Wednesday, July 31, 2019

Jacques Family Case study Essay

Domestic violence has several mitigating approaches, and the health care approach has proved to be fruitful. By gathering feedback from victims of domestic violence in a health care setting, has helped to create awareness as well as demystify the phenomenon eventually helping to create more accurate intervention strategies (Enos et al, 2004.p 4). It has also been noted from studies that children who grow up in homes where they experience domestic violence are likely to be perpetrators of the same in their adult life (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 6). The co-occurrence of child abuse and intimate partner violence is an issue that needs to be professionally addressed. The impact on domestic violence on children cannot be explained by one theory. Assumptions about the Jacques family There is a co-occurrence of child abuse and intimate partner violence in the Jacques family. This is seen when Jacques physically abuses Samuel when the boy tries to help his mother from the father’s attack. Jacques verbally abuses Samuel, as seen in the case study. The husband, Jean Jacques is an unstable man, with an inclination towards violence. This is likely to be a medical condition. Jean has a manipulative attitude and domineering towards his family. Marie suffers from depression as a result of the continued violence and a feeling of having wasted her life by not pursuing the nursing course. Marie has had a troubled childhood and early adulthood as is stated in the case study. Her father physically abused her. Samuel’s father actually abused her sexually as evidenced by her feelings to go for an abortion. Marie is basically a responsible and intelligent woman. Marie has not contributed to the violence in the family in any way. The family has lost close ties with their paternal relatives/extended family. The children feel a sense of insecurity towards their father and suffer from various behavioral/ attitudinal disorders (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 7). Data, facts, information, and observations about this family Jean Jacques is an unstable man, with an inclination towards violence is evidenced by the fact that when Samuel tries to intervene to save his mother Jean violently throws the boy across the room and ignores the cries of the little children Valerie and Miranda. The fact that jean used a baseball bat to batter his wife proves he has an inclination towards violence as well as being of relatively unstable mind. He does not need to use a base ball bat. The injuries sustained, and the feelings of depression by Marie demonstrate the extent of the violence. Marie has grown to fear her husband and fearing he will come home from jail to kill her demonstrates this. Jean would hit Marie for no reason, yell at the kids and use abusive language towards Sammy who is not his son. He has an alcoholic problem. He even abandons his family and goes away. Has trouble sleeping and claims he hears strange voices. He feels scared of himself. His violent outbursts cause his family to be denied the services of homeless shelters. A social worker had to intervene for the family to get admission to a domestic violence shelter. Jean has a manipulative attitude and domineering towards his family. This is seen when he discouraged Marie from pursuing her dream in nursing. Jean discouraged his wife from visiting her family as well as discouraging her family to visit her. He domineered over her denying her the right and freedom of association by becoming possessive and consequently Marie had no friends. Marie suffers from depression. She has lost motivation to be productive. She has no motivation to seek employment, perform her household chores, and provide quality parenting to her children. Marie has had a troubled childhood and early adulthood. She was physically abused by her father. The father of her first child Samuel sexually abused her at age 19 years. She was vulnerable and hence fell for Jean who promised her a better life and security. Marie is basically a responsible and intelligent woman. She expresses desire to be supportive of her husband as a duty. She desires to pursue nursing to support her family.   Marie has attempted to restore their relationship. She suspects that jean is having a drug problem. This is found to be true when the family comes back from Bahamas. She took Jean back after one year when Jean supposedly went back to his medication and started applying for jobs. Marie graduated from high school with straight A’s. The family has lost close ties with their paternal relatives/extended family. There is no mention in the case study of Jeans relatives and the Child Protective Services Caseworker could not trace any relatives. The children feel insecure about their father. Samuel tries to save his mother from the violent attack while Joshua calls the police.   Samuel does not feel attached to Jean anymore. Jean is not essentially a bad man. In their initial years in marriage Jean was a responsible man and took care of Sammy as his own child. Though he is violent towards his wife he apologizes for the violence. He agrees to seek psychiatric advice upon Marie’s request. Jean makes his family more comfortable when he gets employed. He agrees to let Marie take the children to Bahamas. Concerning the children Samuel is 13 years old and feels like he no longer belongs to this family. He is constantly teased by the siblings as well as Jean for being black. He suffers from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and learning disorder. He is academically average and manages to get C’s and D’s. He is getting into more problems at school including fights and poor academic performance. Molests younger children at school and is physically and verbally aggressive to his younger siblings. He copies Jean’s behavior in that he has physically attacked his mother. He is unfriendly. His accomplishments in karate programs demonstrate his inclination towards violence. Joshua is 11years old, he is obese and reserved. He is academically average and manages to get B’s and C’s. He has one friend Joe, and wishes his friend’s family were his family. He sees Joe’s family as normal people and this means that he sees his family as abnormal. He feels that his father would have killed his mother had he not called in the police. He is having trauma and yet he cares for his father. He is at risk of failing as a result of traumatic experiences. Has personality problems, he refuses to bathe. He loves solitude. He is a responsible child, helpful in the house and loves school. Valerie is 9 years old. She is quiet and withdrawn child. She is kind and eager to please. She is above average and bright. She manages straight A’s. She is well liked by peers and teachers, though she does not socialize with her friends outside school. She is a responsible child and takes care of her younger siblings. She is friendly to Joshua but antagonistic towards Samuel. Miranda is 6 years old, she is a friendly but withdrawn child and does not perform well at school. She seems to be disturbed and disconnected from her immediate surroundings. Has nightmares that proves she is disturbed. Matthew is 4 years old. He does not seem to be doing well at school, he is very active physically with an inclination towards violence. He is basically uncooperative. Interpretation the information about this family  From the observations about the children in the Jacques family it is important to note that they all demonstrate varying degrees of emotional and psychological deficits. This has been found to be the case from studies conducted on children who have been exposed to domestic violence (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 6). The children in this family are unable to socialize with their peers as this is demonstrated by their unfriendliness and disability to keep friends. Children are likely to view themselves as the cause of the violence and feel held captive by their inability to stop the violence. This may most likely cause the child to internalize, and this situation is made worse by their inability to acquire social skills (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 7). Conclusions about this family The Jacques family needs medical interventions. From the observation in the case study it demonstrates Jacques has a medical condition and having exposed his entire family to the violence the whole family needs the relevant medical intervention for each age bracket. Studies have shown there does not exist a single intervention strategy that fits all cases (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 15). Treatment for this family Given that Marie has on several attempts tried to restore their relationship with Jacque it would be appropriate to engage the services of both the Domestic Violence programs (DV) and the Child Protective Services (CPS) more seriously. The CPS’s approach focuses on protecting the children while at the same time propagate the preservation of the family unit while the DV facilitates the safety of the victim. There are several joint programs between DV and CPS that would be helpful in this case (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 16). Empirical Studies Case 1; In handling Domestic violence related problems it is important to understand that factors such as age of the child, its gender, and the time that has passed since the last exposure to violence, the child’s attachment to the friendly parent and other important individuals and social supports in its life are the determining factors that influence the impact of the violence on the child (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 19). Case 2; The mistreat of children and violence against females are con-current. About 500,000 may be found by police during arrests for domestic violence. An overlap of between 30%-60% exists between violence against women and violence against children in the same families (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 20). Case 3; If safety and other pertinent interventions are not available the impact of the exposure to domestic violence and child abuse can spill over into the child’s adolescence. Young people who have been exposed to domestic violence at home are likely to replicate the violence (National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence, 2002. p 20). References Enos V, P., Linden, J, A., Tieszen, L., Bernstein, J. & Brown, J. (2004) An Intervention To Improve Documentation Of Intimate Partner Violence In Medical Records. U.S Department of justice. Retrieved February 23, 2009 from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/207146.pdf Kelleher, K., Gardner, W., Coben, J., Barth, R., Edleson, J. & Hazen, A., (2002). Co-Occuring Intimate Partner Violence and Maltreatment; Local Policies/Practices and Relationships to Child Placement, Family Services and Residence. U.S Department of justice. Retrieved February 23, 2009 from http;//www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/213503.pdf National Resource Centre on Domestic Violence. (2002). Children Exposed To Intimate Partner Violence. Retrieved February 23, 2009 from http://new.vawnet.org/Assoc_Files_VAWnet/NRC_Children.pdf

