Sunday, January 26, 2020
Anticancer Efficacy of Curcumin Analysis
Anticancer Efficacy of Curcumin Analysis Nuclear factor-à ºB (NF-à ºB) is a transcription factor that is essential in the regulation of immune and inflammatory responses.1 It influences a diverse target of gene expressions that regulate apoptosis, facilitate cell survival, proliferation, and differentiation.1,2 Before cell stimulation, NF-à ºB dimers that are located in the cytoplasm are inactive.3 Prior to activation, NF-à ºB dimers consisting of RelA, c-REL, and p50 are held in the cytoplasm by inhibitory à ºB (Ià ºB) proteins.3,8 The Ià ºB kinase (IKK) complex is activated by various extracellular signals such as proinflammatory cytokines and viral infections.3,4 This IKK complex phosphorylates two conserved serine residues and targets NF-à ºB-bound Ià ºBs, which results in ubiquitin-mediated dissociation of Ià ºB from NF-à ºB, thus leading to translocation of activated NF-à ºB into the nucleus.2,7 The activation of NF-à ºB promotes tumor invasion, metastasis, and allows malignant cells to escape apoptosis. Consequently, many chemotherapeutic drugs have been found to activate NF-à ºB, thus contributing to chemoresistance and chemotherapy failure.3 Increasing evidence suggests that, the inhibition of NF-à ºB activation can reduce chemoresistance and improve the effectiveness of chemotherapeutic agents.3 Among the compounds that have been reported, curcumin was found to inhibit the activation of NF-à ºB and thus, induce apoptosis in tumor cells.6 Unfortunately, its clinical applications remains limited due to its poor bioavailability and low potency6, these prompted researchers to chemically modify curcumin in order to increase its potency against NF-à ºB and cancerous cells.8 In this issue, Qui et al.8 reports progress in the synthesis and identification of new 4-arylidene curcumin analogues as a potential chemotherapeutic agent. Different kinds of 4-arylidene curcumin analogues were synthesized by coupling 1, 3-diketones curcumin analogues with various aromatic aldehydes in toluene with acetic acid, using piperidine as a catalyst (figure 1). The chemotherapeutic activities of the synthesized compounds were tested on the growth of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells with curcumin used as control. The authors reported that majority of the 4-arylidene curcumin analogues exhibited potent anticancer activities against A549 growth with GI50 in the range of 0.23 ââ¬â 0.93 à ¼M, while very poor antiproliferation activities of curcumin was observed at 15.23 à ¼M. This shows a 10- to 60-fold increase in the potency of 4-arylidene curcumin analogues over the parent compound, curcumin. Remarkably, the cytotoxic activities of these newly designed curcumin analogues were not limited to A549 cells. The growth of other carcinoma cells H1944, squamous cells H157, and large carcinoma cells H460, were effectively inhibited by selected 4-acrylidene curcumin analogues, with GI50 values at micromolar concentrations low to 0.07 à ¼M. Likewise, in a related study, Zambre et al.9 reported that copper(II) conjugates of Knoevenagel condensates o f curcumin analogue showed inhibitory activities against human leukemic KBM-5 cells. Taken together, these two forms of curcumin analogues offer new possibilities at both ends as potential anticancer agents. One of the key curcumin targets that is important for the survival of cancer is Ià ºB kinase (IKK), which regulates NF-à ºB activation.6 Activated NF-à ºB is situated in the nucleus to promote transcription that is triggered by tumor-necrosis factor (TNFà ±).1,5 Thus, Qiu et al.8 used nuclear translocation of NF-à ºB in response to TNFà ± as the main indicator to examine the mode of action of curcumin in comparison to 4-arylidene curcumin analogue. A549 cells were treated in a 384-well plate format with curcumin and its new analogue respectively, before the addition of TNFà ± to trigger nuclear translocation of NF-à ºB p65 subunit. As a result, curcumin inhibited TNFà ±-induced nuclear translocation of NF-à ºB with a mean IC50 of 9.5 à ¼M, which is consistent with the work of Kasinski et al.4 Interestingly, most of the synthesized 4-arylidene curcumin analogue showed improved inhibitory activities against NF-à ºB translocation with mean IC50 values in the range of 1.0 â⠬â 4.9 à ¼ÃÅ". This finding proved the superiority of the newly designed curcumin analogue over curcumin in blocking nuclear translocation of NF-à ºB. Consequently, in a related paper, Zambre et al.9 developed novel curcumin analogues that were synthesized using Knoevenagel condensation to convert enolic diketones of curcumin into non-enolizable ones. The synthesized compounds were examined for their potential in blocking TNFà ±-induced NF-à ºB activation. It was reported that copper(II) conjugates of Knoevenagel condensates of curcumin showed greater potentials in blocking TNFà ±-induced NF-à ºB activation than curcumin, confirming the potency superiority of curcumin analogues over the parental curcumin. NF-à ºB is principally activated by IKKà ² in its well organized signaling pathways.2,7 As a result, Qiu et al.8 choose three potent newly synthesized 4-arylidene curcumin analogues A, B and C to directly investigate their effect on IKK enzymatic activity, with curcumin used as control. Report was given that upon stimulation of A549 cells with TNFà ±, TNFà ± induced considerable Ià ºB phosphorylation followed by degradation of the phosphorylated Ià ºB. However, following the treatment of the cells with curcumin and its newly designed analogue, respectively, curcumin inhibited Ià ºB phosphorylation and degradation at high concentrations, while the selected potent newly synthesized curcumin analogues significantly inhibited Ià ºB phosphorylation and degradation at a lower concentration with IC50 values in micromolar range of 2.2 5.0 à ¼ÃÅ". Again, this showed that the 4-arylidene curcumin analogues exhibited greater inhibitory activities against Ià ºB than curcumin. In anot her study, Kasinski et al.4 proposed that the inhibitory activities of curcumin and its analogues may be a result of direct inhibition of IKKà ² kinase. To examine this model, the authors performed a reconstituted IKK inhibition assay with recombinant IKKà ², report showed that the addition of curcumin in various tested concentrations had no significant effect in inhibiting IKKà ².4 However, in this issue8, the selected newly synthesized curcumin analogues induced a dose dependent inhibition of IKKà ². Thus, the structural modification of these curcumin analogues results to improved inhibitory activities over curcumin in the in vitro IKK kinase assay. Furthermore, they compared the anticancer efficacy of curcumin and its newly designed analogues. The authors reported that the synthesized 4-arylidene curcumin analogues inhibited colony formation of lung cancer cells at low concentrations in the micromolar range of less than 0.2 0.4 à ¼M.8 However, curcumin also inhibited colony formation of cancer cells at higher concentration (4 à ¼M). Again, this finding showed the superiority in potency of 4-arylidene curcumin analogues over the parent compound as an anticancer agent. Thus, the chemical modification of the parental curcumin has led to identification of new 4-arylidene curcumin analogues as potential anticancer agents targeting NF-à ºB signaling pathway. REFERENCES 1 Baud V, Karin M. (2009) Is NF-kB a good target for cancer therapy? Hopes and pitfalls. Nature reviews drug discovery. 8, 33-40 2 Bonizzi G, Karin M. (2004) The two NF-à ºB activation pathways and their role in innate and adaptive immunity. Trends in immunology. 25(6), 280 ââ¬â 288 3 Karin M. (2006) Nuclear factor-kappaB in cancer development and progression. Nature. 441, 431 ââ¬â 436 4 Kasinski A, Du Y, Thomas S, Zhao J, Sun S, Khuri F, Wang C, Shoji M, Sun A, Snyder J, Liotta D, Fu H. (2008) Inhibition of Ià ºB kinase-nuclear factor-à ºB signaling pathway by 3,5-bis(2-flurobenzylidene)piperidine-4-one (EF24), a novel monoketone analog of curcumin. Molecular Pharmacology. 74(3), 654-661 5 Lee C, Jeon Y, Kim S, Song Y. (2007) NF-kappaB as a potential molecular target for cancer therapy. Biofactors. 29 (1), 19 -35 6 Leu T, Maa M. (2002) The molecular mechanisms for the antitumorigenic effect of curcumin. Current medical chemistry. 2(3), 357 ââ¬â 370 7 Perkins N. (2007) Integrating cell-signalling pathways with NF-à ºB and IKK function. Nature reviews molecular cell biology. 8, 49 62. 8 Qiu X, Du Y, Lou B, Zuo Y, Shao W, Huo Y, Huang J, Yu Y, Zhou B, Du J, Fu H, Bu X. (2010) Synthesis and identification of new 4-arylidene curcumin analogues as potential anticancer agents targeting nuclear factor-à ºB signaling pathway. Journal of medicinal chemistry. 53, 8260 ââ¬â 8273 9 Zambre A, Kulkarni V, Padhye S, Sandur S, Aggarwal B. (2006) Novel curcumin analogs targeting TNF-induced NF-kB activation and proliferation in human leukemic KBM-5 cells. Bioorganic and medicinal chemistry. 14, 7196 ââ¬â 7204
Saturday, January 18, 2020
Early Mesopotamian Culture Contributed to the Foundation of Western civilization Essay
