History Summative: The Baby Boom

The Baby Boom was one of the most important events in Canadian history and continues to impact how we live our lives today. After World War 2 ended, between the years of 1945 and 1965, there was a huge increase in population known as the Baby Boom. The Baby Boom occurred because soldiers came home from war with a victory and were finally ready to start a family with their wives or girlfriends in a time when there was a good economy. In 1959, 20 percent of all women who were in their twenties had babies and the average family had three to four children (1). Around 1961, births per 1000 women aged 15-49 hit almost 4,000 (5).In total, more than 8. 2 babies had been born during the baby boom in Canada (2). These statistics give you an indication about how densely and quickly the population increased and how this bulge in the population could not be ignored through the years. Many events in history have helped shape Canada into the country it is today, but nothing has made such an impact on how we have lived, live now, and will continue to live as much as the baby boom has. The Baby Boom created an overwhelming demand for homes because of expanding families needing more room for their newborn children, this demand led to something called â€Å"Suburbia†.More than 1. 1 million housing units were built in the 1950’s (3) to adjust to all of the new families who needed homes – this began the first decade of â€Å"urban sprawl†. There would also be a big huge demand for nurses, school teachers, doctors and such to take care of the huge amount of new kids born as a result of the Baby Boom. Canada’s economy had gone from making Bren Machine Guns just a few years earlier for the war to making baby carriages, baby clothes, new cars, and bunk beds for all the new children that had just recently entered into the world.A few years later, during the 1950’s, when the â€Å"baby boomers† started to become teenagers, society had to a djust accordingly as well. Many communities began to build new arenas, recreational facilities, organizations, and â€Å"teenager hangouts† in order to make up for the huge amount of adolescents roaming their society. In the same time period the baby boomers also began to greatly influence music culture and such. Teenagers tended to listen to the big rock and roll stars at the time, including Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley and Ottawa’s very own Paul Anka (4).Marketers began to realize that the more they used these songs, the more money they would make. That being said, the baby boomers virtually catered to not only the music industry, but things such as film and books as well. The baby boomers were controlling the way the 50’s and 60’s would later be viewed and talked about in the future. The Baby Boomers are affecting today’s communities. The average baby boomer would be around 65 years old this year. Today, they don’t necessarily rule the medi a world, but they do have a huge impact on job openings for young people.The baby boomers are occupying all of the big jobs of today, making it harder for younger people to find jobs that pay well to support their families. Luckily for teenagers of today, soon the baby boomers will be retiring all at once, leaving a huge amount of job openings in their path. Once the baby boomers retire and become seniors, the taxes may be forced to increase in order to cater to the needs of the huge amount of elderly and their requirements, such as government pensions, and Medicare.There might also be smaller changes that the average person wouldn’t notice, such as the demand for soccer fields and hockey arenas may decrease and golf courses could become more popular. If the Baby Boom from 1945- 1965 didn’t happen, the world today, leading up to today, and even the future, would be very different from the way we live now. When the baby boomers were originally born, they required a huge amount of new housing and supplies, as well as causing a vast increase in population in a very short period of time.When the baby boomers grew up to be teenagers, they virtually controlled the media scene and also required a lot of new buildings and things to be built. Even now, when they are almost seniors in our society, they control a lot of things, one of the bigger things being employment. The Baby Boom happened around 55 years ago, and it still is showing impact on Canada’s development today. There are many other events in Canada’s history that contributed to Canada’s development but nothing continues to have as much of a significant impact as the Baby Boom does.