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Architectural Project

Parliamentary buildings are always meant to attract different people meaning that the grander the structure, the stronger the public and national interest and reaction to them.   These buildings normally reflect the tradition and stability showing that they portray the image or the commanding presence of the state (Daniel, 1995).The parliamentary buildings are also known to provide ideals of national identity and pride of a given state showing its strength.   Splendor and command, even majesty is always shown in the grandest of parliamentary buildings especially those in America in the nineteenth century.The Norman Foster New German parliament is a project of architecture since it has developed after destruction of many parliamentary buildings.   Attention was first devoted to German development, both in regard to the Bundestag building in Berlin (Michael, 1998).The Reichstag building is historical known for its richness in sensitive historical and political associations.  Ã‚   These buildings have raised some questions of national symbols, questions of the European traditions and democratic aspiration of the newly reunited Germany.This why there has been debates on whether the new parliament building is something to do with politics or architecture.   But in the real sense it is believed to be an architectural project following the changes that have been experienced in the field of architecture since early ages in the building and rebuilding of the parliament. (Dieter, 2003).Early architectural changes began from year 1949 – 1971 following reunification of Germany.   They started rebuilding projects and expanding the parliament in Bonn.   Architectural changes were undertaken from 1949 by a leading architect of the day by the name Haris Schwippert. He laid down a new chamber for the Bundestag which was completed for a short while.The project was made up of glass showing that they were a trademark of German post-war architectural style.   Several small developments existed to the parliament buildings site by 1969 when a large multi-storey building was erected to accommodate members and other services.   The building consisted of 30 storeys and was a notable landmark in Bonn region since it could be seen from Rhine.Towards the end of 1969 the federal cabinet ordered a stop to the adhoc building programs of the government in Bonn (Stephen, 2005).   The cabinet then formed a commission to look at a wider town planning implications of government office and parliamentary accommodation.Restructuring of the town and new buildings was an architectural concern in the country.   The parliament new building was to contain office blocks for government, child care facilities, an international conference center, new buildings for Bundestage, and the bundestrat and finally a hotel with apartment.All these led to a lot of complications and confusions.   This forced the different architectural firms to do some projects in co llaboration with other firms. This led to further development in the redesigning of the Bonn parliamentary building from 1971 – 1992. (Foster, 2000).The architectural firms made a lot of restructural challenges, arrangements and consultation with the concerned citizens.   The revised plan was then announced or declared in the December 1978.   Further architectural competitions were experienced by this time.In1983 another complication emerged when it was found out that the fabric of the main chamber (plenarsaal) was seriously impaired. This required the parliament building to be demolished as it could not be re-built a according to the architectural findings. Various experts were called for advice and in the upshot it emerged that preservation of the existing building in its framework would greatly increase expenditure because of its unsuitable nature.The decision to build new parliamentary building was finally made after along discussion that did not want the building to be demolished.   Many stakeholders wanted the only affected chamber to be rebuilt (Corola, 2004).   However the demolition of the new chamber succeeded since the state government had limited power to intervene in matters affecting the federal parliament.The rebuilding of the chamber included other ancillary facilities adjacent to it meaning that the project was expected to be wider than just the chamber it self. (Jaeger, 1999).

Monday, July 29, 2019

The Archival Turn to Carry Out Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Archival Turn to Carry Out Research - Essay Example Rather than basing his argument on the fact that there is only one model of science that is best carried out in a reflexive, he prefers an interdependence and coexistence of two models of science that is positive and reflective. Positive strives to separate the subject from the object while reflective mainly concentrates on dialogue as a defining principle, as well as inter-subjectivity between the participant and an observer in the field. In a nutshell, we can say that reflective science enjoins what positive separates; the participant and the observer. Reflective science employs a number of contexts, key among them intervention that acts as a catalyst to reveal the true state of the interviewee by subjecting him to space and time. The other context effect is that of the process. The interviewer cannot dictate the meaning for the interviewee because it relies on the respondent’s interpretation of the question. It is of paramount importance to note that reflective science dict ates that the observer should help the participants recall those situational experiences by moving them through space and time. This, in turn, brings about the situational knowledge which is the knowledge that is located in a specific time and space. The third context is the structuration that refers to the external filed within which the interview occurs. Reflective science thus insists on studying the world from the standpoint of its structuration by shaping the forces that surround it. The last context is reconstruction that advocates for social organizations as compared to individualism. Though it may seem difficult to carry out sampling in such a case whereby there are social institutions it is always prudent to look for ways to generalize it.

Sunday, July 28, 2019

Resource Development vs Conservation In Alaska Term Paper

Resource Development vs Conservation In Alaska - Term Paper Example Mining industry in Alaska is wide, which includes exploration, mine development, mineral development, and mineral production. Some of the notable minerals mined and produced in the state include zinc, lead, gold, silver, coal, as well as construction materials such as sand, gravel, and rock (Alaska Miners 1). A quick glance into the 2007 statistics of how mining industry contributed to the economy, it becomes clear that mining plays great role to economy of Alaska. For instance, during the period, about 3,500 direct mining jobs were created in Alaska, in addition to another 5,500 direct and indirect jobs (Alaska Miners 1). In terms of royalties generated from the mining activities, an estimated $340 million in direct and indirect payroll was realized. Out of this sum, $14 million went to the local government revenue through property taxes and payments of taxes; $175 million went to state government revenue, while another $170 million of payments went to Alaska Native Corporation (Ala ska Miners 1). In summary, what these figures indicate is that, mining industry is today one of the primary economic sources for the development and prosperity of Alaska. Nevertheless, in this midst, there have been concerns of mining activities to the social, economic, cultural, and environmental aspects of the communities in which mining takes place. This is particularly of great concern when mega-projects of mining are permitted to be carried in the state whereby, the costs associated with the project may outweigh its benefits. Alaska State’s issues are intricately connected to the natural resources, which for the last fifty years have dominated the economy and politics of the state (Kimura 191). At the same time, it has been observed that these debates are likely to continue into the future and the only likely changes that may be witnessed constitute resources that will fulcrum the future debates, the composition of coalitions that are established to promote and oppose re source development, and the complexity and touch of the issues at hand. Furthermore, debates on these issues are likely to be affected by critical elements of global market forces, conservation concerns, policy directives and judicial decisions, which in turn will affect the decisions associated with developing resources in the state. Chuitna Coal Mining Project in Cook Inlet A proposal has been made to the state of Alaska and the federal government of USA to permit PacRim LP Company to construct Chuitna Coal Project, which is a coal strip mine in Beluga Fields located near Chuitna River (Environmental Protection Agency 3). The project will involve surface mining and export development of coal resources in the Beluga Coal Field located in the