I t would be very difficult to argue against the importance of early Mesopotamian culture. The title Mesopotamia refers to the land which lies between two rivers ââ¬â the Tigres on the east and the Euphrates on the west. The latter is referred to in the Bible in Genesis 2 v14 as flowing out of the Garden of Eden, so it seems that the Biblical writers seem to have felt that this area was where humanity began. The ruins of a city, Ur of the Chaldeans, can still be seen at Tell Mugheir which lies 140 miles south of ancient Babylon and 150 miles to the northwest of the Persian Gulf in modern Iraq. The main part of the ruins cover some 150 acres and were uncovered over many years, beginning with the major excavations of J. E. Taylor in 1854. Chaldean civilzation The Chaldeans were a Semitic people, i. e they spoke one of the Semitic languages and were Caucasians and by tradition they were from descended from Shem, son of Noah. Their civilization was mainly on the banks of the Euphrates, where the land was more fertile and capable of producing rich crops. Animals such as sheep and goats were also domesticated. The Chaldean cities had many of the attributes that we recognize in modern cities at a period when most people of the world were still hunter gatherers. Eridu, which is a few miles to the SSW of Ur, was another religious center, with a mud brick stepped temple to the Chaldean god of the sea and of wisdom. Archeologists have even found the remains of burnt fish left as offerings. It too was rediscovered in the19th century. It seems that the temples were originally built on platforms at ground level, but gradually higher and higher levels were built on the earlier foundations. According to records Eridu was at one time actually on the coast and silt deposits seem to date it somewhere in the 7th millennium B. C. E. , although the earliest settlers in the area arrived about 9,000 B. C. E. according to The History Guide, Lecture 2. The cities seem to have been a response by early settlers in order to organise such things as irrigation, trade and the needs of a larger population. Because of the need to record trading clay tokens came into use, different shapes representing different commodities. As is often the case the city grew up on the banks of the river, it being their source of water and of organised trade. They used dams and weirs to control the water supply, just as a modern people might do. Wooden ploughs were used to break up the soil before planting crops such as barley, turnips and onions. They also grew both apples and grapes and may well have been the first people to discover the means of making both beer and wine, probably by accident at first. J. E. Taylor uncovered a stepped temple mound or ziggurat which climbed in three levels to a height of 70 feet and was known as the Mountain of Heaven. 70 feet may not sound impressive to us, but this would have been the only large building in the plain and visible for miles around. Buried at the four corners of the ziggurat were cuneiform tablets telling of the name of the city and its founder and who had carried out repairs to the temple over the years. So we see that this was a city that was organised enough for its citizens to work together over a prolonged period on this huge construction project. In the temple area were found records revealing that the people paid tithes and that the temple also benefited from trade with other people. Leonard Woolleyââ¬â¢s excavation of 1924, as recorded in the Thompson Chain Bible archeological supplement, page 364, revealed some 4 square miles of the city outside this sacred area. Woolley uncovered some 1800 graves including 16 that he designated as ââ¬ËRoyalââ¬â¢. The cemeteries revealed huge tombs where many retainers had died in order to accompany their king or queen to the after life. So these people were capable of abstract thought and spiritual depth. The people thought that their kings were descended from the gods that they worshipped. Sometimes kings called ââ¬ËShepherdsââ¬â¢ because of their responsibilities to care for the needs of the people. These were large rooms as big as10 metres long with walls of both stone and mud brick. There were quays for shipping, commercial buildings, houses of two stories with fire places and sanitary systems. Houses, temples and palaces were decorated with pictures, often depicting victories. There were chapels for worship and a school building where tablets revealed that reading, writing, including grammar, basic mathematics and history were taught. This was almost certainly only for the sons of the elite. Most boys would have learned a trade from their fathers, while girls helped with what were considered more womanly tasks such as grinding corn and weaving. Flax was grown to make linen, quite a complicated process. Men wore skirts, but women wore clothes that covered them from shoulders to ankles. Women wore their hair long, usually braided and most men were clean shaven, even in this time before metal blades. It was a patriarchal society, but amazingly women had rights that they have only in comparatively recent years attained again in many societies ââ¬â i. e. the