Democratic Education in Modern China Essay

Education plays an important role in transforming a society, this follows from its impact on the reasoning of persons, transforming of culture, change of attitude, increased efficiency and also the enhancement of a systematic analysis of some documentations that enable the creation of a new knowledge among other impacts. It enables the transfer of skills from one person to the other and also the sharing of experience that is meant to increase efficiency. Educating society enables the country to develop its human resources. This is enhanced through the imparting of skills that are meant to improve the labour productivity and efficiency in performing varied tasks. Education also impacts communication in a positive manner as the trainees are provided with the skills on how to effectively communicate. Effective communication enables the employees of an organisation to exchange ideas with much easy, hence promoting the sharing of experience that is likely to enhance improved efficiency in some organisation. Education history in China can be traced to have started at the initial stages of the Chinese civilization. It started among the nobles who established educational training for their young ones. The first school that was established in was Shang Hsiang, that was meant to teach the youth and specifically the nobles on some skills as provided by the Chinese culture (Deng, 1). The establishment of Shang Hsiang school can therefore be perceived as the starting point for education in China. Afterwards the government established five national schools that were meant to teach specifically the junior nobles. The national schools thought the six Arts that include rite, mathematics, Calligraphy, Charioteering, Archery and Archery, that formed the six practices of the Chinese culture. Within the same time, hundred schools of thought emerged within the Chinese community having Confucianism as the most popular school of thought. The leader of Confucianism, that is Confucius was perceived as being the originator for the education that was meant to reach the large numbers, that is, educate for the public. Confucius advocated for the provision of education to all the population without discrimination and encouraged the teaching of the students according to their respective ability. The advocating for education for all and according to their ability followed the discrimination that was existing by then in providing educational training because it was only meant for the noble youths, who were the offspring of he nobles. Therefore, this can be perceived as being a setback in the early development of education in China during the Cultural Revolution. The success and the failures of the Cultural Revolution reforms in Education. The success or the failure of the cultural revolution reforms imply the extend to which the educational reforms met the purported purposes as provided by the authority. In the early establishment of schools in China, the process of enhancing education was affected by the political structure, where schools were grouped according to political entities in order to gain favour of social influence. The political structure affected education depending on which school of thought that the leaders of the society regarded as being appropriate as the various schools of thought were in competition. For example, Qin Shi Huang favored for legalism, that is, the Chinese philosophy, and perceived the other schools of thought as being useless (Peterson, 20). Following his attitude, he used to burn books from the other schools of though and buried scholars belonging to the schools of thought that were not preferable according to him. This actions is one of the major setbacks that retarded the development of education in China during the cultural revolution. Confucianism was advocated as the national education doctrine by Emperor Wu of Han. This situation disadvantaged the other schools of thought that never had an upper hand in the Chinese politics, despite their educational content. Otherwise, it was just a matter of the attitude other than the quality of education inherent in different schools of schools of thought. The success of education in China was however boasted by the invention of paper in China. This enabled effective documentation of the educational teachings, and enhanced easy reference and storage. The freedom to access education, that is, the autonomy of education from political influence was enhanced through the defeat of the Chinese empire in the Opium war. This marked the turning point for education standard and access in China. Following the defeat, the modern western education streamed into the country in various languages. It also impacted the various sectors that included the national defence and the technicalities that were used in production. The government also boasted the education by sending numerous students abroad to study varied technical courses. The families also sent their offspring for study in the countries that include the United States of America, Europe and Japan. Towards the end of the 19th Century a number of high learning institutions were established that include the Jiaotong University and also the Peking University. On introducing the western education and deserting the cultural oriented education, the Chinese education system focused in enhancing economic modernisation as the main agenda foe improving the education standard. This direction was provided in 1984 following the designing of laws that were meant to govern the Chinese education system (Hill and Storey, 27). An education plan was also designed in 1985 that was meant to reform the education system. Among the contents on the plan included the five year compulsory education and also the instituting of the State Education Commission. The government devoted funds in the improvement of the education standards and ensuring that more citizens were accessible to education. In China, the policies that have been designed overtime have been alternating between improving the knowledge also the practical application of the knowledge in enhancing national development. This was meant to orient the education system in making it relevant for national development. The government has also been trying to lessen the gaps that exist between the workers and the peasants in terms of literacy. The urban population also seem to be more educated than the rural population, thus the government has also been trying to seal the gap by supplying the rural population with the educational facilities. There has also been an encouragement for the intellectuals to engage in providing manual labour in enhancing national development. Science and technology was offered the first priority in enhancing national development, however social sciences were also perceived as being reinforcing in attaining national development. The vocational training was considered equivalently important. The elite were encouraged to further their capabilities by seeking further training in improving their efficiency and competence. The intellectuals were also encouraged to engage in research that was meant to create new knowledge in integrating it which the knowledge from abroad. The beneficiaries of the criteria that used in selecting students for higher education during the cultural revolution time, where recommendations dependent on political connectivity than merit. The higher education in China can be perceived to have risen following the dynamics in the political policies that have been occurring in the modern China. The need for higher education arose due to the emphasis over professionalisms and the enabling of technical competence. In the early stages of Chinese cultural revolution, a large number of students were enrolled in Red Guard organizations which were the higher learning institutions by then (Williams, 117). In 1970s, according the admission criteria into the Red Guard, one was admitted to the organization only if they were recommended from their work unit and had good political credentials, and on the condition that they were not involved in the manual labour. There were no examinations that were meant to evaluate the ability of the students who were admitted to the University, meaning that there was a possibility for admitting incapable students to the university. Admission into a university heavily depended on political connections of an individual other than merit; therefore one required a political recommendation before joining university. Following the criteria that was used in admitting students into the university, the education standard was reported to had fallen to an extend to which the students were unable to read a book after leaving the university in their respective fields of study. This situation also had an impact of demoralizing the university administrators. The criteria of admission only gave an opportunity to the children of the cadres and the officers who had connections that were to enable them get admission for their children ‘through the back door’. Therefore, following the nature of the criteria that was used to admit students, the students who benefited from the high learning education were the ones who had a political connection that was to enable them secure an admission through the back door. This method of admission disadvantaged the potential students who could have made in better in the university due to lack of political connection. The children of the peasants stood at a disadvantage meaning that the cycle of being politically non-influential was likely to persist, as the politically influential persons were likely to prepare their children to take over after them, hence perpetuating leadership within some families. The Red Guards can be regarded as being naive pawns in an elite struggle other than being rational actors that were to protect their self interests. The criteria that was adapted by the Red Guards in admitting the students into the university portray the Red Guard as being naive pawns in an elite power struggle than rational actors protecting their self interest. This is evident in the situation where the red Guards only engaged in admitting students into the university without any evaluation on whether they have the ability to pursue various courses of their preference. As mentioned early, the graduates never even had the ability to read a book even after graduating from the university. The criteria locked out the children who belonged to his peasant families regardless of their ability to excel in academics. This situation enabled the politically connected persons to reign with fewer competitions from the other members of the society, regardless of their weaknesses because the criteria provided them with a protection against. The aim for the high education was to enable high performance among the students when they are in practice, implying that the admitting of students who do not qualify into the university following their political connections is anti development (Smith and Buckle, 231) The admitting of students who do not qualify for admission will contribute less to national development because the education attained while in the university will have less impact in improving their performance. The red guards were trying to ensure that competition is restrained because of the posts that were to enable them maintain their social classes were likely to be taken by the new elites that were likely to emerge among the peasants, thus it was a strategy over which the peasants were denied the opportunity to compete favorably with the politically connected persons. The dominance was only to be reinforced by restricting the new forces that were likely to emerge from the peasants is they accessed higher education. The Red guards can be regarded as being protecting their interests, but the protecting of their interests was irrational. They can be perceived as being irrational actors following the fact that the criteria was undermining national development, because the graduates were likely to fail meeting the responsibilities entrusted to them with regard to the academic tittles awarded to them. The aim for higher education was to enhance national development, therefore the act of offering education to persons who were certain to contribute less to national development seem to be an irrational act as the purported reasons for offering higher education were never attained. This implies the wasting of resources by the state in educating students whose marginal productivity in contributing to the national development was below the optimal requirements, thus a bogus investment. Thus, making the whole process an irrational. A comparison and contrast between the cultural revolution reforms in education and the educational reforms the were introduced after 1978. Following the failures of the cultural revolution reforms in education in attaining accelerated national development, there arose various reforms after 1978 that were meant to enhance effectiveness in the education system in enabling national development. For instant, during the 1980’s, there were a number of reforms that occurred following the modernization goals that were set by the government. The higher education was regarded as being the foundation for research and training that was meant to enhance national development on doing the application of the knowledge that is created (Jinxia, 219). This is different from the times of cultural revolution where higher education was used for the purpose of prestige and not for enhancing national development. There were also reforms in the management of the higher learning institutions that gave a new focus in terms of the offering opportunity to the students and the content of the courses offered. Following the reforms, the universities were provided with the opportunity of choosing their own curriculum and participation in the various projects. They were also grated an autonomy to hire their staff and manage the funds awarded to them by the government. The university admission criteria also changed, where only the academically able students were to be considered. In making a comparison between the cultural revolution reforms and the reforms after 1978, the reforms during the cultural revolutions were meant to perpetuate education only within the a few individuals in the society in enhancing the reigning of the a few over the majority, therefore, education was used as a strategy to rule. Education was denied to the peasants because offering them education was perceived as being ‘sharpening an iron for oneself’, therefore the reforms in the education system were meant to limit the access to education to a few individuals, that is, the persons who were politically connected. This is contrary to the policy reforms that were enhanced after 1978. After 1978, access to education was made easy, where higher education was meant for the students who were capable (Sakai, 67). That is, everything was done on merit, with less political influence through the enhanced university autonomy. The reforms were guided by the modern development goals that were set, which were supposed to enhance national development through the investing in education. National development was to be enabled through research and development that was to be based on the higher learning institutions. In enabling breakthroughs, the universities were then provided with an incentive of evaluating students before being admitted on ensuring that the education that was offered was to be effective in enhancing national development. The objective of the educational reforms during the cultural revolution was to maintain the societal status held by some families, that is, education was meant only for the nobles. After 1978, the objective of enhancing educational reforms changed from self interest to the realizing of national development through the building of human resources of the country. The results of educational reforms during the cultural revolution is the lagged technological development that was reflected in the retarded national development and also the existence of inequalities within the Chinese community following the nature of reforms that favoured some classes in society at the expense of the rest of the society. The country was also experiencing low labour productivity following the fact that the non-qualified personnels were given the opportunity to lead various institutions or perform some tasks that were entrusted to them. The results for the reforms after 1978 were positively rewarding in enhancing national development (Lu-chai, 93). The country was able to utilize the talents that were inherent in its population non-selectively through the admission to higher learning institutions based on merit. It increased equality in society as all the population later had equal access to education once one’s ability is evident. The country also realized improved labour productivity because the skills attained in higher learning institutions were likely to be applicable in practice following the nature of students admitted to the university. The impact of the dismantling the commune system in China and the return of family farming on the provision and demand for the basic education among the Chinese rural area Education in China was received as the means in which an individual can improve his or her welfare, and this is enhanced through the offering of services using the skills attained through education for compensation. Therefore, education was perceived as being an investment that was meant improve one’s welfare (Price, 311). The commune system in China can be perceived as a factor that contributed to persons in society not to work hard, because they were likely to get an equal share to the ones who did not work. Therefore, people, and more especially the ones who were living in the rural areas and who depended on farming did not see the need for seeking education as all their requirements were met communally. The dismantling of the commune system by the adaptation of the return to family farming affected the perception of persons in the Chinese society and more especially persons staying in the rural areas who heavily depended on farming. The implication of the dismantling is that each family was expected to struggle in satisfying its needs. Following the high population of the the Chinese people, the population never had a reasonable land to do farming on sustaining the population, therefore, the population turned to seeking education as a means of gaining skills that will enable then to earn a living. Therefore, the dismantling of the communism system to family farming can be perceived to have triggered the demand for basic education following the need to attain skills in enhancing an improved welfare. The family setups took the responsibility of ensuring that their children were educated in enhancing an improved welfare of both the family and for their children, thus is was perceived as being a gateway to success. The reasons as to why vocational training was popular during the reform period compared to the Maoist era. There were emphasis during the times of 1949-76 concerning the significance of vocational training in applying education to meet production requirements. The vocational education became popular after the 1978 reforms (Peake, 32). The logic behind vocational training popularity after the 1978 reforms is that during the times, that is, before 1978, the vocational training was perceived as being an inferior education to be offered to the peasant children, thus making it unpopular. During the reform period, vocational training became popular following the agenda for attaining modernization in China, therefore children were encouraged to join vocational training that was meant to equip the population with the skills that were supposed to delver the country into the desired modernization. The popularity of vocational training can also be attributed to the the dismantling of communism system in 1982 that lead to the family based farming. The dismantling of communism provided an incentive over which society members saw the need to acquire the skills that were expected to earn them a living hence an avenue over which vocational training attained popularity. The requirements for getting a university admission were based on merit during the times of the reforms, thus there was a large number of persons who were not likely to attain an entry into the university education. Therefore, as an alternative for attaining skills, the population opted for vocational training that had less requirements for training. The number of vocational training institutions were also many compared to the universities, therefore due to resource scarcity a large number of persons were likely to get vocational training than university education. Despite the large number of vocational training institutions, the institutions were also accessible even to the persons leaving in the rural areas, on the reason that the population is likely to utilize the reasons that are easily accessible than the ones that are far reaching. Work Cited Deng Peng. Private Education in Modern China. Greenwood Publishing Group. 1997. Hill, p. and Storey Colin. Facing Up to China: A Series of Essays from the Making of Modern. Brtistol Polytechnic Library. 1987. Lu-chai Chung. A History of Democratic Education in Modern China. University Publications of America. 1977. Jinxia Dong and Dong Jinxia. Women, Sports, and Society in Modern China: Holding Up More Than Half the Sky. F Cass. 2003. Peake Henderson. Nationalism and Education in Modern China. University of California. 2007. Peterson Glen. The Power of Words: literacy and Revolution in South China, 1949-95. UBC Press. 1998. Price, R. Education in Modern China. Routledge. 2004. Sakai Robert. Politics and Education in Modern China. Harvard University. 1953. Smith Douglas and Bucklew Neil. Middle Education in the Middle Kingdom: The Chinese Junior High School in Modern Taiwan. Praeger. 1997. Williams Michael and Humprys Graham. Citizenship Education and Lifelong Learning: Power and place. Nova Publishers. 2003.

