Skills Management and Conceptual Skills

Introduction Research by Robert L. Katz found that managers need three basic and important skills: technical, human and conceptual. What is more, these three skills are relatively essential to managers who are at different levels that include first-line, middle, top management positions. There will be a discussion about the importance of conceptual skills that are needed by all managers at all levels, especially by top level of managers. The purpose of this essay is to identify and discuss the importance of conceptual skills that top managers are required to demonstrate.The essay will state why conceptual skills are not so important as much as lower managers through some supporting evidences,why conceptual skills become more important in top management positions than in other positions, and how top managers use conceptual skills in reality. At the end of essay, a conclusion the major findings will be provided. 1 Conceptual skills mean the ability to think and to conceptualize about a bstract and complex situations (Katz, R. L, 1974). It is different from technical skills and human skills.Technical skills tend to be more essential for lower-level managers because they should have the job specific knowledge and techniques to manage the work of non-managerial people (Katz, R. L, 1974). For example, accounts payable managers should know accounting rules and standardized forms very well so that they can solve problems which relevant to accounting fields. Whereas, human skills are important for managers at all levels, because every manager should have ability to work well with other people individually and in a group, all of managers deal directly with people.They should build cooperative spirit and motivate other workers. For example, first-line managers of food servicing company should communicate with producers to know how everything is going and where they should improve, so effective talking is very necessary to the whole company for any level of managers (Robbin s, S. P, 2011). Even though conceptual skills are not so important as much as lower managers, it does not mean lower managers do not use conceptual skills. In some situations, some of their works are related to conceptual abilities.It is little for mid-level managers, and it is not very required for first-level managers. While these lower-level managers should also make decisions to solve problems in some complex problems in their managerial fields. Whereas Katz thought that lower-level managers normally spend relative more time dealing with observable objects and processes, but upper-level managers often deal with abstract and complex ideas. So top managers’ responsibility matches conceptual skills, because top managers should make organization-wide decisions and establish the goals and plans that affect the entire organization (Robbins, S.P, 2011). That is why top managers are supposed not to only pay attention to small things, they should be leaders and have conceptual ski lls to lead the whole company to get more profits and access to success. Turn to lower-level managers, first-line managers are the lowest level of management, they coordinate the work of people who are non-managerial employees, such as producers. While middle managers manage the work of first-line managers (Robbins, S. P, 2011).Therefore, first-line managers should have special skills like technical skills, so that they can know how to supervise those producers to produce goods. 2 Conversely, conceptual skills are probably some of the most important management skills, which are very important to top managers especially. Katz proposed that these skills become more essential in top management positions. The reason for this is that top managers often deal with abstract ideas, and they are responsible for making organization-wide decisions and establishing the goals and plans that affect the entire organization.While conceptual skills can be described the ability to conceptualize about abstract time, they must see the organization as a whole and clear about the complicated relationships between various subunits. Then these abilities are essential to effective decision-making. So from the definition of conceptual skills, top managers should have many necessary skills, first is problem solving, they need to combine the whole organization together and use professional skills in practice to find how a party will be and what it will be like.The second key probably is study as a whole, so it is related to conceptualize about things. So they will not treat an organization as a part of the industry, looking the organization as a whole can help managers make decision or do something effectively. Conceptual skills also include creative thinking, which needs managers should have creative ideas, no matter for human management or the whole part management. In another word, conceptual skill is the ability to think in terms of models, frameworks and broad relationship such as lo ng-range plans.While technical skill has different characteristics of job performance, it does not matter at the operating and professional levels, but as employees are supposed to develop leadership responsibilities, their technical skills become proportionately less important, they increasingly depend on technical skills of their subordinates; in many cases they have never practiced some of the technical skills that they supervise. Conceptual skill deals with ideas, whereas human skill concerns people and technical skill involves things.So conceptual skills conclude knowing how to formulate ideas, so managers who have strong conceptual skills are supposed to have cognitive abilities to solve problems creatively and effectively. Therefore they can create new products, then they can examine a complicated issue or formulate a distinct and specific action. So when top managers make wide-decisions, conceptual skills are necessary, it will help them to do managing work easily and effect ively (Glaser, R. , & Resnick, L. B, 1989). 3Mintzberg concluded ten different roles but those roles are highly interrelated. Interpersonal role should be symbolic, which is essential for top managers, because top managers are leaders, their ability is to lead, supervise and motivate workers. So during this time, conceptual skills will be used because of many complex situations with employees and employers. Informational roles need managers to have the ability to receive, collect and disseminate information. Decisional roles are typically important to top managers.In usual time, they should do wide-making decisions, they will face many complex and abstract situations, but as a leader, they should solve these problems using their managerial skills. So they will use conceptual skills to make decisions due to solving all of abstract situations (Robbins, S. P, 2011). Otherwise, strategic planning is necessary for top managers in reality. Planning implementation is especially important, which needs managers to implement strategic planning effectively through formalizing and discipline.Managerial innovation includes total quality management. The generation of innovation results in an outcome – a product, service, technology, or practice that is at least new to an organizational population. Decision skills and strategic planning skills are fundamental factors of conceptual skills. For example, Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg planned to offer a search feature like Google, he combined social and search together, people can do many things at the same place, even finding a good restaurant or learning about a good job.Facing the biggest competitor Google, Mark needs strategic planning skills to make latest strategies to deal with intense competitions this kind of complex situations. Therefore decision skills and strategic planning skills are related to conceptual skills. How do chief executive officers (CEOs) use conceptual skills? They set the tone for th e organization via the vision they express, decisions they make, policies they implement, and what they pay attention to, measure, and reward (Finkelstein, Hambrick, & Cannella, 2009).Those abstract situations they should face are very normal to a company. How will the members perform, how will set a correct direction, or how to coordinate relationships with stakeholders are complex actions they are supposed to do (Boal & Hooijberg, 2001; Hambrick & Mason, 1984; Ireland & Hitt, 1999). CEO Alan Joyce is leading change at Qantas to deal with the challenges in the airline industry’s fast-moving and competitive environment. Why would Qantas be successful? Because there are many effective strategies Qantas has conducted.Firstly, they split the operations into separate business in order to make each of the business units more accountable. They have also been forced to look at how it can reduce its costs. Secondly, under Joyce’s leadership, the company has a significantly low er cost base than its full service parent, customers are very satisfied with discount airline. Thirdly, an area where cost savings have been seen as necessary is in staffing. And the last point is to surge fuel prices. There are many competitors to Qantas, they all take effective actions at any time.So Alan Joyce has had to deal with as he maps a road that will make Qantas to continue to operate as a successful and profitable airline around the world (Robbins, S. P, 2011). Conclusion In summarize, conceptual skills are needed by all managers at all levels, but these skills are more important in top management positions. In current business, top managers should have these skills to make wide decisions and establish the goals to lead companies to be successful. Conceptual skills represent collaborative processes at the organizational and strategic levels.The degree of leader success will depend largely on the leader's ability to maximize the full potential of these collaborative netwo rks. Reference Boal KB. , ; Hooijberg R. (2001). Strategic leadership: Moving on. The Leadership Quarterly, 11, 515–550. Finkelstein S. , Hambrick DC. , Cannella AA. , ; Jr. (2009). Strategic leadership: Theory and research on executives, top management teams, and boards. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. Glaser, R. , ; Resnick, L. B. (1989). Cognitive Apprenticeship: Teaching the Crafts of Reading, Writing, and Mathmatics.In Knowing, learning, and instruction: Essays in honor of Robert Glaser. Hillsdale, N. J: L. Erlbaum Associates,453-490. Kanter, R. M. (1984). The Change Masters. London: Unwin Hyman. Katz, R. L. (1974). Skills of an Effective Administrator. An HBR Classic. Harvard business review,  52(5), 90-102. Retrieved from http://hbr. org/1974/09/skills-of-an-effective-administrator/ar/1 Peters, T. J. , ; Waterman, R. H. (1984). In Search of Excellence. New York: Warner Books. Robbins, S. P. , R. Bergman, et al. (2009). Management. Frenchs Forest, N. S. W. , Pear son Education Australia. * *