right to end an unsatisfactory marriage and the right to own property in their own right. This city used writing to keep records ââ¬â from such beginnings would later emerge literature of all kinds, poetry, stories, plays, even modern advertising, all of which began when someone discovered that they could make permanent marks that could be later read by themselves and others. They had mathematics ââ¬â in their case only arithmetic, but this is where all branches of mathematics begin. They were able to trade with other people, both to get rid of surplus goods in a profitable way, and also to obtain what they could not produce themselves e. g. the lapis lazuli found in the royal tombs which may well have come all the way from Afghanistan, although there are small deposits elsewhere in the world. They wrote music and songs. Some songs were written for religious reasons, but many were written to describe important events in the community.. Songs were used by people at every level of society to amuse , but also to educate and were sung to children who passed them on to their children. In this way, just as we teach children nursery rhymes today or sing patriotic songs , songs and ideas were passed on through many generations and were finally recorded in wriitng. These songs provided a means of passing on through the years important information about historical events. Even today they reveal much about this civilization to modern scholars. Later in their history the people of this area founded the Babylonian empire which stretched from the Mediterranean to the Persian Gulf. They would become great astronomers, able to study the planets and stars with great accuracy. Mesopotamia cities served as capitals of the Assyrian, Mitanni, Neo-Assyrian, Neo-Babylonian, Parthian, Sassanid and Abbasid empires. Naturally such a large and complicatedcivilization had to have laws in order to control conduct. It was a Mesopotanian king Hammurabi, in about 1780 BC, who set out what is one of the earliest known sets of laws. He made over 200 laws for Mesopotamia, now know as the Code of Hammurabi. In Genesis 11 we have the description of Abram taking Sarai for his wife, so they understood concepts of family and commitment. According to Dr Gerard Falk Abram was a Hebrew, the name meaning one who crossed over, i. e. one who forded the river in order to look for the land to which he believed God had sent him. Abram, later Abraham, is of course acknowledged as the forefather of both Judaism, and so Christianity and Islam. So these civilizations and their religions, with the idea of monotheism and family and moral values also were born in Mesopotamia. Later in the history of the area the various city states would come to blows over such things as water supplies and rights to land. These were argued over for many years, just as such things occur today, before eventually erupting into war in about 3200BC. Conclusion So we see that many things that we consider to be ââ¬Ëcivilizedââ¬â¢ and which are of importance in modern western civilization such as organised city life, trade with other lands, the beginnings of literature and science, agriculture, social interaction, property rights and marriage as well as abstract concepts such as an afterlife and spirituality were present long ago. Alongside these were things we might not be so approving of, yet which are present in modern western societies, such as disputes with neighbouring states, divorce and even war. The Chaldeans kept records, had a legal system, educated their young people both academically and practically and were able to work together to reach common goals. These are all things that we, as modern people still do and still value even after 9,000 years. Bibliography Thompson Chain Bible, King James Version, 1964, London Eyre and Spottiswood. Electronic sources Ancient Mesopotamia found at http://www. shrewsbury-ma. gov/schools/Central/Curriculum/ELEMENTARY/SOCIALSTUDIES/Mesopotamia/ancient_mesopotamia. htm#clothing and retrieved on 15th November 2007 ERIDU found at http://www. experiencefestival. com/a/Eridu/id/105202 retrieved 15th November 2007 FALK, G. Chaldea found at http://www. jbuff. com/c041603. htm retrieved 15th November 2007 LAPIS LAZULI found a t http://www. gemstone. org/gem-by-gem/english/lapis. html retrieved 15th November 2007 Mesoptamia, The British Museum found at http://www. mesopotamia. co. uk/menu. html and retrieved 15th November 2007 SEMITIC definition found at http://www. webster-dictionary. net/definition/Semitic retrieved 15th November 2007 THE HISTORY GUIDE, LECTURE 2 found at http://www. historyguide. org/ancient/lecture2b. html retrieved 15th November 2007
Friday, January 10, 2020
Who Else Wants to Learn About The Things They Carried Essay Topics?