Smart materials

The primary characteristic of a â€Å"smart material† is that it has the ability to respond to external stimuli in a technically useful and technically controlled way. The words â€Å"technically useful† and â€Å"technically controlled† are emphasized since all materials respond to external stimuli of some sort or other (as a simple example, all materials respond to temperature by changing their volume), however, to be considered a â€Å"smart material† the response must be one that is useful in an engineering application.Thus, any discussion of smart materials must include a consideration of the application of these materials. Animals and plants could be considered as consisting of a large number of smart materials, however, the scope of this article will be restricted to inorganic and organic materials that are used in a more traditional engineering sense. ) The term smart material often also has a historical context, only being applied to relatively ne w materials. For example, consider the simple bimetallic strip.Bimetallic strips have been around for centuries and consist of two metals Joined so that the difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion causes the strip to bend in response to a change in temperature. This can be used, eg, to open or close a echanical valve or electrical circuit. The stimuli may either be provided by the natural environment or engineered into a structure that the material is part of. However, bimetallic strips are often not thought of as smart materials because they have been around and used for a long time.Smart materials are also often characterized by the fact that they transform energy from one mode to another, eg, from electrical energy to mechanical energy. Smart materials are also often incorporated in so-called Smart Structures, which are structures that, as well as being the structural support of a building or vehicle, also have a further function. For example, a load-bearing structure that also measures the load that it is carrying is an example of a smart structure. 2.Classification Schemes How a material is considered or classified depends to some extent on the scientific or technical discipline that is considering the material. For example, a material scientist is interested in the internal structure and how this may change under the influence of an external stimulus, whereas an application engineer may be more concerned with the function of the material and what it can be used for. 2. 1 . Classification According to Function. Smart materials can be classified according to the intended primary function, eg, as a sensor, actuator, or energy generator.Piezoelectric material is an example of a class of smart materials that can be used in all three of these functions. When subjected to stress these materials generate an electrical voltage that can be used as a response signal and also to generate power. Alternatively, when subjected to a voltage these materials ge nerate a mechanical stress. The interchangeable nature of stimulus and response is a common, but not universal, characteristic ot 1 Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology. Copyright John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved. vol. O smart materials. Materials that exhibit this interchangeable nature are often good candidates for smart structures with minimal external support requirements: one smart material both sensing and generating power and also capable of providing a mechanical or other response. Active Sensing Materials. The primary action of these materials is to transform one form of energy to another form of energy for, in most cases, a further device or material used to then generate a response. Active sensing materials may often be used to generate energy.For example, the voltage developed by electric polarization of a material can be used to accumulate charge, and the solar cell both detects the presence of incident light and generates a significant voltage and current. Passive Sensing Materials. These materials have a passive response to external stimuli, ie, do not transform an energy source to another energy. Thus these devices need an external source of power to operate. They are not really â€Å"smart†, but are included here for completeness since they do appear as sensors in larger smart systems.An example of a passive response is a change in electrical conductivity due o, eg, a change in pH of a solution. Actuating Materials. The primary function is to transform one form of energy to another form as a response to some external stimuli and to perform an action. 2. 2. Classification According to Smartness. Another possible classification is according to the degree of independence of operation that the smart material needs to operate in a smart structure. In this case, materials that require the least external support (eg, external power or processing capability) being considered smarter.A common example of a totally independen t smart material is that used in photochromic sunglasses. In this case, the energy required to drive the response, darkening of the sunglasses is provided directly by the stimulus, the incident light. 2. 3. Classification According to Material Properties. A further way to look at smart materials is to consider the primary physical-chemical property of the material that is used in smart applications. This is particularly useful in studying and understanding the operation of smart materials.Crystal Structure Modification. A number of classes of smart materials have crystal structural properties that can be used directly for smart actuating or sensing applications. These include materials that undergo a crystallographic phase change (eg, shape memory alloys), materials that have an electrical polarization natural to the crystal structure that responds to external stress (eg, piezoelectric materials) and materials that undergo realignment ot internal domains, such as electro- and magnet ostrictive materials.Energy Absorption-Emission. This includes materials that absorb incident energy by an internal excitation process (eg, promotion of electrons, on absorption of a photon, to a higher energy band). These often have a de-excitation process that involves the emission of energy. Examples include semiconductor devices as light sensors and energy harvesting devices. Macroscopic Ordering. Includes (generally) mixtures of materials where the large scale ordering of the particles in the mixture induces a change in properties of the mixture.Examples include electro- and magnetorheological fluids, 3 where an applied field induces particles in the fluid to align resulting in a change in viscosity. The Liquid Crystal Display can also be considered in this category. Chemical Interaction. Includes materials with sensitized surfaces that interact with target chemical or biological species. Examples include conducting polymers with functional groups that bind to chemical species and change the resistance of the polymer, and antigen coatings on microbalance mass detectors. Indicator chemicals that change color with, eg, pH, are another form of chemical sensor. . Smart Materials Overview Table 1 is a summary ofa number of materials that can be used in smart applications, ‘e, classified as to function. The following sections consider a number of these materials in more detail. Some sections deal with a particular type of smart material, whereas others deal with a class of material types. Inevitably, there are verlaps between these two, however, consideration of smart materials in this way is beneficial since, as discussed above, the view of the subject is colored by the point of view of the discussion.Smart materials include such a wide range of materials and possibilities it is worthwhile viewing the subject from a number of angles. The following is not an exhaustive list of smart materials, but serves as examples of the more common smart materials. Man y of the materials in Table 1 can be described as â€Å"responsive† rather than truly smart, ie, these materials can form one part of a smart system, either the sensor or ctuator, but require another responsive material for the actuator or sensor, respectively, to make up a complete smart system.Only a few materials, eg, the photochromic sunglasses mentioned in the section classification schemes, are both sensor and actuator. Even materials that can be used as an actuator and sensor often cannot be engineered to perform both functions effectively at the same time. Thus, most smart materials are used in combinations to form smart systems. An example of a possible system is an antivibration device that uses a piezoelectric sensor to detect the vibration and a magnetorheological fluid as the damper.The reterence section includes a number ot Internet web sites tor turtner practical information and as examples of the use and current availability of some smart materials. A number o f these references are to commercial web sites as useful sites regarding the application and maturity of some of the technologies, but this in no way is an implied endorsement of the particular companies. 4. Piezoelectric and Related Phenomena Piezoelectric materials are materials that exhibit a linear relationship between electric and mechanical variables.The electric polarization is proportional to the mechanical stress. Piezoelectric materials are â€Å"two-way'; (a) they convert mechanical stress into an electric field (Fig. la), and this effect is employed in piezoelectric sensors; (b) application of an electric field produces a mechanical 4 stress (Fig. 1b, c), and this behavior is utilized in actuator and power generator- harvesting devices. Only materials with an electrically poled, anisotropic crystal stucture can form piezoelectrics; ‘e, there must be an intrinsic electric field maintained in a particular direction throughout the material.Thus the material must be p yroelectric. A feature of a pyroelectric material is the disappearance of this pontaneous electric field above the Curie point temperature. Piezoelectric devices are formed by raising the material above the Curie point temperature and then cooling in the presence of a strong electric field. The common term for this action is to say that the material is â€Å"poled† in the presence of the electric field. This results in partial or complete alignment of the spontaneous electric field within the material. A related material property is the ferroelectric effect.All ferroelectric materials are necessarily both pyroelectric and piezoelectric. The ferroelectric effect is the electric olarization brought about by the complete or partial realignment of the spontaneous polarization resulting in a static electric field at the surfaces of the materials. (But note, a net field is not normally detected because the surface charge is rapidly neutralized by ambient charged particles. ) There are two principal types of materials that can function as piezoelectrics: the ceramics and polymers. 1 .Ceramics: The most widely used materials are the piezoceramics based on the lead zirconate titanate (PZT) formations, mixed sodium and potassium niobates, lithium niobate, and quartz. The advantages of these piezoceramics are that they have a high piezoelectric activity and they can be fabricated in many different shapes. 2. Polymers: Poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, is the most widely used polymer piezoelectric material. It has the advantages over ceramic devices of flexibility, formability and can be simply cut to shape. Polymer piezoelectric materials have lower authority (force and displacement) than ceramic devices.The PVDF structure is a good example of the spontaneous electric field seen in these types of material (Fig. A limitation of piezoelectric materials is that they exhibit small dimensional changes but with high applied force). Composite structures consisting of a le ngth of piezoelectric bonded to a nonpiezoelectric substrate can be used to convert the lateral change in dimension of the piezoelectric to a bending force. In this way, larger actuation strokes can be achieved. Piezoelectric materials are used in many different types of sensing and actuating devices and also for power harvesting.Examples include Sensors: vibration, sound, accelerometers, pressure, ultrasonics, strain, power generation. Actuators: print heads, vibration suppression, speakers and buzzers, spark generators, ultrasonic ransducers, micropositioning and translation. Electrical components: filters and resonators. 5 5. Shape Memory Alloys and Polymers Metal shape memory alloys (SMAs) exhibit the properties of pseudo-elasticity and the shape memory effect. These alloys undergo thermomechanical changes passing from a martensitic phase at low temperature to an austenitic phase at higher temperature (Fig. a). 5. 1 . Shape Memory Effect. In the martensite phase, the alloy is so fter and easily manipulated through large strains with a little change in stress, ie, it can be easily deformed. As the temperature of the alloy is increased above the critical transformation) temperature, it changes into the austentic phase. In the austentic phase, the alloy regains its high strength and high modulus and also reverts back to its original shape. Thus a SMA can be formed into shape above the transformation temperature, cooled below the transformation temperature, and formed into different shape.On heating, the SMA will revert to the shape that it was formed into above the transformation temperature (Fig. 3b). 5. 