Narrative Essay — The Birth of my Daugher

It was day like any other day, one that revolved around me and my wants and needs, but all that was about to change. The sun was shining through my bedroom window of the small two bedroom apartment that was shared between me and my roommate. The day was a nice enough day for all to enjoy. With temperatures in the 80's and not a cloud in the beautiful Carolina blue sky, who wouldn't want to enjoy a day like that? Not me. Not when I was nine months pregnant, with only seven days till doom's day and whale (yep, spelled it that way on purpose) past the 25-35 pounds suggest by my doctor that I should gain.I was sick from not being able to stomach even the thought of food, which was unusual for me and was starting to have some pains in my abdomen but had brushed it off, thinking it was due to the nausea. It didn't take long to realize that the baby I was carrying was ready to meet me when the back pains started to become regular and more intense. As I laid on the beautifully crafted gold a nd burgundy comforter that was spread over my bed, I started to fell pressure in my lower back. It was as if someone was taking dull knives and running them deep in to my muscles along the top of my tailbone.There was no doubting the fact that my labor had started when I got up and noticed that same elegant comforter was now forever stained. My water had broke causing the pains to bring me to my knees. With tears in my eyes, I was ready for some relief from the pain and wanted to get to the hospital in order to get an epideral(wonderful things that make you numb from the waist down). It didn't take long to get to the hospital, especially since the ride was in an ambulance. Thanks to my roommate who dialed 911 in a moment of panic; hers' not mine, she deemed it necessary to dail 911 and request assistance.If that is what you would call a request, screaming at the top of your lungs at the 911 dispatcher. The pain had become unbearable and I was forever thankful when I was told by the mid-wife that it was time to start pushing the baby out. Two minutes later at 12:37pm on a bright Tuesday afternoon, my daughter was born. She seemed so small and fragile but the effect was immeasurable. Lynssa Grace Girma Adugna, 6lbs. 5oz. 20 1/5in. Her hair was so shiny that it looked brown with touches of gold thrown in here and there. Her eyes were such a deep, dark blue that they look like the ocean at night.She was breathtaking. When our eyes met for the first time I felt my heart skip a beat. As I held that tiny bundle, that was just as much a part of me as I was a part of her, my mind was in awe of how much I immediately felt such an overwhelming amount of love for her. The kind of love that I felt in that moment was instant and was more intense then any emotion I had every felt. I never knew that this kind of love was possible, to be able to love something or someone the way that I loved her. I knew then that I would go to any lengths to make her happy and to give her ever ything that she every needed.I swore to give her my absolute best and I meant every word. My entire existence had been meaningless up until then, or at least everything I had every accomplished felt like it failed in comparison to her, my daughter. I had never knew that there was an emptiness in my heart until this completeness replaced where there once was a void. When my daughter came home the â€Å"real world† begun. I traded nights with the girls for a night with the most important girl, and nights out with friends, to midnight feedings and diaper changes. These times were stressful without a doubt.Although all I needed to make them worth the work was a glimpse of her smile. Which she would give while she was sleeping. I am told that babies are dreaming about angels when they smile like that. These late nights were hard to handle when they were followed with early morning wake up calls which gave way to a morning full of much needed errands. My life was no longer my own. Life now circled around this tiny little human which I was trusted to take care of . Before Lynssa came along, I was not the one who you could find in a church pew on Sunday. You did good to see me on the holidays such as Christmas and Easter for that matter.Now that I was responsible for someone else's mortal soul, it seemed very important to get back in church and to teach her the same values that were instilled in me. So now you can be sure where to find me on Sunday. I wanted to be sure to incorporate Christian values and beliefs into my child's heart and mind, and the only way to do that was to but them back into mine. Even though my child is very young and not likely to remember these times, somehow I still believe that it is important to behave a certain way. I also changed not only my outlook on life but also my outward appearance as well.I begin thinking in ways that would have never come to mind before had my daughter never been born into this world. There was not only the fact that I was a mother now that changed me but also the fact that I was the mother of an impressionable young girl was what affected me in a way that I never though possible. I wanted her to be everything that was good and right about me and none of what was wrong with me. I decided that the best way to teach her these things was to lead by example, and with a little hope and a lot a prayers she would follow. I needed to be the mother that my child could be proud of.Nobody's perfect and I sure do have a long way to go before I can even be close to being where I want to be in life. I am still learning. Learning new things everyday. Changing for the better a little everyday is my goal. To always be that person, striving to be the best mom, wife, daughter, sister, friend and student that I can possibly be. That's who I am. I would never be the person that I am today if I had not received an award so great as that of motherhood. Word do not express how thankful I am everyday when I s ee my daughter is growing and becoming a little lady.

Lan-Base Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System Essay

1.1 Introduction Modernization changed our lifestyle. Technology improves us to spend time and spaces in remarkable ways. Due to rapid technological changes new things to produce better way of doing things through the help of technology. In our present life style people find way to improve their living day by day .This improvement was obviously seen in our modern technology, such modern machine, improvised gadgets, robotics and the most popular and widely influential is the modern computer. Modern computer helps people to lessen their work in such particular field of industry, particularly for those activities that requires computation storage of information presentation security and many uses of system software by the company, organization and in some aspect of educational areas. One of these changes is through the use of LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of Caltex Gasoline Station which is programmed automatically set the time and date employees log; so that the office assistant mo nitors the record and liable easily access the payments of the employees. In the field of Information technology the knowledge in creating a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of the employees are one of the most important parts to keep a certain business stable also includes the monitoring of the employees and the payroll. The Owner can’t assure that his employee is arriving on time in Gasoline Station and he can’t also assure if the computation of the payroll is correct and accurate. 1.2.1 Background of the Study The Caltex Techron Balite Merchandise started as a Federal Gasoline station in 2007. After three years Federal Gasoline Station experienced bankrupt because of the competition in other gasoline station. The owner of Federal Gasoline Station decided to sell the property of Federal Gasoline Station to Mr. Danny Reobeca to recover his investment. In the year 2010 September 19, the Caltex Techron merchandising established in Barangay Balite. They started with sixteen (16) employees including (1) one manager, (1) one secretary, (2) two cashiers, and (12) twelve gasoline boys. Nowadays, the Caltex Techron Merchandising has (4) four Gasoline Machines, (3) three Gasoline Tanker, (1) one storage room and (1) one office room. Caltex Techron Merchandising have now (33) thirty three employees including (1) one manager as the owner, (3) three office assistant, (3) three cashier, (2) two guards and (24) twenty four gasoline boys. The operation is 24 hours and has three shifting for gasoline boy and cashiers. First shift (6:00am-3:00pm), second shift (12:00pm-9:00pm), third shift(9:00pm-6:00am), (2) two shifting for the security guard, First shift (6:00am-6:00pm) and second shift (6:00pm-6:00am) while the manager and office assistant work 8 hours start 8:00am to 4:00pm. The facilities of the Caltex Techron Merchandising are complete but proponents found out (2) problem. First, the attendance monitoring of the employee is manual like the traditional. Second, the exact computation of payroll of the employee is manual computation. They have an office assistant in the office room to manage the attendance monitoring and payroll of the employees. 1.2 Statement of the problem 1.2.1 General Problem The Manual attendance and payroll of the employees in Caltex Techron resulting lack of accuracy and security in terms of records. The main problem of manual system is very hard to retrieve information of the employees. 1.2.2 Specific Problem The Caltex Techron Merchandising has also some specific problem as they follow: * Manual recording of the time-in and time-out of the employees. * Using the manual computation of payroll. * Inaccurate employee’s attendance due to manual operation of time keeping. * Unorganized records because of many records that must be filed. 1.3 Objective 1.3.1 General Objective The Proponents aims to develop a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System that will improve their service in terms of attendance monitoring and payroll of the employee. 1.3.2 Specific objectives * To develop a system that enable to search records easier and faster. * To avoid changing of time that they log. * To develop a system that will monitor the daily time record of employee. * To upgrade and standard the process of computing salaries of employees accurately. * To establish a system that will register the time-in and time-out of employees. * To prevent loosen and break down of the records and files. * To make automated the computation of the salaries of the employees. 1.4 Scope and Limitation The Proponents aims to develop a LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System of the employee for the improvement of Caltex Techron Merchandising. The File maintenance can easily add, search, delete, and update records, with the use of this system. 1.4.1 Scope * Computerize the Attendance of the employee. * Automated computation of salaries. * It gives accurate time and date of the employee’s log. * LAN-based System. * The administrator only has the authority to access the records of the employees. 1.4.2 Limitation * Records only the time and date of log-in and log-out of the employee but it can’t identify who are the real employees. * The LAN-Based Attendance Monitoring and Payroll System embedded only to Caltex Techron. 1.5 Significance of Study This study not only to develop a software system, It also aims to do specific task in a short period of time. Administrator/Manager: * It will help them in terms of less spending space and time. It will help them. Office Assistant: * It will be easy for them to monitor the attendance of the employee and to lessen their work. Employee: * It will be easier to get their salary because of the automatic computation. 1.6 Definition of Terms 1. Automated – To operate by automation. 2. Merchandising – Sales promotion has a comprehensive function including market research, development of new products. 3. Monitoring – A device for observing a biological condition or function. 4. Payroll – The sum necessary for distribution to those on a payroll also the money to be distributed. 5. Salary – Fixed comprehension paid regularly for devices 6. Technology – A capability given by the practical application knowledge. 7. Embedded – Fix to the business company. 8. LAN-Based – the system is running by group of personal computer and associated equipment that are linked by cable, office building and that share a communications line. 9. Manual – work by hand, involving the skills and hard word of hand. 10. Traditional – from generation to generation,† Old style†.