Who Else Wants to Learn About The Things They Carried Essay Topics? The Battle Over the Things They Carried Essay Topics and How to Win It It is very important to take into consideration the simple fact your essay must necessarily contain the thorough gist of your thesis. A thesis needs to be clear and understandable. The essay needs to be logical. Any important essay should start out with a thesis. The Things They Carried theme essay is basically a work that has to be read by every individual. It is crucial to not forget that The Things They Carried Literary Analysis Essay requires adhering to a particular format. The cost of an essay is dependent upon the total amount of effort the writer has to exert. Like many other renowned parts of literature, you could always pick a book for the subject of your essay. Furthermore, several pauses are encountered throughout the story, since the author attempts to explain some examples that the reader might not have otherwise understood. Another part of a thesis statement is the fact that it is most commonly a single sentence. You are going to receive unique texts, which will be finished in time. However competent and confident you're in your work. If a student wants not only to have a great mark but also to make sure conclusions for oneself, then it's important to take time to read the original work. There'll stay a couple of opinions that every man or woman will argue with their own ideas and observations. The Argument About the Things They Carried Essay Topics On the flip side, once the reader is blind to the truth, it's still feasible to analyz e his work and come to a diffident conclusion about what is happening truth and what's story truth. There's no rectitude whatsoever. Bowker feels like he does not have any one to speak to, and imagines telling his father which he was a coward. Home inspiration is a sort of private reassurance. The story Love isn't, as it would appear, about mutual love, but instead unrequited love. O'Brien reiterates that the actual truth does not need to be the very same as the story truth, and that it's the emotions evoked by the story that matter. Therefore, the logical fact is still true because it happens in his head. The the Things They Carried Essay Topics Stories Job like you don't require money. The very first area of the sentence is going to be a dependent clause, and the second part is going to be the independent clause. Determination, the urge to finish a goal, is certainly the trick for you to receive things carried out and obtaining success. Every new day is a larger challenge. Fiction is like experience. Here are some intriguing topics that you may choose to write on from the book. Throughout the collection, the exact same characters reappear in many stories. Must have a title apart from the book title. the Th ings They Carried Essay Topics The soldiers' fixation on things plays an important role in establishing their feelings of alienation and disconnection from various other people and in creating a rest from reality that the soldiers experience. One of several causes why a lot of folks achieve achievement and plenty of others avoid is existence of self-motivation. The death saddens everybody in the camp. It's about learning how to detach oneself from death. War is the principal topic of the story. O'Brien spends six days at the Lodge, attempting to choose whether to flee. O'Brien confesses he has told the story in many ways, it means somehow the story was fictionalized. For example, O'Brien (129) describes the form of the dead man's eye over five times in the last chapters. The the Things They Carried Essay Topics Trap You will shortly locate the official data about us. By means of this paper we're likely to talk about the result of time management and how it is able to ass ist you in your everyday activities. Another benefit of our website is the quickness. Explore the structure of the job. The Importance of the Things They Carried Essay Topics It's really hard to attain a large quantity of inspiration when you figure out the couple of critical regions to target on. In any case, you might read the testimonials of our clients. Describe the method by which the selection of items relates to every character. There are a lot of reasons why you ought to prefer our services.