“I, Too Sing America” by Langston Hughes Essay

Poem â€Å"I, Too Sing America † is considered to be very characteristic for radical poetry of Langston Hughes. The majority of literary critiques and historians refer to Hughes as one of the first American poets, who set the standards and examples how to challenge the post-World War I ethnic nationalism. His poetry contributed and shaped to some extent the politics of the Harlem Renaissance. In analysis of Black poetry Charles S. Johnson wrote that the new racial poetry of the Negro is the expression of something more than experimentation in a new technique; it marks the birth of a new racial consciousness and self-conception. It is first of all a frank acceptance of race, but the recognition of this difference without the usual implications of disparity (145). Being acquainted with many Hughes’s works, for instance â€Å"Our Land,† â€Å"The Negro Speaks of Rivers,† and of course â€Å"I, Too Sing America,† Johnson confirmed that poet had a strong sense of â€Å"race pride† and characterized Hughes’s poetry to be â€Å"without doubt the finest expression of this new Negro Poetry† (145). Some literary critiques refer to Hughes’s poem â€Å"I Too Sing America† as radical poetry. However, if in this poem Hughes chose to sacrifice artistry for politics, it was not because the two are mutually exclusive. The main reason for such Hughes’s technique is that the blues aesthetic of his early poems embraced a form of nationalism he could no longer abide (147). Hughes himself concludes that the chief responsibility of the black writer was to produce a racial literature drawn from African American life and culture. â€Å"We younger Negro artists who create,† Hughes wrote, â€Å"now intend to express our individual dark-skinned selves without fear or shame† (309). Onwuchekwa Jemie, who identified Hughes as a black nationalist, notes that â€Å"Hughes’s insistence on a distinct black art †¦ is †¦ a recognition of the fact that Afro-Americans are a distinct people within the American nation† (103). Therefore, â€Å"I, Too† creates a feeling of an individual versus a large group enhancing the loneliness felt. The poem recognizes an actual inequality African Americans felt during a time period of racial discrimination. Hughes recognizes that although different in color, all people living in America were Americans and deserved to be treated not just equally, but with dignity and honor. Therefore, he poetically forecasts the trends America experienced in 1960’s when the equal status of blacks was nominal. Hughes is not known for using lots of symbolism. His poetry is generally straight forward and to the point. There is not much hidden meaning in his poetry either. What little symbolism he does use is very deep. It can be interpreted in a many number of ways. â€Å"I Too Sing America† has psychological and cultural references such as intergroup stereotyping, communication, cooperation, and conflict. Moreover, it sounds like a slogan, appeal to immediate action. Therefore he hides his radicalism in very title of the poem, which is not a poem at a closer look but a song. It is very crucial to perceive â€Å"I Too Sing America† as a song, emotional, radical, political, but still focused on black aesthetics. The poem is about the hope of one day being equal; it is expressed in each stanza at least once. â€Å"I laugh And eat well And grow strong.† These lines represent hope along with determination. It also gives us insight to the style that Hughes uses in all his poetry. He uses humor in most of his writing to convey his message. What the laugh represents is his thoughts of the future. â€Å"I laugh†¦Ã¢â‚¬  They will laugh, and will be happy. Moreover, laugh means that he’ll be able to look back. Eating is another interesting symbol. Most probably it represents learning and knowledge. Without knowledge one cannot further themselves in life or make themselves better. Eating well means to learn well and retain the knowledge. â€Å"Growing strong† represents the retaining of the knowledge. Not only does this mean to grow strong with knowledge but for the voices of equality to grow stronger. The biggest use of symbolism is the last line: â€Å"I, too, am America.† In Walt Whitman’s poem â€Å"I hear America singing† the American people are just the working class, Anglo Saxons. The line â€Å"I, too,  am America† shouts out that someone was forgotten, an poetic echo of many years of oppression and discrimination. Whom are you are going to oppress. Hughes’s answer is – yourself. People oppressed themselves yesterday, are oppressing today, but will not tomorrow. Tomorrow will come and no one will be neglected. The psychological and cultural references are not as blatantly placed as the symbolism. The darker brother represents the black man trough a metaphor. In society darkness is used to symbolize evil. Poet employs such a term not accidentally. Placing â€Å"dark,† Hughes emphasizes term â€Å"black.† Eating in the kitchen represents repression. Most Kitchens are hidden much like the suffering of African Americans. They were hidden from the company; the company can be interpreted as a metaphor for foreign countries, or people in general. Most American people were blind to the horror and brutality of slavery. Slavery was also psychological, that is why the knowledge is important. Before one can rise up, one must first discover what it is they are rising up against. â€Å"Tomorrow I’ll be at the table When company comes Nobody’ll dare Say to me, â€Å"Eat in the kitchen’, Then.† Above lines show that â€Å"dark brothers† have learned and will no longer be held down. It also shows the strength of their voices that no one will challenge any longer. It describes the future and the past using the kitchen as the  world. The best realization is made at the end of the poem: Besides, They’ll see how beautiful I am And be ashamed.† Poet employs contrast technique to put a parallel between ugly black today and beautiful â€Å"dark brother† of tomorrow, making a transparent window through past to future. Captive Negro waits for tomorrow beauty and finally he will be rewarded for his patience and sufferings. In these last words, as many analysts believe, Hughes makes an emphasis on black culture, its terrific features and diversity. Rampersad writes, â€Å"through the display of black sensitivity, intelligence, and artistic versatility, it was believed, whites would come to a new understanding of the humanity of African Americans and help to accelerate social change† (16). If anything were going to convince a â€Å"white† America of the humanity and equality of blacks, it would have to be â€Å"culture,† that realm where human beings differentiate themselves from the â€Å"savage† and aspire to the divine. Bibliography Johnson, Charles S. Jazz and Blues. Critical Essays on Langston Hughes. Ed. Edward J. Mullen. Boston: Hall, 1986. Onwuchekwa, Jemie. Hughes’s Black Esthetic. Critical Essays on Langston Hughes. Ed. Edward J. Mullen. Boston: Hall, 1986. Rampersad, Arnold. Introduction. The New Negro. Ed. Alain Locke. New York: Atheneum: 1992. Hughes L. Good Morning Revolution: Uncollected Writings of Langston Hughes. Ed. Faith Berry. New York: Carol Publishing Group, 1992. 159-61.

Detection of Oil Spillage in the Sea Research Paper

Detection of Oil Spillage in the Sea - Research Paper Example The images were taken during the Prestige oil spill that happened in Spanish coast. Geographical Information System (GIS) database was used in the integration of the images to study the spatial distribution, slick progression and the results compared to field observations. From the results acquired, a relationship is developed between the use of radar imagery and other available options like wind data and in situ interpretations. Integration of these techniques produces efficient ways of monitoring and forecast oil spills in the oceans. Key words Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR), oil spillage, Geographical Information System (GIS), and oil slick. Introduction Oil spillage in the sea or oceans serves as a main source of water pollution and environmental degradation. Most leakages result from ships ferrying oil to various destinations across the world. Storms in the sea cause ship wreckages that lead to oil spillage. Monitoring of such incidences before extensive damage is made is essential. The case study for this project is an oil tanker, Prestige that was damaged in a storm in the coast of Spain. Though it had a capacity of 77000 tons of heavy fuel, after the damage, there was an immediate loss of 5000 tons. Over 190kms of the coast was contaminated with the oil within a period of three days. After a few days, the ship broke and sunk in the Atlantic Ocean. During the incident,3000tons were lost as spillage as other 6000tons as it sunk. Oil spread 270km along the south/south west of the cape of Finisterra. Satellite images have been provided by the European Space Agency daily since the accident occurred. The Envisat space craft and European Remote Sensing (ERS) revealed the leakage, raising an alarm in salvaging process of the sea (Palanzuela, Gonzalez, & Cuadrado 2006). The data retrieved from radar was of great use in oil spillage detection because it covers a wide area. Radar also assists in taking images at all times. This makes it useful in detecti ng and clean up operations of oil spills. The mode of technology used in the project was Advanced Synthetic Aperture Radar (ASAR). The images retrieved from the radar were very critical in detecting oil spills from the Prestige tanker. The images were integrated by the Geographical Information System (GIS) database that revealed further information about the spillage. The area covered by oil spill, its quantity and spatial distribution in the area within the oil spillage period was traced. Observations made in the field and the condition of wind during the incident could be retrieved. Oil Slick Detection The area affected lies in the north-west coast of Spain on Atlantic Ocean. The coast line covers the Cape of Finisterre to the mouth of Mino River. The marine biodiversity in the area is rich, with a blend of vertical water and column layers. The rich cold water provides nutrients that support pelagic and demersal fisheries. A rich mussel raft culture is also maintained. The fishing industry, mussel culture creates employment to the natives. Beaches, resorts and ecological important areas offer good grounds for national parks. The spillage that occurred became a threat to these areas. ASAR scenes retrieved through wide-swath mode by ScanSAR technique showed that the area affected was greater than 400kms. Several organizations took part in field survey. The data

The power given to judges by judicial review actions and the Human Essay

The power given to judges by judicial review actions and the Human Rights Act 1998 is unreasonable. - Analyse this statement - Essay Example Under certain restricted circumstances, the claimant is entitled to be awarded damages. In addition, the court may pass prohibitory or obligatory orders, restraining the authority from acting unlawfully or to force it to act in a lawful manner.2 As such, judicial review is customarily applicable to the exercise of statutory power, by a public body. It is quite infrequent, in such cases, for a court to disallow judicial review, on the grounds that the exercise of power was unrelated to the discharge of some public function or duty owed to the individual. Issues that in general fall outside the purview of judicial review are those that pertain to the initiation of military action against a hostile nation or the deployment of troops.3 Moreover, a public authority is precluded from breaching the rights provided by the European Convention on Human Rights via Human Rights Act 1998. In R (on the application of A and others) v. Partnerships in Care Ltd, a private mental health institution ha d forcibly restrained the claimant, in accordance with the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983. The court ruled that this institution was discharging the function of a public authority, as provided for in section 6(3)(b) of the HRA.4 In addition, section 6(1) of the Human Rights Act 1998 requires the principal public authorities to ensure that the Convention rights are not infringed in their functions. In addition, section 6(3)(b) of the Human Rights Act 1998 directs that these public authorities have to ensure that their functions are in compliance with the rights provided by the Convention. The rights provided by the European Convention on Human Rights have largely been frustrated. This is due to the penchant of the courts to interpret section 6(3) of the Human Rights Act 1998, in such a manner that most of the organisations are not classified as a Public Authority. Furthermore, this distressing situation is exacerbated by the fact that the courts have not yet concluded, whet her a regulatory body constitutes a public authority. There are several cases that have challenged the legal effect of Acts of Parliament, in the UK. The decision in Factortame reduced the effectiveness of parliamentary sovereignty. In this case, the House of Lords suspended legislation, in order to establish that EC law had precedence over domestic law. In Jackson and others v Her Majesty’s Attorney General, the plaintiffs contented that the Parliament Act 1949 did not have legal effect as it was not an Act of Parliament. Consequently, the Hunting Act 2004 was also invalid, as it was not an Act of Parliament. This case dealt with whether the judiciary could challenge an Act of Parliament.5 Their Lordships dismissed the plaintiff’s argument and upheld the validity of the Hunting Act. It is indispensable for the courts to recognise the fact that power derived from the constitution is to be apportioned between the various governmental branches. This necessitates an appro ach founded on due deference towards the executive and legislature by the judiciary. It is not possible for supremacy to coexist in this environment.6 All the same, there are several issues, wherein the situation is muddled, due to a plethora of immaterial doctrinal instruments. In Aston Cantlow the House of Lords held that public authorities

Do Abrahamic Religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) Cause War Research Paper

