Profiling Human Hair with FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics

Profiling Human Hair with FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics ABSTRACT Profiling of Human Hairs using FTIR Spectroscopy and Chemometrics Technique Aufa Madihah Binti Mohamad Anwar 1122204 Hair is any of the fine threadlike strands growing from the skin of humans can be found in crime scene due to interaction between victim, perpetrator and/or witness as explained in Locard’s Principle. This papers aim is to compare, categorize and identify human hair fiber using FTIR spectrometer and Chemometrics techniques. Hair samples will be collected from 200 subjects (Malay Women) of different ages groups. 50 samples will be collected from age group of people (20-30, 31-40, 41-50, >60). FTIR spectra will be obtained from each samples. The spectra of FTIR reflect the chemical and physical nature of a hair which can be classified in different group using Chemometrics techniques such as PCA (Principal Component Analysis). Keyword: FTIR, Chemometrics, Locard’s Principle, PCA Research Methodology 6.1 Materials Material uses in this experiment will be human hair. 50 strands will be collected for each group of age and the total hair strand obtained will be 200 strands: 6.2 Methods 6.2.1 Human Hair sample collection Human hair will be collected according to their age group (50 strands from each group of age). The hair fibers taken will be from telogen (fall naturally) phase and anagen (the root was cut) phase of the hair growth cycle. The hair fibers will be placed in a plastic bag and labeled accordingly. 6.3 Analysis 6.3.1 Revised IAEA Method for Cleaning Hair Fibers The cleaning process is needed to preserved hair samples for the elemental analysis. (Cargnello et al., 1995) The hair fibers will undergo ultrasonic vibration (sonicating) in each solutions for 10 minutes or less. This procedure will be done to minimize the damage of the cuticle surface. First, the hair fibers will be transferred to a small glass vial and will be covered with high purity acetone. The vial was then will be placed in Ultrasonic Disintegrator (Figure 6). The hair fibers will be sonicate of at 20 kHz for 10 minutes at the least. The acetone will be poured out and the hair will be rinsed with HPLC-grade water. These steps will be repeated again and for the last steps, the hair fibers will be rinsed and sonicated in de-ionized water inside the glass vial for 10 minutes. After all the cleaning process ended, the hair fiber will be dried under vacuum for two days before being analyzed. Figure 6 : Ultrasonic Disintegrator – Sonicater for the hair fibers 6.3.2 FTIR Spectroscopy A FTIR Spectrometer with Diamond ATR Smart Accessory (Figure 7) will be used in this procedure. The spectra of hair fibers will be recorded using the spectrometer. Figure 7: FTIR Spectrometer with Diamond Smart Accessory The parameters of FTIR-ATR for the analysis (Table 2): Before analyzing and collecting the spectrum from the hair samples, a background spectrum will be recorded. The hair fibers will then going through spectral sampling process : The fibers will be placed across the diamond crystal and will be pressed (to obtain a good contact) using the pressure tower. Spectrum will be recorded. The collected data will be saved on the Spectral Software Program (as .SPC files). Spectral Processing The recorded spectral will be saved as .SPC files and are imported into the spectral software package for spectral processing as .SPA files. First of all, the baseline of the spectra will be corrected and the offset will be set to zero. Then, the spectra will be trimmed so that it will be in the range of ÃŽ ±-keratin absorption bands which is 1759-785 cm-1 range (major characteristic of ÃŽ ±-keratin). The trimmed spectral will then be transferred to an Excel spreadsheet and saved as an .XLS file. Raw Data Matrix and Chemometric Analysis Pre-processing of data is defined as â€Å"mathematical manipulation of a data is used due to primary analysis†. (Arnberg R. et al., 1998).This step helps in eliminating or decreasing unrelated sources (systematic or random errors). Variance Scaling Scaling steps will be done prior to the fact that the treatment considers both the measurement unit of the values and the origin of scale. (Meloun M. et al., 1992) Scaling is needed to include: Cartesian system’s shift of the origin, Axes’ contraction or expansion. Double Centring Double string will be obtained by subtracting the mean of each row x (x-mean centring) and row y (y-mean centring). This procedure reduces the effect of the variance component reflected by PCI of the un-pretreated data set and removes common spectral features. (Kokot S. et al., 1997) Equation 1 and Equation 2 (Meloun M. et al., 1992) described the process above: Yim = xim – x.mEquation 1 Continued