Plumpy not controversy Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Plumpy not controversy - Assignment Example Ethics guides the human beings on the right thing to pursue with regard to the welfare in society. It encompasses the rights and obligations have in society, and the gradual development of an individual’s moral standards. This takes the form of corporate social responsibility of the corporate and artificial persons in a societal setting. The issues surrounding the case of the plumby nut production by Nutriset facility are crucial. According to Lawson, C, and Jay (2013), it is factual that the patent rights of the Nutriset facility must be protected by all means because of the business ethics code. The local companies of the developing countries experiencing malnutrition also bear the responsibility of producing the plumby nut product locally in order to alleviate malnutrition instead of depending on foreign powers like the US and France. The US is also entitled to produce the plumby nut product, which will suffice the huge population of suffering children I the developing countries of Kenya , Malawi and Niger. This is because it has sophisticated facilities and resources, which can produce the product in large scale within a short period unlike the local companies. The vulnerable children also have the right to good health and prompt treatment of malnutrition. The global population also needs to be protected against the consumption of ready to use foo, which is commonly used in the United States. This is because the move will result in the reduction of locally produced food material among the nationals of most for the developing countries (Michelini, 2012). The monopolistic production of the product by Nutriset facility of France has catapulted the cost of the product per child for three months to sixty dollars. The developing countries are financially challenged hence it is the corporate social responsibility of the developed nation, France, to reduce the price charged on the product

Operations Decision - Determine the market structure in which the Term Paper

Operations Decision - Determine the market structure in which the low-calorie food company operates - Term Paper Example More so, the Company intends to sell its products at a fair market, targeting individuals from all socio-economic background. The Company is different from its competitors because it sells low calorie foods that are very tasty and look good. More so, most individuals focus on healthy foods, this in return makes the Company outshine its competitors who sell high calorie foods. The Company has planned to expand its clientele by opening up other branches in nations such as United States, France and Spain in the next 3 to 4 years. Most individuals in the United Kingdom are concerned about their health, thus prefer low calorie food. Therefore the Company has an added advantage over its main competitors who mainly sell high calorie food such as Mac fries and KFC. The product is consumed by individuals from all socio- cultural background, and most buyers range from ages 20 and 55. In addition, women are the ones who mostly purchase the products, thus the Company highly concentrate on the female population (The Times 100, 2014). These are external and internal factors that may affect the marketing opportunities of the Company. SWOT analysis identifies the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, which are essential in determining actions or aspects that are necessary for the marketing plan. The Company strives to make simple and good food in a more sustainable way and at the same time meet its business goals. In order to achieve the above stated aspect, the Company ensures that it is able to balance the four major elements of the marketing mix. A service or a product will incorporate a distinct marketing mix. More so, the right mix will result to the achievement of the stated goal, which may bring about customer satisfaction. Marketing mix constitutes of four P’s, which include; price, product, promotion and place. In this case, the Company’s product ought to taste and look good

Cross-cultural management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Cross-cultural management - Research Paper Example e Australians, Filipino Australians and Afghani Australians, all have completely distinct cultural background and they find themselves in greatest of the difficulties in coping up with the working condition that are supplied to them. It is recommended that the Lebanese Australians should adopt that culture, which is based on individualism such that each individual would then be held responsible for his/her own act. Conversely, native managers should also bring flexibility in their own behavior and attitude when dealing with the members of immigrant groups and allow them to interact and understand more with the members of those communities in order to mitigate the cultural barriers. The concept of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) is becoming quite popular especially among those groups which have migrated from different parts of the world to Australia. Among those groups, the major groups are Lebanese Australians, Filipino Australians, and Afghani Australians. Since Lebanon, Philippine and Afghanistan are all fundamentally diverse countries as compared to Australia especially in respect of culture and language, therefore, their immigrants also face severe problem in their cultural and linguistic dynamics while residing in Australia. The cultural and linguistic issues have trapped these communities into serious dilemmas as how to interact with the native Australians. At times, they feel it is better to surpass their own recognition, values and beliefs, working styles, and many other cultural and linguistic prospects, mingle around with the natives and follow their ways like a famous quote â€Å"Do what the Romans do†. Conversely, they also perc eive that while adopting the culture of native Australians, they may encounter serious problems and may not adjust easily with the natives as well as may not feel comfortable doing what natives do. To be more specific, the arguments are placed in respect of the cultural context whether to adopt culture based on

Literature Review. ADHD Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Literature Review. ADHD - Essay Example The front part of the brain has slightest to do with aptitude, so it is likely to be very intelligent and still have ADHD. The study of ADHD goes back to the early 1900s. However, its name has changed over time. Children who survived the encephalitis epidemics of the 1920s were left with a post-encephalitic syndrome characterized by problems with memory, attention, hyperactivity, and a lack of impulse control. There was also a group of children who, though not post-encephalitic, presented clinically with the same triad of symptoms: hyperactivity, impulsivity, and distractibility. The term minimal brain damage or hyperactive child syndrome was used for this group. However, when it became apparent that there was no frank evidence of brain damage, the designation was changed to minimal brain dysfunction, although hyperactive child syndrome was also in use (Okagaki, Kontos, &, 1998). During the 1970s, it was thought that the focus on hyperactivity was not clinically warranted and did not sufficiently accent problems with attention and impulse control. In view of the latter, the DSM-III revision of 1980 changed the designation to attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, thus highlighting inattention and distractibility. ... ADHD is generally characterized by a persistent pattern of inattention, impulsivity and hyperactivity that causes impairment across settings. ADHD is a developmental disorder (symptoms present before age 7) with recognized subtypes: a predominantly impulsive-hyperactive subtype, a predominantly inattentive subtype, and a third subtype combining features of both. Adults with ADHD, while usually not physically hyperactive, often continue to have marked problems in time management, sustained attention, impulse control, social skills, and frustration tolerance. Academic and work-related problems may result from poor organization, planning, and follow-through. Probably as many as four million children and four to five million adults in the United States suffer from Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although ADHD was described by physicians many years ago, its frequency only recently has been recognized. Exact figures are not available, but it seems likely that between 3 to 10 percent of school-age children and 4 to 5 percent of adults have ADHD (Scheinbaum, Newton, Zecker, & Rosenfeld, 1995). . ADHD is frequently accompanied by learning disorders in reading, spelling, or arithmetic, and it may be accompanied by other behavior disorders. ADHD is more common in boys than in girls. Child psychiatrists used to believe that the symptoms of ADHD diminished and disappeared as children grew older, but recent studies have found that ADHD frequently persists into adolescence and adult life. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, defines ADHD as a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that is more frequent and severe than typically observed in

Artist research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Artist - Research Paper Example Laurie Ann’s immigration to Spain could be considered as one of the most highlighted chapter in her life. Her views to natural things became uniquely appealing. For example, she had found the beauty of the decayed walls of the demolished building in Spain (Blogspot, 2010). With this, she imitated the styles of the â€Å"imprinted† walls, and she started to collect the relics, and the remains of the demolished site to create a new genre of art through â€Å"urban decay† painting. One of her paintings related to this style is the â€Å"Return Home† (see Figure 1) piece created in the year 2009. The painting has dominant colors of white, light brown, black lines and gray zigzag lines, which could make someone feel an ancient wind in an old-fashioned house. Moreover, the longhand letters in the house walls represent a mysterious love that one starves to evoke and feel. In the long run, Laurie created her three other main paintings: â€Å"The High Tower† (2009), â€Å"The Castle† (2009), and â€Å"the Patina† (2010). The figure 2 painting shows an ordinary house drawn on a wall. There is an opened door in the right side of the painting which creates a three-dimensional illusion of being inside a room. In addition, the house on the left side of the painting has a triangle rooftop and a long rectangular body with stairway connected to a church found in the upper-right corner. There is a black shadow heart above the rooftop of the church that may represent the bitter feeling of an angry child who is outside the church. The child could have wanted to play, to pray and explore the world without many restrictions. In the Figure 3 shown above, â€Å"The Castle† (2009) painting represents a picture of an abandoned building with a horizontal space and an opened window in the right side. One can dance in the boundless wind of the horizontal space, and to imagine the house like a kingdom of his own. One can step-up freely in the two stairs of the building without

Reflective learning Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Reflective learning - Essay Example I also made them believe that raising funds is not really hard as many of my peers thought. I made them understand that there are a lot of ways to raise funds we just have to be creative and exert a little effort to raise it. I introduce the idea of a garage sale with a party. The items that will be on sale will be the things that our neighbours are ready to dispose. To make the story short, we were able to exceed our objective to raise fund for our project while having fun at the same time. The other experience I had about leading a group was during a school project where I was assigned as a project leader. I was hesitant at first because I was anxious that I might end up doing the whole project myself if my team members will not work and cooperate. It was not as hard as I thought if one will just know how to push â€Å"the right button† or motivate the group members to work. Before these projects were realized, the process and dynamics of getting it done was quite tough. It was an interplay of leadership, organizational skill, team work and resolving personal issue among the members in the group. But the main component is leadership on how to direct the energy of the team to commit and realize our objective (Kayser and Melcher 2007). It was not easy asking people of my age to do certain things that it made me think how to go about it and in the process learned several things about myself. I learned that in getting people commit to do certain things, I have to get along with them very well especially if it is a volunteer work just like our community project or a school work where one cannot direct others because everybody is in equal footing (we are all students). I learned that I do pretty well in this department that it is almost effortless on my part. But I have to admit that there are things about me that is un-leader like that I have to change such as my tendency to procrastinate. I observed that when I procrastinate, my team members also did the s ame. There are also certain things about my behaviour that I did not realize to be a leadership trait. Knowing that my team members in our community project are not being paid to do it, I invoked their higher sense of achieving and contributing good when I told them that what we are doing is for the community and that we will become an invariable part of it because we worked hard for a project dedicated to our community. This is actually a trait of transformational leadership (Judge and Piccolo 2004). My good interpersonal skill also enabled me to effectively address an issue with our group. The person I assigned to go door to door in one of our streets suddenly did not show up. I was worried. But instead of passing judgment at him to be lazy and non-committal, I inquired what happened. I learned that my team member had a medical emergency at home because a sister has to be rushed to the hospital. When the issue was already done, my team member was very motivated to go door to door to collect things for our garage sale and this would not have been possible had I judged him earlier. On areas that I need to improve my behaviour about leadership, I believe it would be my organizational and administrative skills. I have to admit that I am disorganized as a leader. I realized this during the garage sale itself because I had hard time putting up the event. The event could have been better with more attendees and more funds could have been raised if I had a better