Do Abrahamic Religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) Cause War - Research Paper Example However, there are differences in the beliefs and systems that Jews, Christians and Muslim accept as legitimate. Jews hold that the Abrahamic covenant was carried down onto Isaac (Abraham's second son) and then to Jacob (Isaac's second son) and then down to Jacob's (also known as Israel's) descendants. After years of the Israelite community growing, they merited to receive the Torah, a set of Laws given directly to the Israelites through Moses. The Jews hold the Torah (first five books of the Bible) to be authoritative and the generational interpretation of the Torah from the Prophets to the Rabbis as absolutes (Idel 7). Christianity on the other hand sprouted out of Judaism because the followers believed that Jesus Christ was the son of God and this was a position that most Jews rejected and never accepted. On the other hand, Christians also did not accept the generational interpretation of the Torah as Jews did but rather focused on the life of Jesus Christ as an ideal standard interpreted by the New Testament. Islam on the other hand came up as a result of revelations received by Mohammed, a descendant of Abraham through the line of his first son, Ishmael (Schmidt-Leukel 149). Although there are clear areas that Islam seems to build on Judaism and Christianity, Islam also maintains its distinct features and elements. Islam, Christianity and Judaism cuts across elements of spirituality, morality and nationalism (Oystein, 72). In terms of spirituality, all these Abrahamic Faiths profess some element of control over the supernatural and promises humanity a pleasant life after death. Additionally, these promises comes with some responsibilities that seek to make people live according to some standards and ideals prescribed by these religions. The Jewish have a set of traditions Halackha that must be adhered to at all times in a person's life. Christians have doctrines and principles of holiness that must be followed. Muslims also have the Sunnah which sums up the traditions and instructions a s revealed to Prophet Mohammed. The institutionalization of these principles and practices amongst a group of people professing each of these three Faiths leads to the nationalism aspect of the Abrahamic Faiths. This requires the establishment of the structures of a modern nation, including a military that would protect the interest of a religious state. Based on this, I identify three main issues of misunderstanding and misuse of the Abrahamic religions that led to wars and various forms of violence throughout history. These three matters include the rise of opportunistic leaders in the original kingdoms of the founders of these

Workplace smoking bans and perceived stress Article

Workplace smoking bans and perceived stress - Article Example A study was done to prove this hypothesis where a survey involving a 12-item job questionnaire is made to be answered by employees. This includes two categories of workplace smoking bans, with no ban being the reference category. Analysis controls would also determine an individual’s socio-demographic characteristics, occupational effects, health conditions and etc. A fixed-effects linear regression scale is used as a tool to control measured and unmeasured individual time-invariant confounders, which will strongly reveal the relationship between workplace smoking bans and work-related stress. The result of this study revealed the fact that there is a different relationship formed between workplace smoking bans (WSB) and work stress depending on different age groups. For males, who comprises the bigger smoking population, they experience higher stress caused by WSBs as compared to companies without smoking bans. Although the result is significantly similar with the females, there is quite a difference in estimates, specifically on the fact that younger females ages 18-40 years old would be highly stressed out in workplaces with smoking bans while older females ages 41-65 did not demonstrate any effect on WSBs with regard to their stress levels. Generally, workplace smoking bans directly increases work stress of young adult smokers and for people who has been smoking for a long time. Indeed, we can see the adverse effects of smoking and at the same time smoking bans. In response to it, protecting non-smokers and the environment through smoking bans is more reasonable and has greater positive effects rather than establishing a stress-free workplace. This is because of the fact that WSB’s do not only protect the general public and the earth but also helps smokers themselves by reducing smoking prevalence and intensity. Although little is known about

The Co-Teaching Model Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

The Co-Teaching Model - Research Paper Example Co-teaching model keeps the implementation of these policies intact. The discussion contained in this article shall emphasize on the nature of co-teaching, the mode of instructional delivery, and its effectives in general and special education. While there had already been signs of the implementation of co-teaching models during the 1950s, it was only recently that co-teaching models are much more adopted in private and public schools. Several reasons can be counted as substantial in transpiring the employment of co-teaching models in schools: (1) The No Child Left Behind Act, which insisted that educators must guarantee that every student, "including those with disabilities and other special needs", develops competitiveness irrespective of physical circumstances. (2) The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (1975), which required educators to employ educational inclusiveness by providing less restrictive learning environment (LRE) especially for students with serious disabilities. In fact, many strategies have been fashioned to realize these policies including, but not limited to, co-teaching. Over the last few years, co-teaching has "surfaced as a topic of discussion in schools throughout the country" (Cook, 2004). Hence, Marilyn Friend (2008) expresses that with the incrementing prevalence of co-teaching and "implied legislative stimulus for it", educators should go beyond simply knowing that such practice exists; educators must improve their understanding and competence concerning this practice. Generally, according to Cook (2004), co-teaching is an instructional approach that comprises two or more educators or other certified staff contracted to share instructional responsibility, "primarily in a single classroom or workplace and for a specific content". In contrary to the prevalent misconception regarding co-teaching, it is not necessarily collaborative, a team teaching or an inclusion (Cook, 2004). The

The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act Essay

The Health Insurance Portability And Accountability Act - Essay Example Administrative simplification also necessitates set of laws to defend the privacy of personal health information and the institution of security necessities to protect that information and the progress of average identifiers. In turn to efficiently apply the HIPAA Administrative Simplification provisions, the Governor's bureau has prearranged a statewide plan composed of country organizations that might be influenced by its provisions. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) institutes innovative values for the progress and utilization of health care information. There are three types of principles formed by HIPAA namely privacy, security and administrative simplification. All together, these rules have a foremost impact on the everyday functioning of the state's hospitals and influence almost every part of every individual that presents or pays for health Title I of HIPAA standardizes the accessibility and span of group and entity health insurance strategy. It amends together the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and the Public Health Service Act. Title I moreover confines the boundaries that a group health plan can sets on remuneration for pre-obtainable circumstances. Group health plans might reject to give remuneration connecting to pre-obtainable circumstances for a time of twelve months after the enrollment in the arrangement or eighteen months in the case of delayed enrollment2. Conversely, individuals can diminish this omission period if they had health insurance before signing up in the plan. Title I permits individuals to decrease the omission period by the time that they had "creditable coverage" earlier than signing up in the plan and after any "significant breaks" in coverage. "Creditable coverage" is classified relatively broadly and incorporates almost all group and entity health plans, including Medicare and Medi caid. A "significant break" in coverage is described as any sixty three day phase devoid of any creditable coverage3. A number of health care plans are not liable from Title I necessities, for example enduring health plans and partial scope plans for instance dental or vision plans that are presented individually from the wide-ranging health plan. Still, if such remuneration are a branch of the wide-ranging health plan, then HIPAA applies to such remuneration. For example, if the innovative plan presents dental remuneration, then it should calculate creditable continuous coverage beneath the previous health plan towards any of its omission periods for dental remuneration. HIPAA 3However, an alternate way of estimating

RESEARCH ASSIGNMENT Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

ASSIGNMENT - Research Paper Example Moreover, TCPD serves four districts of the Texas City. 1.B. The present Chief of TCPD is Robert Burby. Beneath the leadership and the direction of Police Chief, TCPD serves the Texas city with their primary objective which includes providing safety to the city people and reducing the crime along with creating a positive relationship within the communities among others. 1.C. Generally, the Chief rank is considered as the highest authority in the TCPD. With due consideration to this fact, it can be observed that in certain emergency situations the Chief Robert Burby takes orders or assistances from the Texas City Mayor Matthew T. Doyle and City Commissioners namely Mike Land, Dee Ann Haney, Thelma Bowie, Scooter Wilson and Dedrick D. Johnson, Sr. as well as Rick Wilkenfeld in order to take relative measures according to the prevailing situations. 1.D. Contextually, Robert Burby had been selected from outside of the department. This is because he had served several years in Law Enforce ment departments and also in the United States Air Force. He also served as a patrolman as well as was a member of 25th Judicial District Narcotics Task Force. He had served as the Chief of Police in City of Holy Springs, Mississippi before joining TCPD. A. The primary function of TCPD is to control or reduce the crime by keeping the police in the forefront of the community. Every officer is assigned to ensure a strong neighborhood vigil throughout the day of their service and to work as a crime stopper. 2 A. Is the law enforcement agency C.A.L.E.A. certified? If yes since what date? B. Is the law enforcement agency STATE accredited, if yes since what date? C. Sometimes only sections, like the communications unit, are C.A.L.E.A., if that's the case, then advise the details. 2.A. From the assessment of TCPD’s history it is revealed that the department is not certified under the C.A.L.E.A. 2.B. In the year 2004, under the leadership of the Chief Robert Burby, TCPD was honored b y the TCPA as the foremost Texas State Accredited Police Department. 2.C. TCPD’s none of the units has been certified under C.A.L.E.A. 3. A. Sworn personnel staffing number (How many sworn officers are there? - Do not give a phone number i.e. For example: MBPD has approx. 372 sworn personnel working. B. Civilian personnel staffing number- How many civilian personnel are there- for example: MBPD has approx. 249. 3.A. TCPD has 80 sworn officers who serve and operate the department’s operation or function. 3.B. TCPD’s force generally does not have any civilian personnel in the force. 4. Diversity- A. Provide the sworn personnel diversity total percentage? (example: 68% of the xxx agency or Dept. is classified as a minority). B. List either how many (actual number) or the percent that are White, African American, Asian, Hispanic or Latin, other, etc. 4.A. Approximately 30% of TCPD is classified as a minority. 4.B. White 63.77%, African American 30.28%, Asian 0.54% a nd Hispanic 4.44% along with others 0.58%. 5. Jurisdiction information (include ALL: square miles?, population?, type of areas and approx. percentage of each , i.e. residential 35%, business 65%, also type of community policed, i.e. tourist, seniors, etc.). Include any Major crowd drawing, famous landmarks, tourist locations. Like if you did,