2. Pseudo-Elasticity. This occurs when the alloy is completely composed of austenite (‘e, the temperature is above the transformation temperature). If the temperature is kept constant and the material is loaded, then at some point there will be a transformation to the martensite phase simply due to loading. The load is absorbed by deformation of the sof ter martensite phase, but upon unloading the martensite starts to transform back into austenite and the materials springs back into its original shape (Fig. c). Shape memory alloys (SMAs) can be divided into three functional groups: one-way SMAs, two-way SMAs, and magnetically controlled SMAs. The magnetically controlled SMAS show great potential as actuator materials for smart tructures because they could provide rapid strokes with large amplitudes under precise control. The most extensively used conventional shape memory alloys are the nickel-titanium, copper-zinc-aluminium, and copper- aluminium-nickel alloys. Due to their low cost, iron-based shape memory alloys are becoming more popular in smart structure applications.Iron-manganese- silicon steels alloyed with chromium, nickel, and cobalt, and iron-manganese- silicon steels alloyed with nitrogen all fit into this category. As previously mentioned, the nickel-titanium alloys have been the most widely used shape memory alloys. T his family of nickel-titanium alloys is known as Nitinol (Nickel Titanium Naval Ordnance Laboratory in honor of the place where this material behavior was first observed). Nitinol can be used in robotics actuators and micromanipulators that simulate human muscle motion.The ability of Nitinol to exert a smooth, controlled force when activated is an advantage of this material family. SMAS have been used for military, medical, safety, and robotics applications. Specific usages include hydraulic lines, medical tweezers, anchors for attaching tendons to bones, eyeglass frames, control of hot house windows, underwire brassieres, and ntiscalding valves used in water taps, and shower heads. 5. 3. Shape Memory Polymers. Shape memory polymers (SMP) are polymers (polyurethane based thermoplastics) that can be heated (above the glass transition temperature), deformed, and cooled to retain the deformed 6 shape.Upon heating above the transition temperature, the material softens and returns to the shape that it had prior to deformation. Advantages of SMPs over metallic SMAS include light weight, high recoverable strains (up to 400%), injection moulding (to form complex shapes), low cost and SMPs have shape recovery temperatures selectable between A30 and 708C. The SMAs, however, have superior force characteristics and can operate at higher temperatures. 6. Electrostrictive Materials Electrostrictive materials are materials that exhibit a quadratic relationship between mechanical stress and an applied electric polarization (Fig. ). Electrostriction can occur in any material. Whenever an electric field is applied, the induced charges in the material attract each other resulting in a compressive force. This attraction is independent of the sign of the electric field. The strain in the material lies along the axis of the induced polarization, which is preferably the direction of the applied lectric field. Electrostriction is a small effect and, in contrast to piezoelectric mater ials, electrostrictive materials show a large effect near the Curie temperature, especially for ferroelectric substances, such as members of the perovskite family.Typical electrostrictive materials include such compounds as lead manganese niobate:lead titanate (PMN:PT) and lead lanthanium zirconate titanate (PLZT). Electrostriction is used in actuators for accurate and fine positioning. Electrostrictive translators are less stable than piezoelectric devices with greater sensitivity to temperature. The one advantage they offer is lower hysteresis than piezoelectric materials at temperatures typically >1 7. Magnetostrictive Materials The same type of material response as that seen in electrostrictive materials discussed above can be observed when the stimulus is a magnetic field.Shape changes are the largest in ferromagnetic and ferrimagnetic solids. The repositioning of domain walls that occur when these solids are placed in magnetic field leads to hysteresis between magnetization an d an applied magnetic field. All of these effects disappear when the ferromagnetic material is heated above its Curie temperature. Ferrimagnetic materials have macroscopic properties similar to ferromagnetics; however, their microscopic properties are different. The magnetic dipoles of a ferromagnetic solid are aligned parallel to each other; whereas in a ferrimagnetic the alignment can be either parallel or in other directions.Materials that have shown a response to a magnetic stimuli are primarily inorganic: alloys of iron, nickel, and cobalt doped with rare earths. TERFENOLD, an alloy of terbium, dysprosium, and iron, TbxDy1 †¦xFey with x between 0. 27 and 0. 30 and y between 1. 90 and 1. 95, is the most effective magnetostrictive material and has been escribed as the â€Å"200 lb† gorilla of magnetostrictive materials. The name TERFENOL is an acronym for two of the elements present in the alloy and NOL refers to the Naval Ordinance Laboratory where this type 7 of mat erial behavior was developed.Magnetostriction occurs at its fullest potential in crystalline materials. Cost still appears to be one of the hindrances to magnetostrictive materials becoming commercially important. Piezoelectric materials are generally more compact and require less energy to operate than magnetostrictive materials. Magnetostrictive materials (‘e, TERFENOL-D) are useful where high force, igh power, and a long stroke are required or where the high drive voltages typical of the piezoelectric materials cannot be tolerated. 8.Electro- and Magnetorheological Materials Electrorheological and magnetorheological materials are fluids that exhibit a dramatic change in viscosity with an applied electric or magnetic field. The fluid can change from a thick oily consistency to virtually a solid substance within a millisecond. There are a wide assortment of electrorheological and magnetorheological fluids, which are usually a uniform dispersion or suspension of particles with in a fluid. A typical example of an electrorheological fluid is a mixture of cornstarch in a silicone oil. The mechanism of how electrorheological fluids work is simple.When there is no electric field the particles in the fluid are distributed randomly and are free to move in the fluid. In an applied electric field the particles orient themselves in ?ber-like structures (fibrils) that are much harder to move and impede the flow of the fluid, dramatically increasing the viscosity of the fluid-particle mixture (Fig. 5). Typical magnetorheological fluids consist of tiny iron particles uspended in oil and have a similar behavior to the electrorheological fluids except initiated by the application of a magnetic field. 8. 1 . Electrorheological Materials.Electrorheological fluids are nonNewtonian fluids, ‘e, the relationship between shear stress and strain rate is nonlinear. The changes in viscous properties of electrorheological fluids are only obtained at relatively high electric fields, in the order of 1 kV/mm. The practical applications of electrorheological fluids center around their abilities to transfer shear stresses and of acting as a variable damping material in an electric field. They have been demonstrated in shock absorbers, brake systems, clutches, vibration damping, control valves, and actuators.An illustrative application of electrorheological fluids is their use as a smart space material. In this application, a single-link flexible-beam was constructed in a sandwich confguration with ER fluids distributed along its length. When the beam is to be rapidly moved back and forth, the ER fluid is not energized, providing flexibility during the transient response period of the maneuver (for speed). At the end point of the maneuver the beam is made rigid (for stability). . 2. Magnetorheological Materials.Magnetorheological fluids are the magnetic equivalent of electrorheological fluids. An advantage over the ER fluids is that high voltages are not req uired to actuate the MR fluids. These fluids are under development for use in shock absorbers, vibration damping, exercise equipment and surface polishing of machine parts. 8 9. Photoresponsive and Sensitive Materials There are several different types of material families that exhibit different types of light transmission-absorption or other responses to a stimulus.These include lectrochromism (a change in color as a function of an electrical field); thermochromism (color change with heat); photochromic materials (reversible lightsensitive materials); photographic materials (irreversible light-sensitive materials); photostrictive materials (shape changes due to light usually caused by changes in electronic structure); fluorescence (emission of light (photons) at a different wavelength to the incident light).An interesting material with both electro- and thermochromism behavior, V02, was evaluated for a smart window application. Materials are being developed to exhibit both photochro mic and photographic ehaviors and one such system is based on a substituted indolinospirobenzopyrene embedded in a polystyrene matrix. This system acts as a photochromic system at low exposure in the ultraviolet (uv) range and at high exposure it functions as a photographic system. The image can be devisualized by heat and can be restored many times witn uv irradiation.Another interesting application is the use ot polymers that fluoresce or change color in the presence of particular metal ions. This is being tested as a corrosion sensor with optical fibers coated with an appropriate polymer r with the polymer incorporated in a composite structure. The system is optically excited and the presence of light at the fluorescence wavelength indicates metal ions (and thus corrosion). Thermochromic materials find use in security devices and in thermal mapping applications.All semiconductor materials exhibit an electrical response to incident light due to the electron absorption of photons, of sufficient energy, and promotion of the electrons to the conduction band (change in resistance) and across doping gradients, as in diodes (generation of current and voltage) in solar cells. Of particular interest in this rea is the development of non-silicon systems, which may results in cheap, flexible, robust, and easy to transport and deploy solar energy collectors. 0. Chemical and Biochemically Sensitive Materials The most widely known classes of chemically sensitive materials are the pHsensitive materials that include the acids, bases, and indicators. The most interesting of these for smart applications are the indicators. These materials change colors as a function of pH and are usually totally reversible. Indicators have also been used in the development of novel chemical indicating systems.Devices based on the ermeability of organic vapors through polymeric films or porous polymeric plugs, and subsequent reaction with an indicator, are used for monitoring the condition of time and/or temperature sensitive items, eg, pharmaceutics, foods and other perishables. The system is activated by crushing the vial releasing the volatile component, which then slowly permeates through the film reacting with the indicator to give a visible color change. This change is 9 dependent on both time and temperature.Other examples of pH-sensitive materials include the smart hydrogels and smart polymers (see below in EAPs). There is increasing interest in the detection of other chemicals, particularly in the detection of chemical warfare agents, environmentally noxious chemicals, and the control and monitoring of (engine) emissions. Semiconductor film sensors based on metal oxides (eg, Sn02, ZnO, Ti02, W03) are used to measure the concentration of toxic and flammable gases.These devices operate at several hundreds of degrees and a chemical reaction between the gas and the metal oxide changes the electrical conductivity of the oxide. The conductivity is a function of the t emperature and gas concentration. Higher temperature devices (to $10008C) have been demonstrated using Sic and SrTi03 systems. At low temperatures, the gases interact with the metal oxide by a chemisorption mechanism. The chemically adsorbed particles receive a partial charge and the opposite charge is made available to the oxide as a tree electron to increase its conductivity.Metal oxide sensors (MOS) are finding applications in the automotive industry monitoring the composition of exhaust gases. Many actions in organic systems are governed by highly selective reactions that are in effect molecular recognition mechanisms. The molecules responsible for these rocesses are highly selective in the molecules that they bind to (‘e, recognize) and can be used in engineered devices as sensors. An example of this is coating piezoelectric material with a selective material and then detecting the increase in mass of the coating as the target molecule binds to the coating.Being organic i n nature means that a wide range of ways to modify these molecules are available, eg, light stimulated regions that change their fluorescence frequency in the presence of the target molecule. Conducting polymers can also be tailored to respond (by a change in resistance) to ifferent chemicals. In this case, the response is rather broad (ie, not very selective), however, systems have been developed with a number of polymers treated to react to different types of chemicals to obtain â€Å"fingerprints† that are specific to particular chemicals.These systems generally have a limited lifetime and increasing the life and stability of the conducting polymers is the main challenge facing their acceptance as sensors. A novel proposal for chemical detection is the use of molecularly imprinted plastics (MIPs). In this case, target molecules are imbedded in a (porous) plastic matrix that is pplied to some sensing-transducer device. The target molecule is then dissolved away leaving a ph ysical imprint in the plastic matrix.On exposure to the molecule in a gas or liquid the physical imprints left in the plastic are selective for the target molecule and collect it, altering the properties (eg, mass) of the plastic. 1 1 . Electroactive Polymers (Actuators) An electroactive polymer (EAP) is a polymer that exhibits a response to an applied electrical stimulation and often also develops an electrical response to a mechanical stimulation. Some of these materials have been touched on in previous sections.