by; zim = yim yi Equation 2 Where; yim = column centred datum xim = datum in row I and column m before centring x.m = mean of column m = xim / I zim = double centred datum Standardization The standardization procedure is included to equalize the variance of each variable and to remove the weighting that is artificially imposed by the scale of the variables. (Arnberg R. et al., 1998) Standardization process can be described in the equation 3 and 4 below: yim = xim / sm Equation 3 Where; sm = (xim – x.m)2  ½ Equation 4 I – 1 = the estimate of the standard deviation of the variable, xm, about its mean. Albano et al. state that â€Å"standardization of each subset separately gives better resolution in latent variable modeling of subsets†. (Albano et al., 1981) Auto-scaling Combination of column centring and standardization is known auto-scaling. It can be represented by Equation 5 (Meloun M. et al., 1992): zim = (yim – yi) / sm Equation 5 Chemometric Analysis The doubled centred matrices will be imported into the software that cans multivariate analysis and experimental design. The processed matrices will produce the resultant PCA scores plots, loading plots and fuzzy clustering tables. Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) The multivariate analysis method (PROMETHEE and GAIA) will find the relationships between the objects and variables severally. The matrix data will then undergoes packaging for decision making. Chemometrics Chemometrics helps in analysis of spectral data by solving the calibration problem. It uses statistical and mathematical methods to correlate quality parameters to analytical instrument data. The data will be observed and recorded. Then, patterns in data will be brought out and modeled. The modeled patterns will be used for data analysis in future. (Einax J.W. et al., 1997) 6.3.5.1 Principal Component Analysis (PCA) PCA is a well-known pattern recognition method for pertaining to any procedure involving multivariate (two or more variables) data analysis problems. Identification and discrimination of the objects can be obtained with the help of PCA whereby it is a data reduction technique. Data reduction technique is when the information is sorted into a data matrix using selected variables that define the columns and rows which was designated with sample measurements. PCjk = aj1xk1 + aj2xk2 + †¦ ajnxkn Equation 6 Where; PCjk = value for object k and principal component j aj1 = variable 1 on object k value xk1 = variable 1 on component j measurement n = original variables total number 6.3.5.2 SIMCA (Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy) Classification is defines as the process of categorizing something according to same qualities or characteristics. SIMCA is supervised method for classification of data. The method requires a training (test) data set consisting of samples where their origins are known. PCA is used to develop a model of each class within the test set. The users will select the members of a set. A model can be representing by the equation (Chatfield C., 1980): Xki = Xi + + ajiujk + eki Equation 7 Where; p = number of the principal components in the class model eki = residual value of object k on variable i Gant Chart for Research Timeline Expected Results The research regarding human scalp hair resulted in new database on human hair according to their age group for woman, Malay. With the help of chemometrics method the human hair database can be created. The data obtained from Fourier-transform Infrared Spectroscopy which was then analyze and modeled through chemometrics and the new database is set. In the database, the human hair was classified according to their age group and the composition that differs the age. Through the research, it shows that in human hair the amount of amino acid (protein) differs. As the age increase, the amounts of amino acid (protein) decrease and as the age lower the amino acid (protein) higher. 9.0 Conclusion This study is proposed to help creating a new database besides furthering investigation on human hair as physical evidence. Theory of physical evidence can be quoted from Locard’s Principal which stated that â€Å"every contact leaves a trace. Physical evidence cannot be faulty; it can’t perjure itself, and it always present. Only human failure to study, explore and understand it can diminish its worth†. Furthermore, fibers evidence is often found at the crime scene. Thus, in creating this new database it can aids in forensic process. The human hair samples that was obtained from different age group (20-30, 31-40, 41-50, >60) but same gender and race undergoes FTIR spectroscopy to detect the amount of amino acid (protein). The data was then was analyze using chemometrics. In short, it can be concluded that the amount of amino acid (protein) is inversely proportional to the age group.

