Thursday, October 31, 2019

Costs of benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Costs of benefits - Essay Example This paper gives an analysis of the results obtained from StopNShop Today Inc especially on the competitiveness of its benefits package and the benefits it accrues from the package. As much as it is of a necessity for any organization to conform its benefits package to the prevailing ones within the economy it operates, it is also ethical that organizations make their packages more attractive and above their competitors so as to retain the best of human resource within the market (Barnow et al, 2013). The review report from StopNShop Today Inc study review of its packages reveals an interesting trend within the organization. More weight is given to wages and salaries as in forms the core of the organization’s incentive to its employees. This is followed by the total costs incurred on benefits to the employees with the rest given very little weight. Of more interest is the allocation to retirement and the savings that come with it. It is the least area over which the company allocates its resources. The trend within the U.S economy is of greater interest and explains further the recent decision by major organizations to review their benefits packages (Barnow et al, 2013). As of the year 2004 towards the year 2008, the general of cost allocation to benefits and remunerations was on a declining slope which gives a reflection of the economic times during such periods. Between the year 2008 and 2010 there was a steady increase in the general allocation of resources to benefits and remunerations. Such an action reveals that the companies were experiencing economic boom and thus could easily afford to increase the allocation of their resources to benefits. The general trend in the statistics available at the U.S Bureau of Statistics shows that most organizations do allocate between 40% and 47% of their resources towards the benefits of their employees with the percentage allocated to

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Race-Based Internment and Korematsu Essay Example for Free

Race-Based Internment and Korematsu Essay The internment of Japanese-Americans following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor was shameful not only because of the fact that it was allowed to happen, but mostly because it was a national public policy joined in by all branches of the American government. President Roosevelt initiated the policy as the head of the executive branch by issuing executive orders declaring zones of exclusion for people of Japanese backgrounds, curfews, and even relocation programs to what some scholars have referred to as quasi-concentration camps. The legislative branch failed to protect the rights of these Japanese Americans; instead, On March 21, 1942, Congress ratified and confirmed Executive Order No. 9066, which authorized criminal penalties for persons disobeying exclusion orders (Justl, 2009, p. 272). Ultimately, with both the executive and legislative branches having failed to protect or defend the rights of American citizens of Japanese ancestry, the United States Supreme Court would be called upon to decide whether these orders and policies were in violation of the American constitution. To be sure, the notion that Americans could be rounded up and compelled through force to confined in internment camps seems to offend the dearest principles of American liberty and justice. Hoping that the judicial branch would extend the constitutional guarantees to American citizens of Japanese ancestry, a man named Korematsu filed suit alleging that these orders and policies violated the American constitution in a case now well-known as Korematsu v. United States. This particular case originated when an American citizen, who was born and raised in San Francisco, openly refuse to obey the exclusion order issued by President Roosevelt. Korematsu was loyal to the United States, having volunteered for military service though rejected because of health limitations, and there existed absolutely no evidence that he posed even a minor threat to American national security. He was allegedly subject to the exclusion order purely because of is Japanese ancestry. Korematsu was gainfully employed, he had a girlfriend who was not of Japanese ancestry, and he took deliberate steps to avoid and later challenge the constitutionality of the exclusion order. Ultimately, he was arrested and relocated to an internment camp. Specifically, he was arrested because he refused to leave an area open to others but closed to those of Japanese ancestry and because he refused to voluntarily report to an internment camp. The judicial branch, like the executive and legislative branches before, failed to protect the rights of Japanese-Americans; indeed, the Supreme Court upheld the exclusion order and Korematsus conviction (Justl, 2009, p. 274). Significantly, however, the Supreme Court’s decision was a six to three majority rather than a unanimous decision. The majority reasoned that war constituted a national emergency and that certain laws and orders designed to prevent spying or sabotage were sufficient bases upon which to restrict or eliminate individual rights protected in the constitution for the duration of the emergency. This case and its rationale still functions as a landmark type of legal case because it stands for the proposition that the constitutional rights of Americans can be suspended in times of national emergency. The minority opinions, recorded in dissents in the Korematsu case, argued that these laws were racist that they offended American ideals, and that the rights guaranteed by the American constitution ought to always apply regardless of alleged fears and national emergencies. This case effectively allows the judicial branch to relinquish its sacred duties as guardian of the constitution in national emergencies; this, in turn, gives the executive and legislative branches powers perhaps not intended when the founders of the constitution sought to create a stable balance of powers. In the final analysis, the Korematsu case is troubling because it stands for a legal principle that transcends its origins. More particularly, it can be seen in contemporary times that the War on Terror has been used as an indefinite type of national emergency to restrict or eliminate rights for American citizens even though the main enemies have been defined as foreign nationals. Arab-Americans and Muslims have in this way replaced the Japanese-Americans of World-War Two. Additionally, the recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has been treated as a type of environmental national emergency and the media has been restricted by the American Coast Guard from covering the story on-site. Korematsu is a tragedy both because of the individual harm done to Fred Korematsu and because it continues to stand for a proposition to the effect that politicians can cry â€Å"national emergency† in order to suspend or eliminate constitutional rights for different classes of American citizens. It is perhaps time that the Supreme Court reasserts its intended role as a true guardian of the constitution by accepting a case challenging the Korematsu precedent so that it can eliminate the vague national emergency exception. References Justl, J. M. (2009). Disastrously Misunderstood: Judicial Deference in the Japanese-American Cases. Yale Law Journal, 119(2), 270+. Retrieved June 2, 2010, from Questia database: http://www. questia. com/PM. qst? a=od=5036190287