MRT 18, 19 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

MRT 18, 19 - Essay Example You would be impacted in that you would have to put extra pressure on manufacturing and sacrifice quality controls. Some potential solutions is to suggest to your boss how quality control will be affected and how that would negatively affect the firm in the long run. You could conditionally agree with the April 1st delivery but keep close tabs on manufacturing, and if they are unable to meet that deadline simply inform the client of this. Or you could keep the mid April delivery date but assure your client that this is vital to ensure quality control. #4 On a personal level I probably would push for the April 1st deadline. It is the case that your boss has a great deal of experience with the matter and if during the course of filling the order, it becomes clear that manufacturing will be unable to complete the task then you can simply relay this message to the client and reassure them that the decision was based on maintaining quality control. #1 http://blog.tandberg.com/ The reason why I have chosen Tandberg is because they are one of the global leaders in the marketing and manufacturing of video teleconferencing systems. Furthermore they have a strong hold of the tele-presence equipment market for small businesses which in which video is streaming in such high bandwidth that it actually seems like the person is there. #2 The intended audience is most likely small to large size organizations in which a great deal of their activities may require active participants to travel a long distance or minimize the risk of disease from close human contact. Some specific examples are distance education, healthcare specialists, or even manufacturing. In terms of education one quote from the blog is â€Å"Another opportunity cited is the possibility that students can take classes that may not be offered at their own schools – Mandarin for example – through distance education over video

Parents vs. the Media Essay Example for Free

Parents vs. the Media Essay Due to childrens fascinations with violence, recent massacres at schools have been linked to media influence. Often troubled children use the news to gain attention. Many of the children committing these crimes are children that are being teased in school. Most of the children involved in school shootings have never had a past criminal record. Psychologists believe that these troubled children are using the media merely because no one else will listen to their problems. The reoccurrence of copycat crimes is on the rise, and it seems at times we overestimate how much violence is really occurring. The constant struggle between the media and those who feel it is saturated with violence continues on. However, it is difficult to determine whether there is a strong correlation between the two. Parents are uniting around the country to form groups against violence in the media. They believe that the violence in entertainment and the media is to blame for the copycat syndrome. Psychologists believe that children are vulnerable to feelings of psychological injury. Therefore, when children are being tormented they feel a sense of rage and worthlessness. This feeling causes them to look upon society as an enemy. For instance, The Trenchcoat Mafia was a group of teenagers that formed a violent gang, and turned against killed their classmates after seeing the movie Basketball Diaries. They felt isolated from the rest of the school, and believed the only way to gain popularity was through displaying acts of violence. This type of behavior has drastically increased and is seen all over the media. Parents blame the media for over-exposure of school violence. The parents see the media lacking in follow-up stories. These stories should show how it affected the lives of the killers, the victims and their families. Furthermore, the follow-up stories can present a better understanding of the consequences. Rather, the news seems to be showing their viewers almost how to carry out such crimes. On the other hand, the media is simply providing the public with current events. The media reports both positive and negative events. The news provides coverage on the issues that are most appealing to the public. For example, the first school shooting at Columbine began a major controversy. The public became extremely concerned, and safety in schools became a hot topic. The media simply reports on these events, they are not to be held responsible for violent occurrences. Their responsibility is to give coverage on events that affect our society as a whole. Parents should not view the media negatively, but see it as a source of information. Such information can give parents reasons for teaching their children morals. Children that come from broken homes may have been exposed to violence, and use this as a solution to their problems. Parents of these children should provide special psychiatric help to prevent them from becoming violent. If teachers are aware a students extreme misconduct, they should inform the childs parents as well as the schools counselors. Therefore, the school can solve the problem before it gets out of hand. Different approaches have been used to prevent these shootings from reoccurring. The most obvious solution has been increasing the security in schools, such as metal detectors and surveillance cameras. Some schools are simply educating their students about respecting each other, and have seen an improvement in the conduct of the students. When these issues improve, a healthier school will prevail.

