Paul and Women Essay

The role of women during the early Christian generation has always been contested. Until the present era, despite the increasing and growing advocacy for women rights and equality of gender, there are still a lot of issues and controversies regarding the matter. In the Gospel of Paul, written in the bible’s New Testament, the role of women in the society has been both emancipated and questioned. In Romans 16:1-7, Paul has affirmed the ministry of women by accepting the role of women as servants of the church. In addition to this, Paul has placed women in equal footing to men by mentioning Priscilla, wife of Aquila, for her high status. In the same verses as well, Paul also mentioned fellow female apostles, thus showing that women have been allowed to take their rightful places in the society during the early times (Keener, 2008). Moreover, in Galatians 3:26-28, Paul totally eliminated the distinction between men and women, along with removing the barriers between Jews and Greeks and slaves and free men (Zeolla, 2006). Through these verses, Paul has regarded women as men’s equal. On the other hand, in 1 Corinthians 11:2-15, the covering of women’s head rather put a different emphasis on gender roles and equality. In these passages, a woman is pertained to as a â€Å"glory of man. † And thus, she must cover her hair in order to prevent lustful intentions from other men. Insubordination from this rule renders a woman as an adulteress and vulgar (Keener, 2008). Despite the contradictions presented in the Corinthians verse, Paul has advocated for equality between men and women. Though the covering of women’s head has been treated as a means of women’s succumbing to men’s rule, the passages stated in Corinthians were explained as means in protecting the chastity and reputation of women in public.

Disney Case Write Up

Before being able to make recommendations on the Walt Disney Company based on the value they are (and are not) able to create, one must first analyze the company's capableness and resources that provide such value. Being a member of the entertainment Industry, their primary activities revolve around the operation of theme parks that are located all over the world, as well as running media outlets, creating studio entertainment, and selling various consumer products.With regards to the services offered by the company, not only does Disney offer world-class quality management and customer service in all of its markets, but brand loyalty and admiration by consumers across the globe make it clearly superior to its competitors, as well. On the other hand, another function, marketing and sales, is something that Disney could potentially improve upon in the future, as it is currently equivalent, at most, to its competition in this area.Since Disney is stretched Into so many different areas of business, the capital that is necessary to become the top marketers In most or all of them Is simply too high. Therefore, In a nutshell, the company's strategy Is to spend a little bit (relatively, of course) In each of Its primary Industries, rather than spend a lot In specific Industries. Other primary functions include logistics and operations. Being in the entertainment industry, Disney's inbound logistics do not represent a major activity, similar to that of its competitors.Thus, Disney's inbound logistics are roughly equivalent to its competition. With regards to operations, Disney's top quality management, as mentioned earlier, along with creativity and innovation in all aspects f business, give it another competitive advantage and make it superior to its competition. Finally, outbound logistics, in an industry that is driven by convincing people to go out and spend their discretionary Income on theme parks, movies, and other forms of entertainment, is not a huge Industry driver.As a result, Idleness outbound logistics are equivalent to that of Its competitors. The secondary functions of Disney are headed by their firm's Infrastructure. Potentially one of their top competitive advantages, Disney's infrastructure is superior to their competitors because they have consistent values throughout their many areas of business, they have the capital (roughly $75 billion in total assets as of 2012) to support their various operations, and were able to expand further into TV, movies and other media outlets during such a short period of time during Michael Sinner's tenure.In addition, Disney's capital, leading innovation, and drive to be ‘pioneers' in every area of business in which it competes give it another advantage over its completion in the superior function of technological development. Finally, with regards to the other two secondary functions (human resource management and procurement), Disney Is relatively equivalent to its competition. Disney, along with Its competition, Is not too heavily concerned with inventory numbers, being that much of Its worth Is In Intellectual property and other non- manufacturing-related assets.Additionally, being in so many areas of business like its employees as the rest of the industry. To summarize, I believe that Disney's core competencies lie in the functions of operations, service, technological development, and firm infrastructure. This is because the company's unique and inimitable features such as top-line innovation and creativity, expansive reach, and quality management all heavily contribute to the ND user's enjoyment experience, while being able to consistently create value amongst all of Disney's products and services.On the other hand, logistics (both inbound and outbound), marketing and sales, procurement and HRS management do not count as core competencies in Disney's case. The company's inability to secure an advantage over its competition in these areas suggests that some of these functions need not be competitive advantages in order to succeed in the entertainment industry, and that some must be improved upon or outsourced if Disney wishes to remain an industry power.With this analysis in mind, I would make the following recommendations: Disney should outsource its human resources functions in order to secure the best and brightest talents entering the industry. While this would not represent a large financial gain for the company, it would be a move in cooperation with the company's high-innovation motive and could, in the long-term, allow for better technological development, service and operations. * From a marketing standpoint, Disney should either stop expanding into new businesses or contract less profitable to focus sales efforts (and budgeted expenditures) on the more profitable sectors.