The Lottery: Litterary Response

The Lottery, by Shirley Jackson, is a compelling story about the human race and how it is affected by its surrounding traditions. When the 27th of June arrives, a village is overtaken by a two hour lottery, which includes the picking of stones, a black box and ends in a fight for the â€Å"winners† life. One of the prominent themes in this story is human hypocrisy. Although most of the characters are shown through their words and actions, one particular person stands out: Mrs â€Å"Tessie† Hutchinson.At the beginning of the story, Tessie heads towards the town square, stating that she â€Å"forgot what day it was† to her neighbour Mrs. Delacroix as they both chuckled softly. Soon enough, phrases are shared between Tessie and her soon to be rivals: Thought we were going to have to get on without you, Tessie†, (Mr. Summers), â€Å"Your in time, though†, (Mrs. Delacroix). Throughout the story, Mrs. Hutchinson doesn’t seem to mind the fact that so meone, close to her or not, will be stoned to death.Her attitude at the start of the lottery is calm and cheerful; Tessie is unaffecyed by what the outcome of the lottery might be, since she thinks that she wouldn't be in that situation. When it is her family's turn to pick up their lottery ticket and finds out that her husband got the â€Å"winning paper†, her character completely changes. Mrs. Hutchinson starts to lash out at Mr. Summers, the lottery director, saying that â€Å"you didn't give him time enough to take any paper he wanted. I saw you. It wasn't fair! â€Å".Tessie's character evolves by a simple change in the lottery: her family becoming the center of it all. She tries to find ways of getting out of this situation, like including her eldest daughter Eva and her husband Don, in her family, but, little does she know that â€Å"daughters draw with their husbands' family†. Tessie continues to state that â€Å"it isn't fair† and I think we ought to start over. I tell you it wasn't fair†. When each member of her family takes turns to pick out their papers, Tessie becomes hesitant as her turn arrives.Her time is up as she is revealed as the â€Å"winning ticket† holder. She becomes upset and desperately tries to change everyones mind by saying her most famous last words: â€Å"It isn't fair† Tessie now realizes that she is in the once ignored position that all the other unlucky winners ahve been in the past and, soon enough, her â€Å"luck† comes to an end as she is stoned to death. Hypocrisy is a very big part of our society; everyday, someone is saying or creating false assumptions of an appearance of virtue or religion.They might indicate that it's wrong to practice a certain religion when they do it themselves . Even if hypocrites are a part of this world, we can learn that not everyone is as they seem. The second prominent theme is sacrifices. This village is run by a very old tradition which incl udes the sacrifice of a human being to please the gods, who will send down fresh food and crops to them. Everyone in the village, including the children, take part in this sacrifice, wether or not they fully understand why thay are doing this.Little Davey is handed a stone at the end of the story so that his mom can be stoned. He is a little boy, so he doesn’t understand what’s going on. Since he has been brought up in this society, he might start to accept that fact that at least he will have plenty of food on the table every day, even if the total number of people has gone down. This story shows us that the traditions we practice are still being questioned as a part of our society today. Such as imitating fath , going to church every Sunday because everyone else does.What happened in The Lottery was a necessary sacrifice in their struggle for the meaning of this ritual. If this sacrifice didn’t hurt or kill the person it was being done to, there wouldn’ t be any meaning to it. The villagers woulnd’t have sacrificed many innocent beings to please such gods. This all turns toward us: our inability as human beings to question such monstrosity is still an unanswered question above our heads. Shirley Jackson is trying to tell us that sacrifices have been around for centuries and aren’t uncommon, but our thoughts about them are common.A young child might ask,†What gods are we pleasing? †,and, â€Å"Are you sure we are doing the right thing? †, but they would still get the same answer: â€Å"because the bible said so† or , â€Å" We’ve been doing this for centuries†. The Lottery illustrates that we are living in a world where you are ostracised for believing in nothing at all and being brainwashed into believing in another. The first technique present in this story is symbolism. Two items are used during the lottery: a black box and stones. In a way, the black box holds each and every persons destiny and fate.The fact that it is black is a symbol of what they ahve witnessed every year: death. Every year, the lottery is taken place and, at the same time, death makes its mark. It comes back to take whoever’s been left behind. Like the old saying â€Å"It is always darkest before dawn†, death hangs over them until they have pleased the gods; until they have a lifetime supply of crops. This story brings us into the darker side of the lottery. The side where not everything is as it seems. If it weren’t for the color of the box, it would have been harder to interpret where the story was heading off to.The second items where the stones: â€Å"the young boys begin to gather their stones and make a pile in the corner, guarding them like their most prized weapon†. The stones symbolize the beating of a person, in this case. Someone is going to get beaten to death by these stones, which is an important part of the lottery. At least in the eyes of twisted beings. The second technique present is foreshadowing. Foreshadowing is found at the beginning of the story, where we are being introduced to a somewhat pleasant event that is about to take place.The fact that the lottery in this village takes less than two hours and, in others, two days, gives us an indication that this lottery is bigger than it seems; it isn’t some regular event, but a sinister one. While reading this story, a novel that shares one of the themes comes to mind. â€Å"Nothing†, a