Sunday, October 27, 2019

Review of hierarchical theories of intelligence

Review of hierarchical theories of intelligence The theories of cognitive abilities have been advanced through the conglomeration of two similar theories on the structure of human cognitive abilities which have provided a trend in intelligence theories. In particular, Cattell (1941) and Horn (1965) theoretical frameworks on unitary traits that reflects certain basic aspect of cognitive functioning (Fogerty Stankov, 1988) along with the seminal work of Carrolls (1993) three stratum theory that proposed cognitive abilities was an expansion and extension of previous theories, notably Spearman (1927) concept of general intelligence (g) have influenced the advancement in understanding the concept of general abilities. McGrew (2004) article emphasizes the theory based assessment, specifically CHC theory based assessment in human cognitive abilities. The article focuses on the history of cognitive abilities theory particularly test development, operationalisation and interpretation and outlines salient points of the model along with evidence review in support of the model. Thus, McGrew (2004) provided an outline describing the conglomeration of these models in particular, the initial works of Cattell (1941) and Horn (1965) Gf Gc theory which proposed Gf (fluid intelligence) of individual differences in cognitive ability were the influences of two major classes of factors, educational-cultural opportunity, genetic factors and physiological neurological functioning (Ferrer McArdle, 2004) that affected the normal development of cognitive abilities and further postulating that Gc (crystallised intelligence) primarily consisted of representation of measurable outcome of additional environmentally infl uenced factors such as experience and acculturation (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005. Cited in: Flanagan Harrison (Eds)). According to McGrew (2004), the theory was further expanded by Horn to include various aspects of human cognitive abilities that comprised of eight broad abilities: Fluid Intelligence (Gf), Crystallized Intelligence (Gc), Short-Term Acquisition and Retrieval (SAR or Gsm), Visual Intelligence (Gv), Auditory Intelligence (Ga), Long-Term Storage and Retrieval (TSR or Glr), Cognitive Processing Speed (Gs), Correct Decision Speed (CDS), and Quantitative Knowledge (Gq). (Horn, 1991. Cited in McGrew, Werder Woodcock (Eds)) proposing that the correlation between Gf -Gc is the result of an individuals investment in Gf through the acquisitioning of the variety of information and cognitive skills that represents Gc (Jensen, 2002. Cited in Sternberg Grigorenko (Eds)) as well as suggesting that over the period of interaction with the total environment, individuals who are more highly endowed with Gf attain a higher level of Gc (Fogerty Stankov, 1988) . Evidence in further support of the model relates to Carrolls (1993) seminal work Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies, which implied that a distinct number of individual differences in cognitive abilities exist and the relationship amongst these factors can be obtained through classification into three different strata (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005. Cited in Flanagan Harrison (Eds)). As such, Carroll (1993) represented the structure of intelligence as a pyramid where general intelligence (g) formed the apex as conceptualised by Spearman (Berk, 2000). He believed that g was the most important factor when determining intelligence and that general intelligence could be divided into many more sub-factors, thus he organised these sub-factors into domains of intellectual abilities representing three separate levels and listing these abilities in descending order of predominance (Carroll, 1993). Stratum III general intelligence factor, Stratum II included the a bilities of Fluid Intelligence (Gf), Crystallized Intelligence (Gc), General Memory and Learning (Gy), Broad Visual Perception(Gv), Broad Auditory Perception (Ga), Broad Retrieval Ability (Glr), Broad Cognitive CHC Theory of cognitive abilities Speediness (Gs), and Reaction Time/Decision Speed (Gt), including 69 narrow abilities within Stratum I that are subsumed by stratum II abilities (McGrew, 2004). Similarly, there is evidence to indicate that CHC has since been recognised as being the most thorough and well researched multiple view of intelligence to date ( McGrew, 2005; Evans, McGrew, Leforgee. 2001). More specifically, McGrew (2004) argues that contemporary psychometric approaches have resulted in an effort to present a comprehensive conceptualisation of human cognitive abilities based on factor analytic studies. However, McGrew (2004) concede that although psychometrics had been highly recognised within the field of applied intelligence research it had been a much slower acceptance within the field of intelligence testing. Noting, diversity in test measures as the disparity in the advancement of the CHC theory particularly in defining and interpreting cognitive abilities construct, as well as the non inclusion of fluid and crystallised intelligence along with the exclusion of corresponding research base as a means to the development of intelligent testing (Alfonso, Flanaga n Radwan, 2005). The author argued that the impetus of change within this sphere was due to the revise model of the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery (WJ-R) based on Horn-Cattell Gf Gc theory as a cognitive model for test development which included two measure of each eight abilities. Moreover, that the amelioration of the WJ-R resulted in the foundation for the first major theory-to-practice bridging with major impact being on the applied measurement of intelligence. This approach of Woodcock (1990) became a blueprint for future intelligence test development thus, substantially influencing narrowing the contemporary psychometric theory and applied practice gap (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005). CHC Theory of cognitive abilities McGrew (2004) postulated that as a result of Woodcock (1990) confirmatory factor analyses findings of major intelligences test sparked by the amelioration of the WJ-R permitted the freeing up of practitioners from constraints of most single intelligence batteries. The realisation by practitioners of the provision of a set of principles and procedures consequently from a cross battery approach as suggested by Woodcock (1990), allowed for greater measurement of a wider range of abilities by way of, systematically traversing amongst test batteries that were considered sufficient both in breath and depth in assessing various aspect of the broad range of cognitive abilities (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005). The assumption of McGrew (2004) of Woodcocks (1990) work provided a transition in intelligence testing has had ample evidence in the literature (see McGrew Flanagan, 1998; Messick, 1992; Sternberg Kaufman, 1998) to support such a postulation. In the cross batteries approach McGrew Flanagan (1998) proposed the present of the provision of empirically based set of terms that is a standard nomenclature may significantly reduce or eliminate data misinterpretation generally through the combination of cognitive test. Accordingly, Messick (1998) implied that the utilisation of cross batteries approach would safe guards against two ubiquitous sources of invalidity in assessment- construct irrelevant variance and construct under representation. Furthermore, the attributes of cross batteries approach has typically focused on organise assessment that generate and test hypotheses that pertains to an individuals functioning by which reliable and valid conclusions are draw in a systematic mann er (Alfonso, Flanagan Radwan, 2005). It was therefore logical that focus on the structure of human cognitive abilities was of a critical importance given that there were diverse interpretations and understandings of the CHC Theory of cognitive abilities   With the changes in intelligence test development a systematic taxonomic structure was required in the field of intelligence, McGrew (2004) claims Carrolls (1993) seminal work Human Cognitive Abilities: A Survey of Factor-Analytic Studies provided the development of a common nomenclature that is a common set of terms and definition for describing broad and narrow cognitive abilities above and beyond the effect of g (McGrew, 2009). In doing so, Carroll (1993) was able to further the understanding of communication and intelligence measurement amongst scholars and practitioners, integrate and compare individual test across an array of intelligence batteries (McGrew, 2004). Moreover, Carrolls (1993) taxonomy on the structure of human cognitive abilities is grounded by exploratory factor analysis of 461 selected human cognitive abilities datasets, drawn from decades of research by various array of dedicated researchers in the field of intelligence (McGrew, 2004). The influence of the CHC taxonomic framework in the use of applied individual batteries of intelligence had ignited the search for common ground between cognitive and psychometric developments; hence, in McGrew (2004) article he had introduced the term spreading of the assessment gospel suggesting in order to study individual differences in cognitive abilities there needed to be a single broad and narrow ability taxonomy by which the constructs of abilities could be measured in the individually administered intelligence batteries. For this reason, McGrew (2004) is further suggesting that broad abilities should be considered as clusters in the construct of intelligent behaviour and therefore should be considered separately, thus, a move from the concept of single unitary constructs. CHC Theory of cognitive abilities The CHC model in the past decade has seen a series of exploratory and/or confirmatory factor analysis studies investigating the validity of a wide range of CHC constructs indicators. McGrew (2004) claims since Woodcocks (1990) series of joint factor analyses the majority of intelligence test prior to this only measured two or three broad cognitive abilities sufficiently, conceding that Carrolls (1993) was amongst the array of studies. However, it seems clear that although such representations are evident, the CHC theory has had major impact on intelligence test development due to exploratory and/or confirmatory factor analysis investigations that substantially increases research base to provide empirical support for the broad strokes of contemporary CHC theory (McGrew, 2004). McGrews (2004) article elucidate studies findings that support the CHC frame work through a comprehensive depiction of the general and broad abilities and their interrelationship in determining human cognitive abilities, for example multiple group confirmatory factor analysis methodological framework (see Bickley, Keith and Wolf, 1995) found support for the developmental invariance , whilst Taub McGrew ( in press) findings were consistent with that of Bickley et.al (1995) in providing additional support for validity of the broad and general stratum abilities of CHC theory, moreover, small sample structural studies provided a strong support for distinct CHC cognitive factors, however, a depiction is also clear that no single intelligence battery effectively measures all the broad abilities delineated in the framework of CHC (see Kaufman Kaufman, 1993; Pallier and Stankov, 1996). Research using cross batteries intelligence test such as WJ-R and Woodcock -Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery Third Edition (WJ-III) has demonstrated the importance of broad cognitive abilities in explaining domain specific knowledge for generalisation and correlations CHC Theory of cognitive abilities between construct indicators (McGrew, 2004). In his article, McGrew (2004) provides evidence based on major studies and it is easy to conclude from these findings the existence of these broad abilities. For instance, related cognitive abilities in which learning mediates the influence of fluid intelligence (Gf) and crystallised intelligence (Gc) with cognitive constructs such as general sequential, reasoning (RG), language development (LD), listening ability (LS) with other broad abilities; processing speed (Gs) and basic skills (Grw) (reading and spelling, reading comprehension). A central point in much research interest in intelligence theories has been whether general intelligence is embedded in every cognitive task. The CHC theory represents one of the best examples of collective science in applied psychology (McGrew, 2009), with its core origin being able to be pinpointed back to Spearmans (1927) presentation of the g factor of intelligence. The seminal work of Carrolls (1993) three stratum theory has been a major influence in the framework of CHC theory based on factor analysis of 461 datasets. As previously mentioned in this paper, Carroll (1993) believed that g was the most important factor when determining intelligence, evidence of g is able to be obtained when 60 narrow factor abilities (visualization, visual memory, deductive reasoning) of the first stratum are correlated producing a set of eight second stratum factors (fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence, general memory and learning, broad visual perception, broad auditory perception, bro ad retrieval ability, broad cognitive speediness, and processing speed) which are positively inter-correlated. When these second stratum factors are analysed, a single third factor stratum of general intelligence emerges, whereas, in the two stratum model of Cattle-Horn the second broad order factors constitute the apex and are based on over 40 first-order factors (primary mental abilities) that forms the lower stratum denoting that there is only two general factors (fluid intelligence, CHC Theory of cognitive abilities crystallized intelligence) hence, it does not support a third order g factor to account for correlations among the broad sector order factors (Jensen, 2002). Guided by structural and empirical evidence the CHC theory arbitrate well in relation to general intelligence that is, g is measured depending upon the statistical analysis of measures of human cognitive abilities in determining cognitive strength and weaknesses of an individual. This is evident in McGrew (2004) assertion that working memory (MW) is a source of complex cognitive activities and is a critical issue in future studies (see McGrew Woodcock, 2001) for postulation of constancy of relations of MW to exert a large causal effect on complex performance, particularly in understanding the rise and decline over the life span. Furthermore, McGrew (2004) argues that measurement of specific abilities within the CHC framework is mainly due to disparity of the CHC theory in describing a relatively complete taxonomy of cognitive function, however, excludes other processes, such as directly testing sensory modalities. In doing so, CHC theory neglect other abilities that have found to be important in the construct of intelligent behaviour and achievement. Support for contemporary CHC theory is grounded in the extent of factor analytic research that produced the Gf Gc model and the three stratum model with the necessity of further research (heritability, neurocognitive, outcome criterion) to continue the validation, refinement and extension of the CHC taxonomy being evident in McGrew (2004) article suggesting human cognitive abilities is clearly multidimensional. As such, McGrew (2004) makes clear that Carrolls (1994, cited in McGrew) approach of open-ended empirical theory is a pathway to which future research are able to provide yet unknown and unmeasured factor abilities upon one or more levels of the CHC model. CHC Theory of cognitive abilities

Friday, October 25, 2019

Flowers For Algernon - Comparing And Contrasting Essay -- essays resea

Many popular novels are often converted into television movies. The brilliant fiction novel, Flowers for Algernon written by Daniel Keyes, was developed into a dramatic television film. Flowers for Algernon is about a mentally retarded man who is given the opportunity to become intelligent through the advancements of medical science. This emotionally touching novel was adapted to television so it could appeal to a wider, more general audience. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters. The plot of both the novel and film version of Flowers for Algernon share common similarities. They both feature a retarded middle-aged man, Charlie Gordon, who receives an operation to heighten his intelligence. Charlie’s IQ eventually surpasses human normalcy to reveal that the experiment did prove successful. In both the film and novel, Charlie became even more intelligent than the professors who worked with him. In the film, Dr. Strauss was embarrassed to reveal that Charlie was smarter than him. That played a milestone event in Charlie’s identification of himself. Slowly his intelligence began to decrease and he eventually returned to his original state of mind. Throughout the story, Charlie encountered many different emotions that he had never experienced before because he didn’t have the common knowledge to understand them. The episode when he was at the nightclub with his co-workers gave him the opportunity to experience betrayal and anger. â€Å"I never knew before that Joe and Frank and the others liked to have me around just to make fun of me† (Keyes 30). The plot for both versions also carefully depicted Charlie’s psychological traumas that he suffered after his operation. These outbursts were often caused by romantic anxiety and the painful memories he would recall. Whenever Charlie got intimate with Alice he would tend to get extremely nervous or have a hallucination, causing him to ruin the moment. â€Å"I dropped a fork, and when I tried to retrieve it, I knocked over a glass of water and spilled it on her dress† (56). One of Charlie’s most painful memories was the one about the locket incident. Both versions did a great job of emphasizing this particular moment. â€Å"His clothes are torn, his nose is bleeding and one of his teeth is broken† (38). These flashbacks occurred many times in the novel yet the f... ...n the woman at the bar in the movie. Norma, Charlie’s sister, was another important character who wasn’t featured in the film. She was part of the reason why Charlie was sent away. As a child she hated Charlie because he would constantly ruin things for her, like the ‘A-Paper’ incident. â€Å"Not you. You don’t tell. It’s my mark, and I’m going to tell† (81). She always felt like Charlie was a nuisance as well â€Å"He’s like a baby† (81). In the film, Rose wasn’t as senile as the novel portrayed her. She seemed to have Norma’s sense of compassion from the novel which made her character rather puzzling. In conclusion, there was a difference of characters in the film. Although the novel and film are similar in terms of plot and theme, they are different in terms of characters. Charlie’s emotions and personal trials were a large part of both plots because the whole story is about his personal maturation and experiences. Intolerance was an important issue in the life of Charlie Gordon because it was hard for him to be accepted anywhere else but the bakery. Although some of the original characters were removed from the film, their personalities were incorporated into that of another character.

