Expedia Value Chain Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Expedia Value Chain - Assignment Example This research will begin with the statement that the value chain of an organization consists of all activities that are performed in order to achieve a competitive advantage in the industry. According to Michael Porter, the value chain consists of two types of activities. They are primary activities and support activities. The present research has identified that primary activities include inbound logistics, operations, outbound logistics, marketing and sales, and service. Secondary activities include procurement, human resource management, technological development, and infrastructure. From this research, it is clear that Expedia uses technology in order to create an interface that enables customers to make bookings and reservations online. It is partnered with similar services helping its customers to search and sort cheap flights, hotels, car rentals, holiday destinations, and so on. Expedia partners with industry experts including Hotels.com, Egencia, Venere, Hotwire, etc. The te chnology department at Expedia works to allow customers to make their reservations online through the company interface. Such activities occur electronically to send customers their receipts. The Sales department takes care of all sales and support services provided by the company. Expedia runs social media marketing campaigns and also runs an affiliate program. The customer support staff is present to assist customers with the service.

Generic and specific skills Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Generic and specific skills - Assignment Example Skill defines the ability to execute an undertaking to a predefined level of competency. A range of generic skills is important in the construction industry. Generic skills, which include but are not limited to computing skills, communication, ICT skills, problem solving skills, and team working skills are essential qualifications valued by employers (UK Commission for Employment and Skills, 2014, 1). They supplement the special and technical skills of employees. The varieties of generic and special skills are available in the construction market, which also includes service delivery and supply of materials. Most companies often offer training in generic skills, but specific skills are normally acquired in learning institutions. In China, the construction market constitutes a large percentage of the country’s GDP. The Chinese construction market is growing at a significantly rapid rate. Specific skills such as technological skills are in demand in the construction industry. Design engineers and architects, for instance, require special skills to come up with designs of houses and roads, and examine the structural components of construction. Despite the high unemployment levels, employers still complain of skill deficits (Klosters, 2014, 9). Staffs with generic skills are often subcontracted to work on contractual basis. Unfortunately, development of managerial skills has not been efficient because systems of management largely remain the same (Ahmad and Ryan, n.d., 1). The country’s type of economy creates several jobs in the construction industry, hence the increase of several construction companies. Even so, construction enterprises and design institutes have shown little interest in develop ing skills required in the construction industry. Even so, the competition between Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai means that the industry has potential. Both India and China have shown interest in investing in their

Political ideas, under international relations Essay

Political ideas, under international relations - Essay Example He argues out that the diversity that existed in the human values defines the origins of political theories that extend to today’s political set up. A critical examination of the possible approaches of dealing with the diverse human values in a society leads to two kinds of liberty namely positive and negative liberty (Thorsen, 2004, p.6). The two concepts of liberty were initially considered to be closely related but later appeared to be taking different destinations. There have been efforts by philosophers to examine the main differences that exist between positive and negative liberty. There has also been a debate on whether one concept of liberty is superior to the other or not. Some of the rights and freedoms that we enjoy are those that are imposed by some legislation. Some other freedoms are enjoyed simply because there are no legislations that are contrary to them. However, it is important to note that freedom is freedom and regardless of its nature, it can be hazardou s if poorly misused or misinterpreted. Definitions By definition, positive freedom is that freedom that is guaranteed by some form of legislation. It refers to considering freedom as ‘the capacity for self rule, or self mastery especially on a collective level’ (Thorsen, 2004, p.6). ... The other one could be the right to own a property. Every one is absolutely entitled to the right to own property by most of the