The impact of consumption and Investment on the GDP in Qatar (1990- Statistics Project

The impact of consumption and Investment on the GDP in Qatar (1990- 2012) - Statistics Project Example The reason for selecting this period of data was the incomplete data for all three variables that could have extended the analysis for the longer period. Moreover, it is important to provide definition of three variables included in the analysis. Net FDI = â€Å"The net inflows of investment to acquire a lasting management interest (10 percent or more of voting stock) in an enterprise operating in an economy other than that of the investor.† (â€Å"Indicator Queries†). The table indicated the country’s GDP increased significantly from 1994 to 2011 as the lowest value was recorded in 1994 and the maximum value was achieved in 2011. A sharp decline in the country’s GDP was recorded in 2009. Similar trends were observed in other two variables. The country’s exports increased significantly in the year 2011. The third variable ‘net inflows’ also showed a steady growth in the selected period. However, in 2011 a major decline was recorded. The results indicated that the value of adjusted R2 was 0.9871, which implies that the regression model implemented explained 98.71% of the total variations observed in 18 data entries. The regression equation obtained from the analysis indicated that the coefficient of constant, ÃŽ ²0 was 664545798.4126. A high value of constant coefficient suggested that there are other factors that affect the country’s GDP. Referring back to the equation of GDP provided, it could be noted that there are other variables included in the calculation of GDP. The coefficient of slopes obtained from the regression analysis were ÃŽ ²1 = 1.4160 (exports) and ÃŽ ²2 = 3.7452 (FDI net inflow). These values indicated that there is a positive relationship between GDP and exports and GDP and FDI net inflows. The findings reassert that to calculate a country’s GDP the values of investment and exports are added. The results imply that for every $1 increase or decrease in exports the country’s GDP would increase or decrease by $1.4160 respectively.

Death Penalty Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Death Penalty - Essay Example Many people argue that this type of punishment is unacceptable while others argue that it is not unusual punishment and if someone can kill another human being without remorse then that person should be put to death as well. Many states set a standard in which the Death Penalty is allowed for and which crime the person has committed to get the Death Penalty. During this paper we will learn about the history and the Pros and Cons of the Death Penalty. We will also see why it works or doesn’t work and why people are for and against it. It is my belief that the Death Penalty should be for people who commit harsh crimes and kill other people. History The death penalty is a form of punishment that has been there even before Christ and has been administered by many civilized societies on wrong doers for various offences; however the first ever documented capital punishment case was that of George Kendall, in Virginia. He was a Spanish spy who was convicted in 1608. From then till pr esent, around 20,000 people (documented figure only) have been given death penalties by various courts of laws. (Acker, 2003). When the concept of state prisons was absent, fines and capital punishment were used as a means to discourage crimes and offences. The punishment was normally meted out in public so as to make an example out of it. The European law was stricter and had some 200 offences punishable by death penalty as compared to the American law in the early periods of colonization. The American law had major crimes such as murder, rape, adultery, sodomy, etc. that could result in capital punishment. Another reason for the public show of the punishment in the early years was the simple method of hanging used for the punishment which in later years was replaced by more sophisticated techniques like electric chairs and gas chambers so as to reduce the suffering of the offender. Thus with new techniques and increasing public sensitivities towards such punishments the public dis play was halted in the mid-19th century. (Acker, 2003) The 18th century also saw some changes in people’s opinion regarding the punishment and they began opposing it. Thus with time the crimes for which death penalty could be ordered were reduced and included just serious offences. The European Enlightenment era saw further criticism and the western nations started abandoning the practice with United States as the only exception. Even US law had the punishment abolished for certain period (1973-1977) but it was again legalized for certain crimes and situations (Acker, 2003). Why such serious crimes are committed? There are various reasons for which people commit crimes which are punishable with death. Offenders usually choose to commit such a big crime mainly due to revenge, grudge and greed of property. Research also reveals that murders are usually done by family members, relatives, friends, or by some known person. This may be because that person wants to take revenge from his relative/friend or is interested in his wealth etc. Moreover, as friends and relatives are mostly aware of the schedule of the person so it is easy for them to target the person (Ehrlich, 1975). Other than revenge, unemployment and poverty also result in serious crimes such as murder. The murder rate is directly proportional to the rate of unemployment and inversely proportional to the labor force participation rate (Ehrlich, 1975). Moreover,

Eu law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Eu law - Essay Example These rights include the right of residence and to remain, as long as this does not prove to be a financial burden for the host Member State. As a result, Member States can limit the free movement of workers, due to public policy limitations. Some of these limitations are grounds of public health and public security. All the same, procedural requirements have to be complied with, during the imposition of such restrictions.2 In the Bidar case,3 the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Bidar who had been resident in the UK, during the pursuit of his secondary education had established adequate relationship with the society of the host Member State. This relationship was held to be sufficient for rendering Bidar eligible for a maintenance grant from the UK.4 Similarly, in our problem, Marie had competed two years of her International Baccalaureate and had thereafter applied for the LLB. Marie will be eligible for a maintenance grant from the UK. This is due to the fact that she had been residing in the UK for sufficient time, during her pursuit of the International Baccalaureate studies, to establish sufficient link with the UK. As a national of the EU, an individual is entitled to seek employment in another Member State of the EU. In addition, such individuals are entitled to the same assistance from national employment offices as the host Member State’s nationals. Moreover, such individuals can stay in the host Member State for the time required to seek work, apply for employment and be recruited. No seekers of jobs can be expelled, if they establish that they are continuing to seek employment and have reasonable opportunity to obtain a job. 5 In our problem, Raimon is seeking a job in the UK. The EU principle of free movement of workers permits any national of a Member State of the EU to seek employment in any other Member State of the EU. Thus, Raimon, despite being a Spaniard can seek employment

Methods Section Report Rubric Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Methods Section Rubric - Lab Report Example The water was added until the towels became saturated and could no longer hold additional water. The weight of the saturated paper towels was also weighed and recorded. The weight of water held by the paper towels was determined by getting the difference between the weight of the wet and dry paper towels (Baxter, Shavelson, Goldman, and Pine4). This difference in weight was recorded for each type of paper towel. The procedure was repeated eight times for each type of paper towel to obtain nine replicates. The results were recorded in a table. A fully saturated paper towel of each type was used as positive control for each replicate to determine a standard level of saturation before taking weight measurements. The hypothesis was tested by getting the average and total amount of water held by each type of paper towel. The final results (average and totals) were then compared for the two types of paper towels. The type of paper towel that held the highest amount of water was regarded the most absorbent towel. Baxter, Gail P., Richard J. Shavelson, Susan R. Goldman, and Jerry Pine. "Evaluation of Procedure-Based Scoring for Hands-On Science Assessment." Journal of Educational Measurement 29.1 (1992): 1-17.