book by Janne Teller, tells the tale of a boy named Pierre Anthon who has known, for a long time, that nothing matters, just realized that nothing is worth doing and decides to leave his classroom, climb a plum tree and stay there. His friends and classmates try, with every attempt, to get him down but he won’t budge.So to prove to Pirre Anthon that there is a meaning to life, they set out to build a heap of meaning in an abandoned sawmill. Their plans slowly st art to take a defferent turn when their heap of meaning includes the scarification of a beloved neighbourly dog, Cinderella. They give up all their special belongings to find out what the meaning of life really is until it gets out of hand; they get upset towards Pierre Anthon for making them go through great lengths to discover the meaning, that they lash out and end up killing him.There is a primary connection between both stories: the sacrifice of a human or animal to obtain food or to re-discover the meaning of life. Globally, sacrifices and traditions have been around for entiries. They’ve shaped the cultures that are present in this generation, such as one ancient tribe of our civilization: the Hurons. Many decades ago, they used to have a special way of thanking the gods for the food they received. Every year, the leader of the tribe would dress in elaborate, colourful clothing and lead a family up a sacred mountain.There, the leader would dress the middle child, a gir l, between the ages of six and nine, in clothing similar to his. If the middle child was a boy, he wouldn’t be sacrificed; the family would wait until they gave birth to a girl. The family of the child would then sit in a circle around a large fire as the leader recites prayers to the gods. The child is then laid on the wood of fire and burnt alive. To this day, you can still hear the cries of the little girls, but those cries are memoirs of their lives. Memoirs on the sinister sacrifices that took place

Strategic Intent Essay

This article serves a purpose to illustrate some of the flaws that are currently used by western organizations in regards to strategic planning. In this article we see are shown the detriment of the methods in practice at the time of the article, and examples of alternative strategic approaches in use by Japanese firms which have allowed them to have sustained success. Strategic Intent and Characteristics As indicated in the article, Japanese companies â€Å"began with ambitions that were out of all proportion to their resources and capabilities†, but â€Å"created an obsession with winning at all levels of the organization and then sustained that obsession over the 10- to 20-year quest for global leadership†. Inspired by this obsession, the concept of â€Å"strategic intent† is introduced to the world of strategy. Strategic intent captures the essence of winning, is stable over time, and sets target that deserves personal effort and commitment. It comes with an ambition in the pursuit of global leadership that used to be outside the range of traditional strategic planning. By implementing strategic intent, a company can create long term objectives despite of considerable resources, whereas thinking in a traditional way, decisions should be made on the degree of fit between existing resources and current opportunities. Description The key points to this article refer to the differences in strategic approach that the Japanese firms use, in contrast to the approaches used by western organizations. Japanese firms use four main techniques when constructing their strategy: Building layers of advantage Searching for â€Å"loose bricks† Changing the terms of engagement Competing through collaboration Applications Strategic Intent is a breakthrough concept in the field of Strategic Management. It has strongly influenced how strategy is defined, and is  responsible for main changes in the functioning style of many organizations. Key ideas brought together with â€Å"strategic intent† such as â€Å"core competence† and â€Å"stretch†, have been introduced to every company. With the same amount of resources and capacity, many companies have become much more successful than they were before under the inspiration of this strategy. One example that emerges from the article is when Canon changed the terms of engagement in an effort to compete against Xerox. Xerox had created many advantages where other competing firms (most notably Kodak and IBM) were not able to directly compete against Xerox. Canon changed the terms of engagement by: standardizing their components, distributing through office supply stores instead of their own sales force, sold instead of leased, and appealed to secretaries and administrative positions within companies. All of these factors helped Canon change the terms of engagement, and not directly compete against Xerox who already held a sizable advantage. Questions and concerns In the article Making Strategic Planning Work there is reference that ineffective planning may be a result of failure to develop clear policies, where those policies would guide decision making. However, in Strategic Intent, a global executive describes how they look for competitors who operate on a portfolio system (where businesses may be sold if a certain market share is reached). Therefore, could having a strategic policy hurt decision making? Connection to Prior Thoughts In Making Strategic Planning Work, the author talks about some requisites for strategic planning. Strategic intent share the same way. It requires the management to conduct internal self-appraisal and future environment assessment to ensure the strategy is on the right track. The main reason for failure could be the same – lack of commitment for planning. In Crafting Strategy, it mentions how detecting the subtle discontinuities that may undermine a business in the future is crucial. This opinion is also shared in Strategic Intent, where it references the problem how managers operating on a 3-5 year window can cause damage as they are not looking out for the long term interest for the company. While both articles share the same  thoughts, why aren’t more companies willing to pay for those managers with several years’ experience—instead of hiring outside the company?

