The Normal Pathways How Glycogen Made and Broke Down Essay

The Normal Pathways How Glycogen Made and Broke Down - Essay Example Glycogen synthesis which is also known as glycogenesis involves the addition of glucose molecules onto glycogen for the storage purposes. The process takes place in the liver, from where the activation is done by insulin, the hormone responsible for lowering blood sugar levels, in instances of high glucose levels. The process is a two-step process involving various enzymes that play significant roles in catalyzing the process. The first step in glycogen synthesis is the process involving phosphorylation of glucose to form glucose-6-phosphate (G6P). The process is a phosphorylation process and is acted upon by an enzyme named hexokinase or glucokinase. This involves the addition of a phosphate molecule onto the glucose on the sixth carbon atom resulting into the formation of Glucose-6-Phospahete (Hers, 1970). From the action of Phosphoglucomutase enzyme on Glucose-6-Phospahte, an intermediary of glucose-1, 6-bisphosphate is formed, but this is usually temporary, after which it is late r converted to glucose-1-phosphate. The phosphoglucomutase enzyme involved in the above reaction, acts to transfer the phosphate group to and from the alpha 1 carbon to the alpha 6 carbon glucose molecule respectively. The formed glucose-1-phosphate then undergoes certain chain of intermediate reactions that change it to Uridyl Diphosphate-glucose complex (UDP-glucose complex). This happens in the presence of Uridyl Triphosphate, in which one molecule of phosphate is released to form pyrophosphate. The process resulting into the formation of the UDP-glucose complex usually occurs as a result of the action of Uridyl Transferase which in certain cases is called UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase. At this point, through the activation by insulin, glycogen synthase gets grip of the glucose molecule from the complex and attaches it to glycogen, the form in which it is stored (Halse, 2000). In the glycogen synthase catalyzed reaction, the carbon number 1 of Uridyl Diphosphate-glucose complex a ttaches to the carbon number 4 of the non-reducing end of the glycogen chain, from where the glucose molecule from the Uridyl Diphosphate-glucose complex to attach it to the glycogen chain. This process is considered to be genetically stable as during the reaction, the Uridyl triphosphate is converted to Uridyl Diphosphate, thereby releasing energy in the form of UTP (Hers, 1970). The whole process is considered reversible as in instances, in which the body’s glucose levels go down, the body is able to initiate the breakdown of glycogen molecules to form glucose through the process of glycogen metabolism. Glycogen metabolism and synthesis are considered to be regulatory processes in the body for creation of a balance in the body’s blood glucose levels (Newgard, 1989). After intake of meals heavy in glucose, the blood glucose levels rise, a stimulating factor to glycogen synthesis in the liver. This would then result into the conversion of the glucose molecules to glyco gen molecules which are then stored for future use. The reverse is also true in instances in which blood glucose levels go down. The body is again able to activate the breakdown of glycogen to form glucose. Regulation and control of glycogen synthesis is an almost similar to the aspects discussed above, only that in this perspective, in-depth analysis is established. Three hormones play a substantive role in ensuring that control and balances are