Peter The Great Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Peter The Great - Essay Example He was a true fighter and did not get discouraged by defeats. Rather he tried to strengthen himself so as to defeat his enemy. He has brought many reforms to Russia, be it be regarding marriages, taxes or the Church. Peter the Great also known as Pyotr Alexeyevich Romanov, was a tyrant and ruler of Russia in the late 17th and early 18th century. He ruled, reformed and revolutionized the country in his own ways, bringing a storm of transformations. Peter was born on 9th June 1972 to Alexei Mikhailovich. He had a reign of forty two years over Russia, starting from May 7 1982 until his death. Peter was a curious man. He was receptive to all sorts of learning, whether it belonged to his own culture or not. He was also ruthless, having no mercy for those who rebelled. His list of achievements earned him many titles, such as "the Great", "Father of His Country" and "Emperor of all the Russias". Peter the Great had been given the gigantic responsibility of running the empire when he was a mere ten years old. Since then and till his death, Peter the Great's mind and body were always working to find ways in which he can improve Russia and make it better. His endeavours and successes made him great. Though he had been given power in 1682, he became the sole ruler of Russia in 1696 after the deaths of his mother, Naryshkina and half brother, Ivan V. Only then he had the authority and independence to take major moves and bring key reforms in Russia. Some of the accomplishments and reforms brought about by and the efforts put in by Peter the Great, in chronological order, are: Modernizing Russia Peter the Great was not one of the conventional types. He himself was eager to learn from other cultures and was willing to adapt their ways. He plays a big role in modernizing Russia. He had many Western advisors on the suggestions of whom he restructured the whole of the Russian Army on the standards and practices of the Europeans. Oppositions and criticisms were thrown at his new policies but he remained steadfast., showing utmost belief in his decisions. Peter cruelly suppressed everybody who rebelled against his new procedures, be it be the Streltsy, Bashkirs or the Astrakhans. Peter, during his visit to the West, realized that European ways and traditions were way superior to the Russian ones. As a result, he ordered all his courtiers and officers to get rid of their long beards. Moreover, Peter was so determined in sweeping westernization all over Russia that he passed the orders of collecting taxes from those who want to keep beards, in an attempt to decrease the number of people who keep beards. Not only his army, but other officials were also told to dress in European style. Furthermore, he endeavoured to bring a halt to the tradition of arranged marriages. He thought the custom was barbaric and led to domestic violence as the couple were being forced to stay with each other and the matrimonial ecstacy was missing. In 1699, Peter the Great changed the format of the calendar to incorporate the counting of years from the time Christ was born, rather than the old way of counting years from the Creation of the World. Now people had to celebrate New Year on 1st January, discarding the previous September 1. Russia - A

Reading Response to Introduction in Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies Essay Example for Free

Reading Response to Introduction in Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies Essay Upon reading the Collins and Solomos introduction to their Handbook of Race and Ethnic Studies, I soon realized that the field of race and ethnicity is a diverse, living thing that is constantly evolving. The authors make reference to the fact that the civil rights movement has been working for decades and it appears at times that no progress has been made. They make this point by mentioning the nightly newscasts on television that show global atrocities brought on by policies of ethnic cleansing or other forms of hate. This is proof that more work has to be done and we must continue to seek and promote understanding and equality. Collins and Solomos also mention the rise of more right-wing political groups that they refer to as the new right. These groups use the media to promote their ideas of an ideal state. They state that `for the new right` the appeal is by and large no longer to racial supremacy cultural uniformity` and they get around this by  ¨parading under the politics of nationalism and patriotism ¨. This reminded me of my history classes in school where I first learned of Hitler and how he used extreme nationalism as one of his tools to gain influence and power over a economically struggling Germany. There seems to be a great many voices and perspectives out there that may contradict one another at times, but I feel that the study or race and ethnicity must continue to be pursued.