Biodegradation of HCB

Biodegradation of HCB 1-2-1- Degradation of HCB under anaerobic condition: In the past decade, the usage of HCB prohibited in many country but HCB has been found as hazardous pollutants in many places worldwide. Biodegradation of HCB is possible in environmental under anaerobic conditions such as sodium, groundwater and soil but the progress is very slowly (Beurskens and others, 1992; Chang and others, 1997). Some reports documented about biodegradation in sediments (Chen and others, 2002; Chen and others, 2004; Hirano and others, 2007; Pavlostathis and Prytula, 2000; Prytula and Pavlostathis, 1996), soil (Watanabe and Yoshikawa, 2008). Degradation of CLD[2] in anaerobic sewage sludge was reported by (Fathepure and others, 1988), The authors observed greater than 90% pesticide removal after 3 weeks. The only Three strains of bacteria capability of degrading Hexachlorobenzene via reductive dechlorination have been isolated (TaÃ…Å ¸ and others, 2011), that including Dehalobium chlorocoercia DF-1 (Wu and others, 2002), Dehalococcoides sp. strain CBDB1 and Dehalococcoides ethenogenes strain 195 (Adrian and others, 2000; Fennell and others, 2004; TasÃÅ' §, 2009; TaÃ…Å ¸ and others, 2009).      1-2-2- Metabolites and Mechanism of Anaerobic Dechlorination Anaerobic degradation reductive dechlorination of HCB was first reported in 1987 (Fathepure and others, 1988). So far, the pathway that is known for the microbial degradation of HCB under anaerobic canditions by coupling reductive dehalogenation to electron transport (Beurskens and others, 1994; Chen and others, 2000; Hirano and others, 2007; TaÃ…Å ¸ and others, 2011). Chlorinated aromatics can serve as electron acceptors (Fathepure and others, 1988). Reductive dechlorination pathways is shown in figure 1 and HCB were dechlorinated via 1,2,3,5-and 1,2,4,5-tetrachIorobenzene (TeCB), 1,3,5- and 1,2,4-TCB , 1,2,4-TCB[3] and 1,3-DCB[4] . they are final dechlorination products (Beurskens and others, 1992; Boyd and others, 1987; Fathepure and others, 1988; Holliger and others, 1992). 1-3- Biodegradation of DDT[5] 1-3-1- Degradation of DDT under anaerobic condition: DDT was the first synthetic insecticide. Nowadays, use of this persistent organic pollutants is prohibited in most countries, but still DDT is ubiquitous in the environment all (Purnomo and others, 2011; Sudharshan and others, 2012). DDT can be biodegradation or mineralized by multistep processes in both aerobic and anaerobic condition. For example sediments capibilty of utilizing persistent pesticides and degradation even mineralized by aerobic and anaerobic degradation (Fang and others, 2014). Thus far, species within the genera Pseudomonas (Chacko and Lockwood, 1967; Kamanavalli and Ninnekar, 2004), Sphingomonas (Chacko and Lockwood, 1967; Fang and others, 2014), Desulfomonile tiedjei (DeWeerd and others, 1990) and Eubacterium limosum (ATCC 8486) is isolated from the human intestine (Yim and others, 2008), and Alcaligenes denitrificans (Ahuja and Kumar, 2003)‎ have been found to metabolize DDT. (Corona-Cruz and others, 1999), reported anaerobic coupled with aerobic biodegrad ation of DDT and maximum DDT degradation of 84.4 %. 1-3-2- Metabolites and Mechanism of Anaerobic Dechlorination Biodegradation pathway of DDT is multistep process in anaerobic environment, involving reductive dechlorination, dioxygenation, hydrogenation, hydroxylation, decarboxylation, hydrolysis (a major transformation pathway in soil and water in the presence of H2O, H+, and OH ¯ ), and meta-ring cleavage reactions. Biodegradation pathway of DDT is multistep process in anaerobic environment involving reductive dechlorination such as three degradation step (DDT→DDD,DDE[6]), hydrogenation, dioxygenation, hydroxylation, decarboxylation and meta-ring cleavage reactions(Rangachary and others, 2012). That is different from the degradation pathways for anaerobic biodegradation but high-order metabolites such as DDA, DDOH[7] and DDNU (Aislabie and others, 1997). (Wedemeyer, 1967), reported first metabolic pathways for DDT by aerobacter aerogenes that shown at the bottom: DDT → DDD[8] →DDMU[9] →DDMS[10] → DDNU[11] → DDA[12] → DBP[13], or DDT → DDE. Researches were lack of information about DDT degradation. Later, (Planche and others, 1979) indicted DDE could be degraded to DDMU by a microcosm under anaerobic sediments.biodegradation pathway in sediment shown on figure 2. DDT and its metabolites in the sediment: DDT →DDD → DDMS and DDE → DDMU (Li and others, 2010; Quensen and others, 2001; Sudharshan and others, 2012) and the relative transformation rates of DDT, DDE, and DDD is DDT>DDD>DDE (Huang and others, 2001), so DDD was the major biodegradation product of DDT under anaerobic environments (Mwangi and others, 2010; Yu and others, 2011). DDT metabolic reports in human intestinal gut by (Yim and others, 2008), that Eubacterium limosum transformed DDT completely to DDD and used DDT as electron donors. 1-4- Biodegradation of heptachlor 1-4-1- Degradation of heptachlor under anaerobic condition Anaerobic degradation reductive dechlorination of HCB was first reported in 1987 (Fathepure and others, 1988). So far, the pathway that is known for the microbial degradation of HCB under anaerobic canditions by coupling reductive dehalogenation to electron transport (Beurskens and others, 1994; Chen and others, 2000; Hirano and others, 2007; TaÃ…Å ¸ and others, 2011). Chlorinated aromatics can serve as electron acceptors (Fathepure and others, 1988). Reductive dechlorination pathways is shown in figure 1 and HCB were dechlorinated via 1,2,3,5-and 1,2,4,5-tetrachIorobenzene (TeCB), 1,3,5- and 1,2,4-TCB , 1,2,4-TCB[3] and 1,3-DCB[4] . they are final dechlorination products (Beurskens and others, 1992; Boyd and others, 1987; Fathepure and others, 1988; Holliger and others, 1992). Heptachlor used as insecticide. Heptachlor is mostly persistent in environment (Sakai and others, 2008). Under anaerobic conditions, heptachlor is showed only limited conversion (Hill and McCarty, 1967). T he data available on this substance indicate that heptachlor is degraded for more than several years in soil (Lichtenstein and others, 1970; Mahugija, 2014; Miles and others, 1969). (Sethunathan and Yoshida, 1973), this paper is a research about Clostridium sp. that isolated from flooded soil for degradation ÃŽ ³-BHC and heptachlor. 1-4-2- Metabolites and Mechanism of Anaerobic Dechlorination Biotransformation of heptachlor is not easy and simple but occur in both situations anaerobic and aerobic, mainly to the stable heptachlor epoxide (Lichtenstein and others, 1970). (Hayashi and others, 2013) , have reported that heptachlor was degraded a small amount to heptachlor epoxide in soil. Figure3 shown this degradation pathway. 1-5- Biodegradation of endrin and dieldrin 1-5-1-Degradation of endrin and dieldrin under anaerobic condition Of the year 1960s began studies on biodegradation of endrin and dieldrin that more researches were reported about the aerobic biodegradation (Matsumoto and others, 2009). Biodegradation of dieldrin and endrin was reviewed in 2007 and 1982 (Lal and Saxena, 1982; Matsumoto and others, 2009). (GOWDA and Sethunathan, 1977), studied that endrin proceeded under anaerobic conditions in three soils by radiotracer technique. Thay have reported anaerobic microbial strains could degrade various types of POPs such as ,heptachlor, dieldrin, aldrin, endrin and HCB. These strains isolated from PCB-contaminated sediment. (Baczynski and others, 2004), reported that methanogenic granular sludge could dechlorination of cyclodiene pesticides such as dieldrin and endrin.(Baczynski and others, 2004), studied methanogenic granular sludge with purpose dechlorinate dieldrin and endrin. Biodegradation studies under anaerobic conditions are summarized in Table 2. 1-5-2- Metabolites and Mechanism of Anaerobic Dechlorination Deldrin has simple mechanism reported by (Maule and others, 1987) that is the deletion of the chlorine atom from chlorinated hydrocarbon. (Chiu and others, 2005), reported cleaving the epoxide ring by a mechanism of epoxide reduction by anaerobic enrichment culture obtained from river sediment. So, they are the Transformation of deldrin to aldrin then aldrin is converted to two syn- and anti-monodechlorodieldrin metabolites by epoxide reduction. Researches show only two monochlorinated metabolites of endrin under anaerobic transformation so it can say bacteria have a catalyzed role in reductive dehalogenation (Matsumoto and others, 2009). 1-6- Biodegradation of lindane and HCH-isomers 1-6-1-Degradation of lindane and HCH-isomers under anaerobic condition Lindane and the other HCH isomers have been used in agriculture as a pesticide. There are little knowledge about anaerobic HCH degradation. It has not been reporte on the anaerobic biodegradation of the ÃŽ µ –HCH (Lal and others, 2010). While the four HCH isomers can degrade under anaerobic conditions .Thus far, species within the genera Dehalobacter (Doesburg and others, 2005), Clostridium spp (Jagnow and others, 1977; MacRae and others, 1969), Bacillus circulans and Bacillus Brevis (Gupta and others, 2000) and two Desulfovibrio species (Boyle and others, 1999), Citrobacter (such as ,C. butyricum, C. pasteurianum and Citrobacter freundii) (Heritage and MacRae, 1977; Heritage and Rae, 1977), Desulfococcus (Elango and others, 2011) and Desulfobacter curvatus (Badea and others, 2009) have been found to metabolize the lindane and HCH-isomers. (Van Eekert and others, 1998), have studied, capable of degrading beta-HCH using a upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors with methanogenic granular sludges. A number of studies have utilized for degradation isomer-HCH of anaerobic mixed bacterial culture such as (Kohnen and others, 1975) that mixed culture consisting of Bacilli. Mixed culture Clostridia and C. butyricum, C. pasteurianum and Citrobacter freundii. Thay are shown degradation rate in the following order ÃŽ ³-HCH > ÃŽ ±-HCH > ÃŽ ²-HCH = ÃŽ ´-HCH (Jagnow and others, 1977). (Pesce and Wunderlin, 2004) isolated bacteria from sediment and have used in aerobic mixed bacterial culture including Bosea thiooxidans and Sphingobacterium paucimobilis, degraded HCH after 3 days. 1-6-2- Metabolites and Mechanism of anaerobic Dechlorination the mechanism of biotransformation of HCH-isomer and lindane under anaerobic condition is explained with detection of intermediates substance of the presumed pathway. According to papers and reports, intermediates of HCH such as TeCCHs[16], PeCCHs[17] , PCCHa[18] (Buser and Mueller, 1995). (Tsukano and Kobayashi, 1972), abserved TeCCH flooded rice field soils treated with lindan but this intermediates was not found in soils treated with sodium azide or in soils without lindane treatment. suggested two degradation pathway for HCH isomers under anaerobic conditions, Based upon identify the intermediates material gama-, alfa-HCH → PCCHa (with a dechlorination) → 1,2-DCB[19] → 1,3-DCB→ finally CB for ÃŽ ²- and ÃŽ ´-HCH → TeCCH → 1,2,3-TCB → 1,2-DCB → 1,4-DCB → CB[20] The other Simpler pathway for the reductive dehalogenation of HCH is: HCH → TeCCH → dichlorocyclohexadiene ( DCCH) → finally benzene (Doesburg and others, 2005; Lal and others, 2010). Most papers of anaerobic degradation reported the accumulation of benzene and chlorobenzene (Buser and Mueller, 1995; Middeldorp and others, 1996; Zhu and others, 2005). that Figure3 shown this pathways. 1-7- Biodegradation of Methoxychlor 1-7-1-Degradation of Methoxychlor under anaerobic condition Methoxychlor [1,1,1-trichloro-2,2-bis(p-methoxyphenyl) ethane] is a hazardous substance and stable for this reason, is one of POPs. Methoxychlor have a half-life : Enterobacter amnigenus, Aeromonas hydrophila, Bacillus subtilis,Klebsiella terrigena, Mycobacterium obuense, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and Achromobacter. Biodegradation studies of OCPs under anaerobic conditions are summarized in Table 2. Figure 3v: Proposed pathway for anaerobic biodegradation of HCH under a) alfa- HCH b) gama and beta- HCH (Doesburg and others, 2005; Lal and others, 2010) 1-7-2- Metabolites and Mechanism of anaerobic Dechlorination Microbial species and pathway dechlorination of methoxychlor in the environment are not well-known or there are few reports (Castro and Yoshida, 1971; Masuda and others, 2011b). Enterobacter aerogenes were capable of degrading methoxychlor to DMDD [21] under anaerobic conditions (Mendel and Walton, 1966). Eubacterium limosum is a bacteria from human intestine that has been able degrades of methoxychlor to 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(pmethoxyphenyl) ethane (methoxydichlor) (Yim and others, 2008). Also, K. pneumoniae converts methoxychlor to [1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)ethane, de-Cl-MXC] (Baarschers and others, 1982). [1] hexachlorobenzene (HCB) [2] Chlordane (CLD) [3] -trichlorobenzene (TCB) [4] 1,3-dichlorobenzene (1,3-DCB) [5] 1,1,1-Trichloro-2,2-bis(4-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT) [6] 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDE) [7] 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethanol (DDOH) [8] 1,1-dichloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDD) [9] 1-chloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDMU) [10] 1-chloro-2,2-bis-(p-chlorophenyl)ethane (DDMS) [11] 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)ethylene (DDNU) [12] 2,2-bis(p-chlorophenyl)acetic acid (DDA) [13] 4,4-dichlorobenzophenone (DBP) [14] Removal and rate [15] Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane(DDT) [16] tetrachlorocyclohexenes (TeCCHs) [17] pentachlorocyclohexenes (PeCCHs) [18] pentachlorocyclohexanes (PCCHa) [19] dichlorobenzene (DCB ) [20] Chlorobenzene [21] bis(p-methoxyphenyl)-1,1–dichloroethane (DMDD)

Freud Museum :: Psychiatry, Museum, Informative

It contains Freud's remarkable collection of antiquities: Egyptian; Greek; Roman and Oriental. Almost two thousand items fill cabinets and are ranged on every surface. There are rows of ancient figures on the desk where Freud wrote until the early hours of the morning. The walls are lined with shelves containing Freud's large library of reference books. The house is also filled with memories of his daughter, Anna, who lived there for 44 years and continued to develop her pioneering psychoanalytic work, especially with children. It was her wish that the house become a museum to honour her illustrious father. The museum is now being developed as a cultural and research center of outstanding value to the professional community. The Freud's were fortunate to be able to bring all their furniture and household effects to London: there were splendid Biedermeier chests, tables and cupboards, and a fine collection of 18th and 19th-century Austrian painted country furniture. Undoubtedly the most famous piece of furniture in all the collection is Freud's psychoanalytic couch, on which all of Freud's patients reclined. The couch is remarkably comfortable and is covered with a richly coloured Iranian rug with chenille cushions piled on top. Other fine Oriental rugs, Heriz and Tabriz, cover the floor and tables. The Freud Museum's central function is to celebrate the life and work of Sigmund and Anna Freud. The museum organises active programmes of research and publication. It has an education service which organizes seminars, conferences and special visits to the museum. There is a shop well-stocked with books on the life and work of Sigmund Freud and books on contemporary psychoanalysis.

Two Conceptions of Freedom or Two Appearances of a single Conception? E

In his essay "Two Concepts of Liberty," Isaiah Berlin distinguishes between two conceptions of freedom, namely negative and positive conception of freedom. Basically he defines negative liberty as the absence of coercion. He states: "To coerce a man is to deprive him of freedom" (121). According to him, coercion is the intention to interfere in the freedom of an individual. Thus, absence of coercion is absence of deliberate, intentional coercion. For him, negative liberty requires an immune area, away from the obtrusive action of other people. For the accomplishment of freedom "[s]ome portion of human existence must remain independent of the sphere of social control" (126) However, achievement of negative liberty, creation of the immune area from coercion, is contingent upon the authority to be kept at bay. Therefore, the position of authority, which entails coercive powers, should be controlled in order to make them accountable to the people, whose fre edom, immunity from coercion depends on. Positive liberty, on the other hand, is, not freedom from coercion, but freedom to determine one's own destiny: it is self-determination. In this sense positive liberty is a necessary condition of human being, right to choose, right to determine ones behavior. Berlin maintains that the negative and positive concepts of liberty are "at no great logical distance from each other," but in reality they are profoundly divergent, in fact irreconcilable,...