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Haemon’s Speech Analysis

Haemon’s Speech Analysis Pride and stubbornness can be harmful things, and Haemon touches upon this within his speech to Creon as he attempts to dissuade his father from taking Antigone’s life. Using rhetorical devices such as tone, ethical, emotional, logical appeal, and metaphor, Haemon manages to make an impact on Creon’s eventual decision as he speaks in Antigone’s defense.Starting at the beginning of his speech, Haemon ventures to convince Creon to change his mind about his harsh ruling against Antigone, not by raising his voice or attempting to beat his â€Å"earnest† views into his father, but by using great tact and endeavoring to find a common ground with Creon, possibly trying to understanding his father’s position on the matter at hand. First, Haemon alleges that reason is â€Å"God’s crowning gift to man†, and that his father is â€Å"right† to â€Å"warn [him]† against losing that reason.He even keenly asserts that he never wants to say that â€Å"[Creon] has reasoned badly†, continuing on to make other mindful concessions. However, when this thoughtful mode of speaking doesn’t take any immediate effect, Haemon starts to become more candid with his words, implying (although not directly) that Creon’s actions are unjust and stubborn, taking care to adopt a point of view that is constructively criticizing as opposed to being completely insulting. He rationally cautions his father against the mindset of him having all of â€Å"the power†, noting that if Creon continues upon that path he will eventually â€Å"turn out† an â€Å"empty† man.He states that even people like his father must be able to stop, listen, and learn from others—not be completely fixed and â€Å"unchangeable†, because no man in the world is completely infallible. A few lines later in the speech, in addition to his amiable tone, Haemon also begins to use some emotional appeal, acknowledging his love and respect for his father, affirming that â€Å"nothing [is] closer to [him] than [his father’s] happiness†, and that he â€Å"values his father’s fortune† as much as his own.Haemon also logically recognizes his youthfulness and lack of wisdom as well, although he astutely uses what the people of Thebes have been â€Å"muttering and whispering† to support his argument, using aspects of ethical appeal to attest that Antigone’s innocence is what the people of his father’s city would want, realizing that while Creon would like first and foremost to be a good ruler, e also wishes to be well-liked by his people. Then coming to closing lines of his speech, Haemon begins to weave in clever metaphors here and there, first comparing a â€Å"stubborn tree† being â€Å"torn up† and then a â€Å"fast† and â€Å"never-slackened sail† going â€Å"head over heels and under† the water to his father, indicating that this is the type of thing what will happen if Creon thinks that he alone â€Å"can be right†.And in the very end, Haemon leaves his father with some loaded words, advising that Creon listen to him, because while â€Å"men should be right by instinct†, â€Å"[they] are all too likely to† be led astray, and that the smartest thing would be to learn from those who can are willing to teach them how to stay, or even make their own paths, in life.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Decriminalization of Prostitution

Prostitution has been around since the time of the early European settlers. It has been considered a social norm in many countries, while in others; it has been considered to be morally wrong and taboo. Canada, for example, has decriminalized prostitution, but the activities relating to it, such as soliciting, communicating and procuring, are illegal. Many parts of the United States have criminalized prostitution. Regulating prostitution through the state would eliminate many of the harms associated with prostitution.Also, prostitution provides a means of financial income and sexual gratification in cases where it cannot otherwise be acquired. Lastly, people have the right to work as they please, and this includes selling one’s body if they so choose. With all of this being said, the decriminalization of prostitution positively affects Canadian society, and it would likely benefit other countries which have not yet decriminalized it. The conception that prostitution is highly dangerous is partially due to the fact that it has not been decriminalized in many places.Alarming stories of rapes, robberies and STD transmissions have lead people to believe that prostitution is an evil and harmful act. However, this ‘dark side’ of prostitution can be alleviated if prostitution is controlled and monitored. Decriminalization of prostitution will help ease the amount of people partaking in transactions in shady, unsafe areas. With regulation comes the alleviation of organized crime and underage individuals prostituting themselves. Legal prostitution between consenting adults does not pose any direct threat to themselves or society.Exploitation, abuse, diseases, and many other negative factors can be safely managed if the state treats prostitutes as real workers. Prostitutes would be protected by the state by having regular STD checks, being taxed, and being protected by a regulated system. In places where prostitution has already been decriminalized: S ex work is officially recognised and dealt with as a legitimate occupation: sex workers are entitled to a number of employment-related protections under the law and local authorities are required to ensure that brothels are suitably licensed, and operating in accordance with relevant health and safety requirements.The issue with prostitution being a criminal offence is that there are no institutions or programs that are enforced to protect prostitutes from the harms that they sometimes encounter. Governing the acts of prostitutes will ensure the safety of the prostitute, the customer, and society. Prostitution requires working shifts in exchange for income, which makes it a legitimate job. People within a society have the freedom to work in whichever profession that they wish to participate in.The Occupation Health and Safety (OHS) is an area of industrial relations that encompasses the fundamental right of employees not to have their health put at risk through the normal requiremen ts of their work. The application oh OHS to legal prostitution would eliminate the harms and hazards of the job. The decriminalization of prostitution can be justified by the ideology that it is a harmless act between two willing and consenting adults. While there are prostitutes who do not enjoy their work, there are far more who are quite content with the job because of the lifestyle and income it can provide for them.Although prostitution is frowned upon and viewed as a controversial topic, it can provide people with jobs who otherwise would have no means of financial stability. It keeps potentially homeless individuals from living in the streets. However, without legalization, these people often end up being fined or imprisoned for trying to establish an income for themselves. Jobs are very difficult to come by in today’s working world. In some cases, prostitution is the only job available to those who are lacking a necessary education.Women’s involvement in prosti tution demonstrates that prostitution is a gendered survival strategy often used by poor women trying to create a better future for them and their dependents. Denying people the right to work as they please is putting them in further danger by risking their safety, health and general well-being. With regards to the customers of prostitutes, they are often lonely individuals who have no other means of friendship or sexual gratification unless they use the services of a prostitute. Single men sometimes have low self-esteem, causing them to be lonely and unable to pursue non-prostitutes.For them, they look to prostitutes for company first, and for sex secondarily. This does not cause any harm to the prostitute or the customer, as long as the prostitute has valid protection and both parties have consented to the act. This is a positive outlet for both the prostitute and the customer to achieve the needs they are aiming to fulfill. The most eminent argument against the legalization of pr ostitution is that it is â€Å"morally wrong† for one to sell their body. Many religions have the belief that God owns a person’s body until they are married, at which point they may share it with their spouse.However, not every person is religious, and not everyone agrees with this. The reality is that every individual is responsible for their own actions and has the right to use their bodies for whatever purpose they see fit, whether it is child bearing, donating an organ, or prostitution. The concept of legalizing prostitution relates to the controversial topic of pro-choice abortion, which states that only the woman herself can decide what she wants to do with her body; it is her personal choice. With the regulation of prostitution through the state, underage prostitutes would be more closely monitored and detached from the profession.This means that only consenting adults – not children – would be legally allowed to prostitute themselves. Adults are able to understand the possible consequences of their actions – consequences that will not be as heavy of a burden once prostitution is decriminalized within a society. It is not the state’s position to become involved in what two adults choose to do in their spare time as long as no one is being directly harmed. The harms will never completely cease to exist; however, with regulation, many issues can be minimized.Everyone has different values and morals, and because prostitution is a victimless crime, there is no need to criticize these morals or criminalize the actions that go along with them. Whether prostitution is really a â€Å"moral wrong† is debatable, and perhaps in an ideal world, it would not exist at all. However, this is not an ideal world – there are issues that will continue to arise regardless of attempts to control and stop them. It is justified to believe that decriminalizing prostitution is beneficial to society, as it creates far more pros than cons.It would be in society’s best interest to keep prostitution under control rather than to keep it criminalized, because without legalization, people will continue to act upon their sexual and emotional needs in hazardous ways. Finally, human beings are at liberty to both work as they please, and treat their bodies as they please. The sex trade is something that has been around for a long time, and it will continue to exist as long as human beings have needs – therefore, it can be sustained that the decriminalization of prostitution allows society to be better off.