An interview with Mexican immigrant student Assignment

An interview with Mexican immigrant student - Assignment Example One of the motivations was the fact that the quality of education in the U.S is excellent compared to Mexico. The seriousness and resources committed to education in the U.S is quite commendable, and this was a major motivation to pursue education in the America. When I came to the U.S, my mastery of the English language was below average. One of the conditions was to have an excellent command of the English language, and this prompted me to join the English Institute to learn the language. I had to learn, and that was quite understandable because most of the lessons are taught in English. In the event, that a student has a poor understanding of the language, failure in the class is the resultant factor, and so I had to learn the English language. There were a number of challenges experienced while learning the language. Communication was a problem because I did not understand some of the English vocabularies effectively affecting my level of comprehension. Coping with the class was a problem in the initial stages. I would say the learning process was successful and quite satisfactory. The teachers understood that I was an immigrant and gave me more attention, and this was an added advantage in so far as learning is concerned. I am by nature a reserved person and socializing with people is a problem sometimes. However, I had to learn to mingle with the rest of the students. Interacting with other students made the learning process relatively easy because I learned some of the things from them. There are a number of difficulties and challenges because one has to learn English as a prerequisite for admission. Moreover, some teachers do not recognize the immigrants as special groups effectively making learning a struggle to some extent. Americans have an excellent reading culture and so many times you find them reading either an inspirational book or story

Presentation about your role as an Accountant Speech or

About your role as an Accountant - Speech or Presentation Example Controversial, because I am sure one way or another you have heard the recent news of financial scandals and crisis which was also brought by this profession. To give you a brief synopsis of the objective or what an Accountant does, it â€Å"is to record, classify, summarize, and interpret the transactions of an [business] entityâ€Å"(Brewer, 2009, pg. 96). While this function may sound simple in text, the implication of it however is quite complex because ultimately,†the objective of financial accounting was to provide information useful in economic decision making† (Brewer et al, 2004, pg. 15). Through accounting, an entity is able to determine its financial position by recording all the transactions incurred in a given period, classify and summarize it to be used in making a rationale economic decision. The tool that is usually used for making that rationale economic decision is called Financial Statements. This is basically a written report that describes the econo mic well being of a business entity which comes in the form of Income Statement, Balance Sheets and Cash Flow. Income Statement simply tells whether a business entity is earning or not. In a smaller scale, the income statement shows how much you spend compared to what you earned and if there is anything left for profit or savings. Balance sheet on the other hand summarizes the business entity’s assets, liabilities and capital for a given period. Simply, it’s a summary of what you have and what you owe and how much you and your investors have invested in the business entity while Cash Flow shows how much money was used and generated by business entity in a given period. Common terms used that may sound complex but really meant simply are words like assets which simply means what the business entity owns, liability which means what the company owes. While this may sound simple, the entire process of recording, classifying, summarizing and interpreting can get complicated especially if the organization is big for it involves a lot of transactions to consider for accounting reporting. In a small business, this can also be taxing especially if this entire accounting process is done by a single person compared to an entire department of a corporation. Such, technology can get handy in aiding a small business in its various Accounting Operation such as having a software that helps track employee’s wages, outgoing expenses with vendors and tracking the day-to-day operation of the business whether it is earning or not. This gives the business owner a hindsight about his business’ financial progress and is able to make necessary adjustments to enhance his profitability i.e. streamlining expenses and reduce unnecessary expenditures. By having this accounting facility within the small business, the owner may not have to retain an Accountant, except on the occasion of filing of taxes which could save him cost. If you noticed, the profession of A ccounting involves money. Not only that the Accountant is responsible for handling the resources of a business entity, he is also responsible for the factual and accurate reporting of it. This is important because the public relies on this information whether they will put in their money for investment in that company or not. Such, the Accounting profession demands the highest ethical standard because when this function is

Karl Marx's Theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Karl Marx's Theory - Essay Example In this documentary Spurlock exposes the ugly truths of one of America's biggest fast food corporations and shows how it knowing endangers the lives of its customers in order to make a profit. Spurlock conducts an experiment, and plays the part, of what the corporation would consider to be its best customer. He allows the corporation's advertising and portion suggestions to make his decisions for him, and in doing so eats the fast food for every meal for thirty days. By the end of his experiment Spurlock finds that he has gained twenty five pounds and doctors warn him that his health is in ruin. The fast food corporation used in the experiment didn't purposely try and kill Spurlock, but it's advertising and unhealthy food was the direct cause in Spurlock's health deteriorating into a downward spiral. Marx says: "The development of Modern Industry, therefore, cuts from the under its feet the very foundation on which the bourgeoisie produces and appropriates products. What the bourgeoisie, therefore, produces, above all, are its own grave diggers. Its fall and the victory of the proletariat are equally inevitable." The grave diggers Marx refers to in terms of Spurlock's experiment would be the exact same things that made the fast food corporation such a success in the fir... Therefore the corporation is responsible for its own demise. The grounding force behind the corporation's success is money. Marx's General Formula for Capital exposes how greed and a demand for profit can eventually drive a corporation into the ground. Marx argues when a corporation becomes so successful that it begins to exchange money for money instead of money for commodities that it destroys itself. When a corporation begins to buy in order to sell, it takes its first step towards demise. This exchange of money for money is never ending because according to Marx they "have the same vocations, to approach, by quantitative increase, as near as possible to absolute in wealth". The end result is money which in turn is also the beginning. Marx believes that the possessor of this money becomes the capitalist. Since the fast food corporation in "Supersize Me" encourages poor nutrition for a profit, it in turn makes an increasingly bigger profit for increasingly lesser valuable foods. The documentary brought Marxist ideas into modern society by showing that contemporary capitalism is not simply that it gives consumers what they want, but that it makes them want what it has to give. By advertising and offering food at a cheap price the fast food corporation forced itself upon its customers, making them want their products. Spurlock sums up his thoughts saying, "The bottom line, they're a business, no matter what they say, healthy food is good for you, they make millions, and no company wants to stop doing that." At the end of the documentary Spurlock asks his audience a question: "Who do you want to see go first, you or them" This question sums up Marx's thoughts on capitalism perfectly, showing that either way the

Alternative dispute resolution methods Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Alternative dispute resolution methods - Essay Example The cost of ADR can be very high if caution is not taken to make sure the process handled effectively. Gates insists on the need to manage the process to make sure the cost is kept low, and a resolution is reached quickly. The hospital stands to lose a lot if the patient files a lawsuit. The settlement might be too high, and the public image of the institution will be tarnished. An effective of management of the whole process is necessary to avoid mishaps. The advantage is that the issue has been assessed early. Therefore, the hospital is in a position to effectively manage the process. There is time to analyze all the factors surrounding the dispute and come up with a viable settlement.Negotiation is characterized by independent parties meeting to discuss a solution that benefits both parties having a dispute. According to Gates, the need for effective negotiation skills is among the ten essential elements of an effective resolution process. In most cases, negotiation is overlooked when parties consider using ADR. In the case of General Hospital, negotiation can lead to a resolution, or it can be the start of an effective dispute resolution method. Research has shown that the chances of success are high if the hospital takes an interest-based approach in this case. Negotiation is voluntary, less expensive, and offers an opportunity to regain the trust of the patient who was harmed. On the downside, it might take long to reach a solution because there is no third party neutral in negotiation.