Saturday, July 27, 2019

The Origins of Sufi Islam Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Origins of Sufi Islam - Essay Example Asceticism and Remembrance to Allah "Dhikr" used to be the specific affection for Sufis in the initial phase of Sufism, and this was the initiation of innovated performs to support the spiritual exercises. However, during the primary stage earlier to the association with innovated customs and controlled commands, intellectuals alarmed general public about the intense nature of Sufism. 2This innovated development originated from Iraq (Basra) and the great religious scholars like Imam Malik, Imam Shafi and Ahmed bin Hanbal didn't gave positive remarks for it. They were of the opinion that such extreme rituals are impracticable. This was a beginning in the direction of extreme prayers, which may destined towards distortion, as it was not established on a valid set of guidelines provided by religion. Instead it was based on embellished sensation of human beings. This movement was actually a reaction of sanctimonious and practical Muslims in opposition to the worldly behavior of Muslims d uring 661-50 AD, the era of Ummayyads.3 It was during 5th and 6th century AH when this frenzied situation was subjugated by the Sufis and attracted people to proceed along their practices, claiming the control of "Walis" and "Sheikhs" and their doctrines as a resolve to that disorder. During the ruling period of Khalifa Mamoon an institution by the name of "Dar-ul-Hikma" was set up to provoke Greek, Roman and Muslim scholars to come together and share their point of views. This provision was an absolute focus in terms of combination linking mysticism of Islam with pagans for creating the type of Sufism presented by Ibn-e-Arabi.4 The Integration and Distortion When the attendants and descendants of them passed away, the field of Sufism left unattended and went against the doctrines of Islam. Opponents of Islam had gone entrenched into Muslim community and were already creating "Fitnahs" by means of multiplying fictitious Ahadith and other commands which afterward resulted into the creation of factions like "Mutazilah", and "Khawaarij". This was the period when Sufism flourished and acquired sustains from sovereigns of empires. These rulers actually diverged of Islamic teachings to such a degree that they started magical tricks as amusement in their courts, albeit those magical tricks are not allowed in Islam.5The essence of Shiites began to include in Sufism during this era, though modern Sufism traces its extraction back to Shiites genesis. It was era of Imam Ghazali, Jalal uddin Rumi and Mohiuddin Ibn-e-Arabi when philosophy and beliefs of Sufism prospered. During 3rd century they converted works of Greek thinking into Arabic which later proved to be ineradicable for Sufism, ensuing in Greek pantheism turn out to be a fundamental element of Sufism. During this period the orthodox practices of Oslam were almost overlooked and Sufism began to follow pagan activities like worship of the Saints, grasping venerance for the Walis and utilizing magical tricks. They forgot teachings of the Holy Prophet Muhammad(PBUH).If we deeply study the spiritual principles of different religions like Hinduism, Taoism and Christianity we can clearly observe

HRM Part of a module in a Business degree Assignment

HRM Part of a module in a Business degree - Assignment Example After the candidates appear for tests and interviews, the best amongst them is chosen for the job under consideration. This person then gets hired with either a contractual job or a fixed one. In essence, the recruitment and selection procedures entail of the different norms that take place from the starting to the finish. The procedures comprise of all the tasks which are deemed as significant in the selection process (Smith & Robertson, 1993). It must be understood here that the selection processes are very cumbersome at times because they involve a lot of thinking on the part of the selection committees within the workplace domains. They have to work towards completion of tasks as well as solve the problems related with hiring the best individual for the said position. It is indeed a headache for some of the organizations in the time and age of today, and quite rightly so, due to a host of factors involved with the eventual recruitment process. Selection procedures include the dif ferent selection tools which are the interviews, the exams, the psychological and stress related tests, medical exams and so on. The manner in which these exams and interviews come about depends a great deal on the way the selection processes are aligned within the domain of the organization itself. ... In fact the human resources department has the most important role in the selection process because it has to forward the soundest individual to the top management for the sake of interview, after he/she has cleared the exam and medical test. Hence the ideological basis of the human resources department is of utmost essence within the related scheme of selection processes that work to good effect in producing viable results in recruitment and selection domains. The selection processes work towards building the core competencies of the individuals as well as detailing them with regards to what is deemed as the most significant rationale for the organization with respect to these employees. It is pertinent to understand that these selection processes will bring in the much touted results and there would not be any problems in the wake of hiring the right people for the right jobs. Recruitment and selection are taken of as being the most significant yardsticks for discerning how sound t he strategic human resource management will shape up within any organization. What this implies is the fact that reasonably adequate individuals are recruited and selected for the jobs as this shall bring in the goals and objectives which have been envisaged by the organization in the past. There is a great deal of learning which shapes up the strategic human resource management; and how the same is dealt with has to be given proper consideration as well. This is because recruitment and selection matters discuss how well people are suited to perform their jobs and what best they can do to bring out solid results for the sake of the organization that is under discussion. The top management

Friday, July 26, 2019

A Comparison of Structured Analysis to Object-Oriented Analysis Research Paper

A Comparison of Structured Analysis to Object-Oriented Analysis - Research Paper Example The structured approach got accepted and started being widely used for development and system analysis. Then, a methodology was created that helped the development of applications with the object oriented languages. This approach came to be known as the object oriented analysis and design. A comparative analysis has been conducted with respect to these two methodologies, along with their basic infrastructure and techniques. The structured approach enables the analyst to split a complex project into smaller and controllable parts. This approach is based on the step-by-step execution of the phases. The start of an activity in a phase will depend on the completion of activities in the preceding phase. It is based on a top-down, hierarchal approach that produces logical and organized systems (Holon Institute of Technology, n.d.). The structured nature of the design facilitates efficient project management, resource management etc. OOAD approach follows an object oriented approach instead of a functional one that is followed in SSAD (Pefkaros, 2008). An object in OOAD is considered to be any place, person or thing that can have the following aspects related to it; Structured approach promotes the concept of clear steps from the initiation of the project till the end; these steps are conventionally planning, analysis, design and implementation. Whereas the object oriented approach does provide any such specific number of phases. There are no clear steps from analysis to design. Structured System analysis and design is process oriented whereas object oriented system and design is data-oriented. There exists a clear separation between the between the data and the processes of the system in the structured approach, while the data and the processes of the system are encapsulated into objects (Pefkaros, 2008). OOAD seems more flexible and adaptive to changes as compared to SSAD. There can be many benefits gained from

Thursday, July 25, 2019

Sweatshops And Violation Of Human Rights Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sweatshops And Violation Of Human Rights - Essay Example The opponents of sweatshops argue that under no circumstance, the rights and dignity of human beings should be violated by exploiting poor people’s labor and forcing them to work under dangerous conditions at low wages. On the other hand, proponents assert that without jobs in sweatshops, there are only far worse alternatives such as prostitution, crime, or even starvation. Are sweatshops and slave labor acceptable or even justifiable? In most ways, considering moral judgments, the answer would be a conclusive no; however, it also depends on the economic and cultural contexts of individuals and countries, making it acceptable in some ways. Stopping the poorest people from working in dangerous environments as an excuse for protecting them from low wages, hazardous circumstances, and abuses are not the ultimate solution for them; instead, they should be provided with better choices and alternatives that would eventually allow them and their country to stand on their own feet. When it comes to the matter of slave labor or sweatshops, it is difficult to determine precisely what sweatshops actually mean. The U.S. General Accounting Office defines a sweatshop as â€Å"an employer that violates more than one federal or state law governing minimum wage and overtime, child labor, industrial homework, occupational safety and health, workers compensation, or industry regulation.† However, it seems very unreasonable and unrealistic to apply this standard to people in poor countries, as they have a very low standard of living and are desperately in need of jobs to sustain their daily livelihood. Hence, it is vital to understand the concept of sweatshops from their point of view, to ascertain what they actually need to survive, and what can practically benefit them in the long term. Opponents of sweatshops believe that buying products from sweatshops is immoral.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Why are modern political parties almost always catch-all in character Essay

Why are modern political parties almost always catch-all in character - Essay Example However, in the recent times this code of ethics and beliefs has been bypassed so many times in so many nations by such a large number of political parties that a new phrase had to be developed; catch-all political parties. However, it was believed that the catch-all party’s principles posed risks against democracy.1 In today’s day and age, almost all political parties fall in this category. What has caused this profound change in the working of the political lots, this is analyzed below. Historically political parties have generally shown strict adherence to their code of ethics and beliefs, henceforth referred to as Ideology. The political histories of some of the world’s greatest democracies such as the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia are replete with struggles in the name of political ideologies which would make the modern political actors seem novice. Take for instance the battle fought for slavery on America’s political grounds, in the decade prior to the US Civil war (1861-65). There was nothing greater in the minds of the northern republican politicians than the goal of abolition, while the southern democrats were willing to pay any price to defend their right to retaining slavery, as they had (mis)believed was embodied in their glorious constitution. The will to struggle for an ideology was strong enough for them to risk losing half their country. Despite all this, it was the ideology of ‘equal human rig hts’, so much propounded by the northern republicans that finally emerged victorious. It has been more than one and a half century since those events have passed and a lot has changed since then. Especially a great change has been witnessed in the character of the political parties. In the modern era have been born the catch-all political parties; parties that have expanded their appeal base so far and wide that their voters do not necessarily share their ideologies. The birth of