Oxidation of Cyclohexanol to Cyclohexanone :: essays research papers fc

Oxidation of Cyclohexanol to Cyclohexanone   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The oxidation of cyclohexanol to cyclohexanone involves the removal of hydrogen from the OH group. After separation and purification, an Infrared Spectrum will be run to determine the composition of the recovered material.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Infrared Spectroscopy is a very powerful technique used in the determination of molecular structure and the identification of unknown organic materials. The infrared spectrum yields direct information about the presence or absence of key functional groups. â€Å"The region of the infrared spectrum which is of greatest interest to organic chemists is the wavelength range 2.5 to 15 micrometers which correspond to approximately 4000 to 600cm-1†(Young). â€Å"When atoms or molecules absorb light, the incoming energy excites a quantized structure to a higher energy level. The type of excitation depends on the wavelength of the light. Electrons are promoted to higher orbirtals by ultraviolet or visible light, vibrations are excited by infrared light, and rotations are excited by microwaves† (Tissue).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  IR spectroscopy is the measurement of the wavelength and intensity of the absorption of infrared light by a sample. The wavelength of IR absorption bands are characteristic of specific types of chemical bonds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  An IR spectrophotometer is an instrument which is designed to obtain an infrared spectra of a molecule. An IR spectra is obtained by first irradiating a sample with an IR source of light. The light passes through the sample, which can be in solution or contained within a salt plate, and then onto an IR light detector. The spectrum is analyzed by examining at which frequency the peaks occur. Different peak frequencies indicate different types of vibrational motion and hence, different types of chemical bonds. The peak intensities are usually noted as percent transmittance which compares the amount of light absorbed compared to the amount of IR light that was not absorbed. The frequencies are normally listed in wave numbers (in units of reciprocal centimeters). Experiment   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The oxidation of cyclohexanol by dichromate occurred in the presence of sulfuric acid which yielded cyclohexanone according to the balanced redox reaction below: 3 + Cr2O7-2 + 8H+ -- 3 + 2Cr+3 + 7H2O In the presence of excess dichromate, cyclohexanol oxidizes to adipic acid. To maximize yield, the following reaction was prevented: 3 + 4Cr2O7-2 + 32H+ -- 3HOOC(CH2)4COOH + 8Cr+3 + 19H2O The addition of methanol reduced the excess dichromate according to the balanced redox reaction below: CH3OH + Cr2O7-2 + 8H+ -- CO2 + 2Cr+3 + 6H2O Recovery of the ketone was by steam distillation; collecting all

Most Effective Hand Cleaner

Most Effective Hand Cleaner Introduction: The purpose of this experiment is to: (a) determine if hand soap or alcohol gel is the most effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus (b) obtain the statistical difference of effectiveness in killing S. aureus between hand soap and alcohol gel. The null hypothesis is that neither hand soap nor alcohol gel is effective in killing S. aureus more than the control group which is nothing at all. The alternate hypothesis is that hand soap versus the control group will be more effective in killing S. ureus and/or alcohol gel versus the control group will be more effective in killing S. aureus. Another alternate hypothesis is that alcohol gel is more effective in killing S. aureus than the hand soap. Materials and Methods: The bottom of a Trypticase Soy Agar (TSA) plate is divided into three (3) pie sections along with the experimentalist initials, class day and class time. A sample of S. aureus is obtained in a closed lid sample tube. The sample tu be is rolled back and forth to suspend the organism evenly while wearing gloves. The sterile swab is dipped into the test tube to obtain S. aureus, and then closed. The petri dish lid is opened just long enough to gently apply the swab in a streak pattern rotating the plate at different angles. The lid is placed on the petri dish and the contaminated swab is disposed in the biohazard bag. A blank disk is placed in the center of section one (1) with sterile tweezers. A second disk is dipped into hand soap and placed in the center of section two (2). A third disk is dipped into alcohol gel and placed in the center of section three (3). Each disk is softly tapped into media to secure. The petri dish is placed bottom side up in an incubator set at 37 degrees Celsius for three (3) days and then placed into refrigerator. Two (2) weeks later the diameter of the zone of clearing around the disk from each section is measured in millimeters. The data is collected from each class and is compiled to calculate the mean, standard deviation, and SEM. The compiled data is analyzed by creating a bar graph to compare the zone of clearing for each group. Results: DATA| CLASS STASTICS| Treatment Groups| Clear Zone (mm)| Mean (mm)| Standard Deviation| SEM| Error Bars| | | | | | Mean + (1. 96) SEM| Mean – (1. 96) SEM| 1. Blank Disk| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 0| 2. Hand Soap| 15| 11. 21| 3. 65| 0. 74| 1. 46| 1. 46| 3. Alcohol Gel| 15| 13. 21| 3. 93| 0. 80| 1. 57| 1. 57| Discussion and Conclusion: There was a significant difference between the control group and the treatment groups. The control group had no effect on killing S. aureus, but the treatment groups did have an effect on killing S. aureus. The hand soap mean zone of clearing was 11. 21mm and the alcohol mean zone of clearing was 13. 21mm. The null hypothesis that neither hand soap nor alcohol gel is effective in killing S. aureus more than the control group is rejected. The alternate hypothesis that hand soap versus the control group is more effective killing S. aureus is accepted. The alternate hypothesis that alcohol gel versus the control group is more effective in killing S. aureus is accepted. The alternate hypothesis that alcohol gel is more effective than the hand soap in killing S. aureus is rejected. The data suggests hand soap is not as effective as alcohol gel; however, statistically, the data does not support that alcohol gel is a more effective treatment because the error bars overlap. In conclusion, cleaning hands with either hand soap or alcohol gel is better at killing S. aureus than using nothing at all.