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Wind Energy in the United States - Free Essay Example
Sample details Pages: 6 Words: 1656 Downloads: 8 Date added: 2019/08/08 Category Energy Industry Essay Level High school Topics: Wind Energy Essay Did you like this example? In 2018, a greater demand for renewable energy is encountered. Renewable energy sources are desirable as they do not have a finite limit or can be recycled, unlike fossil fuels. The main source of energy that has been used since the Industrial Revolution has been the burning of fossil fuels, which produces greenhouse gases. Donââ¬â¢t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Wind Energy in the United States" essay for you Create order The emission of greenhouse gases has played a major part in human-caused climate change. As our energy demand grows and our climate continues to change rapidly, an increased importance is placed upon the need for new/more efficient technology, as well as an increase in the amount of renewable energy being produced. In this paper, the value of wind as a renewable energy source is explored. Harnessing wind energy is not new to humans. Many ancient cultures were known to utilize wind power in some form or another. Windmills and turbines that produce energy have been in use since the 1800s (Ehrlich, 2017). The technology had slowly been improved upon, until the first large wind farms in the U.S. were installed in the 1980s (Kaldellis, 2011). Today, wind farms are seen across the entire country and in offshore sites. Wind energy is predicted to grow in the U.S., as the government released in a statement made in 2008 that wind would account for 20% of the countrys energy use (DOE, 2008). Wind energy has several advantages. First, wind power is extremely cost-effective. Land-based utility-scale wind is one of the lowest-priced energy sources available. The production of wind energy is cost-free as it does not require fuel as the burning of fossil fuels or some other renewable energy sources do. Wind is also a domestic source of sustainable energy, as each region has an abundant and inexhaustible supply (Ehrlich, 2017). The American Wind Energy Association (AWEA) states that over the past 10 years in the U.S., wind power capacity increased over 30%. Wind now has the largest renewable generation capacity of all renewable energy sources in the U.S (2018). Wind is increasing more rapidly than any other renewable energy resource. Government support has made some of the expansion possible, but its principal attraction is wind powers inherent environmental attributes (Pasqualetti, 2010). Wind energy is a completely clean fuel source. It doesnt pollute the air like power plants that rely on combustion of fossil fuels. Coal or natural gas use emits greenhouse gases, like nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide, that can lead to human health problems. Downsides to this technology include changes to the environment around a wind farm. Initially, the wind farm will alter temperatures in the surrounding area and downwind of the farm. Overtime, however, the temperature change will be less drastic than the change that would have been expected from global warming. Bird deaths are also a side effect of wind farms. Environmental agencies advocate for the birds safety, but the number of bird deaths caused by wind farms are a small fraction of the total number of deaths caused by humans overall (Ehrlich, 2017). Some opposers to wind energy become upset with environmental changes, but not because of degradation to the land. Not in My Backyard (NIMBY) is a phrase used to describe person who will support an issue so long as it does not affect his or her day to day life in a seemingly negative way. Complaints from the public of aesthetic pollution keep wind turbine production down in populated areas. This is seen locally, where residents do not want to surrender their views to wind turbines. Wind technology requires a high initial start-up cost (Ehrlich, 2017). Though becoming less expensive with the introduction of new technologies, it is still more costly to purchase than the technology required for fossil fuel combustion. Where fossil fuel combustion can occur anywhere, the production and storage of wind energy is often forced into remote locations, where there is adequate land for a large wind farm. While wind is plentiful here, energy demand is low. Transferring energy to places with higher demand would require high voltage, expensive power lines. Wind is a variable energy source; it is always not readily available like other sources. Energy storage then becomes necessary, where power is produced and held for future use. Storing energy is costly, but it allows for utilization of energy during peak demand times. The main goal of wind turbine technology advancements is to increase efficiency and to reduce costs. The method that solves these issues is improving the energy capacity factors of wind turbines. This is one of the driving forces behind the size increase seen in turbines over the years with the other being increased level of wind availability the taller a turbine is. In the 1980s and 1990s, rotor diameters were under 20 meters wide. Modern turbines have diameters of 150 meters or more, with predictions of turbines being 250 meters in offshore farms (Ehrlich, 2017). The bigger the rotor, the more energy can be produced. With bigger rotors comes a whole new set of problems. The increase in stresses that a