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

You can choose what ever you think Research Paper

You can choose what ever you think - Research Paper Example De Nittis (2008) observes that Oates places special significance on the issue of subordination of women and the feminist perspective of our male-dominated society. She finds that the story displays the theme of violence, especially on females and "male characters are the perpetrators of violence, often physical violence, upon females" (De Nittis 7). Apart from the fact that the story describes issues of violence against women, there is also the integration of fantasy over reality among young girls and how the society responds to it. It can be noted that Connie constantly displays narcissistic acts by always looking at herself at the mirror, fixing her hair time and again, and would act as if she is a matured woman and experienced with men. The repudiation comes directly from her mother who often scolds her for being so immature and contrary to her sister, June. This is where the issue of fantasy versus reality comes into play: because women toil so much in order to be recognized at a certain level by certain male categories, particularly matured men, the society reacts the against it by considering girls as sexual fantasies rather than respectable women. Oates finds a surface realism wherein she deems Arnold friend as a "symbolic Satan" (Christle 1). The roots of Connie, and females in general, being a recipient of sexual violence is because female sexuality has always been perceived based on the masculine parameters (2). For instance, it is as if that being beautiful is all that really matters for Connie - when she sees herself nicely in the mirror, she would think that she would get the kind of recognition she wants from boys. This is always ironic in a sense that the more females define their sexuality in terms of beauty and attractiveness, the more male are going to treat them indecently; and that is the sad

Monday, July 22, 2019

Exercise vs. Diet in Weight Loss Essay Example for Free

Exercise vs. Diet in Weight Loss Essay INTRODUCTION It is estimated that 55% of the adult population in the United States are either obese or overweight (National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, 1998). Obesity substantially increases an individual’s risk of suffering from chronic diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, and diabetes. Those with excess fat in the abdominal area are at increased health risk (National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute). In an attempt to define the role of exercise in the treatment and prevention of obesity, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) held a scientific roundtable to address this subject. Following the meeting, several consensus statements regarding physical activity and public health were released. Two statements are of particular interest to the applied exercise professional. The first statement declares that the addition of exercise to a diet with restricted caloric intake promotes fat loss, while maintaining fat free mass. The second statement claims that physical activity, without caloric restriction, minimally if at all affects fat loss. The statements suggest that to optimize weight loss, a combination of diet and exercise is best, and that exercise alone will not suffice. Although it is well established that a regimen of diet and exercise is the best way to control body weight, a recent review by Ross, Freeman, and Janssen (2000) challenges ACSM’s statement that exercise alone is not an effective method of weight loss. This review suggests that the studies this statement was based upon do not effectively compare caloric restricting programs to increased energy expenditure programs. They conclude that if these factors were equal, exercise alone can be as effective as caloric restriction for weight loss. The purpose of this article is to present Ross et al.’s argument contrasting the ACSM consensus statement. EXERCISE VS. CALORIC RESTRICTION In their review, Ross et al. (2000) report that few randomized control trials equally compare diet only to exercise only weight loss programs. For example, in a twelve-week study, Hagan, Wong, and Whittam (1986) compared the amount of weight lost through diet only to the amount of weight lost through an exercise program. The obese women and men in the diet only group (n=24) that reduced their caloric intake lost 5.5 kg and 8.4 kg, respectively. To achieve this degree of weight loss, women decreased their average caloric intake by 945 kilocalories a day while the men decreased their average intake by 1705 kilocalories a day. The exercise only group (n = 24 obese men and women), performed a 30-minute walk/jog program 5 days/week. On average, the women expended 190 kilocalories per session while the men expended an average of 255 kilocalories per session, which resulted in a total weight loss of .6 kg and .3 kg for women and men, respectively. The women in the diet only program decreased their body fat from 35% to 29%, where as the women doing exercise only went from 35% to 33% body fat. Additionally, the men in the diet only group decreased body fat from 26% to 21% where as the exercise only group experienced no change in their body fat. This study clearly illustrates that weight loss through diet only was not equated to energy expenditure through exercise only. Therefore, equal amounts of weight loss should not be expected. In contrast, Sopko et al. (1985) in a twelve-week study, with obese men, reported that when the negative energy balance created by diet only and exercise only are equal, the two treatments produce similar results. The participants in the diet only group (n=10) experienced a weight loss of 6.1kg by restricting their caloric intake 500 kcal/day. The exercise only group (n=6) lost 6.2 kg by performing a treadmill walking program in which they expended 500 kcal/day. The men in the diet only group went from a body fat of 31.4% to 25%, where as the exercise only group went from 26.7% to 19%. These results show that equivalent amounts of weight loss can be obtained when the energy expenditure from exercise is similar to the amount of calories restricted through diet. This is contrary to the results of Hagan et. al., as well as the ACSM consensus statement that exercise without caloric restriction minimally affects weight loss. Table 1 summarizes some diet versus exercise weight management studies, further validating when energy expenditure is matched, weight loss is similar. EXERCISE WITHOUT WEIGHT LOSS: THE HEALTH CONNECTION Excess fat in the abdominal area independently increases an individual’s risk of insulin resistance and high blood lipids. This distribution of body fat is also a strong predictor of cardiovascular disease (Grundy et al., 1999, National Institutes of Health, National Heart Lung, and Blood Institute, 1998). It has been shown that weight management programs resulting in a loss of total body fat also reduce a person’s amount of abdominal fat. This loss of abdominal fat is associated with a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease. However, it has been shown that exercising individuals, who do not experience any overall weight loss still decrease their risk of suffering from cardiovascular disease (Ross Janssen, 1999). The current research suggests that exercise without weight loss is actually linked to reductions in visceral fat (Ross Janssen 1999). In two similar studies, Ross et al. (2000) and Sopko et al. (1985) showed that exercisers who did not lose weight experienced improved insulin sensitivity and an increase in their ‘helpful’ HDL cholesterol. These findings are important because in the event that weight loss is not achieved, a person who is at increased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), or its comorbid conditions (i.e., high blood pressure, glucose intolerance, insulin resistance), still benefits from regular aerobic exercise participation. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS The applications from this review article are consequential to the personal trainer and fitness professional for two important reasons. It is well established that exercise and diet modification is the best method for weight loss. However, Ross and colleagues and Sopko and associates also show the efficacy and worth of exercise only programs for promoting weight loss (in overweight and obese populations). Also, from a health perspective it is quite meaningful to emphasize that aerobic exercise independently decreases the risk of CAD and related comobidites. For health benefits, Ross et al. (2000) confirm established recommendations of regular, moderate-intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, for 30 to 60 minutes on most days of the week. The also suggest that â€Å"substantial reductions in obesity and related comorbid conditions will result when daily exercise is performed at a moderate intensity for 45 to 60 minutes a day without deceasing caloric intake.† However, since most of this health benefits research has been done in predominantly male populations, more research is needed with overweight and obese female populations to validate these benefits in women. References: Grundy, S.M., G. Blackburn, M. Higgins, R. Lauer, M. Perri, D. Ryan. Roundtable Consensus Statement: Physical activity in the prevention and treatment of obesity and its comorbidities. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 31: S502-S508, 1999. Hagan, R.D., S.J. Upton, L. Wong, and J. Whittam. The effects of aerobic conditioning and/or caloric restriction in overweight men and women. Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 18:87-94, 1986. National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Clinical Guidelines on the Identification, Evaluation, and Treatment of Overweight and Obesity in Adults: The Evidence Report. Obes. Res. 6(Suppl 2), 1998. Pate, R.R., M. Pratt, S.N. Blair, W.L. Haskell, C.A. Macera, C. Bouchard, D. Buchner, W. Ettinger, G.W. Heath, A.C. King, et al. Physical activity and public health. A recommendation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. JAMA. 273:402-407, 1995. Ross, R., D. Dagnone, P.J.H. Jones, H. Smith, A. Paddags, R. Hudson and I. Janssen. Reduction in obesity and related comorbid conditions after diet-induced weight loss or exercise-induced weight loss in men: A randomized controlled trial. Ann. Intern. Med. 133:92-103, 2000 Ross, R., and I. Janssen. Is abdominal fat preferentially reduced in response to exercise-induced weight loss? Med. Sci. Sports Exerc. 31: S568-S572, 1999. Ross, R., J.A. Freeman, and I. Janssen. Exercise alone is an effective strategy for reducing obesity and related comorbidities. Exerc. Sport Sci. Rev. 28: 165-170, 2000. Sopko, G., A. Leon, D. Jacobs, N. Foster, J. Moy, K. Kuba, J. Anderson, D. Casal, C. McNally, and I. Frantz. The effects of exercise and weight loss and plasma lipids in young obese men. Metabolism. 34:227-236, 1985.