legal provisions worldwide. On the other hand, negative freedom is that freedom we enjoy because no kind of legislation forbids it. They are the kinds of freedoms that allow an individual to carry out his or her private affairs independently (Thorsen, 2004, p.6). This calls for the moral and ethical codes of conducts in the individual. For instance, there are particularly no legal provisions on how and whether one should enjoy his/her Christmas holidays. There are no provisions either that a bereaved family should have a memorial ceremony in honor of their deceased member. The celebrations in such occasions are carried on simply on the basis that there are no restrictions. In other words, a negative freedom is enjoyed at an individual’s own discretion. Arguments on positive liberty The kinds of governments that existed in the olden times were mainly a hereditary system in which one would have predefined successor, usually a son. In such cases, the rulers were mainly opposed to the ruled and what existed was a system of two conflicting forces with the ruled being unable to confront the rulers. In fact, the rulers often used their hereditary authority as weapons against complains from their people (Mill, 1859). There was thus a need to reduce the powers of the rulers and set certain limits beyond which the people were protected against such humiliations. This called for the need for the establishments of rights and freedom of the citizens in a given government. The rulers were forced to submit to such

Analyze the article Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 4

Analyze the article - Assignment Example Green building is an approach used by environmentalist and engineers to come up with eco-friendly structures that are sustainable. According to GSA (2010), green building techniques and materials for construction of buildings determine the level of energy consumption and other resources in the environment. To support this argument, they carried out research that showed a decline in the cost of energy consumption being below 45 percent, and water use had dropped below 39% in the US. Green building will help come up with eco-friendly industries and residential structures that will cut down pollution and emission of gases by industries, which lead to global warming. Recycling and reuse of material such as wood, fiber and plastics ensure the environment is safe. Moreover, use of solar panels in green building cuts down the demand for hydroelectric power and diesel generated power. This consequently leads to alternative use of energy sources for applications that depend solely on fossil f uel, which is a leading pollutant. Sustainability is a responsibility we cannot neglect if we want our future generation to live in a clean place. This technology in green building holds a solution to the many problems we face today on energy consumption, pollution and global warming. I concur with the fact that green building is an eco-friendly development that industries and individuals should emulate to save the

SCP model Strategy Essay Example for Free

SCP model Strategy Essay Building on the SCP model, Michael Porter developed the highly influential five forces model. Porter’s model identifies five key competitive forces that managers need to consider when analysing the industry environment and formulating strategy: Porter‘s 5 competitive forces model is starting point for strategic analysis that is used for assessing the attractiveness of an industry (Johnson,et al , 2008) and discovering a desirable strategic innovation that improve the industry and company profitability (Wit and Meyer,2005) The threats to new entrants: The threat from new entrants is very high. Entering the electric automotive industry in 2003, Tesla itself faced the challenges of being the new entrant into the market having numerous financial troubles that required high capital investments, building the brand and distributions channels. However, for established manufacturers with considerable economic power to enter this market is relatively low due to their capabilities and governmental program support for developing electric vehicle (Shirouzu, 2011). There is a relatively low barrier to entry due to the higher demand for environmental friendly vehicles and with other outlets for available technology for lithium-ion batteries, it is a level of playing field where any company can replicate (Shirouzu,2011). This is an external threat that Tesla faces because this technology is easy to imitate by competitors. The bargaining power of Buyers Overall bargaining power of buyers is modest. According to Tesla Annual Report (2014), they rely on their relationship with Daimler and Toyota (Brown, 2013). The partnership is very important for Tesla, because supplying these companies constitutes the high share of their profit and thus, they cannot lose them, making their power considerably high. However, they also sell their cars to individual customers, and many government incentives give potential customers tax credit deduction (Ministry of Transportation, 2010). These programs stimulate the demand of electric cars that