bigger rotor places on the wind turbine requires advancements in the technologys control system. Control system and gearbox improvements have led to greater turbine reliability (Power-Gen, 2014). To combat the supposed unaesthetically pleasing nature of wind turbines and the inability to supply wind produced energy to populated areas, cities around the world have invested in building-integrated wind turbines (Ehrlich, 2017). The wind turbine becomes part of the architecture and supplies power to the building. Initial building cost is high, but profit is possible as seen in Bahrain World Trade Center. There, the turbines produce 10-15% of the buildings energy need for less than 5% of the overall cost of the building. New buildings with integrated wind turbines are designed to maximize the winds power production. However, turbines added to preexisting buildings (on rooftops) can be manipulated to increase production as well, such as angling the blade downward to catch updraft from the building. The population of the United States makes up 5% of the global population, yet the country consumes 24% of global energy (EIA, 2017). The energy demand in the U.S. is comparatively higher than other nations (excluding China) and is projected to increase. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, 2017 saw a record high of renewable energy production, around 11 quadrillion British thermal units (Btu) equal to 12.6% of the countrys overall energy production (2018). The total primary energy consumption in the U.S. for the same year was 97.7 quadrillion Btu. There are several states in the U.S. with wind classes of 3 and above (suitable for wind energy production) that have the combined potential to produce up to 80% of the countrys consumption (Elliot, 1993). This estimate excludes areas that are unsuitable for wind farms, such as parks or wetlands. The U.S. Department of Energys 2008 report 20% Wind Energy by 2030 predicted that wind power could supply 20% of all U.S. elec tric power, with the assumption that reliability and capacity factor technologies of turbines continued to improve. With the continued decrease in wind technology cost, it is likely that wind energy production will continue to expand, but without push from the public and the government, it is unlikely that potential for wind energy will be met in a timely manner. The federal government uses subsidies and incentives to stimulate utilization of renewable energy technologies. As with all energy projects, federal, state, local, and utility financial incentives are available for wind projects. Governmental financing of projects is an integral part of the successful implementation of utility-scale wind energy. Some wind-specific incentives the U.S. has used in the past include Production and Investment Tax Credits (PTC and ITC). Originally enacted in the Energy Policy Act of 1992, PTC is a production-based tax credit implemented to level the playing field between wind energy and the incentives provided to other energy sources. ITC provides a credit for investment costs at the start of a new wind project (Kaldellis, 2011). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA or the Recovery Act) allowed wind projects to receive a cash grant of 30% of a projects capital costs instead of taking the PTC or ITC. The Economic Stimulus Act of 2008 pro vided a 50% first-year depreciation cost provision for projects built between 2008 and 2010. The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 extended the 50% bonus to projects through December 31, 2013 (Zafarikis et al, 2013). The Peoples Republic of China is the worlds leading producer of wind energy. 34% of global production occurs in China. China is also the top consumer of energy, with an estimated exponential growth in future energy demand (Ehrlich, 2017). It is imperative for Chinas economy to use sustainable energy sources that can fulfill the countrys colossal need. Coal still makes up the largest part of Chinas energy consumption but that is changing, and quicker than anticipated. China is on track to install the addition of 110.4 GW of onshore wind capacity to Chinas existing capacity (264 GW total) over the next three years, meaning that it would surpass the original target of 210 GW set during the 2016-2020 Five-Year Plan period. China is also predicted to have an offshore wind capacity of 26 GW by 2026 (Froese, 2017). Chinas aggressive push for clean, sustainable, affordable energy could possibly be influential enough to affect change throughout the world. The Stone Age did not end because humans ran out of stones; instead mankind transitioned to more effective and advanced solutions. The same opportunity is present in 2018 with energy efficiency and clean energy. The cost of the electricity produced from the clean energy source of wind by increasingly advanced turbines is competitive with conventional sources of energy, including fossil fuels. It is possible that without government involvement, it would take nearly half a century to reach combined renewable energy potential and energy goals set within the U.S. This is not quick enough to deal with issues concerning climate change. A growing interest in wind energy from the scientific, financial and public-policy communities, as well as the general public, is the only way to accelerate the transition to affordable, sustainable energy that will offer energy security and mitigate climate change.
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