Hispanic Family Values Essay Example for Free

Hispanic Family Values Essay MacDonald’s article reveals the grim reality of teenage pregnancy and unmarried mothers in the Hispanic community in the United States, backed up by statistical data on various circumstances surrounding unwed young mothers. Birth rates among young, unwed Hispanic mothers are so alarming that according to the Census Bureau, â€Å"one in four Americans will be Hispanics by mid-century, twice the current ratio; also, Hispanics will account for 46 percent of the nation’s added population for over the next two decades† (Mac Donald). Statistics show that the Hispanic women have the highest occurence of births outside marriage at 45 percent, â€Å"compared to the 24 percent of white births and 15 percent of Asian births† (Mac Donald). Only the black population exceed this figure at 68 percent. This can possibly imply a higher demand for a larger welfare state, if incidents of unplanned pregnancy among young Hispanic women surge. MacDonald spoke to several social workers and other people who provide aid and services to these young women in South California, where most illegal immigrants flock, to illustrate the situation of Hispanic young women. According to these workers, illegitamacy has become the norm among the Hispanic community and it is not unusual for young, unwed Hispanic women seek welfare and social services (Mac Donald). According to Dr. Ana Sanchez, it is noteworthy to look into the values system of the Hispanics and compare it with the values system of other cultures. For instance, Dr. Sanchez thinks that in a Hispanic household, having babies outside marriage is normal; whereas in an Asian household, parents strongly imbibe in their children that teenage pregnancy is a taboo (Mac Donald). Another factor that contributes to the increase in unwed teenage pregnancy is the most powerful Hispanic value – a tight-knit extended family (Mac Donald). While marriage is no longer a cherished value in the Hispanic community, a tight-knit family is still very much treasured and children are always a welcome addition to the family. It is an honor for a young girl to be have a baby at a young age. If the father of the child is unavailable, which is normally the case, the relatives are more than willing to help raise the child. The fathers of the children of unwed young Hispanic mothers are another factor that contribute to the problem of rising dependence of young Hispanic mothers on social welfare and services. It is not uncommon for fathers to run off after getting a girl pregnant, regardless of the age. They cohabitate with the mother of their child initially but this does not usually last long (Mac Donald). Girls who are impregnated by older men is another issue that raises the eyebrows of social workers. The fathers of these children can be as young as 13 or as old as the boyfriend of the girl’s mother. Situations where girls are sexually assaulted by their mother’s boyfriends are not uncommon in the Hispanic community (Mac Donald). The present boyfriend of their mother is usually not their father because even their mothers had them when they were their daughter’s age. If it is not their mother’s boyfriend, it is their uncle. The belief is that older men prefer virgins because they think that they cannot be impregnated on their first sexual intercourse and they are less likely to have sexually transmitted diseases. Another revelation in this situation is that the cycle of early, unwed pregnancy among young mothers is a prevalent issue because it is something that is imbibed to them by their elders. Young girls turn out to be like that because their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts went through the same thing at the same age. It gives them the impression that having a child before marriage is perfectly normal. Consequently, relying on social services and welfare has also become a normal part of their lifestyle. The last few paragraphs of MacDonald’s article provide the various solutions that are being implemented to address this issue. For instance, some schools in California have a day care center for the babies of their students. MacDonald also mentions the â€Å"Latina Adolescent Suicide Prevention Act aims to channel $10 million to â€Å"culturally competent† social agencies to improve the self-esteem of Latina girls and to provide â€Å"support services† to their families and friends if they contemplate suicide† (Mac Donald). There are also support group for parents of children who show signs of delinquency such as gang involvement and antisocial behavior; members are usually single mothers. The life of a young, unwed and single mother is not easy. On top of that, the Hispanic community still remains to be a minority in the United States, even if their population is expected to double in the coming years. Support groups such as the ones mentioned above will aid the single mother in coping with the harsh reality in a foreign country. However, the adage â€Å"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure† still works in this case. Aside from helping teenage moms, efforts should be allocated in creating an environment for young Hispanic women that will reduce the likelihood of pregnancy outside marriage. According to the study of National Council of La Raza’s Institute for Hispanic health, Hispanic communities misconstrue pregnancy prevention campaigns as â€Å"anti-family† campaigns (Elkins). NCLR suggests that programs should address family planning rather than the notion of pregnancy itself. According to the Latino Initiative, a very effective way of curbing unwed pregnancies among young women is to foster family values and strengthen parent-child ties because children who are close to their parents are more likely to enact safer sexual practices (Elkins). This intervention program not only works in Hispanic communities; it works almost everywhere as well.

Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering for Curing Disorders

Gene Therapy and Genetic Engineering for Curing Disorders Introduction Now a days Gene therapy is a well known process of treatment of various genetic and other chronic diseases whereas, most of the drugs and vaccines have been discovered till now for almost all the kinds of diseases but still some of the diseases like cancer and AIDS are incurable. Hence, Gene therapy is seeking all the attention and is much beneficial. As gene therapy is the technique that deals with the treatment or the prevention of various diseases. Besides this, Genetic Engineering is another technique which is quite useful for designing, editing or creating a manual recombinant for the sake of getting a better trait, character or expression in the desired species i.e, recombinant insulin production in bacteria. Instead of growing human insulin in bacteria. Genetic engineering could theoretically be used to introduce the insulin gene into human cells that do not possess a functional copy. (That would still not cure diabetes unless these cells were also capable of appropriately increasing or decreasing their output of insulin according to conditions.) This type of genetic engineering is called gene therapy, the introduction of genetically engineered cells into an individual for therapeutic purposes. Three general requirements for gene therapy, first presented in 1980 should be shown in animal studies that; The new gene can be put into the correct target cells and will remain there long enough to be effective The new gene will be expressed in the cells at an appropriate level The new gene will not harm the cell or, by extension, the animal. These three requisites, summarized as delivery, expression, and safety, will each be examined in turn. These criteria are very similar to those required prior to the use of any new drug, therapeutic procedure, or surgical operation. The requirements simply state that the new treatment should get to the area of disease, correct it, and do more good than harm. Some flexibility is necessary since the criteria might be altered for a critically ill patient for whom no further conventional therapy is available. The exact definitions of what is long enough to be effective, what level is an appropriate level, and how much harm is meant by harm, are questions for ongoing discussion as more is learned about gene therapy. Ultimately, local Institutional Review Boards and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the latter through its newly created Working Group on Human Gene Therapy, must decide if a given protocol is ready for human application. Once the criteria are satisfied, that is, when the probable benefits for the patient are expected to exceed the possible risks, then attempts to cure h uman genetic disease by treatment with somatic cell gene therapy would be ethical. The goal of biomedical research is, and has always been, to alleviate human suffering. Gene therapy is a proper and logical part of that effort. (Anderson and Fletcher, 2010) Many diseases are genetically determined; for example, Huntington’s disease and cystic fibrosis (CF). Others are influenced by genes, but involve additional factors as well; for example, cancer and diabetes mellitus. Recent scientific developments make it possible for medicine to target such genetically related diseases at the molecular level, and thus offer the prospects of effective new therapies. The genes of somatic cells can be manipulated to modify a disease in an individual. If genes in germ cells are modified, a genetic disease may be prevented in progeny as well. In this essay, we will consider some of the scientific, social, and ethical issues associated with such genetic therapies. (Robert George, 2008) Genetic engineering is any process in which an organism’s genome is intentionally altered. Genetic engineering does not encompass traditional breeding techniques because it requires manipulation of an organism’s genes through cloning or transformation via the addition of foreign DNA. This process has five steps: Isolation of the genes Insertion of those genes into a transfer vector (a virus or a plasmid used as a conduit) Transfer of the vector to the organism to be modified Transformation of that organism’s cells Separation of the genetically modified organism (GMO) from organisms that have not been successfully modified. (Kathy, 2010) Genetic engineering is the direct alteration of individual genotypes. It is also called recombinant DNA technology or gene splicing, terms which are used interchangeably. Human genes can be inserted into human cells for therapeutic purposes. In addition, because all species carry their genetic information in DNA and use the same genetic code, genes can be moved from one species to another. (Pratik, 2007) Despite the everyday progresses of medicine solutions for human health, today cancer is still one of the biggest challenges for humanity. Thanks to the advancements in prevention and in treatment, the survival rate has been improved in the last few years. However, cancer remains one of the main causes of death worldwide with 8.2 million of death occurred in 2012. It is estimated that by 2020, there will be between 15 and 17 million new cases of cancer every year, 60% of which will be in developing countries. In economical developed countries the burden of cancer is a result of population aging and growth as well as an increasing adoption of cancer-associated lifestyle choices including smoking, physical inactivity, and ‘‘westernized’’ diets. Cancer, as definition, is the uncontrolled growth of cells that can occur in any type of tissue and, at the late stage, these cells lose their adhesion capacities and migrate to healthy tissues. Other than surgical treat ment, the different options are all based on a mechanical or pharmacological killing action against cancer cells, possibly avoiding the side effect damages of healthy cells. (Marco et al, 2015) Nanotechnology is one of the best promises to attack cancer cells more specifically, effectively and to reduce undesired side effects. In other terms, nanotechnology can be used to transport drugs to a specific site using specific keys such as antibodies. Moreover, in the context of developing innovative theranostics, nanomaterials could be used for imaging as a diagnostic tool and, at the same time, to stimulate and control the release of drugs in the cancer site. In the recent years numerous nanomaterials have been explored for potential theranostic applications for cancer therapy thanks to their properties. Compared to traditional molecular contrast agents or drugs, nanomaterials can be engineered to improve and integrate multiple functions in a single system also to give the control of drugs release, being of hope for the building of a next generation of anticancer tools i.e, Graphene. (Shanmugam, 2014) Materials and Methods Gene therapy is defined as â€Å"the treatment or prevention of disease by gene transfer† and involves the genetic modification of human cells by introducing one or more new genes. There are two types of gene therapy somatic and germ line: †¢ Somatic cell gene therapy involves the genetic modification of any cells in a patient’s body apart from the reproductive cells (egg and sperm). The intention is to confine changes to the individual being treated and the parts of the body where the illness is experienced (such as the lungs with cystic fibrosis) so the genetic alteration should not be passed on to the patient’s children. Somatic cell gene therapy is the only form that is permitted in this country. †¢ Germ line gene therapy involves genetically modifying a fertilised egg and therefore will affect not only the individual that develops from it, but also their offspring and successive generations. Because no actual therapy of an individual is involved, it is more accurately called germ line gene transfer. Although germ line genetic modification of plants and animals is now commonplace, germ line genetic modification of humans is currently banned in this country. This is in line with an existing world-wide consensus that such techniques should not be allowed because of the serious ethical and health implications of modifying the human germ line. (Mountain, 2000) In vivo is the working on germ line gene therapy within an organism. In vitro is related to the somatic cell gene therapy outside the organism i.e, in Lab. Restriction Enzymes Restriction enzymes are enzymes used to cut DNA at specific sites. There are several hundred restriction enzymes currently known and each cuts DNA at a different nucleotide sequence; these target sites are generally about four to eight nucleotides long. Each of these restriction enzymes is a normal product of a particular bacterial species, and most are named after the bacteria from which they are derived. Each species’ restriction enzyme cuts the DNA from other species, but not its own, because its own DNA does not contain the nucleotide sequence that is the target site for its own enzyme. (Pratik, 2007) Methods of DNA transfer Various methods of DNA or gene transfer are as follows; (Sukharev, 2010) Human Gene Therapy At present, the only human tissue that can be used effectively for gene transfer is bone marrow. No other cells (except, perhaps, skin cells) can be extracted from the body, grown in culture to allow insertion of exogenous genes, and then successfully reimplanted into the patient from whom the tissue was taken. In the future, as more is learned about how to package the DNA and to make it tissuespecific, the intravenous route would be the simplest and most desirable. However, attempting to give a foreign gene by injection directly into the bloodstream is not advisable with our present state of knowledge since the procedure would be enormously inefficient and there would be little control over the DNAs fate. Studies are considerably more advanced with bone. Patients with serious genetic diseases have little other hope at present for alleviation of their medical problems. Arguments that genetic engineering might someday be misused do not justify the needless perpetuation of human suffering that would result from an unnecessary delay in the clinical application of this potentially powerful therapeutic procedure. (Anderson and Fletcher, 2010) Arguments against Human Germ line Gene Therapy The ethical arguments against the use of a human germline gene therapy fall into three categories: Potential clinical risks The broader concern of changing the gene pool, genetic inheritance of the human population Social dangers. Ethical Issues Results In recent years, a variety of techniques have been developed to identify genes associated with specific diseases. Since 1990, when the first protocols for gene therapy were approved, over 100 new research protocols have been initiated for a variety of diseases, In the case of somatic cell therapies, the nature of a particular disease and other factors determine the specific cells targeted for genetic manipulation. Target cells have included lung, liver, white blood, endothelial, and cancer cells. All research to date has involved somatic cells, and the techniques used make improbable the spread of altered genes to germ cells. However, it seems likely that we will ultimately be able to alter the genes of germ cells, so that whatever changes are made are passed on to the subjects’ progeny. In current therapies (all of which are somatic cell), vectors are used to introduce new genetic material into target cells. Vectors are agents to which new genetic material is attached. A lot of betterment and efficiency have been observed by the implementation of the methods of gene therapy in curing disorders. Hence, gene therapy along with the genetic engineering plays an important role in the health care of human as well besides the animals and plants. The point is, it is just taken under a limitation by some of the organizations regarding to some ethical issues otherwise it is the futute treatment of all the diseases. Conclusions Gene therapy not only brings the prospect of treatments for previously untreatable illnesses, it may also enable the prevention of certain diseases through the correction of genetic disorders. However, it is clear from gene therapy under development that, in the short to medium term, most gene therapy will not be used for prevention but for developing more effective ‘genebased’ treatments for cancer and AIDS. Although gene therapy has been heralded as a major breakthrough in medical science, it also carries the potential for abuse and for commercial imperatives, not human need, to drive its progress. The demands of industry in maintaining investor confidence may increase the dangers to patients through secrecy and poor supervision. Placing too much emphasis on genes as the determining factor in health and disease may lead to prolongation of suffering as a result of other underlying causes being neglected. It may also give rise to new insidious practices of genetic discrimination in areas such as employment, insurance and health care. Avoiding the pitfalls whilst reaping the benefits of gene therapy is the challenge for politicians and regulators. Crucially, society must not be overcome by ‘genetic determinism’ or ‘genetic thinking’ and the hype of the biotechnology companies if health care issues are to be addressed effectively. References Sade RM, Khushf G., 2008, Gene therapy: Ethical and social issues, Carolina Med Assoc. 94(9):406-410. Kathy Wilson P., 2010, Biotechnology and genetic engineering, pg.12 Pratik Satya, 2007, Genetic Engineering and genomics, pg.95-122. Mountain A., 2000, Human Gene Therapy: A cure for all ills, Tibtech, 18: 119-128. Anderson and Fletcher, 2010, human Gene Therapy, Scientific and ethical considerations, The Journal of Medicine and Philosophy, 10:275-291. Marco Orecchioni, Roberto Cabizza, Alberto Bianco and Lucia Gemma Delogu, 2015, Graphene as Cancer Theranostic Tool: Progress and Future Challenges, Theranostics, 5(7): 710-723. Shanmugam V, Selvakumar S, Yeh CS., 2014, Near-infrared light-responsive nanomaterials in cancer therapeutics, Chemical Society reviews; 43: 6254-87. Sukharev, SI, Klenchin, VA, Serov, SM, Chernomordik, LV Chizmadzhev, YA., 2010, Electroporation and electrophoretic DNA transfer into cells. The effect of DNA interaction with electropores. Biophys, 63 (5):1320-1327.