makes bargaining power low. Threat of Substitution The threat of substitutes is considerably law in automotive industry, because there are only few choices in the substitution of car. One of the  substitutes can be walking or biking that is very inconvenience for long distances. Moreover, mass transportation such as trains, buses, and subways are substitutes that are suitable for local and distant travelling (Dutch, 2008). However, many people prefer to have their own car that is more convenient. The Bargaining Power of Suppliers The power of suppliers is very high due to the fact that company is highly dependent on these suppliers and any problems with components delivering will result in production disruption that negatively reflects on company image. This is due to purchasing components from over 200 suppliers over the world. Despite of building close relationships with main suppliers such as Panasonic (Tesla Motors, 2014), working together on the development of new battery cell and replacing Lotus supplier ‘s chassis with manufacturing by themselves (Tesla Motors, 2014), many suppliers stay single sources of components used in their cars (Harryson and Keller, 2013) The Intensity of Rivalry in the Industry The rivalry in the whole automotive industry is very competitive. However, within electrical vehicle market in which Tesla position itself, the rivalry is modest because of small number of competitors in the face of 18 different current models, the main of which are Nissan Leaf Ford Focus BEV and Chevrolet Volt (Insideevs.com, 2014). However, this market is very attractive and expanding fast, therefore more companies, including BMW, Audi and Volkswagen, has entered it recently with their plug-in models (White, 2013). In addition, every company is trying to create their niche, developing many alternatives in term of environmentally friendly cars, including hybrids, small performance turbo diesels and biodiesel cars. Thus, in future, the rivalry will be more intensive and companies will need to keep innovative, improving and making better cars. Brown, N. (2013). Daimler Wants Increased Cooperation With Tesla Motors. [online] CleanTechnical. Available at: http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/07/daimler-wants-increased-cooperation-tesla-motors/ [Accessed 6 April. 2014 Harryson, S. and Keller, S. (2014). Tesla Motors Case II: From Technology Start up to Commercialization Vehicle.CIEL. [online] Available at: http://ciel-lab.dk/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Case_Tesla-Motors-Part-II.pdf [Accessed 1 April. 2014] Insideevs.com, (2014). February 2014 Plug-In Electric Vehicle Sales Report Card | Inside EVs. [online] Available at: http://insideevs.com/february-2014-plug-in-electric-vehicle-sales-report-card/ [Accessed 3 April. 2014] Ministry of Transportation, (2010). Newsroom : Ontario Paves The Way For Electric Vehicles. [online] Available at: http://news.ontario.ca/mto/en/2010/06/ontario-paves-the-way-for-electric-vehicles.html [Accessed 4 April. 2014] Tesla Motors, (2014). About Tesla | Tesla Motors. [online] Available at: http://www.teslamotors.com/about [Accessed 20 April. 2014 Wit, B. and Meyer, R. (2005).Strategy synthesis. 3rd ed. London: Thomson Learning.

Developing Anti-Mycobacterial Therapeutics

Developing Anti-Mycobacterial Therapeutics Using a specific example discuss a possible target for the development of anti-mycobacterial therapeutics. Introduction It is estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide are infected by tuberculosis (TB)- an infectious disease caused by the etiologic agent Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) (Fullam et al., 2012). This bacterium is responsible for 2 million deaths each year and remains a continuing threat (Ouellet, Johnston and Montellano, 2011). 70-90% of individuals infected carry latent TB and never develop the disease, on the other hand, 10-30% of individuals infected can develop active TB. Over the years, the threat of TB has increased alarmingly due to the rise of multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR-TB). The rise of MDR-TB and XDR-TB threatens to overwhelm all currently available drugs (Yam et al., 2009). Hence, the need to develop new anti-mycobacterial therapeutics. Currently, there have been numerous potential targets identified for the development of novel inhibitors. This review focuses on Mtb DNA gyrase as one such possible target (Mdluli and Spigelman, 2006). Structure and Function of DNA Gyrase DNA gyrase is an essential tetrameric enzyme involved in DNA synthesis and is understood to be the only type II topoisomerase present in Mtb. The structure of DNA gyrase consists of two subunits called GyrA and GyrB which initially form homodimers, called A2 and B2, and then form a larger heterodimer, called A2B2. The two subunits carry out different functions with the GyrA subunit carrying out cleavage of positive supercoiled DNA, while the GyrB subunit promotes ATP hydrolysis. The GyrA and GyrB subunits are products of the gyrA gene and gyrB gene. The gyrB gene is 34 base-pairs upstream to the gyrA gene and both genes are located close