Cas Reflection Example

Mason Ramsay CAS Reflection for 15 October 2012 Since my last CAS reflection and meeting, the special needs cheerleading team that I coach has started practicing again. I plan to work with the team until the end of the season in May. The group of kids has grown from seven to twelve and I am excited for the new kids on the team. I hope that they will enjoy it as much as I do, and I know that I will be able to bond with these children just as I bonded with the children on the team last year.I feel that my leadership skills continue to develop and I step farther out of my comfort zone and help the children. The new team members have different disabilities than the children on the team last year, so I am working with them to understand what they are able to do and what they need extra help with. When this school year began, I also started taking ballet classes at Sacred Heart School for the Arts. I take class for an hour and a half twice each week. In these classes I work on technique, p erformance skills, and flexibility.For the Nutcracker performance this December, I will be working as a stagehand. In the spring, I will start taking more classes each week and I plan to be in the spring recital, Hansel and Gretel. I really enjoy dancing because I like being able to perform, and I am glad that I have started taking classes again. I think that I will continue to take dance classes wherever I attend college next year, and working on CAS hours throughout my junior and senior years of high school have allowed me to know that I can balance schoolwork with extracurricular activities such as dance.

History in Education Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

History in Education - Essay Example History of Canadian Education The Historical Events When it comes to Canadian society, the role of education has always remained pivotal. There are several historical events of Canadian education system which point out to the importance of education in society. Just like the process of learning which began in Canada when the Catholic Church started giving the formal education to the people on multiple subjects (mathematics, religion, and historical philosophy). Similarly, the French Canadian sisters of the congregation with the support of Government brought in place several schools in rural areas of the country (Angelfire 1-2). This was the beginning of an education reform (the early 17th century reform) where both the society and the government were seemed engaged in the educational establishment. The point of impression is the basic schooling which has always remained signified in Canadian education system. Likewise, the Catholic missionaries who stepped up in the mid-17th century to bring in place the Catholic schools. The point of surprise is that due to social, economic, political and cultural divides, the Canadian education system remained discriminated in the history of education. It was the presence of minorities (Blacks and Asians) which made discrimination to intrude the education system (Gaffield 1-4). ... tegration was supposed on an immediate assimilation as minority Indians were not prepared to transmute into the socioeconomic order of the Whites (Barman). Actually, the minority Indians wanted to carry on their own cultural and educational norms instead of imitating the Whites. This caused the discrimination to enter the Canadian society as the Federal government argued where education section was most influenced and got affected. The Canadian Whites of the time asserted that it was the governments’ parsimony that weakened the process of education. However, the discrimination was there in the schools and at the work places especially where the Indians-Asians were the most present (Barman 106). Cooper (2013) uncovers the story of Mary Bibb- a famous black female teacher in the nineteenth century North America, who was famous but still was unknown to the people who were writing history (Hill). The author describes Mary Bibb as a leader, a reformer and an educationist who was hi dden somewhere in the history of education- in the history of Canadian education where positions of minorities were remained undiscussed and less highlighted (Cooper 141-144). Challenges in Literature The primary challenge in reading was the text itself as the text presented in the Canadian history is not describing the position of minorities in whole. Just like the story of black teacher â€Å"Mary Bibb†, where author Cooper (2013) has tried to uncover her life experiences but still have not able to present her life in detail and comprehensive way (Hill). The literature has presented the facts in tits and pieces and is not depicting the special events like the educational discrimination between the Indian and White Girls in clarity. This has made the literature more general to connect to the