Discuss the reasons for the growth and decline Essay -- essays researc

Up until World War II, Imperialism had been a major part of civilization throughout the world. The conquering and occupying of other lands had been prominent in all of the major world empires. The Romans, Ottaman Turks, Egyptians, Mongols, Syrians, Greecians, Babylonians, Muslims, Persians, and others had all thrived on the occupation of other territories. However, as the advancement of military warfare and techonolgy increased, the stakes increased, the wars longer, the casualities higher, and the controlling of vast amounts of land became harder as people sought ethnic diversity and clung to their heritage harder. The last of these great imperialistic empires stands with Great Britian and France. Other european powers in the 1800's also had their hand in the cookie jar of imperialism, including belgium, italy, and Germany, but the powerhouses existed with Great Britian and France. Up until a little after World War II, in the 1950's and 60's, did imperialism last. The questions asked now is how did European powers manuever their way into the lives of other ethninticies, and why didn't it last?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Around 1870, imperialism in Africa escualted, with her coast line quickly being snatched by Great Britian, France, the Dutch, Germany, and the Italians, and then they started working their way inward. The Industrial Revolution caused new wealth to emerge, and this new wealth was invested in occupying new territories, for either a sign of prestige or dominance, probably both to an extent. Techonology is growing, and communications is increasing, thus making it easier to occupy new lands and peoples. Medical techonolgy is increasing, and the ability to combat new diseases helps the imperialistic powers overcome the new pestilences that they encounter. The increasing growth of the R.R made it easier to transport goods and materials needed to occupy territory. The population in Europe is growing, and these new lands are possible place to settle as well. But why did countries like Great Britian seek to expend enouormous amounts of money on provinces without much coming back to them?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One theory is the Accident theory that says their was no real intent in the colonization that took place. The theory says that once one land was taken, the surrounding land would... ...by the British by combining three tribal groups together. One the British left, much blood was shed over what a nigerian was or was not. There was no coherant agreement on what these new people stood for.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Goals for the future are almost dependant on the new countries ability to industrialize and keep up with the Western powers. Establishing a stable government is one step toward political and economic growth and stablity. Agreeing on what a country is about, and how they are to support themselves are vital. Holding fast to an identity, as Americans, Frenchmen, and the British do, only aids in the development of old things, and the creation of new techonology. However, as afore mentioned, because of their being no distribution of weatlth in the world, and within the new countries, the new money is only spread out over the growing population providing no real enhanced standard of living for anyone, the gap will become wider and wider economically between the more developed countries and the third world. Economic developement is the key to success, and without that, these once colonized countries will only continue to struggle.

Customer Relationship Management Essay -- Business CRM

CRM Features and Benefits CRM (Customer Relationship Management) helps companies to understand, anticipate and respond to their customers' needs in a consistent way, right across their organization (Is4Profit, 2006,1). CRM is a business strategy designed to improve profitability, revenue, and customer satisfaction. It consists of software, services, and a new way of thinking to improve profitability, revenue, and customer satisfaction (Sibel, 2006, 1). Practicing CRM requires an efficient and integrated internal business system. Many businesses benefit from the organizational discipline CRM imposes, as well as from the technology itself. CRM can benefit and organization in that it can develop better communication channels; collect vital data, like customer details and order histories; create detailed profiles such as customer preferences; deliver instant, company-wide access to customer histories; Identify new selling opportunities. (Is4Profit, 2006, 1). CRM involves centralizing all customer data and au tomating much of the tedious work in managing sales, marketing, and customer service so that professionals can spend more time helping their customers become more successful and less time on administrative tasks. CRM has also come to include a new type of business intelligence software called analytics that provides managers with a real-time snapshot of their sales, marketing, and service efforts. This will help them make real-time changes to the business to ensure they meet their growth and profitability goalsÂâ€"instead of after-the-fact. The benefits of CRM are clear: by streamlining processes and providing sales, marketing, and service personnel with better, more complete customer information, CRM allows organizations to ... ...uilt industry-specific editions; 98 percent loyalty rate; 12 years of CRM experience; more than 3.7 million users worldwide; and world-class hosting. References: 20/20 Software Inc. (2006). Comparing Top 11 CRM Software Solutions. Retrieved February 27, 2006 from http://www.2020software.com/software/display.asp?tMethodID=5&tMethod= category&ic_campID=26&ic_pkw=customer%20relationship%20management%20software Is4profit, Inc. (2005). CRM: What are the benefits? Retrieve February 27, 2006 from http://www.is4profit.com/busadvice/crm_customer_relationship_management/1_crm_benefits.htm SAP Inc. (2006). Customer Segmentation. Retrieved February 28, 2006 from http://www50.sap.com/businessmaps/1F7462BEA45C42ABA9937C42BF256EA5.htm Siebel Inc. (2006). What is CRM?. Retrieved February 28, 2006 from http://www.crmondemand.com/crm/what-is-crm.jsp