to the origin of replication (Unniraman, Chatterji and Nagaraja, 2002). Mtb reproduce by binary fission. During DNA replication, DNA helicase binds to the DNA double helix and begins to unwind the parental strands by utilising ATP to break the hydrogen bonds between the base-pairs. Single-stranded binding proteins help to stabilise the unwound DNA strands and prevent them from re-pairing. The point at which the two strands of DNA separate are known as replication fork. DNA polymerase then moves along each strand of DNA behind each replication fork synthesising new DNA nucleotides. As the replication fork expands, positive supercoils begin to accumulate ahead of the replication fork. For DNA replication to continue, the positive supercoils need to be removed. Supercoiling causes the DNA to form a more compact structure. DNA gyrase inserts negative supercoils to Mtb DNA. DNA gyrase binds to a circular, supercoiled DNA molecule and this alleviates one positive supercoils. Gyrase first introduces a double-stranded break in the DNA, then a segment of DNA pass es through the break to the opposite side of the gyrase protein. This movement of the DNA requires ATP hydrolysis by gyrase, and introduces a negative supercoil into the DNA molecule. Subsequently, the break in the strands is repaired and gyrase is released from the DNA. Thus, a DNA molecule with one positive supercoil now has one negative supercoil. The GyrA subunit consists of two domains called the GyrA N-terminal domain (GyrA-NTD) and GyrA C-terminal domain (GyrA-CTD). The GyrA-NTD whereas, the GyrA-CTD stabilises the binding of DNA gyrase to DNA. The residue Tyr-122 of GyrA is the site of covalent attachment to DNA. Similarly, the GyrB subunit consists of two domains called the GyrB N-terminal domain (GyrB-NTD) and GyrB C-terminal domain (GyrB-CTD). The GyrB-NTD contains the ATP binding sites. DNA gyrase is absent in eukaryotic organisms even though a less homologous enzyme does exist. Fluoroquinolones Fluoroquinolones (FQs) bind to the enzyme-DNA complex. By targeting GyrA, the duration of treatment can be shortened making it a validated target. C-terminal Domain of GyrA  Ã‚   The ability of Mtb DNA gyrase to bind and insert negative supercoils into DNA is mediated by the C-terminal domain of the GyrA subunit (GyrA-CTD). Several highly-conserved residues in GyrA-CTD were selected as potentially participating in DNA binding and bending. The use of site-directed mutagenesis resulted in the identification of four key residues which were R691A, Y577A, R745A and D669A. Substitution of these four residues resulted in a total loss of DNA binding activity by GyrA. This in turn caused a loss in supercoiling activity and relaxation. The ability of Mtb DNA gyrase to carry out its function only occurs when the GyrA subunit is combined with the GyrB subunit. Mutagenesis of R691A, Y577A, R745A and D669A not only results in loss of DNA binding activity of GyrA in the absence of GyrB, but also results in a loss of DNA binding activity in the presence of GyrB. This again led to a loss in loss in supercoiling activity and relaxation. The findings of GyrA-CTD to be essential for Mtb survival strongly promotes the idea of a new potential drug target. GyrB Subunit of Mtb DNA Gyrase The emergence of fluoroquinolone-resistant tuberculosis has meant there is a need to develop new classes of drugs targeting Mtb DNA gyrase. A lot of emphasis is often focused on targeting the GyrA subunit and this had led to research in developing novel inhibitors targeting the GyrB subunit (Medapi et al., 2015). The GyrB subunit is an attractive target for the development of anti-mycobacterial therapeutics for several reasons. Firstly, the GyrB subunit is present in a single copy. Secondly, it is an essential gene for the survival of Mtb. Thirdly, there are no alternatives to GyrB present in Mtb which could carry out the same function if it is inhibited because it contains the ATP binding pocket. Fourthly, the various strains of Mtb have a 99.9% homology for GyrB. Fifthly, GyrB exerts the same phenotypic effects on Mtb viability as FQs. Finally, the development of inhibitors targeting GyrB can be effective in shortening the duration of TB treatment and delaying the emergence of drug resistance (Chopra et al., 2012). The residues involved in ATP binding are found in the GyrB-NTD and are between residues 1-220. Moreover, two further residues, Gln335 and Lys337, found in the GyrB-CTD are also involved in ATP binding. To the date, there are hundreds of potential novel inhibitors which have been identified to inhibit the activity of GyrB. Inhibitors could be design to target the ATP-binding site or the non-ATP-binding site, however, little is known about structure of the non-ATP binding site. Novobiocin is the only approved antibiotic which has shown to inhibit the activity of GyrB. However, novobiocin has been withdrawn from the market because it is extremely toxic and has low permeability. Another drug class of drugs, aminobenzimidazole, are another strong candidate for inhibiting GyrB due to their excellent efficacy against MDR-TB strains (Chaudhari et al., 2016).