Human Resource Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Human Resource Management - Research Paper Example Introduction Before going into the discussion regarding compensation and benefits, which is one of the most specialized parts of the human resource management, let us get a better understanding of the importance of a well-structured compensation plan in maintaining a productive workforce. A compensation plan is a set of those rewards, remuneration, and benefits, which are provided to the employees by the HR department of the company in order to increase employee productivity. Compensation plans not only help the companies retain skilled employees but also assist HR staff in recruitment processes. Obringer (n.d.) asserts, â€Å"To make your company competitive and attractive to job candidates, you have to offer an exceptional total benefits package†. The thesis statement for this paper is, â€Å"Why is it important for a company to offer a well-structured compensation plan to its employees?† Importance of Compensation Plans Compensation and benefits play an important rol e in making a company achieve increased employee productivity. A well-structured compensation plan is one of the key motivating forces behind increased productivity. If human resource department of a company offers a competitive compensation plan to the employees as a reward for their individual performances, the employees become motivated and they put their efforts to do more for their company. Employee efficiency and organizational productivity depend directly on the types of compensation that are offered to the employees by the company. It is a common fact that the employees like to work for such companies, which give value to the employees’ needs and demands by offering them attractive compensation plans. Keimig (2008) asserts, â€Å"Generous benefit packages (especially those with an emphasis on health insurance and retirement savings) tend to attract employees who are looking for long-term, stable positions†. A well-structured compensation plan needs various fact ors to be considered during development, which include type of the compensation plan, conditions for plan implementation, payment calculation method, culture of the organization, and practicalities of the compensation plan. Some of the main reasons behind the need to design and implement a well-structured compensation plan include increasing employees’ moral, ensuring internal and external equity, reducing the turnover, encouraging employees’ performance and productivity, increasing employees’ loyalty, hiring and retaining skilled staff, and making the employees satisfied with their jobs. Dalton (n.d.) states, â€Å"The employee's family can also receive benefits, should the employee die as a result of the injuries or illness sustained at the company†. Another reason for implementing an appropriate compensation plan is to succeed in today’s competitive markets. It is the 21st century and the level of competition between the companies has reached it s heights. Implementation of compensation plans play a valuable role in making the companies excels in the markets. Therefore, it is extremely important for the companies to hire and retain skilled employees in order to get competitive edge over the competitors. Why Is It Necessary To Have A Compensation Plan? It is very necessary for a company to implement a compensation plan because it increases productivity of the workforce. We can hardly find any employee who is not interested in getting higher pays and

Vertical Crest Equations Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Vertical Crest Equations - Thesis Example Current road network systems require proper and detailed construction to ensure they last long and also handle different vehicles using the road. There are different types of roads. These include stone paved roads, timber track ways, and brick paved roads, tarmac roads among other types of roads. Tarmac roads are most the most common types of roads in the modern world. Road construction is normally controlled by the public sector. Road building is a capital intensive exercise and most roads are accessible to the general public. Road construction involves the making of a continuous path with low grade of stone to allow for passage of vehicles and humans on foot. it begins with removal of vegetation, followed by digging or rock excavations for areas with rocks. The pavement material is then laid. Proper optimization must be done to ensure minimum cut and fill. Road building process encompasses the removal of the top layer of unwanted soil by excavations. Filling the excavated trench with hardcore stones, compacting the stones, lying of tarmac and finally compaction of the tarmac. During road construction several environmental aspects have to taken into consideration. First roads generate considerable air pollution due to cars emissions. Secondly the urban rainfall cumulates to form runoff that flow along the hard surface collecting chemical and meta ls which end up in /major water bodies. Noise pollution is also common to people living near major highways. During road construction, there are number of geographical obstacles experienced by the engineers and the design engineer has to figure out how to overcome these obstacles in the most effective and economic way. One common problem is when designing a road in hilly areas or in areas with sharp decent and ascent. Care must be taken to ensure that the driver can see ahead especially during the night Vertical curves In the design of highways, there are various fundamental transition elements. These include the horizontal and the vertical curves. The vertical curve is important as it provides the transition between two roadways. This allows the vehicle to negotiate the elevation gradually rather than a sharp cut. These vertical curves are used to connect roadways with inclined sections and provide transitions between two grades. They are easy to design as the only requirement is to determine the length of the curve that will accommodate the required sight distance. Type's of vertical curves According to the Department of transportation, There are two main types of curves, the sag curve and the crest curve ,crest curves are applied when the change in grade is positive for example when ascending valleys while sag vertical curves are used when descending on planes and there is a negative change in grade. Properties of vertical curves Regardless of whether it is a sag curve or a crest curve these curves have three points. These points are: PVC: this is also called the point of vertical curve. It represents the start point of the curve PVT : stands for the point of vertical tangency and is the endpoint of the curve PVI: stands for pint of vertical intersection Fig 1 showing the properties of vertical curves For equal tangent curves, half of the length of the curve is positioned before PVI and the other half after. This forms a uniform curve