American Speeches as Literary Texts

Essay on Unitary and Federal Goverment Systems - 588 Words

Unitary and federal government systems operate on the principles of checks and balances and the separation of powers. Unitary systems control all local governments such as city, regional, provincial, and municipal. The president using unitary form of government â€Å"has the entire local governments, all military and police forces, all tax collection agencies, all fiscal agencies (banks), all health agencies, all prosecution agencies, all health and social welfare agencies, all natural resources agencies an labor while declaring war and national emergencies, use emergency and military powers during war, rebellion, revolution and terrorism† (Salvilla, 2006). The Central government using the judicial system has a large jurisdiction and power†¦show more content†¦Both working together has the foreign and domestic branch of the same government. Unitary government has total control over the smaller sub-divisions in a country for all government functions. The strengths of countries that use unitary government has less people involved in decision making, manage their economy better, and better tax handling abilities. The weakness of using a unitary government is that there is no balance of power, bureaucracy, there are too many decisions to make, making the process slow and the area to govern is too big. In England there is a Constitutional Monarchy and a Parliamentary Democracy. There is a Queen, House of Commons and House of Lords. Supreme Legislation is control by the Parliament and power to make laws. Having a Queen as head of the state and the prime minister is head of the government. The Parliament is the supreme legal authority of the United Kingdom and is the Law-Making Body. Under the Parliament is â€Å"the House of Lords that does not have much power and their main function is to revise legislation, the House of Commons consist of 646 elected members and the head of the government is the prime minister† (Bennion, Thomas, Balamut, Sleister, 2009). In England they do not follow a written constitution they just simple make decisions by common practice and law that theShow MoreRelatedComparing The Functions And Power Of Judical, Legislative, And Executive Branches1212 Words   |  5 PagesBRANCHES IN FEDERAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS The American Constitution has served a critical role throughout the history of the United States and has affected the powers of federal and state governments. The Constitution laid out the separation of power in government between three branches and each role that they should serve. Federalism divides power along national and state government with each holding specific duties to working together effectively. Even though some hoped for a unitary system, the U.S

The Effects Of Television Violence On Our Society

Our world has a variety of problems today, with violence being at the top of the list, you go anywhere and that is all you here about. Unfortunately it’s in front-page headlines of the newspaper and broadcasted on the news as top stories. Violence is a very big topic, although it is categorized into many small groups. There is juvenile violence, domestic violence, hate violence, terrorist violence, and violence displaced through various forms of the media. This research will be on violence in the media and does it affect our society. How we view television, has changed the world, no doubt in that. Turn your television set on and pick a channel at random; the odds are that half of the programs you come across will contain violent material. The statistics are overwhelming as I look on the internet, read articles, and look at the research. One of the things that most interests me in the violence on television, is the effects it has on children. Children learn by repetition while watching educational shows, so is learning violence on television an exception? This research paper is directed to parents, educational providers, psychologists in research, clinical practice, and individuals with public advocacy roles and defined by education, age and gender. Both women and men will be a core audience for this paper, as I have come across the fact that adolescent boys and adult men are more drawn to violent television then women. It will draw both genders for differentShow MoreRelatedTelevision Is Destroying Todays Youth, but Dont Blame T.V., Blame the Parents.1302 Words   |  6 PagesEver since television was invented, it has become increasingly controversial every year since. So many programs and movies shown on television have become increasingly violent and show sexual innuendos and sexual content. 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You lost your favorite talk show, your CNN, your favorite cartoon and all of your connections to the whole world. Throughout decades, media have became one of the most powerful weapons in the world. As time passed, more and more varieties of media were shown, like television, magazines, and internet. From reporting the news to persuading us to buy certain products, media became the only connection between people and the world. But violence in media is shown everywhereRead MoreEssay on cartoon violence779 Words   |  4 Pages Animation Violence nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Children from the ages 6-11 spend more time watching television than they do in the classroom. The â€Å"renaissance of TV animation† has undoubtedly led to more violent cartoons then ever before. But to talk about cartoon violence, it must first be defined. Webster’s Dictionary defines violence â€Å"as the act (or threat) of injuring or killing someone.