The Inhibitory Effects of Low Power Radiofrequency

The Inhibitory Effects of Low Power Radiofrequency Inhibitory effects of low thermal radiofrequency radiation on physiological parameters of Zea mays seedlings grown Mihaela Răcuciu1, Cora Iftode2 and Simona MiclăuÃ…Å ¸3 Abstract. The inhibitory effects of low power radiofrequency field on physiological parameters of Zea mays plantlets developed from exposed seeds were obtained in present experiment. Identical biological samples of 30 Zea mays seeds with a uniform genophond were exposed to a continuous wave at a frequency of 1GHz, inside a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell, for different exposure times between 0 and 8 hours, and then let to germinate. By numerical dosimetry computations, an average specific absorption rate (SAR) of energy deposition per sample of 0.47W/kg was obtained and SAR distribution over the sample was determined. The assimilatory pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoid pigments) and average nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) contents in the green tissues of all experimental samples as well as in the control plants were assayed by spectrophotometric methods, after 12 days of plant growth. Decreased levels of all assimilatory pigments and nucleic acids were obtained for a ll exposure durations, as compared to the control sample. Also, it was found that the enhanced exposure time had an inhibitory effect on the growth of the 12 day old plantlets. Introduction The scientific interest about the effects of high frequency electromagnetic fields on biological materials, especially plants, dates since the 19th century [1]. Not a few of the earlier experiments on plant material have been focused on the effect of radio frequency electromagnetic fields on seeds. In many cases, the short exposure resulted in increased germination rate and stimulation of seedlings growth [2]. Ponomarev et al. [3] investigated the influence of low intensity microwave radiation on the germination of cereals (winter and spring wheat, spring barley, oats), observing an increasing of germination rate for all the treated seeds. Khalafallah et al. showed in their experiment that the germination grains and growth rate of exposed maize seedlings, significantly increased compared to the control. Also, photosynthetic pigments levels, total soluble sugar and total carbohydrates were positively affected by 945MHz electromagnetic field exposure [4]. Jonas reported that the action of microwave radiations on Zea mays seedlings damaged the photosynthetic system and led to significant increase of the carotene and anthocyanin production [5]. Tkalec et al. exposed Lemna minor L. plants to 900 MHz electromagnetic field and then was observed a decreasing of the plants growth for 2 hours exposure, even if the germination rate and the root lengths not changed significantly [6]. M. Ursache et al. [7] exposed Zea mays seedlings at 418 MHz electromagnetic field for relatively short exposure times (1 to 4 hours), and observed increasing of the photosynthetic pigments levels. L. Oprică [8] has studied microwave treatment with power density under 1 mW/cm3 on rapeseeds and concluded that the exposure determined variations of catalase and peroxidase activities depending on the age of the plants and time of exposure. Sandu et al. [9] studied the 400MHz electromagnetic field influence on the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) seedlings. Chlorophyll a as well as chlorophyll b level was found to decrease and chlorophyll ratio was decreasing logarithmically to the increase of daily exposure time on the electromagnetic field. Rou x et al. [10] showed that a non-thermal 900MHz electromagnetic field is able to evoke rapid accumulation of some transcripts (like Ca2+ receptors) that are known to play a role in the early events of plant responses to stress in tomato plants. The present study aimed to quantify the effects of low-power 1GHz electromagnetic field action on Zea mays seeds, by assessing of the photosynthetic pigments and nucleic acid total level in seedlings developed from exposed seeds. The seeds exposure took place in a well-controlled environment and was seconded by a proper microwave dosimetric analysis. Materials and methods Biological material. Considering its economic importance for agriculture and food industry the popcorn seeds (Zea mays) were chosen as biological material. In order to diminish the putative genophond variations in this experiment were used seeds from a single plant with vigorous biological features from an experimental micropopulation. Irradiated seeds germination occurred on porous paper support, in darkness and closed Petri dishes, environmental conditions being kept under peer control (temperature being 24 ±0.50 C and 98% humidity). After germination the young