Week 4 Example

Week 4 Example Week 4 – Assignment Example WEEK 4: PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT METHOD School: WEEK 4: PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT METHOD Once businesses introduce new products anddevelopment projects, it is required that they would put in place a number of strategic and dynamic decision making processes that will ensure that their products and projects are up-dates, revised and up to standard with the market in which they find themselves (Cooper, Edgett and Kleinschmidt, 2014). This dynamic decision process engaged by the businesses is what is referred to as portfolio management. With the popularity of portfolio management and its importance to the survival of businesses, there are a number of ways that companies have strategically approached it. From the experience of my country, there are three major methods that are commonly employed when it comes to portfolio management. These three methods are heuristic models, scoring techniques and visual or mapping techniques. Depending on the business orientation of a particular company, there are numerous ways that each of the methods has their own strengths and weaknesses. In a much generalized argument however, Evans (2006) noted that the use of scoring technique is currently one of the most common methods practiced. This paper therefore delves into the outlook of this method, as well as its strengths and weaknesses. The scoring technique of portfolio management has been explained to be a type of method used with the aim of arriving at precise investment needs. This means that the scoring method dwells much on the use of quantitative numeric indexes in arriving at very specific values that represent the current and future state of any investments made by the organization (Faulkner, 2006). According to Bodie, Kane and Marcus (2011), knowing the actual outcomes of new products and project developments is very crucial for the survival of any investment programme. In effect, when using the scoring technique, the focus and attention of portfolio managers is to ensure that particular methodologies are put in place to enhance profitability and assistance in numerous strategic planning (Sushant, 2014). Due to the complex nature of scoring technique, there are several divisional methods that come under it to ensure that different organisations can be selective according to methods that are easier for them to use and those that meet their specific investment needs. This is a very crucial thing because Bodie, Kane and Marcus (2011) warned on the potential failure that can be recorded when the wrong portfolio management method is selected. Under the scoring technique, Sushant (2014) identifies two major methods namely Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and Weight Product Method. From personal experiences and the experience of the current business environment, there are specific strengths and weaknesses that can be associated with the scoring technique in general. These strengths and weaknesses have been generalised to apply to the two major methods that come under the technique. Writing on the strengths, Evans (2006) noted that scoring technique this method is highly beneficial as it does not rely on depend on the use of certain ratios that are commonly used in traditional ratio analysis. It would be noted that in traditional ratio analysis, there is much speculation, hypothesis drawing and assumptions in the making of investment forecasts and predictions. This is a problem that does not enhance accuracy and precision. Using the scoring technique, this weakness is overcome and thus the benefit of giving highly precise outcomes of portfolio management is guaranteed. What is more, the problem with the need to give each ratio an equal level of importance which causes delay in portfolio management is dealt with when scoring technique is used. This is because scoring technique only requires that each ratio will be weighted according to its ability (Faulkner, 2006). Regardless of the strengths that have been stressed above, there have been a number of criticisms about the weakness of the scoring technique. First and foremost, the need to optimise outcomes when there are mixed project scenarios is difficult. This means that in portfolio management, the scoring method is effective only for specific projects at a time. This situation causes much delay in most of the time because it makes is impossible to undertake combined portfolio management using different variables of studies (Evans, 2006). Meanwhile in portfolio management, efficiency has been noted to be an important tool for ensuring success (Bodie, Kane and Marcus, 2011). What is more, the scoring method has been noted to be highly demanding in terms of its statistical underpinnings. For example according to Sushant (2014), â€Å"It is imperative to have a sufficient large sample, accurate database and consistent long period in order to reveal trends in the company’s behaviour and m easuring its impact.† This means that there is no way accurate can be achieved while approaching the management of portfolio in a way other than statistical accuracy. Meanwhile, in behavioural business theories, there is room for investment trends to be predicted and worked with quantitatively. References Bodie, Z., Kane, A. & Marcus, A.J. (2011) Investments. 9th ed. New York: McGrawHill. Cooper R. G., Edgett S. J. and Kleinschmidt E. J. (2014). Portfolio Management: Fundamental for New Product Success. Product Development Institute Inc.: London. Evans, P. (2006). â€Å"Streamlining formal portfolio management†, Scrip Magazine, Vol. 4 No. 2, pp. 4-33 Faulkner, T. (2006). â€Å"Applying ‘options thinking’ to R&D valuation†, Research-Technology Management, Vol. 24 No. 2, pp. 123-143 Sushant (2014). Scoring Techniques. [Online] Available at portfoliomanagement.in/scoring-techniques.html [April 10, 2014]

Sunday, October 20, 2019

“Macbeth” and “Brave New World” Comparison Essay Essay Essay Example

â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Brave New World† Comparison Essay Essay Essay Example â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Brave New World† Comparison Essay Essay Essay â€Å"Macbeth† and â€Å"Brave New World† Comparison Essay Essay Essay Essay Topic: Brave New World Freedom and individuality are a important constituent of modern-day society. nevertheless there are many parts of the universe where these basic homo rights are non granted. The deficiency of these basic rights are clearly demonstrated in the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and the drama Macbeth by William Shakespeare. The leaders of many societies are willing to give guiltless lives in order for society to work harmonizing to their visions. Many leaders are willing to give the freedom of the people in order for society to run the manner they want. Furthermore. even the persons doing up the society are rather willing to give their psyches in order to populate in an fanciful universe. Equally long as they perceive felicity to be present they are really content to populate at that place. To populate in the Utopian fanciful universes of Brave New World and Macbeth. freedom and individualism are frequently sacrificed. Sacrifice is frequently a necessity when trying to make Utopian societies. However. these forfeits are non plenty to convert every person within the society. One of these persons is Bernard. who was traveling to be exiled to Iceland by the manager. because he does non believe in the society that persons after Ford believed in. Even though Bernard was conditioned when he was a kid. he could non accept what all the other persons believed. Unlike the other persons. Bernard has stunted growing and frequently felt isolated from the remainder of society. Further estranging Bernard from the remainder of society is his rejection of the promiscuous nature nowadays in his society. He besides exhibits the assorted features of work forces who existed before Ford. Bernard Marx did non believe in the everyone belonged to everyone subject that was the norm in Fords society. The manager wanted to expatriate Bernard Marx because he did non believe in the society that the manager was implementing. However. Bernard felt strong plenty to run into and get the better of affliction. strong plenty to confront even Iceland. ( Huxley 106 ) . This outlook was one of the many factors which set Bernard apart from the remainder of society. Another adult male who sets himself apart from society is Macbeth. He plots and succeeds in killing King Duncan after hearing the enchantress prognostications. Macbeths grounds for killing King Duncan are legion but most dramatic are greed and an grim desire to go King. He besides wants to do certain that he runs the state as he saw tantrum. Macbeth allows the prognostications to command him and his internal battle is demonstrated by: This supernatural soliciting Can non be badly ; can non be good: if sick why hath it given me earnest of success ( Shakespeare 27 ) . Despite his initial reluctance. he quiets his scruples taking to the barbarous slaying of King Duncan. I have done the title ( Shakespeare 70 ) . Both narratives show similarity between the Director and Macbeth. who are willing to give guiltless lives to obtain the society they want. Desiring and accomplishing the society that is envisioned is ever paralleled with loss and some kind of forfeit. Bernard Marx sacrifices the small regard that he has by conveying John Savage back to the Utopian society. Bernard and John both want the society to be more independent. Fortunately for Bernard and unluckily for the manager. society accepts John and inquiries their ain life style. Bernard believes that life should be precisely the same as John wants it to be I dont want comfort. I want God. I want poesy. I want existent danger. I want freedom. I want goodness. I want wickedness. ( Huxley 237 ) Bernard took a immense hazard in conveying John back to his society because he was put on the lining definite expatriate to Iceland had society rejected John. Macbeth sacrifices his peace of head and self-respect by killing Banquo and seeking to kill Banquos boy Fleance. At the feast Macbeth makes a sap of himself by speaking to the fanciful shade of Banquo. Blood hath been shed now. I the olden clip. Ere human legislative act purged the soft wale ; Ay. and since excessively. muders have been performed Too awful for the ear: the clip has been. That when the encephalons were out. the adult male would decease. And there an terminal: but now. they rise once more. With 20 mortal slayings on their Crowns. And push us from our stools: this is more unusual Than such a slaying is. ( Shakespeare 145 ) Many persons take note of Macbeths unusual behaviour taking them to surmise him of some disgusting title. Unfortunately for Macbeth. Macduff realizes that Macbeth is the true liquidator. This realisation leads to the eventual violent death of Macbeth. This illustrates Macbeths forfeit of his ego regard and his life in order to carry through his prognostication. Many persons are willing to give their psyches in order to go portion of the fanciful universe where merely happiness exists. John Savages female parent. Linda. sacrifices her life by taking excessively much of a drug referred to as haoma. Linda wants to acquire off from the existent universe and come in a universe of felicity. Ever since she had a kid with the Director her life changed for the worse. So the best people were rather determined non to see Linda. And Linda. for her portion. had no desire to see them. The return to civilisation was for her the return to soma. was the possibility of lying in bed and taking vacation after vacation. without of all time holding to come back to a concern or a tantrum of purging. without of all time being made to experience as you ever felt after peyotl. as though you’d done something so disgracefully anti-social that you could neer keep up your caput once more. Soma played none of these unpleasant fast ones. The vacation it gave was perfect and. if the forenoon after was disagreeable. it was so. non per se. but merely by comparing with the joys of the vacation. The redress was to do the vacation uninterrupted. Greedily she clamoured for of all time larger. of all time more frequent doses. Dr. Shaw at foremost demurred ; so allow her hold what she wanted. She took every bit much as 20 gms a twenty-four hours ( Huxley 107 ) Lenina int roduces the drug to Linda every bit shortly as Linda enters the universe after Ford. Linda looses her life and dies at the infirmary because of an overdose of haoma. the drug that is supposed to supply felicity. Lady Macbeth besides sacrifices her peace of head and finally her life so that Macbeth could be King. Lady Macbeth sets up the violent death of King Duncan at the beginning of the novel. Throughout the novel. Lady Macbeth becomes involved in many of the slayings committed by Macbeth. Unfortunately Lady Macbeth experiences a somnambulating unwellness with repeating incubuss of the slaying of King Duncan that could non be resolved. This disease is beyond my pattern: yet I have known those which have walked in their slumber who have died holily in their beds. ( Shakespeare 213 ) . The lives of Linda and Lady Macbeth can besides be viewed as victims of the Utopian societies envisioned by the manager and Macbeth. Freedom and individualism are sacrificed throughout Brave New World and Macbeth in order to accomplish the societies envisioned by the manager and Macbeth. The manager tried to expatriate Bernard merely because Bernard did non accept the norm of the Utopian society. Macbeth kills King Duncan after hearing the witchs prognostications of him being King so that he can run society the manner he wants. Bernard sacrifices his regard by conveying John Savage back place. Macbeth besides sacrifices his regard when he talks to the shade of Banquo. Linda puts her psyche on the line with an overdose of a drug called haoma. Lady Macbeth besides sacrifices her life in order for Macbeth to be King of Scotland. Many persons throughout Brave New World and Macbeth sacrifice their freedom and individuality for the society that they believed in. even if it was non the society that was accepted by the bulk of people. Bibliography Shakespeare. William. Date Modified: 1999. MacbethHuxley. Aldous. Date Modified: 1979. Weather New World