Practical Demonkeeping Chapter 27-28

27 AUGUSTUS Augustus Brine lit his pipe and played back the details of Travis's story in his mind. He had finished the bottle of wine, but if anything, it had brought clarity to his thoughts by washing away the adrenaline from the morning's adventure. â€Å"There was a time, Travis, that if someone had told me a story like that, I would have called the mental-health people to come and pick him up, but in the last twenty-four hours reality has been riding the dragon's back, and I'm just trying to hang on myself.† â€Å"Meaning what?† Travis asked. â€Å"Meaning I believe you.† Brine rose from the chair and began untying the ropes that bound Travis. There was a scuffling behind them and Brine turned to see Gian Hen Gian coming through the living room wearing a flowered towel around his waist and another around his head. Brine thought he looked like a prune in a Carmen Miranda costume. â€Å"I am refreshed and ready for the torture, Augustus Brine.† The Djinn stopped when he saw Brine untying the demonkeeper. â€Å"So, will we hang the beast from a tall building by his heels until he talks?† â€Å"Lighten up, King,† Brine said. Travis flexed his arms to get the blood flowing. â€Å"Who is that?† he asked. â€Å"That,† Brine said, â€Å"is Gian Hen Gian, king of the Djinn.† â€Å"As in genie?† â€Å"Correct,† Brine said. â€Å"I don't believe it.† â€Å"You are not in a position to be incredulous toward the existence of supernatural beings, Travis. Besides, the Djinn was the one who told me how to find you. He knew Catch twenty-five centuries before you were born.† Gian Hen Gian stepped forward and shook a knotted brown finger in Travis's face. â€Å"Tell us where the Seal of Solomon is hidden or we will have your genitals in a nine-speed reverse action blender with a five-year guarantee before you can say shazam!† Brine raised an eyebrow toward the Djinn. â€Å"You found the Sears catalog in the bathroom.† The Djinn nodded. â€Å"It is filled with many fine instruments of torture.† â€Å"There won't be any need for that. Travis is trying to find the seal so he can send the demon back.† â€Å"I told you,† Travis said, â€Å"I've never seen the Seal of Solomon. It's a myth. I read about it a hundred times in books of magic, but it was always described differently. I think they made it up in the Middle Ages to sell books of magic.† The Djinn hissed at Travis and there was a wisp of blue damask in the air. â€Å"You lie! You could not call up Catch without the seal.† Brine raised a hand to the Djinn to quiet him. â€Å"Travis found the invocation for calling up the demon in a candlestick. He never saw the seal, but I believe it was concealed in the candlestick where he could not see it. Gian Hen Gian, have you ever seen the Seal of Solomon? Would it be possible to conceal it in a candlestick?† â€Å"It was a silver scepter in Solomon's time,† the Djinn said. â€Å"I suppose it could have been made into a candlestick.† â€Å"Well, Travis thinks that the invocation for sending the demon back is concealed in the candlestick he didn't open. I'd guess that anyone who had that knowledge and the Seal of Solomon would also have an invocation for giving you your power. In fact, I'd bet my life on it.† â€Å"It is possible, but it is also possible that the dark one is misdirecting you.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Brine said. â€Å"I don't think he wanted to be involved in this any more than I did. In seventy years he's never figured out that it's his will that controls Catch.† â€Å"The dark one is retarded, then!† â€Å"Hey!† Travis said. â€Å"Enough!† Brine said. â€Å"We have things to do. Gian Hen Gian, go get dressed.† The Djinn left the room without protest and Brine turned again to Travis. â€Å"I think you found the woman you've been looking for,† he said. â€Å"Amanda and Effrom Elliot were married right after he returned from World War One. They get their picture in the local paper every year on their anniversary – you know, under a caption that reads, ‘And they said it wouldn't last.' As soon as the king is ready we'll go over there and see if we can get the candlesticks – if she still has them. I need your word that I can trust you not to try to escape.† â€Å"You have it,† Travis said. â€Å"But I think we should go back to Jenny's house – be ready when Catch returns.† Brine said, â€Å"I want you to try to put Jenny out of your mind, Travis. That's the only way you'll regain control of the demon. But first, there's something you ought to know about her.† â€Å"I know – she's married.† â€Å"No. She's Amanda's granddaughter.† 28 EFFROM Never having died before, Effrom was confused about how he should go about it. It didn't seem fair that a man his age should have to adapt to new and difficult situations. But life was seldom fair, and it was probably safe to assume that death wasn't fair either. This wasn't the first time he had been tempted to firmly demand to speak to the person in charge. It had never worked at the post office, the DMV, or return counters at department stores. Perhaps it would work here. But where was here? He heard voices; that was a good sign. It didn't seem uncomfortably warm – a good sign. He sniffed the air – no sulfur fumes (brimstone, the Bible called it); that was a good sign. Perhaps he had done all right. He did a quick inventory of his life: good father, good husband, responsible if not dedicated worker. Okay, so he cheated at cards at the VFW, but eternity seemed like an awfully long sentence for shuffling aces to the bottom of the deck. He opened his eyes. He had always imagined heaven to be bigger and brighter. This looked like the inside of a cabin. Then he spotted the woman. She was dressed in an iridescent purple body stocking. Her raven-black hair hung to her waist. Heaven? Effrom thought. She was talking on the phone. They have phones in heaven? Why not? He tried to sit up and found that he was tied to the bed. Why was that? Hell? â€Å"Well, which is it?† he demanded. The woman covered the receiver with her hand and turned to him. â€Å"Say something so your wife will know you're okay,† she said. â€Å"I'm not okay. I'm dead and I don't know where I am.† The woman spoke into the phone, â€Å"You see, Mrs. Elliot, your husband is safe and will remain so as long as you do exactly as I have instructed.† The woman covered the mouthpiece again. â€Å"She says she doesn't know about any invocation.† Effrom heard a gravely male voice answer her, but he couldn't see anyone else in the cabin. â€Å"She's lying,† the voice said. â€Å"I don't think so – she's crying.† â€Å"Ask her about Travis,† the voice said. Into the phone the woman said: â€Å"Mrs. Elliot, do you know someone named Travis?† She listened for a second and held the receiver to her breast. â€Å"She says no.† â€Å"It might have been a long time ago,† the voice said. Effrom kept looking for who was talking but could see no one. â€Å"Think,† the woman said into the phone, â€Å"it might have been a long time ago.† The woman listened and nodded with a smile. Effrom looked in the direction of her nod. Who the hell was she nodding to? â€Å"Did he give you anything?† The woman listened. â€Å"Candlesticks?† â€Å"Bingo!† the voice said. â€Å"Yes,† said the woman. â€Å"Bring the candlesticks here and your husband will be released unharmed. Tell no one, Mrs. Elliot. Fifteen minutes.† â€Å"Or he dies,† the voice said. â€Å"Thank you, Mrs. Elliot,† the woman said. She hung up. To Effrom she said, â€Å"Your wife is on the way to pick you up.† â€Å"Who else is in this room?† Effrom asked. â€Å"Who have you been talking to?† â€Å"You met him earlier today,† the woman said. â€Å"The alien? I thought he killed me.† â€Å"Not yet,† the voice said. â€Å"Is she coming?† Catch asked. Rachel was looking out the cabin window at a cloud of dust rising from the dirt road. â€Å"I can't tell,† she said. â€Å"Mr. Elliot, what kind of car does your wife drive?† â€Å"A white Ford,† Effrom said. â€Å"It's her.† Rachel felt a shiver of excitement run through her. Her sense of wonder had been stretched and tested many times in the last twenty-four hours, leaving her open and raw to every emotion. She was afraid of the power she was about to gain, but at the same time, the myriad possibilities that power created diluted her fear with a breathless giddiness. She felt guilty about abusing the old couple in order to gain the invocation, but perhaps with her newfound power she could repay them. In any case, it would be over soon and they would be going home. The actual nature of the Earth spirit bothered her as well. Why did it seem†¦ well†¦ so impious? And why did it seem so male? The Ford pulled up in front of the cabin and stopped. Rachel watched a frail old woman get out of the car holding two ornate candlesticks. The woman clutched the candlesticks to her and stood by the car looking around, waiting. She was obviously terrified and Rachel, feeling a stab of guilt, looked away. â€Å"She's here,† Rachel said. Catch said, â€Å"Tell her to come in.† Effrom looked up from the bed, but he could not rise enough to see out the window. â€Å"What are you going to do to the wife?† he demanded. â€Å"Nothing at all,† Rachel said. â€Å"She has something I need. When I get it, you can both go home.† Rachel went to the door and threw it open as if she were welcoming home a long-lost relative. Amanda stood by the car, thirty feet away. â€Å"Mrs. Elliot, you'll need to bring the candlesticks in so we can inspect them.† â€Å"No.† Amanda stood firm. â€Å"Not until I know that Effrom is safe.† Rachel turned to Effrom. â€Å"Say something to your wife, Mr. Elliot.† â€Å"Nope,† Effrom said. â€Å"I'm not speaking to her. This is all her fault.† â€Å"Please cooperate, Mr. Elliot, so we can let you go home.† To Amanda, Rachel said, â€Å"He doesn't want to talk, Mrs. Elliot. Why don't you bring the candlesticks in? I assure you that neither one of you will be harmed.† Rachel couldn't believe that she was saying these things. She felt as if she were reading the script from a bad gangster movie. Amanda stood clutching the candlesticks, uncertain of what she should do. Rachel watched the old woman take a tentative step toward the cabin, then, suddenly, the candlesticks were ripped from her grasp and Amanda was thrown to the ground as if she'd been hit by a shotgun blast. â€Å"No!† Rachel screamed. The candlesticks seemed to float in the air as Catch carried them to her. She ignored them and ran to where Amanda lay on the ground. She cradled the old woman's head in her arms. Amanda opened her eyes and Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. â€Å"Are you all right, Mrs. Elliot? I'm so sorry.† â€Å"Leave her,† Catch said. â€Å"I'll take care of both of them in a second.† Rachel turned toward Catch's voice. The candlesticks were shaking in the air. She still found it unsettling to talk to a disembodied voice. â€Å"I don't want these people hurt, do you understand?† â€Å"But now that we have the invocation, they are insignificant.† The candlesticks turned in the air as Catch examined them. â€Å"Come now, I think there's a seam on one of these, but I can't grip it. Come open it.† â€Å"In a minute,† Rachel said. She helped Amanda get to her feet. â€Å"Let's go in the house, Mrs. Elliot. It's all over. You can go home as soon as you feel up to it.† Rachel led Amanda through the front door, holding her by the shoulders. The old woman seemed dazed and listless. Rachel was afraid she would drop any second, but when Amanda saw Effrom tied to the bed, she shrugged off Rachel's support and went to him. â€Å"Effrom.† She sat on the bed and stroked his bald head. â€Å"Well, wife,† Effrom said, â€Å"I hope you're happy. You go gallivanting all over the state and you see what happens? I get kidnapped by invisible moon-men. I hope you had a good trip – I can't even feel my hands anymore. Probably gangrene. They'll probably have to cut them off.† â€Å"I'm sorry, Effrom.† Amanda turned to Rachel. â€Å"Can I untie him, please?† The pleading in her eyes almost broke Rachel's heart. She had never felt so cruel. She nodded. â€Å"You can go now. I'm sorry it had to be this way.† â€Å"Open this,† Catch said. He was tapping a candlestick on Rachel's shoulder. While Amanda untied Effrom's wrists and ankles and rubbed them to restore the circulation, Rachel examined one of the candlesticks. She gave it a quick twist and it unscrewed at the seam. From the weight of it, Rachel would have never guessed that it was hollow. As she unscrewed it, she noticed that the threads were gold. That accounted for the extra weight. Whoever had made the candlesticks had gone to great lengths to conceal the hollow interior. The two pieces separated. A piece of parchment was tightly rolled inside. Rachel placed the base of the candlestick on the table, slid out the yellow tube of parchment, and slowly began to unroll it. The parchment crackled, and the edges flaked away as it unrolled. Rachel felt her pulse increase as the first few letters appeared. When half the page was revealed, her excitement was replaced with anxiety. â€Å"We may be in trouble,† she said. â€Å"Why?† Catch's voice emanated from a spot only inches away from her face. â€Å"I can't read this; it's in some foreign language – Greek, I think. Can you read Greek?† â€Å"I can't read at all,† Catch said. â€Å"Open the other candlestick. Maybe what we need is in there. Rachel picked up the other candlestick and turned it in her hands. â€Å"There's no seam on this one.† â€Å"Look for one; it might be hidden,† the demon said. Rachel went to the kitchen area of the cabin and got a knife from the silverware drawer to scrape away the silver. Amanda was helping Effrom get to his feet, urging him across the room. Rachel found the seam and worked the knife into it. â€Å"I've got it.† She unscrewed the candlestick and pulled out a second parchment. â€Å"Can you read this one?† Catch said. â€Å"No. This one's in Greek, too. We'll have to get it translated. I don't even know anyone who reads Greek.† â€Å"Travis,† Catch said. Amanda had Effrom almost to the door when she heard Travis's name. â€Å"Is he still alive?† she asked. â€Å"For a while,† Catch said. â€Å"Who is this Travis?† Rachel asked. She was supposed to be the one in charge here, yet the old woman and the demon seemed to know more about what was going on than she did. â€Å"They can't go,† Catch said. â€Å"Why? We have the invocation; we just need to get it translated. Let them go.† â€Å"No,† Catch said. â€Å"If they warn Travis, he will find a way to protect the girl.† â€Å"What girl?† Rachel felt as if she had walked into the middle of a plot-heavy mystery movie and no one was going to tell her what was happening. â€Å"We have to get the girl and hold her hostage until Travis translates the invocation.† â€Å"What girl?† Rachel repeated. â€Å"A waitress at the cafe in town. Her name is Jenny.† â€Å"Jenny Masterson? She's a member of the coven. What does she have to do with this?† â€Å"Travis loves her.† â€Å"Who is Travis?† There was a pause. Rachel, Amanda, and Effrom all stared at empty air waiting for the answer. â€Å"He is my master,† Catch said. â€Å"This is really weird,† Rachel said. â€Å"You're a little slow on the uptake, aren't you, honey?† Effrom said.