plantlets development was conducted in the same controlled laboratory conditions (t=23 ±0.50C, illumination -11h: 13h light/dark cycle and 90% humidity) and the culture medium of young plantlets was daily watered with the same amount of deionized water. Exposure system and modelling-simulation. Biological samples composed of 30 Zea mays seeds each, having a uniform genophond, were exposed one by one (in a Petri dish) to 1GHz microwave, inside a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) cell, for different exposure times between 1 hour and 8 hours (Fig. 1). The TEM cell was model IFI CC-104SEXX (Instruments for Industry, USA) and at the input port the incident power Pin=11.5W was delivered from a radiofrequency signal generator model Hameg HM 3184-3 through a power amplifier Ophir 5150. At the output port the cell was terminated by a 50 ohm matched impedance. In this way, a relatively uniform electric (E) field strength distribution was obtained in a large volume between the floor and the septum of the TEM cell [x], at the place where the sample was exposed. A modelling-simulation step followed, in order to obtain the specific absorption rate of energy deposition (SAR) in the sample. The validation of the approach [x] showed that in general a good agreement between measured and simulated SAR is obtained. In present case, the simulation was made in CST Microwave Studio. The simulated TEM cell and the sample disposal inside it is observed in Fig. 1a, while in Fig.1b the distribution of the seeds in the Petri dish during exposure is indicated. Getting primary data from the real sample, each corn seed was then modelled as a little ellipsoid, with the axes of 10.80.41 cm, and with an average mass of 0.317g. The mass density of a corn seed was of 1.8628g/cm3. The dielectric properties of the seeds were extracted from [xx], by considering an average of 23% relative humidity of the sample. So, the dielectric data for Zea mays were: relative permittivity real part which is related to the stored energy, was ÃŽ µÃ¢â‚¬â„¢r=7.15, relative permittivi ty – imaginary part, which is related to the dissipation (or loss) of energy was ÃŽ µÃ¢â‚¬ r =1.52, and the electric conductivity was ÏÆ'=84.510-3 S/m. (b) Fig.1. The modeled TEM cell and the disposal of the corn seeds sample inside it, for uniform exposure to 1GHz/11.5W: a) the position of the Petri dish inside the cell during the exposure; b) the disposal of the seeds inside the dish Analysis methods. The assimilatory pigments (chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b and total carotenoid pigments) and average nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) levels in the green tissues of all experimental samples as well as in the control plants were assayed by spectrophotometric methods using a JASCO V530 spectrophotometer UV-VIS device provided with quartz cells of 1cm width, after the 12 days of plant growth. Using the Lichtenthaler and Welburn’s method [11], the assay of the assimilatory pigments extracts (in 80% acetone) was performed, while the assay of nucleic acid level (in perchloric acid 6% extracts) was carried out accordingly to modified Spirin’s method (Spirin [12]; Struchkov et al. [13]). Spectrophotometric measurements were performed at the wavelengths of: 663nm, 646nm and 470nm (versus acetone 80%) for the assay of chlorophylls (Chla, Chlb) and carotenoids pigments (Car) from green tissues and, at 260nm and 280nm (versus perchloric acid 6%) in the case of nucleic ac ids. For obtaining of photosynthetic pigments levels, the formulas from Lichtenthaler and Welburn [11] were applied while the calibration curves (based on the spectral readings to the mentioned wavelengths) were used in the case of nucleic acids. The biological material, used in the analysis conducted in this study, was consisted of green tissue obtained by mixing up the green tissue from the all young plantlets grown from each experimental group (sample). It was used the same amount of fresh green tissue mass for each experimental sample. Plant individual length was measured with 0.1cm precision and the average lengths and the standard deviations were calculated for each batch of test seeds. Using the Student test, the confidence interval was calculated for every batch of plantlets for the confidence levels P = 90%, 95% and 99%. Since chlorophylls ratio revealed the response of the LHC II system (Light Harvesting Complex II) to the external stimuli, these experimental data offered the main insight into the photosynthesis complex processes (Ort et al.