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Cultural Interactions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Cultural Interactions - Essay Example This is not like most of the music around today, except perhaps in churches, but some gospel music has similar single voice to the chants, along with a chorus in the background which can echo the main voice. Most popular music has multiple kinds of instrumental accompaniment, and so it sounds completely different, with a lot of additional material beyond the main melody lines. The use of Latin recalls a long history of religious faith, and this reminds me of the musical â€Å"Evita† where at least one song has sections of Latin and this draws a parallel with the virgin Mary. The portrayal of the human figure in the Early Classical period (480 BCE) is rather stiff and lifeless. The male nudes, for examples, just appear as if they are stuck on to a fixed and flat background, and they are only intended to be viewed from the front. In the High Classical period (450-430 BCE) statues are made with the weight shifted to give the figure an impression of moving in one or other direction in space. There is also a striving after the perfect human body shape, and that is why so many sculptures are made of fine physical specimens of me, like warriors and athletes. In the Late Classical period (430-323 BCE) curves and sensuality are emphasized more, and there is also a focus on women as well as men. It is surprising how modern the people look, and this is partly because of the realism of the sculptures, and partly because modern ideas of male beauty have not changed very much: muscles are still fashionable and regarded as beautiful in men. The women look different fr om our ideal of supermodels, since they are heavier and have elaborate plaited hairstyles but they are still attractive, and indeed look much healthier than modern ideals of female beauty. Plato’s allegory of the cave is quite complex because it gives both a visual image and a verbal argument to illustrate deep concepts about how people come to know about

Friday, October 18, 2019

Discussion of a current marketing problem Essay

Discussion of a current marketing problem - Essay Example This gives them instant access to tangible video copies (not streaming video) that even Netflix could not provide without a day or two wait for the mail system to deliver videos. As such, subscribership began to drop as Netflix was not providing cost incentives to avoid brand defection by once loyal consumers. This led to media coverage that was very negative in which investor confidence began to fall, along with outlook for continuing subscribership and revenue growth, which plummeted the stock from $236 in September 2011 to only $66 in December 2011. Media coverage showing many negative factors about a business model has very substantial impact on consumer perceptions about a brand. While all of this negative publicity was occurring, Netflix was also realizing that its operational costs were steadily increasing, therefore the business would have to raise prices in order to offset these concerns. The operational cost increase factors included royalty fees paid to many different film production companies that hold intellectual property rights on many of the products offered by Netflix. With growth in streaming video online, the costs of operations increased from $180 million annually in 2010 to $1.98 billion in 2012 (Pepitone & Smith, 2011). The only way that Netflix could stay in business and regain investor confidence was to raise prices, taking the Netflix service subscription from a previous 2009 total of $5 per month, to over $10 per month in certain markets. Raising prices on this business model created significant consumer backlash and immediate defection to other brands offering similar services. To now be able to get hard copy discs delivered as well as streaming video capabilities under the service, it would now cost consumers $15.98 (Sanger, 2011). Netflix was essentially stating that the high costs of licensing the videos offered (hundreds of millions of dollars annually) and the costs of handling video returns and deliveries were justifying these sudden and significant price hikes. The major problem in this situation is that not only did the company anger its loyal customers with massive price increases, but the business did not realize the consumer loyalty

Freight Transport in Europe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4750 words

Freight Transport in Europe - Essay Example In the modern era when every field is shaping itself, European freight transports have had to update according to globalization practices. However the hope of 2010 is there according to which it is expected that EU would take serious measures to half the road distance. According to Pompeo and Sapountzis (2002) one of the major reasons that could be count towards a constant rate in freight growth is being over confident in taking risks. (Pompeo & Sapountzis, 2002) Of course, the risk factor is there when ERTRAC is keen to achieve the following by 2010: During 1973 to 1976 and 1977 to 1981 the priority of the EU was to avoid damaging policy impact; and in 1982 to 1986 and 1987 to 1992 the emphasis was on risks and benefits of environmental policies for the internal market of cargoes. Even the European Environmental Agency held responsible the EU for the road static transportation infrastructure and for the exposure to the pollution of water and air. However, during 1992 to 1999 there was a stronger accent on 'paradigmatic change' to reflect global environmental risks, with proposed structural change in favour of public transport, energy efficiency and waste prevention. (Carter & Turnock, 2002, p. 57) It started with the UK publication, when in 1989 UK Transportation department concerning continuous growth of roads made some sentimental remarks. The remarks were emotional enough to jerk the Government to think seriously about the then transportation system which consisted of a developing European market in terms of logistics and freight. Therefore a program initiated which required heavy investment in motorways and trunk roads. It was announced that UK Government has decided to make the roads better. The program was so successful that it effectively doubled the existing investment plans and was seen as a commitment to the provision of infrastructure 'suited to the single market and other competitive challenges of the 1990s and beyond'. It was also argued that the investment was necessary for industry and to improve the country's economic geography, through increasing opportunities for less favoured regions, assisting urban regeneration and helping more prosperous areas to cope wi th growth. The programme had resulted from a substantial increase in road traffic (35 %) in the 1980s and the prospects of a doubling of road traffic from 1988 to 2025. Something had to be done and the government decided that road building was the main alternative to be pursued. (Berechman & Banister, 2000, p. 3) The past two decades in EU freight The past 50 years of European market has gone through tremendous ups and downs, where ups have been mostly initiated by the growth of free trade which liberalize the European market. The free movement and removal of transport barriers provide the EU with the motivation to create and groom their economic market. However in the initial 90s the growth through road transport was at little as 3%. There were many transport problems, among which the most

The Effects of Temp & PH on Enzymes Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Effects of Temp & PH on Enzymes - Lab Report Example The activity of enzymes is highly affected by changes in pH and temperature and as such each enzyme works best at a given pH and temperature (Jencks, 1987). Changes in pH alter the state of ionization of charged amino acids that may play a crucial role in substrate binding and/or the catalytic action itself. Similarly, hydrogen bonds are easily disrupted by increasing temperature which disrupts the shape of the enzyme such that its affinity for its substrate diminishes (Groves, 1997). In this experiment, each group of four students was provided with a tube of concentrated -amylase that was labeled A, B or C. The tube with enzyme was kept on ice. Each group performed part 1 and 2 of the experiment. First, -amylase preparation C was recorded and then one test tube was labeled "blank" and five others as 40C, 230C, 370C, 650C and 1000C. 1ml of 1% starch solution at pH 7 was added to each test tube, whereby the starch was the substrate for the reaction. Each tube was placed in a water bath that was set as one of the indicated temperatures. The blank and the 230C were placed at room temperatures while the 40C on ice. All the tubes were allowed to equilibrate to the desired temperatures for ten minutes. A fresh dilution of the unknown -amylase was made by mixing 100l of the concentrated enzyme stock with 9.9 of dH20 shaking to mix. The stock and the diluted solutions were kept on ice. All the tubes were retrieved after 10 minutes of pre- incubation step. 1ml of dH20 was added to the blank tube only. To the other five tubes, a timer

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Written response Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Written response - Research Paper Example The reading is also motivated by the need to explore the influence the memories associated with a given locations, the physical characteristics and the geology on the overall architectural design process. One of the interesting aspects of this reading which comes out to be very engaging is way it explores the relationship between the buildings and the various environmental parameters which in the site where it is located. The reading explores how the orientation of the building, movement of the sun and movement from one building to the other affects design (Farrelly, 2007). It not only impacts on the height and the materials that can be used to construct the building. Generally, the reading is quite informative as it engages the reader to appreciate the key role which the location or site of a building has on the overall project starting from the design to the issue of the building upon

Managing a Diversity Training Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing a Diversity Training Program - Essay Example In US workplace, discrimination is a common phenomenon added by the theory, similarity-attraction which explains â€Å"people are more likely to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves than to others who are different from themselves (Paludi, 2012, Ch.1). As the leader of an insurance company in Baltimore, there are also other theories to be considered before developing a diversity training program like the social categorization theory and the social identity theory. According to the social categorization theory people in workplace tend to classify themselves and others who have common social elements like age, gender, religion and class. According to the social identity theory people tend to take pride in their own characteristics like specific age group or religious affiliations. As such these people form in-groups with others who they consider as their kin and feel separated from out-groups which contain groups other than the in-groups. In this way discrimination bec omes rampant in workplace (Paludi, 2012, Ch.1). For proper diversity management several things need to be considered. A workforce being culturally diverse there is potential of multiple talents and skills. Therefore, for a leader of an insurance company it is necessary that every individual be given proper opportunities to exhibit their talents and skills for the benefit of the company. This will create an overall inclusive working environment that can develop in spite of differences within workforce with no person feeling rejected. Thus, the key lies in creating an inclusive environment that will maximize the potential of all individuals in a workforce within a cultural context that will be advantageous for all (Rosado, 2006, p.4). However, there can be challenges in implementing diversity training program. In spite of the overall advantages of this program, it can be opposed by some members as they may be reluctant to adapt to

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

The Effects of Temp & PH on Enzymes Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Effects of Temp & PH on Enzymes - Lab Report Example The activity of enzymes is highly affected by changes in pH and temperature and as such each enzyme works best at a given pH and temperature (Jencks, 1987). Changes in pH alter the state of ionization of charged amino acids that may play a crucial role in substrate binding and/or the catalytic action itself. Similarly, hydrogen bonds are easily disrupted by increasing temperature which disrupts the shape of the enzyme such that its affinity for its substrate diminishes (Groves, 1997). In this experiment, each group of four students was provided with a tube of concentrated -amylase that was labeled A, B or C. The tube with enzyme was kept on ice. Each group performed part 1 and 2 of the experiment. First, -amylase preparation C was recorded and then one test tube was labeled "blank" and five others as 40C, 230C, 370C, 650C and 1000C. 1ml of 1% starch solution at pH 7 was added to each test tube, whereby the starch was the substrate for the reaction. Each tube was placed in a water bath that was set as one of the indicated temperatures. The blank and the 230C were placed at room temperatures while the 40C on ice. All the tubes were allowed to equilibrate to the desired temperatures for ten minutes. A fresh dilution of the unknown -amylase was made by mixing 100l of the concentrated enzyme stock with 9.9 of dH20 shaking to mix. The stock and the diluted solutions were kept on ice. All the tubes were retrieved after 10 minutes of pre- incubation step. 1ml of dH20 was added to the blank tube only. To the other five tubes, a timer