† (Webster) And although the violence is not real, a child does not know the difference. Throughout theRead MoreViolence in Television, Movies, and Video Games Should Not Be Censored1653 Words   |  7 PagesVIOLENCE IN TELEVISION, MOVIES, AND VIDEO GAMES SHOULD NOT BE CENSORED Television, movies, and video games have a great influence on the minds of todays youth. But, what exactly are the effects of such an influence? Certain people have exaggerated the effects that these media have on todays youth. Many people, including government officials, have singled out these three media sources as the cause of some types of violence simply because it is an easy target for laying the blame. 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A Tragedy Labeled Grunge free essay sample

The days when Michael Jacksons style of pop and Metallic methodical hair/ death metal ruled the airwaves were just about to end. Generation X needed more relevance in their music even if it was not as cheery and magical as pop had sounded for some time. Madonna, OZ Top, Rick Style nor any other of the days pop or rock singers could fill this void. The band that could be most closely considered in the realm Of the message Of grunge would have been Pink Floyd. The band has always incorporated a very real and sober message in the music they have produced.Nothing else mainstream was similar in any way. That is where the story gets fascinating because the original grunge and members never intended to be mainstream. The majority of the bands created music to play at underground shows and the music was intended only to be played for people who really wanted to hear and feel it. The popularization of the music and the bands that received the grunge label gave way to both the rise and the undoing of the genre, the bands and the band members themselves. This paper will concentrate on the short but very eventful life of the grunge genre. A focus will be on two of the pioneer bands, Nirvana and Alice In Chains, which were both from the Seattle, Washington, area and share an epic journey through the early sass. In the mid-sass the new wave of electronic rock was wearing thin with the younger generation of musicians. There had been an invasion of the European pop style and electronic that coincided with the rb infusion in the early ass that was not what this new group of musicians wanted to take part in. The hair metal bands such as Poison, Warrant, White Snake and Bon Jove were ruling the other side of the pop spectrum.Their music was all about glamour and showmanship and did not incorporate many artistic qualities beyond that. The sound of the existing styles were not seen as sincere bytes new enervation of musicians because they seemed to be produced specifically to sell music. The artists that would later be labeled grunge wanted their music to be felt in a way that did not exist in popular music at that time. They had stories they wanted to tell about scenarios that were not popular and might not sell records. The grunge bands were not started for the specific reason to sell records which is why they did not gain popularity until the early ass.The bands primary reason for existing was to expel the confusion, frustration and anger they held inside in a manner that was artistic so people would listen ND possibly gain from their insight and experience. Once this new genre made its way to the underground shows in Seattle, where it all began, there was an explosion of talent that navigated toward it. It was not as musically complex as the metal music of the time so the music could be learned easily and played at home on acoustic or electric guitar. The grunge sound was characterized by a dirty guitar sound with strong riffs and heavy drumming.The dirty guitar sound came from a stylistic change from punk matched with distortion and heavy feedback. Most grunge incorporated a slow tempo and dissonant harmonies. The lyrics were filled with both a hollowness of doubt and insecurity and a disenchantment with the state of society. Once the grunge bands found huge followings in the Seattle area some decided to attempt to branch out and sell their albums nationally. A few of these very early bands were Mudstone, The Melvin and Green River. They were signed to what is historically known as the first grunge record label, Sub Pop.Their attempts were met with marginal sales at best and the future did not look bright for the genre outside of Seattle. In 1 989 Soundboards and Nirvana, who would later become two of the most famous grunge groups, released albums that were met with mediocre critical and popular acclaim nationally. It Was beginning to seem as if the guru Eng following was going to grow over time. In 1991, when Nirvana released their second album, Nevermore, generation X went crazy for grunge. The release of the album is the recognized beginning of the grunge era.In January 2002 the single Smells Like Teen Spirit was an overnight sensation, ruling the number one spot on the pop charts for weeks, and opening the doors for the other bands who had been labeled grunge. The music labels were begging for Seattle bands to sign up and make records with them. Some bands did not have the grunge sound but were signed and labeled grunge to boost record sales and help support