Heart of Darkness Essay Example for Free

Heart of Darkness Essay Kurtz is the man who Marlow searches for through the Congo. Marlows search develops into an obsession and when the search has ended, he only finds a shadow of a man that was once Kurtz. Kurtz was a man who had achieved great things in his life, inspiring each person he had come across and was expected to accomplish more. He came into the Congo with great plans for civilizing the natives, however he became greedy, which ended up being the subject of his own demise. I had immense plans I was on the threshold of great things. Kurtzs main characteristics were his ability to talk passionately to people and inspire them with his words. He had a charisma that made people feel that he was some kind of a genius. Kurtz was a very talented human being, gifted in many areas. He could not be pinned down to a specific talent. He was seen as a great musician to his cousin that Marlow visits, a brilliant politician and leader of men to the journalist and a genius and humanitarian to his intended. Marlow views him as a universal genius. Kurtz is a round character, who is explored deeply and at times, almost to deep. He is neither the protagonist nor the antagonist, but he is a complex main character within the novel. In places where Kurtz is described, there is imagery of darkness and foreboding evil. Kurtz was an exaggeration of the white people who had come to Africa for money. Kurtzs greed for ivory became extreme and even made him violent and aggressive. He was the idea of the self-made man that was the American dream. It was thought that any man could travel and be wealthy materially and spiritually. He was living that dream for a while, before it swallowed him whole. His ego inflated and he believed himself to be a superior being such as God. He let himself be worshipped among the natives and encircled himself with darkness and evil. Hence, his ideals had changed from his journey through Africa. And he soon became one of the natives. Releasing himself from civilization and restraint. When Marlow finally reached Kurtz, Kurtz had become hollow. Kurtz had reached insanity. He was no longer the great man he had once been. He was hollow at the core. Through conversing with the natives and immersing himself with them, Kurtz lost his restraint, which he had learned through civilization. By taking part in native ceremonial gatherings, he had lost his soul and he had succumbed to darkness. How many powers of darkness claimed him for their own. The reason for his behaviour was his greed for ivory. He gave up his soul only for the sole purpose of money and success. However, his actions are justified as Marlow expresses that leaving a man in a jungle with nothing but himself and the desire to make money, will make him go mad. Without restraint from his own culture, Kurtzs basic instincts were released. Kurtzs appearance had dramatically altered as well. He was extremely thin and had a baldhead; he had also lost the ability to walk. From being a God to the natives, he soon comes to despise them. He sees them as rebels, which is why he has stuck heads on sticks outside his hut. Exterminate the brutes In the end, Kurtz dies just after he has come to realize that he has become the heart of darkness. He is an embodiment of evil and he highlights this by saying, The horror! The horror! Kurtz was an imperialist who was a symbol of colonization, and a symbol of the jungle.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Human Comfort in the Internal Environment