[14]). Statistic analysis. Statistic analysis of the experimental data, resulted from the three repetitions of the whole experiment, was accomplished by means of ANOVA test applied using MsExcell soft package to evaluate reliability of modifications induced by electromagnetic field exposure in comparison to the control ones as well as among the samples corresponding to different exposure time, considering the significance criterion of 0.05 (p value). Results and discussions The SAR distribution, obtained in the simulation (Fig.2), was not very uniform, varying between 0.27-0.65W/kg, with an average value SARavg=0.47W/kg. With this SAR value, and by considering a specific heat of the corn c=3350 J/kg.degC, an expected temperature increase due to microwave exposures between 0.50degC and 4.04degC is expected, when no heat exchange would take place between the seeds sample and the environment. This would conduct to a low-thermal effect. Fig.2. SAR distribution along the 30 seeds probe exposed in the TEM cell at 1GHz The average lengths of plantlets and afferent standard deviations were calculated for each batch of test seeds and represent in Figure 2 in function of electromagnetic field exposure time. It was found an inhibitory effect on plant growth under the 1GHz electromagnetic field action with enhanced exposure times. The confidence interval was calculated for every batch of plantlets using the Student test, for the confidence level P = 90%. All length plantlet results are statistically significant in comparison to control. Fig.2. The average length of 12 days old plantlets in function of exposure time The contents of photosynthesis pigments (a and b chlorophylls and total carotenoids) in the green tissue of young Zea mays plantlets (aged of 12 days) for experimental samples in Fig. 3 are presented. The chlorophyll a level, the main photosynthesis pigment, was found decreased for all electromagnetic field exposure times used in this experiment comparatively to the control sample (plants growth was performed only in deionised water presence) (statistically significant in relation to the threshold of 0.05). Fig. 3. Assimilatory pigments level in Zea mays plantlets versus 1GHz electromagnetic field exposure time. (Chl a –the content of chlorophyll a, Chl b – the content of chlorophyll b, Car – the content of total carotenoid pigments). The total assimilatory pigments contents had the same variation to the increase of exposure time of electromagnetic field action on 12 days young plantlets that was observed for chlorophyll a level. The chlorophylls ratio (chlorophyll a / chlorophyll b) is considered the best indicator upon the photosynthesis process efficiency (Ort et al.[14]) which provides indirect information on the enzymatic aggregates of the Light Harvesting Complex II (LHC II) from the photosynthetic system II located in the chloroplasts membranes. A slight variation of chlorophylls ratio was observed for enhanced exposure time only for the greater exposure time (8 hours) was observed decreased value, with 22% than unexposed sample value (statistical significance was ensured relatively to the threshold of p Fig. 4. The effects of electromagnetic field exposure on chlorophylls ratio (Chl a/Chl b) From results, it was observed for relatively small exposure times a tendency to accumulation of more chlorophylls than carotenoids while for enhanced exposure times (between 4 and 8 hours) this tendency has been changed, observing an accumulation of more carotenoids than chlorophylls at plant level. Chlorophylls to carotenoids ratio decreased with 1GHz electromagnetic field exposure time (Fig. 5). Fig.5. (Chl a+Chl b)/Car level for the plantlets provided by electromagnetic field exposed seeds The nucleic acids average content in young Zea mays plantlets after 12 days of grown developed from 1GHz electromagnetic field exposed seeds is presented in Fig. 6. It was observed that for increasing electromagnetic field exposure time the nucleic acid biosynthesis was inhibited (about 75 %) in comparison to the control sample (plants developed from unexposed seeds). Applying the t-test to compare control and test sample, data for the average nucleic acid level statistic significance (p Fig. 6. The level of DNA and RNA for the plantlets provided by electromagnetic field exposed seeds Conclusions References [1] P. A. Ark, W. Parry, â€Å"Application of high-frequency electrostatic fields in agriculture,† The Quarterly Review of Biology, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 172–191, 1940. [2] V. N. Tran, â€Å"Effects of microwave energy on the strophiole, seed coat and germination of acacia seeds,† Australian Journal of Plant Physiology, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 277–287, 1979. [3] Ponomarev, L. I., V. à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢. Dolgodvorov, V. V. Popov, S. V. Rodin, à Ã… ¾. à Ã‚ . Roman, The effect of low-intensity electromagnetic microwave field on seed germination (in Russian), Proceedings of Timiryazev Agricultural Academy, 1996, 2, 42–46. [4] A.A. Khalafallah, Samira M. 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