E-commerce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words - 1

E-commerce - Essay Example Clear communication channels and escalation matrix should also be defined. The core team must prepare a methodology and time frame to transfer existing data to the new system. A final launch date should be adhered to or changed depending on project progress. The leadership team must pay special attention to securing staff buy in, so that the new system when launched is embraced by the users. In implementing this strategy various organizational, management and technical issues will need to be addressed. This is discussed below. Organizational Issues In order that a life insurance company moves from a brick and mortar business to an automated environment, strategic leadership is very important. The leadership team may need to evaluate: "Strategy to deal with channel conflict Prevent erosion of margins Assess type of products suitable for web distribution Techniques to strengthen customer relationships and gain new customers online" (Bloor Research). This entails huge investment in IT infrastructure. The leadership team will need to decide the payment method for this investment. One option is to outsource or share costs with a provider while the other is to take costs out of existing operations. For example Allstate Insurance, a US based insurer "restructured its workforce to support a move towards a multi-channel sales strategy encompassing the Internet, call centers and agents. It eliminated thousands of non-agent positions and converted captive agents into independent contractors. These changes reportedly will save the company $600m. Allstate has also reportedly reorganized and consolidated some of its operations to save costs" (Insurance Journal). The life insurance company needs to decide the areas to... This essay evaluates the strategy for a life insurance company to transform from a brick and mortar business to an e enterprise. The researcher focuses on the discussion of the issue of converting a life insurance company to an e-enterprise, that requires not only huge monetary investment, but also investment in keeping the energy and tempo of the employees high so that project implementation is successful. If e launch is successful, some parts of the traditional set up can be replaced by more modern processes. It will turn the insurance company from a mammoth organization to a lean firm. Reduce processing time and control cost, e –commerce and e – business solutions hold great appeal for an insurance company. Josefowicz aptly notes that a life insurance company can â€Å"maintain a small group of e-business experts to provide guidance, consistency and best practices on the five key areas of strategy, education, usability, security and standardization†. The resea rcher states that this will help the company reduce the risk of: re-inventing the wheel for each new initiative, supporting cross-purpose initiatives, lack of training, which leads to lack of adoption and user frustration, divergent interfaces, which increases training expense, and reduces adoption, expensive, unnecessary integration of divergent systems, lack of interoperability, expensive and time-consuming post facto integration. The researcher then concluds that it's competence, clear direction and enthusiasm, that can surely make the project a success.