Human Comfort in the Internal Environment There are many factors that affect human comfort in the internal built environment. Human comfort is affected by thermal factors; physical factors and personal factors. Another factor that can affect human comfort is sound of the environment around them. The final factor that affects the human comfort is the visual of the room and the light intensity. There are ways to measure the physical factors that affect human thermal comfort, the sound comfort and the visual comfort. Temperature The average temperature inside a building is 19-21 degrees and outside is -1 degrees, but there are two different thermal factors that affect the temperature of the room and human comfort; they are physical and personal factors. The physical factors include; air temperature, mean radiation temperature, relative humidity and air velocity. The air temperature inside of a building will change depending on the temperature outside the building, and the k-values of the materials used to build the walls and insulation. K-values are the values that all materials have which shows how good insulators the materials are, the lower the k-value the more affective the materials are at retaining heat. The u-value is what the overall heat resistance of the materials are. Air temperature is also affected by the people inside the building and they activity they are doing. The mean radiant temperature is also a factor affecting human comfort; the mean radiant temperature is the radiation that is coming into the building from windows and walls, balanced against the radiation given off by the human body. The relative humidity is another factor that affects the air temperature; the relative humidity is the percentage of water vapour saturation that is in the air. The final physical factor that affects human comfort is the air velocity; this is the movement of the air throughout a building or a room. This can be affected by the convection in the room, the warm air enters a room and rises to the ceiling, pushing the cold air downwards and draught also changes the air velocity, the cold air flows into the room and makes the temperature of the draught path colder that the room temperature. Personal factors can affect the human comfort in a building, these include; age, gender, state of health, clothing and the level of activity. The age of a person greatly affects the temperature of a room; older people give off less heat then younger people. The gender of a person is a factor affecting the temperature they give off, with females giving off 85% less heat than males. Gender is also a factor that affects the temperature given off by people, females give off less heat than males, and they give off 85% of what the male body gives off. The state of health of the person also affects the heat that they give off and the temperature of the room, a person who is sick or has an illness gives off less heat that a person who is physically healthy. The clothing you are wearing also affects the temperature that you need to be comfortable, depending on the weight of the clothing you will need different temperatures to feel comfortable e.g. swimwear 29 degrees, light clothing 25 degree s, suit, jumper 22 degrees, coat, glove, hat 14 degrees. The level of activity you are doing also affects the heat that you give off and the temperature needed to feel comfortable. Sleeping 70W, watching TV 115W, office 140W, factory work 265W, lifting 440W. Sound Sound in the environment that a person occupies greatly affects their comfort in the building. Sound is a form of energy that is transmitted in pressure waves and changes depending on the pressure of the air in the room. Sound is the vibration of the particles in a wave that send the particles in all directions and spread out; this creates a pattern of refraction and compaction. Sound has two different sources and types where it can originate from, they are impact/structure-borne sound and air-borne sound. These are different as they are where the source of the sound comes from. Air-bone sound is sound which travels through the air before reaching a partition, meaning that the vibrations must have travelled through the air before they reach the partition. Main sources of air-borne noise are; voices, radios and musical instruments. Impact sound is vibrations that are generated on the partition and a continuous vibration can be classed as a series of impact noises in succession. Impact noise does not travel through air like air-borne noise does. The main sources of impact noise are; footsteps, slamming doors and vibrating machinery. It is important to know the difference between impact and air-borne noise as the methods that are used to prevent them are very different. However a single source could generate both air-borne and impact noise e.g. footsteps, on the floor below the origin, the sound would be impact as it is started on the partition, but in the room of the sound it travels through it before reaching the partition making it both air-born and impact. There are different ways of preventing both types of sound, so different installations must be put in to insulate from the type of sound. Air-born sound can be prevented by a mass of partitions e.g. thick walls as lightweight particles give very little resistance unless they are in layers. The main ways to prevent impact sound are by using vibration pads and soft covering on floors and walls. Sound reverbera tes, so if a sound suddenly stops the sound will not stop instantly. The time taken for the reverberation of a sound decays at different rates depending on the area of the exposed surfaces, sound absorption values of the materials used in the building, the distance between the surfaces and the sound and the frequency of the sound. Light The final factor that affects human comfort is light intensity. If the light levels are too low or too high then it will not be as suitable. Light travels in rays and bounces off objects and into the eye. The rays cannot bend so they must go in straight lines, but light can be refracted through certain materials which can bend the beam slightly. The light needs to be the right intensity so that the eyes dont have to strain too much if it is too dark or if the light is too bright it may blind. Light can be controlled by letting certain amounts of natural light through windows and also by the brightness of the artificial light from the light bulbs. Natural light can be controlled by using darkened windows and the artificial light can be controlled by having dimmers on the lights to change the intensity as the intensity of natural light changes. Glare can affect the human comfort, glare is a light intensity that is too high reflecting off a surface and reflecting into the eyes making it difficult to see detail or may cause visual discomfort. P2- Describe how each factor is measured There are methods that are used to measure the physical factors that affect human thermal comfort. To measure the physical factors, the instruments that are used are; thermometers, globe thermometer, hygrometer and anemometer. A thermometer is a device that is used to measure the temperature of a room, a thermometer includes a liquid that rises as the temperature does and on the side a scale that measures the temperature in  °C and degrees  °F. A globe thermometer is a device that measures radiant heat and consists of a thermometer sensor with a bulb located at the middle of a black copper bulb. The globe thermometers units of measurement are  °C. This can be used to calculate the mean radiant temperature providing that you know the air velocity and temperature. A hygrometer is an instrument that is used to measure that saturation of water vapour in the air of the surrounding environment. This instrument relies on the pressure, temperature, mass and mechanical or electrical cha nge. By calibrating the device and calculating the other factors the humidity can be worked out. It measures its units in percentages. An anemometer is a device used to measure the speed of wind, but there is also an anemometer that measures the pressure of wind, it consists of three or four cups that revolve around a shaft at different speeds depending on the wind temperature and pressure. They are measure in meters per second. Sound is measured using a sound level meter, this instrument analyses the sound that it picks up and uses electronics to convert the sound onto a digital scale. Sound level meter can pick up sound instantly or can be used to pick sound up over time and the average can be calculated. The intensity of light in a room can be measured using a light meter. The light meter works using an electrical current which is generated by photosensitive electrons that detect the amount of light hitting the surface. This causes the electrons to react depending on the amount hitting the surface and is then converted into an electrical reading. P3- State acceptable values for each factor Each measurement has a range of acceptable values that affect the human comfort is the environment. The suitable range for temperature in a room is from 19 °C- 21 °C. This is also the same value with a globe thermometer. The acceptable value for the humidity of a room ranges from 40%-60%. The units of measurement that sound is calculated in is decibels and the suitable range in a workplace is from 135dB-137dB maximum. Light intensity is measured using Lux, the acceptable values for the intensity of light is 50- 100Lux. P4- Interpret underpinning concepts relating to structures under load Buildings have many different components that are used to keep the building steady and ensure that it is as structurally strong as possible. There are six different structural members that are used in buildings, they are; struts, ties, beams, columns, roof and frames. In buildings the structural members are used to assist the buildings when they are holding a load or to help protect against loads. There are three different types of loads that are user upon a building, they are; dead loads, imposed loads and wind loads. Structural Components A tie is a structural component that is designed to carry tensile force on a building or high standing structure. They hold the building steady and help to resist high winds. Struts are used to distribute the weight throughout the building. The strut attaches to the roof and wall. The weight of the roof pushes down on the struts and transfers the weight onto the wall. This is the compressive force that is pushing against the weight of the structure. Beams are used to span between walls, they have both the forces of compression and tension acting upon them. They can be supported by columns. Columns are used to support a weight and transfer it vertically and downwards, they support the foundation and can be used to prevent beams from bending and breaking under the force. Beams are also used to keep the columns in place. They vary in size and are very important to the structure, if they are too long or too thin then the column may become distorted and will not work well. Walls are also a structural member. There are two different kinds of walls; they are load bearing and non-load bearing in fill panels. Load bearing walls are classed as structural elements as the force is safely carried to the foundations of the structure. They are built of stronger materials than normal walls; this makes the walls more solid and prevents the wall from breaking. The non-load bearing walls are made of cheaper, lighter materials as they are not needed for structural integrity. Frames are the final structural member. Frames are when all of the other structural members are linked together in a building. There are different kinds of frames depending on which structural members are linked together. Frames can be designed on computer software which makes the complex structures easier to make. However, they still need reviewing. There are three different types of frame structures, they are; grid skeleton, truss frame and portal frame. Loads The three different types of load are dead loads, imposed loads and wind loads. Dead loads are loads which are stationary and will not move throughout the life time of the building. They remain static and are never added to or removed from the structure. Imposed loads are another load that acts upon a building. Imposed loads are also known as dynamic loads. They are loads that change throughout the life of a building. Live loads can unpredictably change, so the supports that are used need to be placed for unpredictable changes. The final load that acts upon a building is wind load. The wind load can be also classed as a live load. They are unpredictable and can vary depending on where the building is and the exposure of the walls. The resistance of the walls needs to be designed to resist live loads that will change unpredictably. Load Configurations A building will have different kinds of loads on it. There are two different kinds of load configurations, they are; point loads and uniformly distributed loads. The way that the buildings are strengthened for the different loads varies greatly to be as safe and efficient as possible. A point load is a weight that will act on a certain point on the floor; this is normally used for a heavy item that wont be moved. This is supported by a beam with greater or equal strength pushing upwards. However, a uniformly distributed load is for live loads that will move constantly and isnt too heavy. The uniformly distributed loads are evenly distributed loads throughout the structure. It is easier to design a building on the uniformly distributed load as this works for most loads that are in a building. Stress Buildings have many things that can change their forms and shapes. Stresses act on the structural members and materials that are used in the building. The different types of stresses are; compression, tension, shear, stress and strain. Compression is a vertical force that is formed when a downward force pushes down on the structure. Stress is the force, in newtons, that is acting upon a cross sectional area. Compression and tension usually act upon the same objects, such as a beam. Tension is when the fibres within the material are being pulled apart. The material is stretched and disfigured, making it weaker. When shear is acting upon a material the layers of the object shift and the object becomes weaker and stretched. This can pull apart materials which are connected by bolting and welding. Strain is not a force, but it is a measurement, it is the extension of length. Strain has no unit as it is ratio. There are three different types of strain; tensile strain, compressive strain a nd shear strain. Tensile strain is when the fore applied pulls a material from both ends, this stretches the material. Compressive strain is when the force applied crushes or compresses a material; this reduces the length of the material. Shear strain is the force applied which changes the shape of an object. However, the volume of the material stays the same. P5- Predict simple structural behaviour from given data Shear Negative shear on a beam will force the right hand side of the beam upwards, distorting the shape and strength in the left half of the beam. Whereas, positive shear on a beam will force the left hand side upwards, this could result in the beam cracking or snapping. Bending Bending on a beam also affects the shape and effectiveness of a beam. Positive bending in a beam causes the beam to bend downwards and causes more pressure on the lower cross section of the beam; this is known as sagging. But negative bending causes the beam to bend upwards, putting more pressure on the upper cross section