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Managing a Diversity Training Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing a Diversity Training Program - Essay Example In US workplace, discrimination is a common phenomenon added by the theory, similarity-attraction which explains â€Å"people are more likely to be attracted to others who are similar to themselves than to others who are different from themselves (Paludi, 2012, Ch.1). As the leader of an insurance company in Baltimore, there are also other theories to be considered before developing a diversity training program like the social categorization theory and the social identity theory. According to the social categorization theory people in workplace tend to classify themselves and others who have common social elements like age, gender, religion and class. According to the social identity theory people tend to take pride in their own characteristics like specific age group or religious affiliations. As such these people form in-groups with others who they consider as their kin and feel separated from out-groups which contain groups other than the in-groups. In this way discrimination bec omes rampant in workplace (Paludi, 2012, Ch.1). For proper diversity management several things need to be considered. A workforce being culturally diverse there is potential of multiple talents and skills. Therefore, for a leader of an insurance company it is necessary that every individual be given proper opportunities to exhibit their talents and skills for the benefit of the company. This will create an overall inclusive working environment that can develop in spite of differences within workforce with no person feeling rejected. Thus, the key lies in creating an inclusive environment that will maximize the potential of all individuals in a workforce within a cultural context that will be advantageous for all (Rosado, 2006, p.4). However, there can be challenges in implementing diversity training program. In spite of the overall advantages of this program, it can be opposed by some members as they may be reluctant to adapt to

Ultrasound is simply sound Essay Example for Free

Ultrasound is simply sound Essay Ultrasound is simply sound pitched above human hearing. Ultrasound is the part of the sonic spectrum which ranges from about 20 kHz to 10 MHz and can be roughly subdivided in three main regions: (A) low frequency, high power ultrasound (20-100 kHz), (B) high frequency, medium power ultrasound (100 kHz-1 MHz), (C) and high frequency, low power ultrasound (1-10 MHz). The frequency level is inversely proportional to the power output. High power, low frequency ultrasound does alter the state of the medium and is the type of ultrasound typically used for sonochmical applications. Table A shows the application of ultrasound (1). 2. 3. 2 Theory Two theories exist to explain the chemical effects due to cavitation: hot-spot theory (2) and the electrical theory (3 4). Hot spot theory has been experimentally shown that the cavitational collapse creates drastic conditions inside the medium for an extremely short time: temperatures of 2000-5000 K and pressures up to 1800 atm inside the collapsing cavity. A remarkable event during the cavitation collapse is the emission light under certain conditions (sonoluminescence). Furthermore, the collapse causes a couple of strong physical effects outside the bubble: shear forces, jets and shock waves. The electrical theory postulates that an electrical charge is created on the surface of a cavitation bubble, forming enormous electrical field gradients across the bubble which are capable of bond breakage upon collapse. 2. 3. 3 Sonochemistry in Aqueous Solution The reactive species formed during the sonolysis of water are similar to those observed radiolysis (Table B). Among the most extensively studies species are OH radical and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), produced by the thermolysis of water molecules in the gas phase of the bubble, and recombination of the resulting free radicals H2O2 is formed in the cooler interfacial area of the cavitation bubble (5). 2. 3. 3. 1 Kinetic Analysis The chemical transformation which occur during sonolysis may occur in several different regions of the cavitation bubble (Fig C). Three regions of sonochemical activity in sonicated systems (6). Attack by oxidizing species such as hydroxyl radical (OH) or oxygen atom or thermolysis of chemical bonds within the substrate can occur in either the gas phase or interfacial region. OH is most concentrated in the gas phase of the cavitation bubble. It is presumed that aromatic substrates are attacked by addition of OH whereas non-aromatic molecules are attach by hydrogen atom abstraction (7) due to much stronger C-H bond in aromatic system. 2. 3. 4 Acoustic cavitation Bubble collapse in liquids results in an enormous concentration of energy from the conversion of the kinetic energy of liquid motion into heating of the contents of the bubble. The high local temperatures and pressures, combined with extraordinarily rapid cooling, provide a unique means for driving chemical reactions under extreme conditions. The origin of sonochemical effects in liquids is the phenomenon of acoustic cavitation. Ultrasonic waves traveling through a solution impose upon the liquid a sinusoidal pressure variation, alternately compressing the liquid molecules or pulling them apart by overcoming the intermolecular forces. As an ultrasonic frequency of 20 kHz, the liquid will be compressed and rarefied each second. Therefore, the distance among the molecules vary as the molecules oscillate around their mean position. If the intensity of ultrasound in a liquid is increased, a point is reached at which the intramolecular forces are not able to hold the molecular structure intact. Consequently, it breaks down and a cavity is formed. This cavity is called cavitation bubble as this process is called cavitation and the point where it starts cavitation threshold. A bubble responds to the sound field in the liquid by expanding and contracting, i. e. it is excited by a time-varying pressure (1 4). Two forms of cavitation are known: stable and transient. Stable cavities oscillate for several acoustic cycles before collapsing, or never collapse at all. Transient cavities, conversely, exist for only a few acoustic cycles (10). 2. 3. 5 Sonoluminescence (SL) During the acoustic cavitations, the emission of light was referred by the SL. During the underwater exposure of photographic plates, it was first observed, when these plates were irradiated with ultrasound in the solutions (11). Generally, the Hot Spot theory explains the origin of the sono-luminescence and sono-chemistry, which is widely accepted by the scholars. It simplifies the expansion of potential energy of a bubble, when it is concerntrated into the core of a heated gas, and which makes the implosion of that bubble. Sono-luminescence has been divided into two forms; single-bubble SL (12 13) and the multi-bubble SL (14), through which the information is gathered regarding the conditions during the implosion of the cavitation bubbles. Commonly, shock waves are the usually proposed mechanisms that are used in the SL during the implosion of the bubbles. Through this, the bubbles are converged at the center by these mechanisms (15). Hydroxyl radical is another mentioned that is being used in the SL, which produces the emission from the chemical species during their excited state (16). However, small changes in bulk parameters can bring significant influences in the nature of the emissions. The moment, at which the air bubbles glow in the water was observed by the first researchers and was then, known as the multiple-bubble sono-luminescence (MBSL). However, it is advised to observe this glowing condition in a darkened room due to the fainting characteristic of these bubbles. In 1990, two researchers; Crum and Gaitan observed the SBSL in its perfect conditions (17). Placing of a single bubble of gas was done in the liquid, in order to create SBSL. In this regard, an air bubble was injected in the liquid, which created the SBSL. Normally, the bubble was arisen after in the center of the cylindrical flask after its injection. However, the sound waves were bombarded that kept it in its place. Nowadays, elaborate setups are available and practiced by the researchers in their labs. Sono-luminescence requires around 100 decibels of sound waves, which can cause deafness in a normal person. Another factor that is imperative for the SL is the frequency of sound, which a human hearing cannot reach in its range. During the acoustic cavitations, the SL referred the release of light waves. Sono-luminescence is divided into two forms; single-bubble SL (12 13) and the multi-bubble SL (14), through which the information is gathered about the conditions during the implosion of the air bubbles. Commonly, shock waves are the regularly proposed methods that are used in the SL during this process. Through this, the bubbles meet at the center by these methods (15). The moment, at which the air bubbles glow in the water was observed by the first researchers and was then, known as the multiple-bubble sono-luminescence (MBSL). In 1990, two researchers; Crum and Gaitan observed the SBSL in its perfect conditions (17). A single bubble of gas was placed in the liquid to create SBSL. In this regard, an air bubble was inserted in the liquid, which created the SBSL. Sono-luminescence requires around 100 decibels of sound waves, which can also cause deafness in a normal person. 2. 3. 6 Heterogeneous systems: liquid liquid interface Ultrasound forms very fine emulsions in systems with two immiscible liquids, which is very beneficial when working with biphasic systems or phase transfer catalyzed. When very fine emulsions are formed, the surface area available for reaction between the two phases is significantly increased, enhance the mass transfer in the interfacial region, thus increasing the rate of the reaction. Ultrasound cavitation creates reactive intermediates that shorten the reaction time (18). 2. 3. 7 Ultrasonic System Types Generally 3 types: Ultrasonic bath, Probe system and Planar Transducers. 2. 3. 7. 1 Ultrasonic Bath Ultrasonic bath: originally manufactured for cleaning purposes (1). Fig Y shows the bath that has transducers attached to the bottom. The reaction vessel is typically immersed in the coupling fluid contained in the bath. When indirect sonication is used, the ultrasonic power which reaches the reaction vessel is relatively low as compare to other ultrasonic systems, such as a probe. In addition, obtaining reproducible results may be difficult because the amount of power reaching the reaction mixture is highly dependent upon the placement of the sample in the bath. 2. 3. 7. 2 Probe System Probe systems are being more frequently used for sonochemical research in the laboratory. This may be because manufactures are aware that this type of research is increasing and are providing equipment to meet the demand (19). Probe sytems are capable of delivering large amounts of power directly to the reaction mixture which can be regulated b varying the amplitude delivered to the transducer. Disadvantages in using a probe system include erosion and pitting of the probe tip, which may contaminate the reaction solution. Figure Z shows the probe type sonoreactor. 2. 9. 7. 3 Planar transducers This type of setup is typically made in the laboratory and consists of a planar transducer connected to a vessel which contains either the reaction mixture (direct sonication) or a coupling fluid (indirect sonication) into which the reaction vessel is immersed. Planar transducers capable of delivering higher powers than ultrasonic bath systems (1). However, they are difficult to scale-up.