Mulai Periyar Dam

Mullaperiyar Dam or Mullai Periyar Damis a masonry gravity dam on the Periyar River in the Kerala state of India. It is located 881 m (2,890 ft) above mean sea level on the Cardamom Hills of the Western Ghats in Thekkady, Idukki District of Kerala, South India. It was constructed between 1887 and 1895 by the British Government to divert water eastwards to Madras Presidency area (the present-day Tamil Nadu). It has a height of 53.6 m (176 ft) from the foundation and length of 365.7 m (1,200 ft).The Periyar National Park in Thekkady is located around the dam's reservoir. The dam is located in Kerala on the river Periyar, but the dam is controlled and operated under a period lease by neighboring Tamil Nadu stateSupreme court judgment came in February 27 2006, allowing tamilnadu to raise the level of the dam to 152 feet after strengthening it. Responding to it, Mullaperiyar dam was declared an ‘endangered' scheduled dam by the Kerala GovernmentMullai Periyar Damafter a few minor ea rthquakes in 1979 in regions surrounding the dam, security issues were raised over its security. Since then, both the Kerala and TN governments have been at loggerheads over the security issue. Later, experts from Indian Institute of Technology also examined the dam, and mentioned that the dam will not withstand an earthquake. What does the TN government have to say about it?The TN government refutes allegations that age has withered the dam. There are arguments that if the world's oldest Kallanai dam (built in the second century AD) in Srirangam in Tiruchirapali district is still functional and continues to irrigate about 4,000 sqkm, why can't the Mullaperiyar be as well. So, where do the two governments stand?The Kerala government's contention is that in case the dam breaks, the three dams downstream — Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kolamavu – will not be able to withhold the pressure, which will put the lives of 3.5 million people in the state. On the other hand, the TN gov ernment maintains that if the Mullaperiyar is demolished, it will create water scarcity in five districts  of the state, leading to a draught in the region.

Examining Current Issues in Child Mental Health Essay

In today’s society, a major concern that ought to ensure success in a country’s future is the positive development, growth and health of children. According to the World Health Organization, children are susceptible to acquiring malnutrition, along with having a higher prevalence rate of diseases compared to any other age group (WHO, 2012). Likewise, these susceptibilities in children are determined by the social determinants of health; known as conditions set in place in order to combat illness and are dependent on the country’s power, wealth and economy (WHO, 2012). In this critical review, the social gradient and social determinants of health are used in order to analyze the impact of society on child mental health and development. From a Canadian perspective of the social the determinants of health, the following topics that are addressed in the critical analysis of child mental health include three social determinants. These determinants consist of the early child hood development vs. race/ethnicity, early child hood development vs. ealth services, and early child hood development vs. social exclusion. While the article, â€Å"Call for Help (HL)† By Suzanna Pillay, reports the significant view that the children’s help line service is known to be the number one coping method for children with negative psychological issues; however, this is not the case since the primary solution to avoiding child mental health issues is with the main help of the primary care giver, general public and global organizations. Summary of â€Å"Call for Help† By Suzanna Pillay The article’s overall message describes children being a susceptible being to mental health issues that occur due to many factors, however, those issues can be reduced and prevented during the first three years of development with the help of several caregivers. Suzanne mentions that the children’s helpline is the main route to determining what’s wrong with the children who call because many tend to seek help there rather than to their primary caregivers, their parents. In addition, research and statistics from the child helpline shows that some of the mental disorders that the children acquire are a lack of confidence, eating disorders, phobias, obsessions, anxiety, suicidal, loneliness and depression. According to the article, the central solution to fight against the odds of children developing mental health problems in their later years is to provide a positive environment both external and internal that will lead them to a stable life. Overall, although the article layout many viewpoints, issues and solutions toward child mental health, in the end it comes down to the fact that the early years of a child’s development is critical and consists of many components such as brain development, emotions, stability and perception in life, coping, and health. Critical Analysis To begin with, from a Canadian perspective they believe that early childhood development (ECD) is one of the important social determinants of health to draw upon on when analyzing child mental health. As mentioned in the article, the first three years are vital for a child’s emotional and development and control; whereas increasing stress hormones can affect the development of the brain. However, on the social gradient scale the early years of development can vary between different races and ethnicities. For instance, according to an article by Christina Gamache Martin and her colleges, research has shown to indicate that there are racial and ethnic disparities; where African Americans are more prone to higher cortisol levels than Caucasians and Latinos had lower levels of cortisol than Caucasians (Evidence 1). Critsol is a glucocorticide hormone derived from the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, where both work together to mediate between persistent stress and appalling health (Evidence 1). As a result, since the African American group has shown to have had higher levels of crotisol, they tend have a lack of parental monitoring and higher risk of acquiring mental health issues (eVdence 1). Therefore, it is clear that some children may have a higher tendency of acquiring mental health illnesses due to race and ethnicity. In conclusion, it would be logical to rovide public services as mentioned in the article by Suzanne Pillay to specific race and ethnic youth groups who are more likely experience negative early child hood development. Moreover, health services provide to a society in Canada is also known to have a significant impact on children and their development. One issue outlined in the article was that 60 % and higher of child care and nursery centers were overpopulated with children with mental disabilities and on top of that they did not follow up on child’s needs presented in an Act in 2001 for children. This statement essentially indicates that health services such as foster care services and child care centers with mental health ill children will need to be addressed in a manner that will benefit the children. A research study acknowledged by Georgina, Hibbert, makes note of the worthiness of health services in relation to child mental illnesses. The study was a consultation called the â€Å"Psychology Consultation Service† which was set up by Brent CAMHS in 1005 that provided consent to improve foster care services. It was in support of limitations in other studies and issues revolving around mental health and children. They found this consultation to show great improvement in the skills and understanding of children with mental illness in foster care, while also making the foster care givers more self-reliance and assurance to perform their job well. (evidence 2). Other workers, such as social workers found the model consultation to also be beneficial in terms of skills advancement, planning, and increase knowledge. In regards to the article, the consultation is a fine example of presenting methods in which health services can perform in order to improve their quality of services to help child mental health patients in the future. Lastly, to draw upon the viewpoints made in the article it quite apparent that social exclusion are viable key determinants factors that can both hinder and impact child development in a negative way. As stated in the article, it important to acknowledge the fact that children who are cared for, not neglected and grow up in a warm environment are more likely to do better in life compared to those who are neglected and experience some type of violence or abuse at a young age. Wren, Frances J, expresses this logic strongly in his article insisting that primary care givers, such as the parents and clinician, of a child play a significantly important role decreasing the chances of mental health illness such as depression in the future (Evidence 3). The close relationship between the care givers and the child will help to determine any early symptoms of mental health illness that can be prevented in the future (Evidence 3). In connection to the article, if parents sought to provide their child with the care and positive environment they need, children would be less likely to perform such acts like calling the children helpline to ask for help and advice when facing psychological symptoms’ or disorders. Moreover, they would feel more comfortable to talk to their parents and could mean a way of closing the mental illness treatment gap in medical care. Conclusion In conclusion, it is apparent that there are various social determinants of health that create inequalities in health, usually leading to problems like affecting the care of children with mental health illnesses. As for limitations, this analysis only focuses on three of many of Canada’s standpoints in social inequalities in health. Moreover, despite the research and enhancement of services provided there will always be limitations due to the fact that every child differs from one another. The analysis makes a clear distinction between the social determinant of health and inequalities in health towards child mental health and development, such that there are inequalities in the child mental health spectrum that need to be evaluated and improved. As a result, the general conception is that in order to reduce limitations in child mental health the help of primary care givers, society and organizations are needed and without them it would be impossible to reduce the effects of negatively impacting environments and early child hood development on children in the future.

Naval Hospital Guam Facility Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Naval Hospital Guam Facility - Case Study Example Naval Hospital Guam 2006). My search has so far brought up the general quality management program for the Department of Defense but no specifics on this particular facility. I have been unable to identify a comprehensive Quality Assurance Program document online for the Naval Hospital Guam. The tasks of the Data Quality Analysis and Evaluation Division, the closest thing to Quality Assurance, is as follows: "Administers, coordinates and analyzes a variety of statistical data, to include: Medical Expense and Workload (MEPRS); Clinical workload data (both inpatient and outpatient); and Utilization Reporting for use by the command and higher authority. Provides guidance to work centers in developing statistical data collection techniques; and conducts training to familiarize personnel with statistical data reporting and requirements, and the impact on financial and manpower resource allocation"(U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, 2008). In connection with TRICARE, there was reference to the 1998 document from the Assistant Secretary of Defense. The Department of Defense (DoD) Utilization Management (UM) Policy for the Direct Care System provides a framework for systematic business and clinical processes. Regional UM and Quality Management processes are developed at the Lead Agent level. The Lead Agent establishes joint plans with the Managed Care Support (MCS) Contractors. The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) standards or the Joint Committee on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHCO) standards provide the basis for the flexible development of processes which are multidisciplinary, cost efficient and designed to optimize patient care (Assistant Secretary of Defense, 1998). The goals and objectives include attention to the cost efficiency, timeliness and quality of care as well as the optimal partnership with MCS Contractors. Process performance, process improvement and system improvement a nalysis are an integral part of the plan and appropriate measurement and statistical methods are included in the plan. Key elements of the plan are education, utilization review, demand referral management, case and disease management, discharge planning and health promotion. These provide a basis for the evaluation of care and the development of best practices including practice guidelines, critical pathways and critical outcome studies. TRICARE has developed a Provider Handbook by Region to supply information on key operational aspects of the program and program options. Mandated Requirements: According to the Assistant Secretary of Defense (1998), integration of UM in the Direct Care System (DCS) with the contractor's network, other regional Military Treatment Facilities (MTF),