a weak recording market. The album was the beginning of the end for glam metal that had been prominent since the early ass. The grunge bands that took the world by storm seemed to grow exponentially in popularity.A few Of the other bands were Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains, Blind Melon and Stone Temple Pilots. Some of the bands found great popularity in what was happening and incorporated more popular themes in their music instead of the gritty and abrasive sound they began with. Although the bands were still babbled grunge they wanted to preserve their popularity along with their sound. Bands such as Canceled and Collective Soul found a middle ground between grunge and pop and were viewed as sellouts to the grunge fans. This became known as post-grunge.Other bands such as Mudstone and The Melvin were left behind because their music was deemed more inaccessible for widespread audiences. It is strongly believed by both fans and music historians that the true grunge bands were never set up to succeed in the music business. The bands did not want to create radio friendly songs that were made just to sell records. The bands were leaving the major record labels to join independent labels which would allow the artists to do what they felt was right. The major labels recruited new bands that cooperated but they could only make watered down music that was somewhat similar to grunge.This music was not accepted by the audiences it was created for. This marked the beginning of the end for grunge music. A strong case can also be made around the notable heroin use that was prevalent among many grunge band members. The death of Nirvana lead singer, Kurt Cabin, is believed to be the official beginning of the downfall of the genre. There were a few notable band member deaths from heroin overdoses in just a couple of years. There was Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone, Kristin Puff of Hole and Kurt Cabin. Although Cabin died from a shotgun blast it is believed that the heroin in his system caused the actions that killed him.It is still speculated that he did not commit suicide but his wife, Courtney Love, shot him. Courtney Love was the lead singer of Hole. Lane Stanley, lead singer of Alice In Chains, overdosed on a mixture of heroin and cocaine in 2002 after battling heroin addiction since the ass. When Soundboards disbanded in 1997 it marked the final blow to grunge and the dedicated followers had to finally come to the realization that it was over. Soundboards was the final band that had not disbanded or had members die from a heroin overdose. After it was all over there were many positive outcomes of the grunge era.First, there was the infamous clothing line that was marketed toward the followers. Although grunge band members themselves were very opposed to fashion their followers saw them wearing flannel shirts over T-shirts, blue jeans and Doc Martens boots so they dressed the same way. Nobody realized that the reason they wore those clothes was because they were poor and lived in northwest Washington. They did not wear the clothes as a fashion statement. The marketers and record labels made it seem as though it was a fashion statement and began selling very cheap clothing at a 300% markup to all those who wanted to dress like a grunge band member.Nobody realized they could get the same clothes for a fraction of the cost at Goodwill or Salvation Army. Alternative rock was all but nonexistent in the mainstream before grunge but was sought out by the major record labels after the huge success of grunge. Other more obscure genres also benefited in the same manner. This resulted in the Allophone tour which is still a very popular show today. In 1992 and 93 when the tour began it was geared toward grunge and alternative music.Pop culture came to embrace grunge and the bands became popular for making appearances in movies as well as creating their own independent films. In 1 992 the movie Singles featured many grunge bands and the soundtrack was composed completely by grunge bands. In the same year Nirvana and Sonic Youth starred in a documentary named 1991: The Year Punk Broke. Grunge also brought back a new infatuation with punk music. Many bands were coming of age just after the downfall of grunge and they took much Of the style that grunge offered and incorporated it with the faster punk tempos and even simpler rhythmic style.A lot of these bands are still around today. Green Day and The Offspring are two main examples of this new punk genre that was influenced by grunge. When many grunge bands fled to the independent record labels it allowed the labels to grow in size and popularity so they could then compete with the major labels even after the grunge era was over. Sub Pop and Epitaph Records are two such labels that grew in notoriety and had similar success as the major labels. The grunge era would not have existed had it not been for Nirvana.The band was formed in 1987 in Aberdeen Washington and included Kurt Cabin, Skirts Novice and Dave Growl. After their second album hit the charts and did not move from #1 for weeks Cabin was known as the spokesman of a generation. Cabin did not like the reference and did not want to speak for anyone. He played off the title by stating Part of what Nirvanas songs are about is having the freedom to speak for It s believed that the band made their third album In Utter purposely hard to listen to so that the fair weather fans would get off the