Monday, October 14, 2019

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay

The Often Complex Process Of Reading English Language Essay Reading is often seen as a fairly simple process where a person reads text from left to right and from the top to the bottom while making meaning one word at a time. The process of reading is much more complex than this, and many theorists have presented models explaining what skills and knowledge they believe people need to possess in order to read effectively. Three mainstream theories of teaching Reading include the Psycholinguistic model, the Bottom-up model and the Socio-cultural model supported by Luke and Freebody (year 1990?). The Psycholinguistic Model: The Psycholinguistic model of teaching Reading is also called the Top-down model and the Inside-out model. Goodman (1967), a theorist supporting this reading model, proposes that the reader is the major component of reading, as opposed to the Bottom-up model which focuses on the text. The Psycholinguistic model places importance on the reader making meaning from a text by relating it to their background and prior understandings. The more prior knowledge and experiences a reader has, the less dependence they will need to place on word order, language structures, and phonological concepts (week 1 ppt). Unlike the Bottom-up reading model, this theory focuses on the non-visual information that the reader has and suggests that, in order to read, one must have semantic, syntactic and grapho-phonic knowledge. Semantic information involves a readers prior knowledge and understandings of the world and various concepts. Syntactic knowledge is the understanding of word order and language struct ures (week 1 ppt, p.?), and grapho-phonic information involves phonological concepts; an understanding of the alphabet and the sounds that various letters and letter combinations make (week 1 ppt). The idea of relying on the readers experiences and prior knowledge can also be seen as one of the biggest downfalls to this model. When presented with reading topics that are new to the reader, it is very difficult to make meaning of a text based solely on prior knowledge. For example, picture a young boy living in a secluded, poor village in Africa reading a text about Blu-Ray DVDs. The boy would likely have no knowledge or prior experience with this topic and so, according to this model, would not be able to make meaning of the text (slideshare). The Bottom-Up Model: The Bottom-Up Reading theory is also known as the Skills Model and the Outside-in theory. According to this Reading theory, beginner readers obtain a number of sub-skills that build towards understanding and comprehension. This theory suggests that readers passively receive information from a text and that it is their job to reproduce the meaning that already exists in the text. Visual information is the beginning point of the Bottom-Up Reading theory and involves interpreting written symbols into spoken language (McCarthy, 1999 www.teachingenglish) or (Nunan, 1991). Reading, according to this theory, involves recognising letters before recognising sounds, before recognising words, before recognising sentences, before finally making meaning of a text (week 1 ppt). It is essentially a decoding or skills approach based on the relationship between sounds and written symbols (week 1 ppt). One downfall of this theory is that it doesnt take into account the contributions a reader can bring to the process such as prior understandings and knowledge. It fails to recognise the need for the reader to use their previous experiences in order to make predictions and to have expectations whist reading. This process focuses on the text whereas the Psycholinguistic model focuses on the reader; two factors that are not enough by themselves (www.slideshare). The Socio-Cultural Model: The Socio-Cultural model of teaching Reading, supported by Luke Freebody (year), recognises the importance of both the reader and the text in the reading process. In this model, importance is placed equally on both the text and the reader (nadabs). Unlike the psycholinguistic and bottom-up models, the Socio-cultural theory relies on both the visual and non-visual aspects of reading and not just on one of these factors (www.slideshare). An attempt is made to combine the positive aspects of both the Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models, whilst also trying to eliminate the negatives (McCormick, 1988). As a result of this, the Socio-cultural reading model focuses on the importance of prior knowledge while recognising the fact that certain skills are also necessary (www.slideshare). This Reading theory consists of four Roles of the Reader which include the Code Breaker, the Text Participant, the Text User and the Text Analysis. The code breaker involves decoding visual information such as letter-sound understanding. Text participant involves creating meaning from the text by using prior knowledge and experiences. Text user involves knowing the purpose of a text and how to use it, for example, a recipe, comprehension or birthday card, and Text analysis involves working out what the author is trying to do to you, for example, underlying intentions and biases (week 1 ppt). According to this socio-cultural model, a reader is required to successfully perform each of these four roles in order to become effective readers. Most effective model to use in the classroom: The Socio-Cultural model is the most promising teaching Reading theory as it tries to incorporate the positive components and eliminate the negative components of both the psycholinguistic and the Bottom-up Reading theories. This model, therefore, is arguably the most effective theory to be used in the classroom as it recognises the importance of both the Reader and the text. According to Eskey (1988), a good read is someone who is able to decode and interpret readings in an increasingly automatic manner. They attempt to identify the purpose and the form of a text before reading it, continually making predictions about what will happen next based on personal experiences and information learned earlier. Effective readers also try to form a summary of what they have read by using skills such as classifying, sequencing, hypothesising, predicting, inferring, comparing and contrasting (www.teachingenglish). The socio-cultural reading model tries to present a balanced view of the reading process and recognises the importance of teaching children phonics and other necessary skills, while noting that phonics by itself is not enough. Students need to be able to do more than just say a written sentence; they also need to try to make meaning of it. According to this model, students should be given plenty of opportunities to practice each of the following four roles of the reader; Code-breaker, Text-participant, Text-user and Text-analysis (Winch et al., 2001, p.58). They need to learn to say the words, create meaning from these words, know the purpose of each text and how to use it, and finally, learn to recognise how a text is positioning them. According to this Socio-cultural reading model, students are effective readers once they have become proficient at each of these four reading roles (Winch et al, 2001). Classroom practice examples: Effective teaching is necessary in order to nurture students to become effective readers. Reading lessons must be carefully planned, prepared and monitored to ensure that high level learning is occurring in the classroom. The activities a teacher chooses to assist in any Reading lesson must encourage students to learn necessary skills and to perform each of the four roles of the reader. Activities must provide students with frequent opportunities to read, teach them phonological skills, and help them to understand the structure of verbal and written words. Effective teachers will model effective reading to their students in a fun, positive manner by using props, acting, strong expression and variations in speed, pitch and volume to ensure that students see the process as enjoyable. Shared reading or modelled reading is one activity that teachers should incorporate into their Reading teaching program. It is usually a whole-class activity structured to demonstrate effective reading to the students. Teachers will often use a big book that all students can see and will follow a somewhat structured procedure. Before reading the book, an effective Reading teacher will try to build up their students semantic knowledge about the topic of the book so that students are able to relate text to mental pictures. This could be done by taking students on an excursion, drawing/painting pictures, watching a video or through writing activities. When first introducing a big book, the teacher should ensure that it is visible to all students and should encourage children to suggest what they think the book might be about. The teacher then reads through the entire book with limited stops as this first reading is usually for the enjoyment of the children. Following readings are more i nteractive and require students to join in on repetitive parts and answer questions about the storyline, characters, punctuation and structure. They are also followed up with activities to help support learning and encourage understanding. Shared reading helps to build sight word knowledge, increases reading fluency, provides opportunities for struggling readers to enjoy books they otherwise would not, and ensures that all students have a feeling of success as the whole class is supported (WETA http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/shared_reading). Guided reading is another effective strategy to use in the classroom. This differs to shared reading in that students are placed in groups of similar reading ability and are given their own book to look at.The book should be introduced in a similar manner to shared reading, with attention being paid to the front cover, author and illustrator. Each students should be given the opportunity to read a designated section out loud, however, teachers should be careful not to set a child up for failure by asking a struggling reader to read a large, difficult portion of the book. Techniques should be available for students to use in order to overcome reading difficulties such as with phonics, grammar and meaning. Students should be required to take on the four roles of the reader by answering pre-prepared questions by the teacher. After a guided reading session, students should re-read the book with a partner and then take the book home to read to their parents. Again, follow-up activities ar e to be used in order to reinforce new learning such as sequencing activities or memory where repetitive words are written on pieces of card/paper and students are required to find two matching words (Winch, et al., 2001). Guided reading is effective as it allows children to read and comprehend books at their own level, instead of struggling to read books that are too difficult and where students are unable to make meaning of the text. Another effective activity to use when teaching Reading to students is called The language experience approach which uses events that have occurred in the students life in order to create texts. Students verbally share an experience which is written down either by the student or with the help from the teacher. These stories then become meaningful texts for reading and further activities as they are written at the students level and often reflect common every day experiences. The language experience approach is an effective strategy as it is learner-centred and shows students that their thoughts and experiences are valued. It also creates texts that are readable and predictable as it uses language that is common to the students (McCormick, 1988). Reading is a very complex cognitive process and involves both the text and the semantics of the reader. The Psycholinguistic and Bottom-up models both acknowledge some important elements of the reading process, however, the Socio-cultural model is more effective as it attempts to combine the positive and eliminate the negative aspects of each. Effective teaching is of great importance in order to help students to become competent readers. By providing students with valuable reading activities and experiences, and encouraging them to take on the four roles of the reader, teachers are setting students up with the essential skills and understandings to becoming effective readers.

Sunday, October 13, 2019

Hypnotherapy: Can it Stop Cigarette Addiction? Essay examples -- Hypno

Hypnotherapy: Can it Stop Cigarette Addiction? â€Å"And now, when I snap my fingers, you will never smoke again! †Could there be something more useful to hypnosis than just magical entertainment? Are there applications for hypnosis in the medical realm? Hypnotherapists now advocate hypnosis as a near panacea, claiming it can help one lose weight, stop smoking, improve memory, improve athletic ability, reduce stress, build self-confidence, overcome phobias, find lost articles, and even manage chronic pain (http://sageways. com/sageline/0196/hah. html). It has been estimated that some 390,000 Americans die prematurely from cigarette smoking each year. Smoking has been linked as a major risk factor to lung cancer (and many other forms of cancer), heart disease, chronic lung diseases, stroke, and respiratory illness. However quitting smoking can decreases the risk of these chronic illnesses and those who quit smoking generally live longer and healthier than those who do not. As scientific evidence revealing the harmful eff ects of smoking has accumulated to the of point universal acceptance, smokers are now seeking heavily (even desperately) to terminate their potentially fatal habit. Furthermore, smokers usually must make multiple attempts to quit their habit before reaching the point of abstinence. In such despair, an unorthodox treatment such as hypnosis can arise as a tantalizing option. But can a hypnotherapist really use hypnosis to end such an ingrained habit, or are the seemingly magic powers of hypnosis being used to swindle money from the gullible and the desperate? Who Advocates Hypnosis? In general hypnotherapists and other alternative therapists endorse hypnosis. Many of these advocates do not possess a... ...ly Physician, 42(5Suppl), 70S-73S. Schwartz, J. L. (1992). Methods of Smoking Cessation. Medical Clinics of North America, 76(2), 451-76. Schubert, D. K. (1983). Comparison of Hypnotherapy with Systematic Relaxation in the Treatment of Cigarette Habituation. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 39(2), 198-202. Spiegel, D. , Frischhlz, E. J. , Fleiss, J. L. , & Spiegel, H. (1993). Predictors of Smoking Abstinence Following a Single-Session Restructuring Intervention With Self-Hypnosis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150(7), 1090-7. Sorensen, G. , Beder, B. Prible, C. R. , & Pinney, J. (1995). Reducing Smoking at the Workplace: Implementing a Smoking Ban and Hypnotherapy. Journal of Occupational Medicine, 37(4), 453-60. Van Dyck, R. & Hoogduin, K. (1990). Hypnosis: Placebo or Nonplacebo?American Journal of Psychotherapy, 44(3), 396-404.