The Inheritance of Loss Essay

The Inheritance of Loss Essay As might be expected from the rich input of her cultural background, Kiran Desai, daughter of the author Anita Desai is a born story-teller. Her first novel, Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard (1998), is a fresh look at life in the sleepy provincial town of Shahkot in India. At 35 years old, Desai is the youngest woman ever to win the prize and was already highly acclaimed in literary circles for her first novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard which won a Betty Trask award  [2]  when it was published in 1998. She spent eight years writing her second novel The Inheritance of Loss  [3]  . Much has been made of the parallels between the book and Desais family history but its not an autobiography. Desai herself has said that in places its about experiences within her family such as the experience of immigration and going back to India. Kiran Desais second novel The Inheritance of Loss can be viewed as a Diasporic  [4]  novel. The various themes which are intertwined in the novel are globalization, multiculturalism, insurgency, poverty, isolation and issues related to loss of identity. The issues and conflicts mentioned in the novel are portrayed in a subtle and intriguing manner through the central characters. The theme of Diaspora in the world of literature describes loss of identity and isolation witnessed by the Indian writers who are settled abroad. Writers like Salman Rushdie  [5]  , Vikram Seth  [6]  and Kiran Desai have given insight into what it means to travel between the West and the East. The novel is set in modern day India, and the story is narrated to depict the collapse of established order due to insurgency. In her novel, Desai portrays excellently the issues of poverty and globalization not being an easy solution for problems of trapped social middle classes. The story revolves around the inhabitants of a town in the north-eastern Himalayas, an embittered old judge, his granddaughter Sai, his cook and their rich array of relatives, friends and acquaintances and the effects on the lives of these people brought about by a Nepalese uprising. Running parallel with the story set in India we also follow the vicissitudes of the cooks son Biju as he struggles to realise the American Dream as an immigrant in New York. Like its predecessor, this book abounds in rich, sensual descriptions. These can be sublimely beautiful, such as in the images of the flourishing of nature at the local convent in spring: Huge, spread-open Easter lilies were sticky with spilling antlers; insects chased each other madly through the sky, zip zip; and amorous butterflies, cucumber green, tumbled past the jeep windows into the deep marine valleys. They can also be horrific, such as in descriptions of the protest march: One jawan was knifed to death, the arms of another were chopped off, a third was stabbed, and the heads of policemen came up on stakes before the station across from the bench under the plum tree, where the towns people had rested themselves in more peaceful times and the cook sometimes read his letters. A beheaded body ran briefly down the street, blood fountaining from the neck   [7]   The Inheritance of Loss is much more ambitious than Hullabaloo in its spatial breadth and emotional depth. It takes on huge subjects such as morality and justice, globalisation, racial, social and economic inequality, fundamentalism and alienation. It takes its reader on a see-saw of negative emotions. There is pathos which often goes hand in hand with revulsion for example in the description of the judges adoration of his dog Mutt, the disappearance of which rocks his whole existence, set against his cruelty to his young wife. There is frequent outrage at the deprivation and poverty in which many of the characters live, including the cooks son in America; and there is humiliation, for example in the treatment of Sai by her lover-turned-rebel, or Lola, who tries to stand up to the Nepalese bullies. Against these strong emotions however, Desai expertly injects doses of comedy and buffoon-like figures. One of these is Bijus winsome friend Saeed, an African (Biju hated all black people but liked Saeed), with a slyer and much more happy go lucky attitude to life. Whereas Biju finds it difficult to have a conversation even with the Indian girls to whom he delivers a take away meal, Saeed had many girls: Oh myee God!! he said. Oh myee Gaaaawd! She keep calling me and calling me, he clutched at head, aaaiiiI dont know what to do!! Its those dreadlocks, cut them off and the girls will go. But I dont want them to go!  [8]   Much of the comedy also arises from the Indian mis or over-use of the English language. Result equivocal the young Judge wrote home to India on completing his university examinations in Britain. What, asked everyone does that mean? It sounded as if there was a problem, because un words were negative words, those basically competent in the English agreed. But then (his father) consulted the assistant magistrate and they exploded with joy à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Bose, the Judges friend from his university days is a wonderfully optimistic but pompous individual, made all the more ridiculous by his over-use of British idioms Cheeri-o, right-o, tickety boo, simply smashing, chin-chin, no siree, hows that, bottoms up, I say!  [9]   An original and modern aspect of Desais style is the almost poet-like use she makes of different print forms on the page: she uses italics for foreign words as if to emphasize their exoticness and untranslatability and capitals for emphasis when someone is angry, expressing surprise or disbelief (a natural development of the netiquette that to write in capitals is like shouting). Published to extraordinary acclaim, The Inheritance of Loss heralds Kiran Desai as one of our most insightful novelists. She illuminates the pain of exile and the ambiguities of postcolonialism with a tapestry of colorful characters: an embittered old judge; Sai, his sixteen-year-old orphaned granddaughter; a chatty cook; and the cooks son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one place to another in miserable living conditions. The novel is set partly in India and partly in the USA. Desai describes it as a book that tries to capture what it means to live between East and West and what it means to be an immigrant, and goes on to say that it also explores at a deeper level, what happens when a Western element is introduced into a country that is not of the West which happened during the British colonial days in India, and is happening again with Indias new relationship with the States. Her third aim was to write about, What happens when you take people from a poor country and place them in a wealthy one. How does the imbalance between these two worlds change a persons thinking and feeling? How do these changes manifest themselves in a personal sphere, a political sphere, over time?  [10]   As she says, These are old themes that continue to be relevant in todays world, the past informing the present, the present revealing the past.  [11]   The book paints the act of immigration and how the postcolonial war creates despair resulting in a sense of isolation inherited by each character in the novel. In a generous vision, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, Desai presents the human quandaries facing panoply of characters. This majestic novel of a busy, grasping time-every moment holding out the possibility of hope or betrayal-illuminates the consequences of colonialism and global conflicts of religion, race, and nationalism. The novel is set in 1986 in India at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga, where the Indian border meets that of Nepal, Tibet, Sikkim, and Bhutan, and where people of many classes and cultures collide in their shared struggle to survive. Kiran Desais novel presents the story of one family as a symbol of the global issues related to colonization and the resulting search for identity. As we read the novel, we meet the retired judge, Jemubhai Patel, whose isolated house near the foot of the mountains is home also to his beloved dog Mutt and his cook. The judge and the cook have lived together in apparent symbiosis for many years when the judges orphaned granddaughter, Sai, comes to live with them. Her arrival marks the beginning of the conflicts that defines the novel. Also central to the story are Gyan, Sais Nepali tutor, and Biju, the cooks son, who has travelled to America in hopes of escaping poverty and making enough money to eventually rescue his father from servitude. The central conflict of the novel revolves around the Nepalis fight to gain education, health care, and other basic rights in India. Early in the story, a group of young insurgents storm the judges house and steal his rifles, literally robbing him of the signs of his Western education and professional occupation. When the tutor, Gyan, with whom Sai has begun a romantic relationship, joins the insurgency. Sai finds herself caught in the middle of a war of class and caste discovers that she has also become a symbol of wealth that Gyan despises. While Gyan and the insurgents are fighting a battle for rights and freedom in India, Biju, the cooks son, is fighting for his own survival and struggling to maintain his identity as he adapts to life in the U.S. As he hops from one menial job to the next, Biju discovers that Americas opportunities are not as plentiful as he expected, and he has given up a servants life in one country just to find the same life in new country, where he faces constant poverty and exploitation. He even notes that, through poverty in America is substantially less severe than poverty in India. Desai presents the similarities between the judge, Gyan, and Biju- as they fight to find their identities and reconcile themselves with their histories. The characters in the novel are bewildered and disillusioned by the world, with no initiative to speak of, nor any capacity to learn; quite often theyre not even paying attention. Almost all of characters have been stunted by their encounters with the West. As a student, isolated in racist England, the future judge feels barely human at all and leaps when touched on the arm as if from an umbrella intimacy. Yet on his return to India, he finds himself despising his backward Indian wife. Arguably the most beautiful portions of the book are the nuggets Desai paints of the cooks son Biju who gets by on the barest of bare from one minimum wage job to the other in New York City. In the Gandhi cafà ©, the lights were kept low, the better to hide the stains. It was a long journey from here to the fusion trend, the goat cheese and basil samosa, the mango margarita. This was the real thing, generic Indian, and it could be ordered complete, one stop on the subway line or even on the phone: gilt and red chairs, plastic roses on the table with synthetic dewdrops,  [12]  Desai writes when she describes one of the Indian restaurants Biju works at. What bind these seemingly disparate characters are shared historical legacy and a common experience of impotence and humiliation. For the characters in The Inheritance of Loss, escape is impossible and misery is birthright. Sais parents before they die are filled with the same loneliness as their daughter; the son whose mother was bidding farewell earlier in this review botches his goodbye, and we learn that Never again would he know love for a human being that wasnt adulterated by another, contradictory emotion (37). (The son grows up to be the judge, arranged into a loveless marriage that descends into rape and other abuses.) The cook is an old man with no fulfillment in his own life, desperate that his son do better than he did; this pressure is eventually Bijus undoing. Sais tutor before Gyan is Noni, a spinster who never had love at all (68). And so on, for the entire cast. Its an old story: Certain moves made long ago, we are told, had produced all of them (199). They are, if you like, variations on an absence of dignity: children, criminals, and buffoons. And too often thats all they are or at least the rest is hidden, the civilised sheen of Desais prose obscuring the extent of the violence done to their lives by circumstances. The plot of the novel is fascinating; however, its real charm lies in its atmospheric descriptions and in quirky characters with whom the reader quickly identifies. Desai is careful observer of behavior, both in India and in the US, with a fine eye for details which bring her character and narrative to life. She presents details dispassionately, illustrating her themes without making moral judgments about her characters. Here there are no saints or villains, just ordinary people trying to lead the best lives they can, using whatever resources are available to them. Intensely human, Desais characters, like people from all cultures, make huge sacrifices for their children, behave cruelly toward people they love, reject traditional ways of life and old values, rediscover what is important to them, suffer at the hands of faceless government officials, and learn, and grow, and make decisions, sometimes ill-considered, about their lives. Dealing with all levels of society and many different cultures, Desai shows life humor and brutality, its whimsy and its harshness, and its delicate emotions and passionate commitments in a novel that is both beautiful and wise. The books language, scenarios and juxtapositions are funny, threatening, vivid and tender all at the same time. The comic element always intertwined with irony, as characters struggle with a world bigger than themselves, a world that only ever seems to accept them partially, and rarely on their own terms. The novels elaborate structure takes the reader into the world of Nationalism and migration, which seems contemporary and timeless, familiar and unpredictable. Chapters alternate between India and US, juxtaposing the slow pace of life in the hills with the frantic movements of an illegal migrants existence, maintaining a degree of suspense until discontinuous narratives collide. Kiran Desai writes an elegant and thoughtful study of families, the losses each member must confront alone, and the lies each tells himself/herself to make memories of the past more palatable. It is also true that the book does not have a sense of the movement that has shaped the subcontinents history- in this case the freedom struggle and the movement for Gorkhaland. The backdrop to the action in the novel is political unrest in Kalimpong where Nepali Ghurkas are campaigning at first quite quietly and then with increasing force for an independent Ghurkaland. The uprising brings a new wave of change to the main characters as conditions become significantly worse and much of what theyve come to take for granted is brought into doubt. Desai has been condemned by local people in Kalimpong for portraying them as ignorant and violent and for being condescending. The book has a growing sense of despair and decay as if the people, like the houses they live in and the property they own, are succumbing to the damp and mould of a monsoon season. The Inheritance of Loss is a very inward-looking novel, with far more internal monologues and passages of description than exchange of dialogue, which despite the rough patches mentioned above plays to Desais strengths. As in much of immigrant writing, Kiran Desai is an outsider to all the worlds that form a part of landscape. She is merely the observer passing through. But, her knowledge of alienation makes protagonists search for a sense of belonging more real. The inheritance of loss depicts in its many details the tragedies of a third world country just free from colonialism. The main theme of the novel also appears to be the influence of the West on India and how Indians are wounded by the policies of the West. These influences have oppressed and degraded India. Against the gigantic backdrop of the Himalayas, so savage with beauty and yet the stillness of its towering ranges directly draws upon the boring and mundane life of its characters with tumultuous inner sides and shades. The novel gives us delectable details of the beauty of the natural world. The sound of the wind, the pattering of the rain , the gurgling of pipes, the creaking and clattering of an old house Cho Oyu, the happy snoring of the faithful and happy dog Mutt, sometimes makes reading so refreshing that one can breathe the very crisp Himalayan air and feel surrounded by the looming dark forest. Ms Desai has presented in this book such lovely details that many a times it feels so much like our world.The novel depicts very well in Jemubhai the dilemmas of post colonialism. The judge Jemubhai perfect manners and demeanor is very much British but he cannot get himself free from the shackles (which he thinks to be so) of traditional Gujrati and Indian mentality. He feels guilty of ill treating his wife Nimmi, of shoving away the holy coconut throwing in the water custom. He seems to be a man who is caught, caught between the past and the present, between his days in London and his slow and mundane life in the crumbling house Cho Oyu, between his daughter and his grand daughter, Sai, between the Nepalis struggling for their land and freedom and his own British world of thick volumes of English Literature, of crones at teatime and the choice of white sauce and brown sauce for dinner and his lovely dog Mutt. But soon Kalimpong becomes the hub of activities. The Nepalis struggle to get their own rights and land slowly creeps into the lives of the characters, the cook, the judge, Sai, Noni, Lola and gnaws and questions their very being.. The movement does not even spare Biju the cooks son in America who comes back only to be robbed of all his money and belongings. But yet the reader finds a quaint satisfaction in the union of father and son in the backdrop of a disturbed land of Kalimpong. At least Biju feels safe and at peace compared to his lonely life as a waiter thrown from one restaurant kitchen to another. The progress of the human heart is clearly depicted in Sai. Her yearnings and passion for Gyan, the long wait , the quarrel of English values and Nepali struggles only make her realize and look at life more closely, the very human soul which had been quite frozen and regularized with strict orders in the missionary convent school in Dehra Dun. The novel though rich with details and presenting a picturesque mosaic of life, at times falls prey to monotony and boredom. The darkness and the inner conflict sometimes weigh too much upon the mind and soul. But thats what a good writer should be capable of and Ms Desai has been very successful in touching and stirring the depths of human emotion and thought. A very contemplative work and a must read for all connoisseurs of literature The novel is amazing in many ways. The picture of India drawn is intricate and fascinating. The characters are complex and the writing is simply stunning. However, the whole picture painted in this story leaves no room for hope, no room for joy, no room for even tiny bit of beauty.

