -23%| g. Unknown| 0. 77| 0. 7| -0. 07| -9. 10%| The molar concentration of the potato cell was found to be 0. 2734 M. The molecular weight was found by looking for the x-intercept on the graph below (Figure 2. . Figure 2: Percent change in mass of potato cells put in different concentrations of sucrose. Discussion: Part One of the experiment indicated that the dialysis tube was selectively permeable and only molecular weight fewer than 64,000 Daltons were able to pass through the membrane. This explains why albumin and starch were unable to pass through the membrane because their molecules were too large. Conversely, glucose was able to pass through the selectively permeable membrane due to its relatively small molecular weight.However, because glucose was present in both the final bag and final solution this meant that glucose had evenly distributed its molecules by complying with the concept of diffusion. Sulfate ions present outside the dialysis tube in the final results show that sulfate ions were also able to diffuse through the selective membrane into the final solution. A decrease in water weight from initial weight shows that the dialysis tube was placed in a hypertonic solution causing more of the inside solution to diffuse to the outside leading to a decrease in the final weight of the bag.The null hypothesis is rejected in Part One of the experiment because the concentration gradient did affect the weight of t he dialysis tube. This is due to the fact that sodium sulfate completely left the bag, thus causing the bag to decrease in weight. The reason why sodium sulfate left is because there was no sodium sulfate in the solution; therefore, molecules went to an area of lower concentration. The alternate hypothesis is not rejected because the concentration gradient did affect the weight of the dialysis tube.This is proven by a decrease in initial weight due to sodium sulfate leaving the tube. Part Two of the experiment showed that the potato cells had some kind of change in their mass after being placed in different sucrose concentrations. The change in mass occurred because water either left the cell or entered the cell depending on the sucrose concentration. This explains why distilled water had the greatest increase in mass, because water wanted to go to an area (potato cell) of higher concentration from an area of low concentration.On the other hand, 1 M of sucrose concentration had the greatest decrease in mass because water wanted to leave the cell to move to an area of higher concentration. Therefore, if the concentration was greater than the molar concentration of the potato cell than water left the cell at a faster rate. The null hypothesis for Part Two of the experiment proved to be wrong because an increase in sucrose concentration did have an affect on the change in mass of the potato cell.Increased sucrose concentration changed the mass of the cell because the concentration was higher than the molar concentration of the potato cell. Thus, the alternate hypothesis is proven correct. The difference in sucrose concentration will affect the mass of the potato cell. References: Cain, M. L. , Jackson, R. B. , Minorsky, P. V. , Reece, J. B. , & Urry, L. A. (2011). Biology (9th Edition ed. ). San Francisco: Pearson Education, Inc. Keith, E. , Messing, C,. Schmitt, E. , Feingold, J. (2010). Laboratory Exercises in Biology (3rd ed. ). Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt Publi shing Company.