Total quality management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Total quality management - Essay Example The meaning of quality differs depending on the circumstances and perceptions held by a consumer. Its meaning is also largely time based and equally situational. For example, quality becomes a different concept when focus is on tangible products versus the perception of a quality service. Scholars have thus given a general definition which postulates that it is a fitness for intended use. This definition says that quality is being able to meet and exceed the expectations of the customer. Deming argues that the customer’s definition of quality is the one that genuinely matters. It is thus evident that having a clear definition is not easy. The concept of zero defects is advocated by Philip Crosby. The primary objective of total quality management is to bring the number of faults or defects to zero (Nigam 113). However, Juran and Deming disagree with Crosby’s assertion that organizations should work towards having zero defects in services and products. This is on the grounds that customers have different tastes and preferences which are difficult to satisfy. Humans are not perfect and having  zero defects is not perfection. It is concerned with a commitment by employees and understanding that processes should continually be enhanced and defective systems should be reworked and reorganized from the top down.   In conclusion, quality encompasses a broad aspect that makes it difficult to settle on one definition. Meeting and continually exceeding market demands constitutes quality. Having zero defects is in itself not realizing perfection as market demands are dynamic. Quality Guru Deming postulates that catchphrases like "Zero Defects" are in fact, counterproductive and may possibly de-emphasize the customs and tools linked with continuous

Does Mary have a choice in the matter of her pregnancy Do you agree Essay

Does Mary have a choice in the matter of her pregnancy Do you agree - Essay Example The Christian adherence to the proposition that Jesus, the son of God was conceived of a virgin of virtuous and unique qualities is not unknown to religious beliefs. For example, Buddhists subscribe to a vastly similar theory that Buddha was conceived by Maya, also a virgin of marked uniqueness. (Woodman) Virginity which speaks of purity are not the sole determining factors in these women finding favour with divinity. It is their faith and belief in the wisdom of the divine that dictates that neither woman would question or object to the divine decision to impregnate them with the son of a higher power. Mary too is described as having a close connection with God even as a child, she prayed often and the angels of God often communicated with her. According to the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew, Mary’s destiny was determined by the divine as early as age three. The Gospel documents the following: Israel; and when she was three years old, she walked with a step so mature, she spoke so perfectly, and spent her time so assiduously in the praises of God, that all were astonished at her, and wondered; and she was not reckoned a young infant, but as it were a grown-up person of thirty years old. She was so constant in prayer, and her appearance was so beautiful and In each case, both women are predestined for greatness or at the very least uniqueness. Maya, like Mary are both enamoured with what appears to be divine characteristics that set them apart from ordinary mortals. Mary in both her beauty and her close connection to God and Maya in her beauty and her likeness to a Goddess. In each case the inescapable conclusion is that both women were chosen by the divine for those characteristics that ensured that neither woman would deny their destinies. As such Mary did not have a choice the choice was made by a higher power, one that

Architectural acoustics Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Architectural acoustics - Lab Report Example As far as the engineering is concerned, sound production has far-reaching implications on the environment. Sounds are pressure vibrations that travel in mediums such as gases, liquids and solids. The most common type of sound perceived by human ear is that which travels through air. Sound could be constructive or unconstructive. However noise is generally regarded as unwanted and destructive sound. In work environments or even in home setting, it is preferred that noise should be reduced effectively since it can affect the ability to work, concentration and rest. These noises range from loud music, traffic and building services (air ducts, pumps etc.) to neighbor activity. Noise production is still rated as one of the serious rampant forms of environmental pollution. Noise pollution continues to affect human health, as well as behaviors. Noise pollution has the can trigger annoyance, as well as aggression. Noise is also associated with high stress levels, disturbance of sleep, hypertension and tinnitus. It is worth noting that stress and hypertension are among the current serious threats to human health. Loud noise can also trigger cardiovascular diseases, resulting from increased blood pressure caused by noise. Noise does not only affect human beings, but also other organisms. For example, noise can affect wildlife by increasing the death risks by triggering an incapability of the predators to detect the prey. Introduction of noise in the new ecosystem can also reduce the portion of a usable habitat by either scaring away organisms or threatening them to extinction through the harmful consequences. Thus, process of curbing noise pollution is critical In this regard, curbing the amount of noise has been one critical area for engineers in their quest for sustainable development and production processes. Environmental engineers have defined the ability to control sound in a closed environment as Architectural Acoustics. Designers and engineers have studied

Working at McDonald's Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Working at McDonald's - Essay Example The apparent reasons that were disclosed by the author included affecting academic performance in a negative manner; apparently imparting skills that are not sufficiently applicable in future endeavors; and reportedly skew the values that are supposed to focus on adherence to ethical, moral and legal standards. Evidently, Etzioni indicated that the nature of the jobs provided in these kinds of establishments is highly uneducational. For one, the tasks and responsibilities were routinary, highly automated, structured, and leaves little grounds for instilling the teen-agers skills to develop creativity and innovativeness in the work setting. Another set of reasons contended by Etzioni that contributes to McDonald’s being bad for one’s kids are that these jobs provide few opportunities for career promotions or for the development of marketable skills, and more importantly, take greater amounts of time that compromise academic attendance and performance. Likewise, without a mple adult supervision, no governance and strategic guidance is provided to teenagers working in McDonald’s; and the apparent remuneration enables these teenagers to gain access to temporary fads and short-term pleasures that do not focus on the development of long-range planning on being financially mature and responsible citizens. Part 2: Critical Response Etzioni’s points of discussion and arguments were effective in terms of the ability of the author in relaying the message in a clear and concise manner. For instance, the subject or thesis statement was revealed at the first line where it was indicated that â€Å"McDonald’s is bad for your kids†¦ (particularly) to the jobs teen-agers undertake† (Etzioni 283). Then, succeeding statements provided the needed support for this main point. To support this main argument, for instance, Etzioni provided the following reasons to justify that McDonald’s is bad for kids in terms of providing employme nt at this particular fast food chain: (1) these jobs were asserted to â€Å"undermine school attendance and involvement, impart few skills that would be useful in later life, and simultaneously skew the values of teen-agers† (Etzioni par. 3); (2) these jobs are highly uneducational; (3) the hours and working days were reported to be too long; (4) supervisory techniques impart wrong lessons in terms of compliance that was described as blind obedience, as well as shared alienation with the boss (Etzioni par. 14), and inappropriate and insufficient (where teens were reported to supervise peer teens); (5) inconsistency in administrative or supervisory governance (too tight or too loose); and (6) pay apparently spent on â€Å"flimsy punk clothes, trinkets, and whatever else is the latest fast-moving teen craze† (Etzioni par. 18). Another reason why one strongly believes that Etzioni presented effective arguments to support his main point is that the author used and cited p revious studies to validate statements that were presented. There were two studies noted and cited as needed: the 1984 study apparently made by Ivan Charper and Bryan Shore Frazer which supposedly relied on responses made by teen-agers from the questionnaires that were designed; and the 1980 study conducted by A.V. Harrell and P.W. Wirtz that aimed to determine the unemployment rate of those who were previously employed at fast food chains as compared to those who stayed in school. In addition, some statistics and figures were cited to support other arguments. The assertion that teen-agers render long days and hours working at fast-food chains cited the Charper and Frazer study which disclosed that more than 30 hours per week were rendered by a third of the employees or approximately 33%; 20%

Organisations and behaviour Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisations and behaviour - Coursework Example If managers are able to understand how different culture and structure can influence the performance of the organization, they will be able to manipulate their organizations performance through varying structure and culture of their institutions. Organizations can be defined as collection of individuals with an aim of achieving a common target (Flamholtz & Randle 2011, p.51). Therefore, every organization has a specific arrangement that determines the levels and flow of powers. This determines who is in charge of the others and also stipulates individuals’ status in the organization. The arrangement is determined by the functions individuals perform according to the area of their occupation. Individuals carry out the same task in the organization from time to time hence increases their work efficiency. This reduces the time of performing their duties hence saving cost of operation in the organization. Culture refers to the practices, standards and conducts that every individual member in an organization has to adhere to during their normal discharge of duties (Flamholtz & Randle 2011, p.54). Every organization has unique traditions that every member to that organization must uphold in order to be able to cope with other members and discharge their duties effectively (Fairfield-Sonn 2001, p.64). Therefore, the culture of each organization determines the conducts of the organizations’ employees and how the level of performance attained by the organization. Organizational structure defines the channel of flow of power within the workers in an organization (Jenks 2004). This streamline the flow of information within the organization as it moves from a specific source to the rest of the members. Organization structure affects individuals within an organization while organization culture may have a uniform impact on the organization (Jenks 2004). This is because structure

State Machine Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

State Machine - Essay Example Suitable choice of semantics for state machines allows multiple machines to be composed in the description of a single object. State diagram can be used to graphically represent finite state machines. This was introduced by Taylor Booth in his 1967 book "Sequential Machines and Automata Theory". Another possible representation is the State transition table. The mealy model for a state machine is one in which the outputs are a function of both the present state and the input. It is a general model for state machines, and assumes that there are two types of inputs; clock inputs and data inputs. The clock inputs cause the state transitions and gate'' the outputs, (so the outputs are really pulse'' outputs; i.e., they are valid only when the clock is asserted). The data transitions determine the values of next-states and outputs. Essentially, the clock inputs control the timing of the state transitions and outputs, while the data inputs determine their values. In this model outputs are associated with the states of the device. In the Moore machine, the outputs are stable for the full time the device is in a given state. (The outputs are said to be level'' outputs, and are valid even when the clock inputs are not asserted.). Again, there are two types of inputs, clock inputs and data inputs. In this case, however, the clock inputs only directly enable the state transitions. ... In general, we can say that; it is possible to convert any Mealy type machine into an equivalent Moore type machine, and vice-versa. First, we must define what we mean for two state machines to be equivalent. Two state machines are said to be equivalent if they produce exactly the same output for all inputs. Consequently, to derive an equivalent Moore machine from a Mealy machine, it must be possible to guarantee that the two machines produce the same output after any arbitrary input string has been input. This can be done by splitting all the Mealy states corresponding to different outputs, and ensuring that these states are connected to next-states which correspond to equivalent states in the original Mealy machine. Reference: 1. http://web.cs.mun.ca/paul/cs3724/material/web/notes/node25.html 2.