Pros and Cons of Tidal Energy

Pros and Cons of Tidal Energy As the worlds energy crisis progresses, renewable energy sources like tidal power are being explored. Tides, the rise and fall of sea levels, are created by changes in the gravitational forces of the sun and moon as well as the earths rotation. Tidal Energy is generated by converting gravitational potential energy of high tides into hydroelectricity. Most ocean environments experience two high tides and two low tides everyday. There are three main ways to harness tidal energy, each with their own pros and cons. The first method of tidal energy generation is the tidal stream generator, the second is the tidal barrage and lastly there is dynamic tidal power. Tidal energy is not yet widely used but many people believe that it has great potential for future energy generation. This paper will examine the environmental effects of the different methods. The concept behind the tidal stream generator method is very similar to that of an underwater windmill; as the tide flows in and out of a bay it spins an underwater turbine which generates power. Tides move slowly, but because water is much denser than air, it can move much slower while providing the same power. The environmental benefits of this technology are numerous. Tides are always either flowing in or out allowing tidal stream generators to supply constant, consistent and emission free power. This is a benefit over other the other methods of tidal generation that can only generate power when the tide moves in a specific direction. Also, tidal stream generators are much, much cheaper than other methods of tidal generation allowing them to be easily implemented and tested. Although very few studies have been done, it would seem fish avoid the turbines used in tidal stream generators resulting in almost no aquatic fatalities. This means tidal stream generators have no known impacts on the surrounding ecosystem. There are not many environmental disadvantages to tidal stream generators. The turbines may cause some minor disruption to aquatic animals, but this is yet to be proven. The only environmental damaging aspect of this technology would be the work involved with maintaining and installing the underwater turbines. However, as a relatively unknown source of power, there is much of time for improvements. The tidal barrage is a large dam-like structure built at the mouth of a bay, stream, or estuary which experiences a large tidal range. It allows water to flow into the basin through the sluice gates during high-tide and during low tide releases the water through turbines. Turbines trap the energy from the movement of water in and out of the basin. This method of collecting energy has many environmental benefits. Firstly, because tides come twice a day, a tidal barrage will supply predictable, consistent and emission free power. This method is able to collect more energy than tidal stream generators because it essentially converts the potential gravitational energy of the tidal range in an entire region into electricity. Although barrages are expensive to build, they can be conveniently built under existing bridges. This reduces cost and some impact on the natural surroundings. There are, however, many environmental concerns with this kind of operation. Barrages have a great effect on the surrounding ecosystem. One of the main problems with the construction of a tidal barrage is it can halt the flow of saltwater into and out of estuaries. This can negatively affect the resident marine life. Also, migrating fish are only able to pass through the sluice gates as the basin fills with water. When the gates close, the fish will swim through the turbines. Currently even the safest designed turbines kill fifteen percent of the fish that pass through. This can have a signification effect on the fish population. Finally, tidal barrages block sediment movement. This can causes an accumulation of sediment around and in the barrage which could impair its functionality. Also, by blocking sediment movement it decreases the turbidity in the basin allowing for an increase in phytoplankton which effects the food chain of the ecosystem. Lastly there is dynamic tidal power, a promising new idea with great potential. A large barrier, perpendicular to the coast, is built out from the shore and an adjoining barrier is built along the far end of the first barrier making a â€Å"T† shape. This barrier blocks the acceleration of the tides parallel to the coast creating a difference in the water levels on each side of the barrier. A series of turbines installed in the dam can convert the potential energy of the higher water into electricity. The main difference between this source of tidal generation and the others is that to be economically viable it must be over 30 km in length. This is because the power output is proportional to the square of the dam length. The idea was proposed by Dutch coastal engineers Kees Hulsbergen and Rob Steijn. It has only been tested in computer simulations. Dynamic tidal power like the other types of tidal generation is emission free and resource independent. The environmental benefits of this method over the others boil down to the huge amount of energy that can potentially be generated in coastal regions. Even though it must be built on such a large scale, simulations project that it could potentially generate and 8GW of installed capacity which is thirty percent more power than the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station. If two are built around 200km apart an almost constant stream of power can be generated. Also beneficial is that the dams dont require a naturally high tidal range like both tidal barrages and stream generators. So countries like China, Korea, and the United Kingdom could potentially generate huge amounts of power. It is estimated China alone could generate over 100 GW of power. The environmental risks of dynamic tidal power is mostly in the construction of such a large structure. The building of something so massive wastes a lot of fossil fuels. Also, a barrier of that size could disrupt migration patterns of aquatic animals. Although as the barrier does not seal anything off sea creatures can always swim around. Each method has its own benefits and detriments. Tidal Stream power although not harming to the environment returns the least power, tidal barrages have the capability for large scale power generation they can hurt the ecosystem they are uses in, and dynamic tidal power which can be used to generate large amounts of power in many coastal locations is very very costly to implement and has never been tested. One method does not replace the other as they all are operate in different conditions. Development of this new technology is important and must be continued.

Gandhi Was One of the Greatest Men to Ever Live Essay -- Indian, Revol

I am going to try to answer an interesting question as to who is the greatest man in the world today. In seeking an answer to this inquiry, I predict that people would first instinctively go back to the days of the great wars in history, and go over the names of the men who held positions of vast responsibility and power in that astonishing conflicts, people who succeed in front of their task and, thus, were considered heroes. However, I turn away from the storm of wars, and from the men who rode that storm to power and place; and I look further for that man who impresses me as the greatest man who lived in the world. A man, who people can surely call the greatest, should be a universal man — a man who combines in perfect balance the supreme qualities of an idealist and a realist, a dreamer and a doer. The man who satisfies those qualities, I believe is Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the Indian leader, of the great revolutionary movement against British rule in India. He is better known as Mahatma, called by his own countrymen first, meaning â€Å"the Saint†. Gandhi was born on second October, 1869 in India, of a rich, clever and cultivated family. He was reared as the sons of such families are always reared, possessed of everything that money could buy (Gandhi: A Biography). On September 29, 1888 he went to England to study law at University College London. He took his degree in regular course, returned to India, but failed to become a successful lawyer in Bombay and Rajkot. At the same time, he already found that religion was coming to have a dominant place within his life. Even before his journey to England, he had taken the vow to abstain from wine, flesh, and sexual intercourse, and on his return to India, his asceticism in... ...crowds of people were gathering in order to hear his words. He seems to be was a person whom the Indians saw in him, perfect and universal man. He had a simple, altruistically and uncorrupted personality. In his political duties he was a firm realist, consistently working towards a goal of liberation; while on the other hand, he was an idealist, living ever in the pure happiness of the spirit. Works Cited "Gandhi: A Biography." Kamat's Potpourri. 4 Jan. 2011. Navajivan Trust. 13 Feb. 2011. . Holmes, John Haynes. "Mahatma Gandhi: an American Portrait." Harvard Square Library. 2006. Harvard University. 12 Feb. 2011. . Moncur, Michael. "Mahatma Ghandi Quotations." The Quotations Page. 1994. 12 Feb. 2011. .

Identify and Discuss Examples of Good/Bad Practice in the Management of

According to the UK Association of Project Management (APM) quoted in Atkinson (1999), it has produced a UK Body of Knowledge (BoK) which provides a broad definition for project management as: â€Å"The planning, organisation, monitoring and control of all aspects of a project and the motivation of all involved to achieve the project objectives safely and within agreed time, cost and performance criteria.† The planning of the project firstly consists of identifying and clarifying the tasks and necessary resources required for completing the project; the organisation phase or scheduling then allocates how much time is needed to complete each task, and finally the monitoring tracks progress and analyses performance and quality (Spinner, 1997). Time and cost management are both the most commonly used and important project management functions and are strongly linked with the level of success of the project. These are predicted during the planning phase of the latter; time, cost and quality are so closely linked that they form what is called the â€Å"Iron Triangle† (Atkinson, 1999). This assignment will thus first shed light on the Fourth Bridge and Bath Thermae Spa case studies respectively, and will then be structured around three primary skill and managerial elements contained within the Project Management Body of Knowledge. According to Cramb (2008), renovating the bridge located near Edinburgh is a â€Å"never-ending job† due to its length, given that as soon as maintenance crews have finished renovating it, it is time to start again. In 2002, civil engineering company Balfour Beatty signed a maintenance contract of  £10 million per annum for Network Rail till the estimated end of contract in 2009 (Forth Bridges Visitor Centre Trus... ...rison, F. and Lock, D. (2004) Advanced Project Management: A Structured Approach. 4th edition. Aldershot: Gower Publishing Hendrickson, C. and Au, T. (1989) Project Management for Construction: Fundamental Concept for Owners, Engineers, Architects and Builders. 1st edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall McManus, J. (2010) ‘Keeping projects under cost control’, The Chartered Institute for IT [Online]. Available at: http://www.bcs.org/server.php?show=conWebDoc.5912 (Accessed 01 December 2010) Spinner, M. P. (1997) Project Management: Principles and Practices. London: Prentice Hall International Thermae Bath Spa (2010) Project History. Available at: http://www.thermaebathspa.com/newsandinfo/projecthistory/ (Accessed: 30 November 2010) Wikipedia (2010) Forth Bridge [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forth_Bridge#Maintenance (Accessed: 24 November 2010)

Christian Reformation :: Religion, History, Informative

The Protestant Reformation   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many ideas of the Renaissance like humanism, individualism and secularism stimulated a strong critique of the church ´s policy and the clergy ´s behaviour. Many people regarded it as a scandal that the catholic church sold indulgences. Indulgences were documents, stamped by the church which could reduce your sins. People who bought indulgences believed that this document could pave their way to heaven. In northern Germany they went so far that they even sold indulgences which could reduce the sins which you are going to commit in the future. They also sold indulgences for the salvation of somebody ´s dead relatives.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Martin Luther a German priest, who lived in the small city of Wittenberg was the the most famous critic of the corrupt practices of the Catholic church. He wrote his critiques down in 95 theses on a door of a church in Wittenberg. These 95 theses spread quickly all over Germany and parts of northern Europe. The first reaction of the catholic church was a reduction of the sales of indulgences. But this sale was not the only point Luther criticized in the Catholic church. The Catholic church taught that salvation comes from faith, good deeds and the assistance of the church. Martin Luther ´s concept was that salvation comes by faith alone. Martin Luther also translated the bible into German. So far the bible was only written in Latin and the most people could not read it. For Protestant people the bible was the only source of truth.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a long argument between Luther and the church Luther was excomunicated from the church in the year 1521.