of the beam; this is known as hogging. These both cause distortion on the beam and make the beam unfit for its use. Compression Tension P6 Identify the main performance criteria relating to the specification of a range of vocationally relevant construction materials There are many materials that can be used in a building. Each of the different materials has different uses and is suited to preventing certain things happening to the buildings structure and aesthetics. Three materials that are most commonly used as building materials are; timber, plastics and metals. Timber Timber is one of the most common materials used in a building. It is very versatile and can be used for many things. Timber has been used in buildings for thousands of years. Timber is strong because of the direction of the grain. If it is split across the grain it is much stronger than splitting down the grain. But if the timber is split perpendicular to its grain it will be much weaker. Timber is a very rigid material and has and does not bend unless under very high amounts of stress and would snap if too much weight and pressure is put upon it. Timber is a porous material as it has pockets of air; this means that it can absorb water. Timber materials are hydroscopic, meaning that they easily absorb large amounts of water from the air. Because of moisture movement, this means that if hydrated timber goes from a cold place to a heated house then the timber would shrink, become distorted and crack. Timber has no thermal or electrical conductivity, meaning that it has high resistivity. Timber does not conduct electricity or heat. This means that is can be used to stop the flow of electricity and heat. Timber has a very low U-value, so it is a very good mat erial to insulate with. Timber is also a very durable and strong material. However, it is not fireproof, meaning that if it is exposed to fire it will burn. Because timber is inconsistent, it must be stress graded so that it can be set to different uses. There are many different uses for timber; floor joists, ceiling joists, roof rafters, hip rafters and roof trusses. TRADA literature is responsible for grading the timber, their uses and the average span of the timber. Metal Metal has multiple uses in construction because of its diversity. The metal that is used the most in construction is mild steel. Steel is very strong and can cope well many different situations; steel can also have a small high of elasticity in it depending on its size and width. Steel can normally take a high amount of stress and will return to its original shape, meaning that steel has a high elastic limit. Steel has no prosperity, meaning that is has no air gaps in it and cannot absorb water. Steel is a water proof material and can be used to store water, block an area or route of water or to protect something from water e.g. steel roof sheeting. When steel is heated it will expand. Steel, like any other metal, is a very good conductor of thermal and electrical energy. This meant that metals can be used as electrical wiring and radiators. Steel, because of its density, allows it to be a durable material. But it may rust if it is not maintained. Metal is used a lot in construction; lead roof lining, stainless steel wall tiles, steel frames and galvanised roof straps. Plastics Plastics are another material that is frequently used lots in construction. Plastics are complex compounds that are produced by polymerisation. Plastics are malleable, so they can be altered and moulded into any shape and used for many different things. . Plastic is very resilient and does not degrade. They are also very versatile and most plastics are water proof and cheap. Plastic is not a very strong material and, but plastic has high elasticity, so it will begin to deform quicker but will return to its original shape. Plastic is not a very porous material and will resist water well, making it a good material to stop the flow of water. This also means that the moisture movement within plastic would not change as because it has no air pockets that can fill with moisture. Although plastic has a high electrical resistivity, it has a very high thermal conductivity, making it a good material to insulate wiring, but also a good material to distribute heat. Plastics are not very durable as they can scratch easily and can become weathered, so are often used inside and covered. Plastics are used in many different parts of construction; PVC window frames, to cover and watertight gaps. P7- Describe the production process and/or manufacturing process for two vocationally relevant construction materials All materials that are used in construction must go through a specific production process to make them as strong and pure as possible. This is so that they will last longer and many will be recyclable. Timber Timber has a very specific process that makes it as strong as it can and as resilient as possible. When trees are cut down for timber they are selected and only certain trees may be cut down from certain areas. After the trees are cut down they must be replaced so that the population of trees stays steady. When trees are cut down they are very moist, so they must dry the timber out. They do this by using a certain method. This method is air/ kiln drying. After this is done, the moisture of the tree is reduced greatly and the timber becomes stronger. Many different timber products can then be produced by from the timber after the moisture percentage drops below 20%. There are two different categories for timber, they are hardwood and softwood. Hardwoods are stronger than soft woods because the hardwoods contain two types of cells. There are cells that transfer sap and cells that provide strength to the tree. There are many different trees that produce hardwood, they are; oak, beech, ash and walnut. Softwood trees are weaker and normally include trees such as Douglas fir. Steel When steel is produced it can go through one of two processes which strengthen and purify the steel and make it as strong as possible. The UK steel industry uses two different processes to manufacture steel. The arc furnace is use, this is powered by electricity. The other method is the basic oxygen converter. There are three raw materials that are used to make steel, they are; fluxes, molten iron and coke. The arc process uses raw materials that are cold to start with. A vessel is filled with lots of recycled scrap steel. Electric probes are dropped into the vessel and the lid is shut. When the power is turned on arcs from between the probes and melts the mixture. Other metals are added as the process goes on so that the best quality steel can be produced. Oxygen is blown into the mixture so that the steel can be purified. The second method that is used to create mild steel is the oxygen convertor. This process uses molten iron, produced in a blast furnace. The molten iron is poured into a vessel and scrap steel is added. Oxygen is then blown into the mixture by a lance, this purifies the steel and the impurities float to the surface of the mixture. The bi-product of this process, slag, is then scraped off the top. The purified steel is then taken to be processed into ingots, billets or is continuously poured and rolled into shape. P8- Describe the important features and properties of construction-related materials Criteria There are many different criteria that affect the materials and whether or not the materials are effective. The specifications which affect these are whether it is fit for purpose, aesthetics, the costs, resistance to degradation, ease of installation and use, environmental implications, sustainability and recycling potential, COSHH considerations and compatibility of the materials. All of these factors will affect the decision of which materials to use. Fit for purpose Materials usually have a standard or specification set by and recognised standards body. All materials have a set fit for purpose; these are recognised worldwide and are the quality standards. This is so that the materials can be purchased globally with the same specifications. Aesthetics The appearance of a material is very important to the architects, designers and the client. The look of the material can also be linked in with the texture of the material and the materials that are used with it. Light can also be a large factor in the appearance of materials. The look of the material may change in different lights and different temperatures. The traditional materials that were being used are less popular and the newer, greener materials are becoming more popular and are seen as more attractive. Costs Costs of materials are also a very important factor in the decision of what will be used. If the budget of the project is low or running out then the materials would have to be cheaper. Higher quality materials are also more costly than materials that are a lower quality. However, more expensive materials will prove to be cheaper in the long term over a longer time as they will not need to be replaced changed or repaired often. Resistance to degradation Materials quality and density is linked with the resistance of the material. If the material is used in a busy area then it will need to be a more dense material. Degradation can be a result of many things; Vandalism Wind Rain Frost Sunlights harmful UV rays Air pollution Age of the material Design is a very important factor in the resistance of material. The placements of certain things that help the materials resist certain factors. Material selection takes many factors into account, the environment, location and the usage. Ease of installation or use A material that would need tradesman to install would be more costly than a material that could be installed and used by anyone. If a material is also easily maintained, it will be cheaper and more desirable. If a material needs replacing it may cost a lot more if a tradesman in needed again. A cheaper material may also have large costs when it needs to be replaced or repaired at the end of its life span. Environmental implications Issues involving greener materials are becoming more important with new buildings. Whether a material is environmentally friendly is a large factor in material selection. The amount of carbon produced in the manufacturing of the material and the embedded energy must both be taken into consideration when deciding on a material. Materials which are wholly or partially recycled should be considered over other materials so that the effect of global warming can be reduced. Sustainability and recycling potential Materials should now include elements of sustainable materials and should be designed with regards with the environment so that valuable resources are not use up in the process. Timber products are a good material as they are produced from trees, which can be re-grown and will not run out, the waste materials can be used for different products and can be recycled into other products after it has been used and needs to be changed. COSHH considerations The control of substances hazardous to health is very important when choosing materials to build with. This is important as it takes into account: Chemicals used in the production of the material Chemicals used to treat the materials Chemical additive part of a material Many materials include chemicals which are harmful, so they need a trained operative to install the materials. Products like solvents are being replaced in use as the solvents are harmful to the environment in its use in modern products and also the production process. Manufacturers data sheets are also read so that the chemicals used are safe and acceptable and if not then the chemicals should be changed so that it is less harmful to the environment. Compatibility Compatibility is also a factor which affects the material choice. If certain materials are not compatible with each other and may react badly to each other, this can cause types of corrosion and would be costly in maintenance and replacement. Ways that this can be avoided is by applying finishes to the surfaces that will protect them from chemicals given off in reactions. Properties The properties of a material have a large effect on the decision of the material that will be used. Different materials have different strengths and will be better suited in certain situations. The properties that are taken into account are; strength, elasticity, porosity and water absorption, thermal and moisture movement, thermal and electrical conductivity/resistivity, thermal transmittance, durability, workability, density, specific heat capacity and viscosity. Strength The strength of a material is the amount of tension, stress or weight that a material will be able to endure before the materials limit is reached and begins to deform. Materials strength vary depending on the type of material. Elasticity Elasticity is the amount of stress that a material can take before it reaches its elastic limit and the material becomes distorted and its dimensions are altered permanently. The elasticity of a material will also vary depending on the production and the nature of the material. Porosity and water absorption Porosity is the amount of air pockets or pores that are within a material. The density of a material is closely linked with porosity. If a material is heaver per unit volume then it will have fewer pores inside. The porosity of a material is tested by weighing the material then leaving the material in water for a set amount of time and re-weighing the material. This will provide a measurement, which can be shown as percentages, of the amount of water that the material absorbed. Thermal and moisture movement Thermal movement is changes in materials depending on the time of year. All materials contract with cold and expand with heat. Many materials have high rates of expansion and contraction, so predictions of joints must be provided for in the brickwork or concrete. These joints would allow for expansion and contraction and helpful in areas with changing climates. Moisture movement is the ability for materials to absorb water from the air. Materials that can absorb a lot of moisture from the air may expand and deform. But if placed into a warm area, they can shrink and become distorted. Thermal and electrical conductivity/resistivity The thermal and electrical resistivity is the materials ability to block the passage of electric and thermal energy. Thermal and electrical conductivity is closely linked in materials. Materials that are good conductors of heat are usually good conductors of electricity. However, plastics dont conduct electricity but are good conductors of heat. Any metal can conduct electricity. Thermal transmittance Thermal transmittance is the U-value of a material. The U-value of materials tells you how effective the material is at stopping heat. If a U-value is lower it is more efficient at stopping the passage of heat. Durability Durability is the materials resistance to any form of damage that can occur to the surface of the material. This is also linked to the life cycle of the materials. Denser materials are very durable and can withstand large amounts of surface damage, making them more hard wearing than materials that are less dense. Materials durability also depends on whether the material is looked after correctly and if it has the right forms of varnish and protection. Workability Workability is how easily a material can be produced and formed. The workability of materials has many factors that affect it. If a material has too much or too little of what is needed to make it then the material will be harder to work with and form into the right shapes and sizes without any imperfe