Saturday, October 12, 2019

Impeachment Of Andrew :: essays research papers

One man’s bullet would force him into the presidency, and but for one man’s vote he would have been forced out. Like the impeachment of President Clinton, the impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 also ended in an acquittal.And like President Clinton, Johnson was a Democratic president who faced a Republican-controlled Congress. And while many were hostile to him for his political agenda, it would be an event separate from his policies that would nearly bring him down.Before it would end, a drama would play out in the Senate filled with partisanship, legal hairsplitting, and the swing votes of a handful of Republicans. The Road to Impeachment A â€Å"war† Democrat opposed to secession, in 1864 Johnson was tapped by Republican President Abraham Lincoln as his running mate to balance the Union ticket. He became president following Lincoln’s assassination in April 1865, just days after the Civil War ended. As president, Johnson’s desire to scale back Lincoln’s Reconstruction legislation following the Civil War angered the Radical Republican majority that sought to punish the former rebels of the Confederacy. The stage was set for a partisan fight that would ultimately center around a single act. In February 1868, Johnson fired Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton, who was sympathetic to the Radical Republicans and who was overseeing the military’s Reconstruction efforts. A year earlier, Congress had passed the Tenure of Office Act, which prohibited a president from dismissing any officer confirmed by the Senate without first getting its approval. With Stanton’s firing, the call for Johnson’s impeachment began. â€Å"To say that they seized the opportunity was too strong,† says Michael Les Benedict, a history professor at Ohio State University and the author of The Impeachment and Trial of Andrew Johnson. â€Å"The president was in obvious defiance. He was daring them, it seemed, to impeach him. And if they didn’t, it would have given him a green light to basically dismantle the Reconstruction program that Congress had passed.† Political Opportunism? But others today see that impeachment as political opportunism. â€Å"Namely, Johnson was opposed to congressional Reconstruction,† says Hans Louis Trefousse, author of Andrew Johnson: A Biography. â€Å"So Johnson blocked that and, because he did, they [Republicans] eventually decided they should throw him out.† â€Å"A more technical inquiry can hardly be imagined, and as a separate basis for removing a president from office it bordered on the absurd,† wrote U.S.

Friday, October 11, 2019

Magnesium: Chlorine and Hydrogen Moles

ATOMIC WEIGHT OF MAGNESIUM LAB Introduction The main purpose for this experimental lab is to determine the atomic weight of magnesium, as well as an underlying purpose in determining the relationship between moles evolved and consumed. This can be demonstrated by measuring the hydrogen gas evolved by performing a chemical experiment when hydrochloric acid reacts with the magnesium. The formulated reaction includes; Mg + 2HCl > H2 + Mg2+(aq) + 2Cl- (aq)The major findings contributing to the experiment is being able to determine and distinguish what moles have evolved thus being the hydrogen moles evolved allowing the magnesium to be consumed within the reaction. Procedure Step 1: Obtain a 600 mL beaker, and add 300 mL of water. Step 2: Add 30 mL of HCl (2M) to the beaker, and stir. Step 3. Add 10 mg of magnesium metal to the beaker. Step 4. Allow the hydrogen gas to evolve. All of the magnesium should be consumed. Step 5. Record the amount of hydrogen gas that has evolved using the ch emical property dialog.Observations and Results Moles of hydrogen evolved: 0. 000411 (4. 11 x 10-4th) moles of H2 evolved Calculated atomic weight of magnesium: Weight of Mg /moles of H2 evolved [24. 305g/mol / 0. 000411 = 59,136. 25 g/mol of Mg] As I continued with my experiment I came across a few observations that are important to bring to attention. As I added 10 mg of magnesium to the beaker of HCl, a shaded area appeared at the bottom of the beaker. Directly after, bubbles formed in the same beaker thus indicating the Mg was being consumed. DiscussionThe moles of hydrogen gas that have evolved during the experiment resulted in 0. 000411. The calculated atomic weight of magnesium is determined by the formula of; atomic weight of Mg (in grams)=weight of Mg consumed (in grams) / moles of H2 evolved, therefore the equation should be similar to this; [24. 305g/mol / 0. 000411 = 59,136. 25 g/mol of Mg]. This experiment is clearly a branch of stoichiometry because a reaction takes pl ace and it is the duty of the student to calculate or determine the relative atomic mass of Magnesium. The relationship between reactants and products

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Da Vinci Code PROLOGUE

Louvre Museum, Paris 10:46 P. M. Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a Caravaggio. Grabbing the gilded frame, the seventy-six-year-old man heaved the masterpiece toward himself until it tore from the wall and Sauniere collapsed backward in a heap beneath the canvas. As he had anticipated, a thundering iron gate fell nearby, barricading the entrance to the suite. The parquet floor shook. Far off, an alarm began to ring. The curator lay a moment, gasping for breath, taking stock. I am still alive.He crawled out from under the canvas and scanned the cavernous space for someplace to hide. A voice spoke, chillingly close. â€Å"Do not move.† On his hands and knees, the curator froze, turning his head slowly. Only fifteen feet away, outside the sealed gate, the mountainous silhouette of his attacker stared through the iron bars. He was broad and tall, with ghost-pale skin and thinning white hair. His irises were pink with dark red pupils. The albino drew a pistol from his coat and aimed the barrel through the bars, directly at the curator. â€Å"You should not have run.† His accent was not easy to place. â€Å"Now tell me where it is.† â€Å"I told you already,† the curator stammered, kneeling defenseless on the floor of the gallery. â€Å"I have no idea what you are talking about!† â€Å"You are lying.† The man stared at him, perfectly immobile except for the glint in his ghostly eyes. â€Å"You and your brethren possess something that is not yours.† The curator felt a surge of adrenaline. How could he possibly know this? â€Å"Tonight the rightful guardians will be restored. Tell me where it is hidden, and you will live.† The man leveled his gun at the curator's head. â€Å"Is it a secret you will die for?† Sauniere could not breathe. The man tilted his head, peering down the barrel of his gun. Sauniere held up his hands in defense. â€Å"Wait,† he said slowly. â€Å"I will tell you what you need to know.† The curator spoke his next words carefully. The lie he told was one he had rehearsed many times†¦ each time praying he would never have to use it. When the curator had finished speaking, his assailant smiled smugly. â€Å"Yes. This is exactly what the others told me.† Sauniere recoiled. The others? â€Å"I found them, too,† the huge man taunted. â€Å"All three of them. They confirmed what you have just said.† It cannot be! The curator's true identity, along with the identities of his three senechaux, was almost as sacred as the ancient secret they protected. Sauniere now realized his senechaux, following strict procedure, had told the same lie before their own deaths. It was part of the protocol. The attacker aimed his gun again. â€Å"When you are gone, I will be the only one who knows the truth.† The truth.In an instant, the curator grasped the true horror of the situation. If I die, the truth will be lost forever.Instinctively, he tried to scramble for cover. The gun roared, and the curator felt a searing heat as the bullet lodged in his stomach. He fell forward†¦ struggling against the pain. Slowly, Sauniere rolled over and stared back through the bars at his attacker. The man was now taking dead aim at Sauniere's head. Sauniere closed his eyes, his thoughts a swirling tempest of fear and regret. The click of an empty chamber echoed through the corridor. The curator's eyes flew open. The man glanced down at his weapon, looking almost amused. He reached for a second clip, but then seemed to reconsider, smirking calmly at Sauniere's gut. â€Å"My work here is done.† The curator looked down and saw the bullet hole in his white linen shirt. It was framed by a small circle of blood a few inches below his breastbone. My stomach.Almost cruelly, the bullet had missed his heart. As a veteran of la Guerre d'Algerie, the curator had witnessed this horribly drawn-out death before. For fifteen minutes, he would survive as his stomach acids seeped into his chest cavity, slowly poisoning him from within. â€Å"Pain is good, monsieur,† the man said. Then he was gone. Alone now, Jacques Sauniere turned his gaze again to the iron gate. He was trapped, and the doors could not be reopened for at least twenty minutes. By the time anyone got to him, he would be dead. Even so, the fear that now gripped him was a fear far greater than that of his own death. I must pass on the secret. Staggering to his feet, he pictured his three murdered brethren. He thought of the generations who had come before them†¦ of the mission with which they had all been entrusted. An unbroken chain of knowledge. Suddenly, now, despite all the precautions†¦ despite all the fail-safes†¦ Jacques Sauniere was the only remaining link, the sole guardian of one of the most powerful secrets ever kept. Shivering, he pulled himself to his feet. I must find some way†¦ . He was trapped inside the Grand Gallery, and there existed only one person on earth to whom he could pass the torch. Sauniere gazed up at the walls of his opulent prison. A collection of the world's most famous paintings seemed to smile down on him like old friends. Wincing in pain, he summoned all of his faculties and strength. The desperate task before him, he knew, would require every remaining second of his life.