Anorexia, bulimia and related eating disorders treatment Essay

Anorexia and Bulimia Introduction   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In the United States, millions of people are affected by severe eating disorders which are sometimes life-threatening. Bulimia nervosa and Anorexia nervosa are the most common destructive eating disorders. Over 90% of those individuals who are affected with these eating disorders are youthful women. About 1% of the young girls develop anorexia nervosa, which is a risky condition where those girls can starve themselves literary to death while another 2% or 3% of youthful women get bulimia nervosa, which is also a vicious pattern of extreme overheating which is usually followed by vomiting among other â€Å"purging† behaviors. Anorexia and Bulimia have gotten to epidemic proportions. For instance, a new study conducted by NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association) revealed that 50% of girls have noteworthy eating disorders during their teens. Anorexia and bulimia obviously are severe disorders that require and necessitate serious at tention. Nevertheless, many individuals are not knowledgeable regarding the disorders; therefore do not distinguish warning signs most of the times until when it is too late. Anorexia and bulimia are destructive eating disorders which can have adverse effects on human beings if not well treated (Buckroyd & Rother, 2008).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Anorexia nervosa refers to a disorder in which individuals starve themselves intentionally. The disorder, which usually begins in young individuals around the puberty stage, involves excessive weight loss. Different from normal dieting, which ends after the desired weight is attained, in anorexia weight loss and dieting persists until the sufferer is below normal limit for height and age. Numerous anorectics appear to be emaciated however are certain that they are suffering from overweight. The most frightening aspects of this disorder is that individuals suffering from anorexia continue perceiving that they are suffering from overweight even when they become bone-thin. In this regard these individuals get scared of gaining extra weight due to the unknown reasons. Bulimics also have this fear (Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG9FullGuideline.pdf).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As eating disorders usually develop in adolescence stage, they can blight social and physical development and numerous sufferers are unable to achieve their academic potential. A mood which is depressed is a frequent feature, partially because of these unfavorable effects and also due to the distressing nature of key warning signs of these disorders. Adverse physical effects of dieting, purging behaviors and weight loss are critical and usually prove to be fatal. In fact, anorexia has the highest rate of mortality of any adolescence psychiatrist disorder (Espejo, 2012).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Approximately 40% of anorexics start developing the bulimia disorder later. Bulimia nervosa differs a bit from the anorexia since individuals suffering from bulimia don’t shun eating. Instead, people with bulimia usually consume huge food amounts over short period of time after which they get rid of the eaten food quickly through taking diuretics or laxatives or vomiting. Bulimia is 2 or 3 times more prevalent compared to anorexia and is also more common in females compared to males. Nevertheless bulimia has an effect slightly on older age group, frequently women who are in their early to mid-twenties who were overweight during their childhood. Since many bulimics â€Å"binge and purge† in top secret and maintain body weight which normal or above normal, they can habitually hide their disorder successfully from other individuals for many years. The bulimics challenging eating pattern is an uncontrollable and compulsive one th at results to chemical imbalances in their bodies. These imbalances lead to depression, clouded thinking and lethargy (Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG9FullGuideline.pdf ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Both bulimia and anorexia when severe can lead to colon damage, constipation, muscle spasms, irregular or loss of menstruation, seizures, urinary tract infections, kidney dysfunction, chronic indigestion and strain on most of the organs of the body. The bulimia vomiting practices can result to a ruptured stomach, swollen salivary glands, erosion of dental enamel and also chronic sore gullet and throat. The anorexia malnutrition also has its own effects which include; growth of hair all over the body which is down-like, severe cold sensitivity and inability to concentrate and think rationally. Both bulimia and anorexia have severe physical effects which are reversible if dealt with during the early stages. Nevertheless the diseases are deadly and it is imprudent to disregard the warning signs and delay the treatment. In a case where the disorders are unattended, they can take away quality of life of an individual or even life altogether (Re trieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG9FullGuideline.pdf ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eating disorders consist of a variety of syndromes including social, psychological and physical features. Even as the acute physical impediments of these disorders might arouse immense concern in health care staff and family members, bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are often chronic conditions having considerable long –term social and physical sequelae, from which recovery turn out to be complex. Long-term disabilities comprise negative effects on fertility, parenting, relationships and employment. The impact of an individual’s eating disorder on family life and home is usually significant and family members might carry a great burden over a long time. Frequently family members are at a loss to be acquainted with how to assist and offer support to a relative who is affected (Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG9FullGuideline.pdf).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Various different ideas exist concerning the causes of anorexia and bulimia disorders and it is essential to recognize that not all these ideas apply to all the sufferers. Royal college of psychiatrists records on its website the potential causes of bulimia and anorexia; they include control, depression, puberty, social pressures, upsetting events and family. Social pressures for individuals to be thin are usually brought on by newspapers, magazines and television that are filled with pictures of men and women who are slim and attractive. Many individuals have a notion that they must look in accordance with the way the media enlightens them they look. Some individuals develop eating disorders since they perceive to be out of control in various aspects of their weight and life and what they consume is something which they can be able to control (Garner & Garfinkel, 1997).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The latest increases in prevalence and incidents of eating disorders can be accredited to both improved method of diagnosis and increase in number of cases. On the other hand, even with better eating disorder identification, numerous bulimics and anorectics do not look for assistance. Bulimia and anorexia are diseases that are often very quiet since they are not concerns that individuals like discussing openly. Receiving quality care during the early stages of the disorders is the predicator of an excellent outcome in bulimia and anorexia (Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG9FullGuideline.pdf ).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa are multidimensional and multifaceted; thus many experts have a perception that referral for professional assessment and assistance is necessary for people showing signs of eating disorders. According to college of Royal psychiatrists illustrates that recognizing that an individual is suffering from an eating disorder and also getting the treatment is challenging. Individuals suffering from anorexia have extreme and alarming weight loss but such sufferers will never admit that they have a problem. On the other hand, individuals suffering from bulimia usually feel ashamed and guilty of their behavior and may go on to greater extents with an aim of hiding it. Due to these reasons, all individuals should be knowledgeable regarding the warning signs of these disorders so as to distinguish them and reduce their existence (Friedman & Skancke, 2009).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In a case where it is recognized that a certain individual is a sufferer of either bulimia or anorexia or both, treatment is crucial. There are various different options when it comes to treatment which includes education, family therapy, possibly hospitalization, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, psychotherapy, drug therapy and reality imaging. During therapy treatments, therapists assist the sufferers work to alter the unclear and inflexible thinking patterns relating to eating disorders. Mental health professionals’ efforts necessitate to be combined together with those of the other health professionals to get the most excellent treatment. Nutritionists give an advice on eating and diet regimes while physicians treat the medical complications (Lawton, 2005).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In conclusion, scientists have discovered that combination of medication and psychotherapy is also very effectual. There are no specific drugs approved for anorexia and bulimia, however numerous, including a number of antidepressants, are being examined for this use. Bulimics and anorectics can be perceived as dieting junkies and an effective treatment might be a drug which is regularly prescribed to the addicts (Espejo, 2012). A Detroit scientist examined Naltrexone, the drug which is given to do away with the heroin habit, in those women having bulimia and anorexia and established the drug to be productive. With the drug, the weight of the anorectics stabilized and bulimics essentially decreased their purges and binges. Effective treatment can save life of an individual with an eating disorder. Teachers, friends, relatives, physicians and relatives all play a great role in assisting the ill individual start and continue with a treatment program. References Buckroyd, J., & Rother, S. (2008). Psychological responses to eating disorders and obesity recent and innovative work. Chichester, England: John Wiley & Sons. Eating Disorders. (n.d.). Core interventions in the treatment and management of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and related eating disorders. Retrieved March 17, 2004, from http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG9FullGuideline.pdf Espejo, R. (2012). Eating disorders. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Friedman, L. S., & Skancke, J. (2009). Eating disorders. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press/Gale Cengage Learning. Garner, D. M., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1997). Handbook of treatment for eating disorders (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press. Lawton, S. A. (2005). Eating disorders information for teens: health tips about anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, and other eating disorders including information on the causes, prevention, and treatment of eating disorders, and such other issues as maintaining healthy eating a. Detroit, MI: Omnigraphics. Source document

Analysis of “Not Waving but Drowning” by Stevie Smith

Josh Robinson Dr. Joyce Huff ENG 206 Feb 5, 2013 Not Waving but Drowning People may not always be exactly what they seem on the outside just as a poem may have a deeper meaning than the story that is just on the surface. The poem Not Waving but Drowning by Stevie Smith is a great example of this. The author does a very good job at relating the death of a man by drowning and the reaction it causes in others to the deeper story of how the man is symbolically calling out to others who never come to help him get his life together.In the beginning of the poem, the first two lines are somewhat confusing. It refers to the main character as â€Å"the dead man† but then in the next line it mentions how he is moaning. This is confusing of course because as we all know, a dead man can’t make sounds. The next sentence though, seems more straightforward at first glance but as you move farther in the poem it’s meaning might not be so obvious. In the second stanza there is a ch ange from what seems to be the dead man speaking to others talking about what he was like when he was alive.It shows how, to other people, the man seemed happy, but it also seems as though the author means to give the impression that other people think that it was this one event that caused the man to finally break down. He says in the next stanza however that â€Å"†¦it was too cold always† which I think shows that he is saying that it was not merely one event that caused him to â€Å"drown†. His entire life consisted of reaching out to others for help but he never received it. In the beginning of the second stanza I would also like to point out how the author added â€Å"Poor chap† separated with a comma.I think the commas are likely used to emphasize that label that the author puts on the man from the viewpoint of others. It, in a way, shows how others may pity this man because of how great he had it until this single event. This is ironic because if you read the poem more than once, you’ll see that in the last stanza he is essentially saying in the third line, â€Å"I was much too far out all my life†, that he was suffering not only in the his last moments but throughout his entire life.If you look at the ways that the poem is written out, it kind of helps to separate the different clues that the author gives to you. In the very first line, it uses commas to separate â€Å"the dead man†. Even though it didn’t separate any of the other instances of the author referring to the man as â€Å"dead†, I think that it is written in this way so that you will realize that it might not mean dead in the literal sense of the word but in a more symbolic sense. As though to help that idea be emphasized each time that you come across that phrase.Also, if you noticed, â€Å"And not waving but drowning† was used both at the end of the first stanza as well as the end of the last stanza. In the first stanza i t is used merely as a way to get you to recognize the importance of it when it comes around again. It is placed here with the understanding that its true meaning may not be as clear until the next time that you see it. When you see it again though, you have enough information to where you can start coming to conclusions about what the author really meant to symbolize when he said that the man was drowning.In the second stanza, â€Å"They said† is placed in a line on its own which is unusual compared to the rest of the poem. It seems as if it was put there separately to draw attention to the contrast between what others thought of this man and how he knew his life to be as well as showing the importance of both it and the line before it, which is also abnormal in the fact that it is quite a bit longer than the rest of the lines in the poem. There are many poems that say one thing but completely mean another.Not everything is black and white in poetry just as in other art forms . Some may be more difficult than others to see a different meaning behind the text but through clever uses of words, imagery, and symbols just about any poem can be examined more closely for different meanings, thoughts, or ideas that the author is trying to convey. Poems should be broken down and examined in sections. Each section may have different clues as to what the author’s underlying meaning could be. This makes understanding the poem as a whole a lot easier.I found it very helpful in this poem (and other poems), as we learned in class, to read into things more and question everything. There could be a simple object that creates a completely different meaning to the poem once you find out it’s significance. Also, finding multiple definitions or even definitions you might not know such as the word larking was very helpful. I didn’t quite know the meaning of that word, but in looking it up, I basically came up with my entire argument for what I thought the meaning of the poem was.Figuring out a poem is almost like figuring out a puzzle. The only real difference is, the pieces aren’t cut out for you. You have to look at the bigger picture and find the logical pieces to cut out and then examine them individually. When you are done looking at them and figure out how to put them back together they could very well become a completely different picture from the one that you had originally broken down into pieces.