Looking for Parity in the Gender Pay Gap Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Looking for Parity in the Gender Pay Gap - Essay Example The gender pay gap remains a major hindrance to gender equality. There are a number of theoretical explanations of this phenomenon that help identify the various forces contributing to the gender segregation process. These theories can be classified into three: institutional, structural, and individual. This essay discusses these three theories, but it is the contention of the author that no particular explanation is adequate to completely give explanation for the presence of gender segregation. Every theory provides a distinctive explanation of how gender segregation works. The first section briefly discusses the historical roots of gender pay gap, particularly in the UK. The discussion then focuses on the theories, the supply- and demand-side. Basically, this essay critically assesses the argument that gender pay gap is fair in that it reflects the differing work and care priorities of men and women. Historical Roots of Gender Pay Gap In the 1940s, the post-war welfare state in the UK was rooted in the idea that men are the breadwinner while women are the housekeepers. Both the occupational system and the benefit system relied on this idea of a male breadwinner. Nevertheless, the idea was subjected to heavy scrutiny in the 1960s and 1970s, driven by the evolving labour market conditions and by the demands of the Women’s Movement (Bagilhole, 2009, p. 11).... The differences between the occupational profile of men and women, the comparative gap between full-time and part-time employment, and the level of participation of women in the labour market are commonly emphasised as having a considerable effect on the GPG (Grimshaw & Rubery, 2007; Blau & Kahn, 2001). The discourse on the importance of individual objectives against structural limitations has an extensive history in the social sciences. This section discusses two theories of gender wage inequality: Hakim’s Preference theory/Rational Choice and the Human Capital theory. Hakim disputes what she believes is the prevailing feminist perspective on the patterns of female employment. She believes that part-time employment or career breaks are decisions made by women willingly because of their obligations at home and the inadequate availability of childcare services (Davis, Evans, & Lorber, 2006). Instead, the underprivileged position of women in the labour market manifests the conse quences of their changing work preferences. Hakim explains that both men and women are the driving forces in their own lives, hence â€Å"self-classification as a primary earner or secondary earner is determined by chosen identities, rather than imposed by external circumstance or particular jobs† (Davis et al., 2006, p. 255). Basically, the core assumption of Hakim is that the employment experiences of women are mostly the outcome of these women’s decisions. Hakim illustrates, more accurately, that part-time employment is preferred by women, referred to as ‘grateful slaves’, mostly committed to their domestic obligations. On the contrary, ‘self-made women’,

Corporate strategy assignment for pepsi co. company

Corporate strategy for pepsi co. company - Assignment Example From a strategic perspective, it could be observed that PepsiCo is the global leader in convenient snacks, foods and beverages market. According to Ansoff Matrix, PepsiCo has been using the growth strategy of product development. It has been observed that the company is constantly introducing new products into existing market and this has been the strategy that has helped Pepsi to grow. Some of the popular brands that have been introduced in the existing market i.e. food and beverage includes Mountain Dew, Diet Pepsi, Lays, Doritos, Tropicana, Gatorade and Quaker. The aim of such constant development is to remain ahead of competitors in the market and to enhance the market share by providing the customers with variety of products. In order to create value, the core strategy of PepsiCo is to enhance the product offering in the same market. This has been continuously observed that PepsiCo has introduced several brands in its existing market to create value and to tackle its competition. According to a research conducted, it has been that in emerging markets like India, 25 percent of the sales volume comes from juices and water. Similarly, 60 percent of the volume in North America comes from non-carbonated drinks. The TWOS matrix has focused on providing recommendations for the future strategy of PepsiCo. TWOS matrix is an important tool to formulate strategies (De Wit, & Meyer 2004). In order to do so, the strategies for the company have been analyzed and identified using the strengths and opportunities of the company, using the weaknesses and opportunities, using the strengths and threats of the company and then using the weaknesses and threats of the company. 2) To revamp sales in the market, PepsiCo should focus highly on the changing demands of its customers in the market. Additionally, the company should enhance its products in

The Building of the Panama Canal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Building of the Panama Canal - Research Paper Example The birth of the Industrial Revolution in which big machines were available for earth moving finally made the dream of Panama Canal into a reality. This is the subject of this paper - how the canal went from an idea to be an engineering marvel. Spanish colonizers were among the first to realize the need for a passage through the small isthmus separating the two vast oceans. What they did was create a land route that will connect ports on both sides of the American land mass on either side. This was a time when it was technologically impossible yet to actually construct the canal; prior to the opening of the said canal, ships had to travel south all the way to the Drake Passage around Cape Horn at the tip of South America. The Panama Canal saves a total of 12,500 kilometers (7,800 miles) of extra travel equivalent to an estimated 30 days of sea voyage. The canal not only saves time but puts ships out of harms way when they had to travel south before, where strong typhoons are quite common. Elimination of unnecessary extra days at sea also puts sailors at ease. The land route became known as the Camino Real (and later on, the Las Cruces trail) and this route was the one used to lay down a railroad track; this extended from Colon on the Atlantic to the Pacific side terminus (in present-day Panama City) and was built 1850 to 1855 and ran for 47 miles. Besides the Spaniards, some colonizers from Scotland also attempted the same objective but failed. The railway was a marvel at that time, considering all the primitive engineering technology, lack of investment capital and the challenges of working in a tropical jungle environment marked by diseases like malaria, dysentery and cholera. The French Project – France is considered as the initiator of the Panama Canal with a comprehensive engineering study to build a sea level canal.1 The French were emboldened with their recent completion in building the Suez Canal of Egypt and its builder