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Metamorphosis vs. Johnny Got His Gun :: essays research papers

Gregor vs. Joe The short story, â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† discusses how Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a giant beetle like insect. As a result of Gregor’s appearance, he faces many obstacles such as loosing his job, communicating with his family, and learning to survive as a bizarre creature. Gregor shows a similar trait to the character; Joe in â€Å"Johnny Got His Gun†. These traits entail the solitudes and loneliness of being locked up in your own little world with no communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Gregor and Joe end up in a situation that neither of them can change. Joe has no limbs and is covered up to his head in bandages. He also has no ways of communication other than the movements of his head to make telegraph signals. Up to Gregor’s transformation, he was an essential part of his family by providing stable income and support. But due to his gruesome appearance, his family and coworkers immediately shunned him. However different from Joe, Gregor was in more of a conscious state, he could almost do everything a normal human could do. His father and mother kept Gregor locked in his room and continued to ignore his existence while his sister, Grete, attempted to keep Gregor fed. As time passed by, Grete’s efforts to keep Gregor alive diminished. His family neglected him and hastened his death. I think the author’s thoughts on how society reacts towards Gregor’s appearance are very accurate. Everywhere in today’s society, people are judged and treated based upon their outward form. For example, while walking through the halls of Coral Springs High, I overheard a group of kids criticizing a fellow student because of the way he dressed. Due to the fact that the students were too engulfed in his appearance, they failed to realize that he might actually be a respectable person. Metamorphosis vs. Johnny Got His Gun :: essays research papers Gregor vs. Joe The short story, â€Å"The Metamorphosis,† discusses how Gregor Samsa wakes up one morning transformed into a giant beetle like insect. As a result of Gregor’s appearance, he faces many obstacles such as loosing his job, communicating with his family, and learning to survive as a bizarre creature. Gregor shows a similar trait to the character; Joe in â€Å"Johnny Got His Gun†. These traits entail the solitudes and loneliness of being locked up in your own little world with no communication.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Both Gregor and Joe end up in a situation that neither of them can change. Joe has no limbs and is covered up to his head in bandages. He also has no ways of communication other than the movements of his head to make telegraph signals. Up to Gregor’s transformation, he was an essential part of his family by providing stable income and support. But due to his gruesome appearance, his family and coworkers immediately shunned him. However different from Joe, Gregor was in more of a conscious state, he could almost do everything a normal human could do. His father and mother kept Gregor locked in his room and continued to ignore his existence while his sister, Grete, attempted to keep Gregor fed. As time passed by, Grete’s efforts to keep Gregor alive diminished. His family neglected him and hastened his death. I think the author’s thoughts on how society reacts towards Gregor’s appearance are very accurate. Everywhere in today’s society, people are judged and treated based upon their outward form. For example, while walking through the halls of Coral Springs High, I overheard a group of kids criticizing a fellow student because of the way he dressed. Due to the fact that the students were too engulfed in his appearance, they failed to realize that he might actually be a respectable person.

Friday, July 19, 2019

Essay example --

A 2006 Pew survey on the Internet use of American teenagers between the ages of twelve and seventeen showed that not only are ninety-three percent connecting to the Internet, but sixty-one percent of them are online at least once a day (Haugen and Musser 100). As society is becoming further dependent on technology for communication, cyberbullying is becoming increasingly prevalent among teens and young adults. Cyberbullying occurs when someone uses the Internet or digital communication to harass others; this includes texts, e-mail, social networking sites, and instant messaging (Parks 9). The problem of cyberbullying leads society ask how it can be stopped, which leads to the debate of whether or not cyberbullying laws are an appropriate solution. Implementing cyberbullying laws could decrease or even stop cyberbullying because the laws would allow for consequences, which multiple cyberbullies are avoiding by using the Internet to remain anonymous. Cyberbullying should be illegal be cause it is growing in popularity, worse than traditional bullying, and causing devastating effects to teens and young adults. Cyberbullying is only getting worse as technology becomes the primary source of communication. Peggy J. Parks addresses this popularity of cyberbullying in her book Cyberbullying. Assistant criminal justice professor and author Marie-Helen Maras states, â€Å"With cyberbullying, bullies no longer need to confront their victims face-to-face. Instead, young cyberbullies use communications technology to annoy, embarrass, humiliate, abuse, threaten, stalk, or harass other children or teenagers† (qtd. in Parks 8). Also, a survey of students between the ages of eleven and eighteen conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center showed tha... ... harassment of cyberbullies. Its growing popularity, ability to humiliate teens instantly, and harmful effects are all reasons why cyberbullying laws are needed to stop cyberbullies everywhere. Cyberbullying laws are needed to stop the growth of cyberbullying, as well as the bullies who are taking advantage of technology to harass others. Victims of cyberbullying are affected psychologically and all too often suicidal. Stopping cyberbullying would decrease the number of cyberbullying-related suicides, therefore, saving the lives of victimized teens and young adults. As of November of 2011, anti-bullying laws that include electronic harassment have been enacted in thirty-five states. Cyberbullying affects the lives of teens and young adults everywhere causing psychological harm and even suicide; laws against cyberbullying could be the answer to ending this epidemic.â€Æ'