Effects of Tire Pressure on Tire Inflation Essay

Despite concerns that global warming is a result of green house gasses emitted through burning fossil fuels, it is still prominently used for energy (Bent, Orr, & Baker, 2002). The energy harnessed from burning fossil fuels is used to do such things as produce electricity, power vehicles, heat homes and cook food. Oil is the most widely used fossil fuel and also the most widely consumed fuel (over nuclear and renewable) globally with a usage of 38% (Enzler, 2010). As oil resources depletes the prices rise and become more of a financial strain on every economy. The price of gasoline/ petrol, a product of crude oil used to power many vehicles is gradually rising. Gasoline prices in the Bahamas have risen to an average of $5.20 per gallon from $4.2 in 2005 (Turnquest, 2005). While the price of fuel (gasoline/diesel) is not in the average man’s jurisdiction to change, the use and wastage of it is. Although fuel plays a mojor rolle in powering vehicles to move a vehicle’s tires play an even more integral role in the overall performance of the vehicle, as it dictates its handling, traction, ride, comfort and fuel consumption; as it is the main component that interacts with the surface being driven on (Rezna, 2008). Thus if the condition of the tires is improper the performance of the vehicle will be affected. One negative tire condition that can occur is low tire pressure/ under inflation. According to the Webster’s dictionary, under inflation is the insufficient presence of air pressure in a tire for the amount of load carried and vice versa for over inflation. This paper will examine the causes of reduced tire pressure, the tire pressure in places abroad, effects of under and over inflated tires, and tire pressure as it relates to furl consumption. To begin with, tire pressure is a measure of the amount of air in a vehicle’s tires, in pounds per square inc h (psi) (Car Talk Service Advice: Tire Pressure, 2005). There is no standard psi for all tires however tires are marked with a recommended psi that should be adhered to for optimum performance in vehicles. Under inflation of tires can be cause by various factors such as natural causes and the negligence of drivers. Due to temperature and natural cause variation about 1 pound per square inch of pressure to 1Â ° degree Fahrenheit is lost every month (NHTSA, Tire Pressure Monitoring Final Part 3). This loss of pressure is known as natural leakage. Therefore, as the temperature of the climate or air changes, the pressure in the tire will change. Hence, under inflation of the tire will be increased. According to data from the tire industry, 85 percent of all tire air pressure losses are the result of slow leaks that occur over a period of hours, days, or months. Only 15 percent are rapid air losses caused by contact with a road hazard (Source). An example of the natural hazards that can be present that contribute to under inflation may be a nail present in the road that may puncture the tire (source if any). Additionally, due to the negligence of passengers to frequently check their tires under inflation can be an effect. As passengers frequently check their tire’s pressure they can decrease the rate at which the natural leakage of their tire’s air occurs. Moreover, A survey done by NASS-CDS crash investigators, in February 2001 identified that 39% of passenger cars and 46% of passenger trucks had at least one tire pressure that was 6psi or more below placard (recommended/labeled) pressure. In other words a considerable amount of passenger cars and almost half the passenger trucks tested were underinflated. The amount of cars surveyed and tested at this time was 5,967 passenger cars and 3,950 light trucks for a total of 9,917 vehicles across a total of 336 gas stations in the United States of America (National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System, 2001). The below chart is a data collected from the NASS-CDS survey in 2001 and represents the percentages of passenger cars and light trucks and their amount of tires 20% or more below placard pressure. (National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System, 2001) Number of Tires 20% or more Below PlacardPassenger CarsPercentLight TrucksPercent 199446.5%57436.7% 254825.744028.1 327512.922314.3 431914.932720.9 Total2,136100%1,564100% It is seen that a smaller percentage of vehicles (passenger cars and light trucks) had all four tires underinflated large amounts had at least one tire underinflated which can still affect the car’s performance. Additionally, according to an informal study done by students at Carnegie Mellon University, it was discovered that of the 81 cars they tested, the four tires of each car tested were underinflated by an average of 20% (Gearson 2005). Furthermore, with under and over inflated tires there are some effects that can impact the driver’s safety, the tire’s life expectancy, its rolling resistance and the use of fuel. Due to the loss of pressure in the tires, underinflated tires’ footprints or tread are enlarged. When the tire’s foot print is enlarged the rolling resistance of the tire is greater (Source). Rolling resistance can be defined as the friction between the road and the tire and the tire’s ability to effectively grip the road and ri de smoothly (source). Unfortunately, with an under inflated tire in the instance of wet roads, the tires are more likely to slide and cause accidents and crashes. Therefore, this result in a larger friction to overcome and more rubber of the tire burnt. Due to the lack of control over the vehicle the tread life of a tire can be decreased. According to Good year, a renowned tire manufacturing company, under inflated tires wears more rapidly than they should as compared to properly inflated tires (source). The company Good Year makes their tires out of rubber. This rubber is easy to burn and wear due to the pressure applied on an under inflated tire to carry a heavy load. As for over inflated tires, the tires cannot isolate road irregularities well, causing them to ride harsher (uncomfortably) (Proper Tire Inflation). This can also result in the traction and the tireprint/footprint of the vehicle to be reduced ( Rezna 2008). If the tireprint is reduced, this means that the surface contact area is reduced al so thus more pressure is being applied to the area in contact with the road. Inturn the tires are more likely to be damaged when running over potholes or debris in the road because the pressure applied from the weight of the car is greater. However, higher inflation pressures usually provide an improvement in steering response and cornering stability up to a point (Proper Tire Inflation). Moreover, over inflation can result in the transmission of shock loads by the tires to the suspension which can then diminish its ability to support the necessary load for cornerability, braking and acceleration (Rezna 2008). Finally, the fuel usage or consumption of vehicles is varied dependant on the pressure in the tires. This can account for at least one tire being under or over inflated. According to the National Research Council, the main factor associated with fuel consumption and tire pressure is rolling resistance. The make-up of a car also plays an important role in how fuel is consumed. The engine is directly connected to the axles that hold all four or more tires into place. The engine has to use this fuel to increase the transfer of power to the axles. As the fuel is inserted into the car, the engine then converts that fuel into mechanical energy and that energy is transmitted to the axles to turn the wheels (National Research Council, 2006). Therefore, if the tire is under inflated or over inflated the aero dynamic drag that is present between the tires and the road will place for strain on the engine to exert more pressure to move the vehicle and the fuel consumption will increase. Conclusively, there are many benefits that can be derived by monitoring and maintaining the correct tire pressure. They include improved fuel efficiency, better handling, better overall performance, overall safety, as well and an increased tire life span. In addition to these direct benefits, there is also the intangible benefit to the environment of decreasing green-house gases by improved fuel management. The overall benefit of this factor remains priceless. References Bent, R., Orr, L., & Baker, R. (Eds.). (2002). Energy: Science, Policy and the Pursuit of Sustainability. Washington, DC: Island Press. Car Talk Service Advice: Tire Pressure. (2005, April 29). Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Cars Talk: http://cars.cartalk.com/content/advice/tirepressure.html Enzler, S. (2010, March). Fossil fuels: Characteristics, origin, applications and effects of fossil fuels. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from Lenntech: http://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-effect/fossil-fuels.htm Gearson, B. (2005). Carnegie Mellon Today: Save Gas, Money and the Environment with Properly Inflated Tires. Retrieved on 23rd February 2012 from http://www.cmu.edu/cmnews/extra/050921_tire.html National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System. (2001). Tire Pressure Survey and Test Results. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/tirepressure/LTPW3.html National Research Council. (2006). Tires and Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy: Informing Consumers, Improving Performance. Retrieved February 19, 2012 from http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr286.pdf Proper Tire Inflation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Nitrogen Tire Inflation Systems: http://www.nitrogentiremachine.com/proper_tire_inflation.htm Rezna, J. (2008). Vehicle Dynamics: Theory and Application. Retrieved on 22nd February from http://books.google.bs/books?hl=en&lr=&id=Pvsv78xj7UIC&oi=fnd&pg=PR10&dq=under+and+over+inflatedness+in+car+tires&ots=1nBohNoAmt&sig=f0lQjo7DOYj_rim44o1xjewch8#v=onepage&q=under%20and%20over%20inflatedness%20in%20car%20tires&f=true pgs. Turnquest, P. G. (2005, August 17). Tribune. Gas price breaks $4 mark , p. 1. Car Talk Service Advice: Tire Pressure. (2005, April 29). Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Cars Talk: http://cars.cartalk.com/content/advice/tirepressure.html Enzler, S. (2010, March). Fossil fuels: Characteristics, origin, applications and effects of fossil fuels. Retrieved February 18, 2012, from Lenntech: http://www.lenntech.com/greenhouse-effect/fossil-fuels.htm Factors Affecting Truck Fuel Economy. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Good Year: http://www.goodyeartrucktires.com/resources/factors-fuel-economy.aspx Proper Tire Inflation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Nitrogen Tire Inflation Systems: http://www.nitrogentiremachine.com/proper_tire_inflation.htm West,L. (n.d.). Keeping you tires Inflated could help save the planet, and your life. Retrieved on 23rd February 2012 from http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/tire_pressure.htm Bent, R., Orr, L., & Baker, R. (Eds.). (2002). Energy: Science, Policy and the Pursuit of Sustainability. Washington, DC: Island Press. Car Talk Service Advice: Tire Pressure. (2005, April 29). Retrieved February 22, 2012, from Cars Talk: http://cars.cartalk.com/content/advice/tirepressure.html National Automotive Sampling System Crashworthiness Data System. (2001). Tire Pressure Survey and Test Results. Retrieved February 22, 2012, from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/tirepressure/LTPW3.html Population Change and Distribution. (2001, April). Retrieved February 2012, from US Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-2.pdf Proper Tire Inflation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 23, 2012, from Nitrogen Tire Inflation Systems: http://www.nitrogentiremachine.com/proper_tire_inflation.htm