bandwagon.Nirvana was the ultimate grunge band in that the band played music that they lived . Nothing they played was written by anyone other than band members. The band did release some music that was out of the ordinary for them but it was satirical and aimed at pop, glam metal and pop culture. Nirvanas style was what you would expect from grunge because it is what most people base their experience with grunge on. The guitars were either very quiet or very loud. There were heavy riffs played along with loud drumming that was fairly simplistic.The songs were short and to the point with no long solos. Cabins lyrics were sometimes mumbled and run together for a phrase followed by screaming until his vocal chords gave out. No matter what style of singing the lyrics were almost always profound. Drummer Dave Growl also sang occasionally and had a more vibrant voice than Cabins manic sound which gave the band a strange fusion on rare instances. The band did not abide by any standards for the music that was created.Some of the music they made could be considered heavy metal and some could be considered alternative rock but it all had a feel to it that had never existed in mainstream music before. Some of the band members influences were The Melvin, The Pixies, Mudstone, Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Alice In Chains was another prominent band that grunge gave birth to. Like Nirvana, they date back to 1987. The band members were Lane Stanley, Jerry Central, Mike Nines and Sean Kinney. The band is known for embodying the darker side of grunge and the mysterious harmonistic of Starlets and Canticles voices.The band began as a hair metal act that quickly realized their sound could be such richer and they could have much more substance. Alice In Chains thrived on a heavy, guitar driven and distortion rich sound that no other grunge band could and because of this they are classified as metal and alternative also. Although they were personified by their heavy, grinding guitar playing they also played many acoustic songs that were slow and melancholic. Some of the bands songs have solos that are uncharacteristic of the grunge style.A lot of the music they created had to do with Starlets bout with addiction and the constant battle to cope with life. Like Nirvana, Alice In Chains wrote all of their own music and only wrote about personal experiences, addiction and feelings of grief. The harmonistic between Stanley and Central is enough to run chills down your spine and draw tears to your eyes because you can tell they have experienced the pain that they convey so well. The bands career was cut short when Starlets girlfriend died from an infection and he went into deep depression and began using heroin constantly.The band members all took on side projects in hopes of a full recovery for their lead singer and vowed not to move on without him. The band went into hibernation anticipating Starlets return from rehab but on April 20, 2002 he was found dead in his Seattle condominium from an apparent overdose of heroin and cocaine. The coroner concluded that Stanley had been dead since April 5, which was the same day Kurt Cabin had died eight years earlier. It seemed a perfect yet tragic ending for a storied grunge band. There has been no band like Nirvana or Alice In Chains since their respective demise.The singing styles Of the two bands are extremely different in that Cabin was almost bipolar with his sobering voice while Stanley was always in control and brilliantly sober as well. The majority of the songs Alice In Chains played were longer and more methodically structured than Nirvanas shorter and sometimes manic songs. Both bands were from the Seattle area and both broke into the main stream at the same time. Although Alice In Chains stayed together longer Nirvana had more popularity for the five years after Cabins death.This was brought on by the release of unreleased music and the possibility of an impending murder charge against Courtney Love. The remaining members of each band have formed new bands since their lead singers passing. The remaining members of Nirvana formed a new group, Off Fighters, in 1995. Alice In Chains enlisted a new singer, William Devalue, kept the same moniker and revived their career in 2009 with the new album Black Gives Way To Blue, in which every song is about Starlets life and death. Both bands have influenced genres after them on many levels.They both were instrumental in the success and the dissolution of grunge. It is my belief that if Stanley and Cabin were alive and well today grunge would have lasted into the 21st century. Grunge was but a short era in the history of music but it was very powerful and has had a lot of costive influence on the music world. A small region in the pacific northwest was the musical promised land for an unforgettable five year period that saw the birth and death of the grunge era and a handful of music legends. The late sass gave way to a new music genre that was simultaneously sobering and enchanting. The song writers were not afraid to allow us to see inside their lives in ways most people would not allow. The music was not made to gain popularity nor was it made to bring in riches yet generation X loved it. The ensuing popularity took the genre to its pinnacle and swiftly led it to its demise. The dirty guitar sound and heavy riffs are a staple of the genre. Most of the music has a slow tempo, dissonant harmonies and a steady time signature through out.