Persuation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Persuation - Essay Example Failure to be out the game voluntarily and apologize to fellow teammates, I will have no choice but to report Joseph to the coach. Joseph violated a major rule. The captains explicitly relayed the rules to the team members before the season begun and made it clear that it was vital for them to follow the rules. The team further agreed that drinking would lead to a one game suspension. Joseph, as a teammate, agreed to this policy. Therefore, there is no excuse for what Joseph did as he was aware of the consequences and the team’s goal. Joseph is my best friend. Therefore, he should respect my decision. He knows very well how dedicated I am to the team and winning the national championship. Moreover, he knows my work ethics and the importance of following the rules. I did not expect this from him as he is supposed to set a good example for the team. On my part, as the captain, associating with people who break rules and being lenient on them will not be setting a good example. Alcohol has many effects on a person. The dehydration and lack of energy, in particular, will affect Joseph. The team is on the verge of playing the biggest game of the season against the biggest rivals. Therefore, the training is intensive so that the team can succeed in beating the rivals. Dehydration and lack of energy will prevent Joseph from training as hard as he should. Thus, he should really consider the possibility of a poor performance. If I do not punish Joseph, the team might find out about the drinking and get angry, as it will be favoritism. The anger will affect the team’s performance, as there will be no coordination. Moreover, the other members will feel like their drinking and breaking other rules is justified. They will not expect a punishment if they broke any of the rules. If the coach was to find out that Joseph went out drinking and refused to sit out the game, he might actually kick him out of the team. The coach

Structural failures in buildings Research Paper

Structural failures in buildings - Research Paper Example The Harbour Cay Condominium in Cocoa Beach, Florida in March 1981 is another important example. The five-story casting-place reinforced concrete building collapsed due to design and construction deficiencies killing eleven construction workers and injuring 23 others. Structural failures occur when there is a reduction of the capability of a structural system or component to such a degree that it cannot safely serve its intended purpose (Janney, 1986, pg. 1; Yates, 2007, pg. 68). A construction failure is a failure that occurs during construction and such failures are considered to be either a collapse or distress of a structural system to such a degree that it cannot safely serve its intended purpose. Failures may result from a single error. However, it is more common for a failure to be the result of several interrelated contributing factors. These may involve technical problems and unexpected deficiencies in material performance. Procedural deficiencies may result from human errors in judgement or from human tendencies towards ignorance, incompetence, negligence and greed. The constructed project may be subjected to environmental conditions or loads that are unpredicted by the designer or by accepted standards of practice. According to Thornton (1985, pg. 14), construction failures may be classified into three categories: safety, functional and ancillary, while the causes of failure fit into five general areas of deficiency, design, construction, material, administrative and maintenance. Yates (2007, pg. 68) identified two broad causes of construction; technical causes and human causes. Technical causes of construction failures are those that are actual physical proximate causes. For example, improper compaction of soil could lead to excessive settlement of a foundation. Procedural causes are related to human errors and they include things such as communication problems or shortcoming in the design and

Knapp Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Knapp - Case Study Example Q2: Crawford auditors should take categorical measures not to permit the client to discover the materiality threshold that are to be applied in the audit. There exists unethical clients in the world. If the employees or management discover that the materiality threshold to be applied, they can use it to manipulate the system, accounts, or records because they will be aware of what the auditors are looking for in the documents and system. Arguably, it is no feasible for the auditors to hide the set threshold information, particularly when they are dealing with physical records. In the audit process, the auditors often engage the clients to assist them with various tasks, such as pulling records. If the auditors over rely on the client’s information and documents, it becomes very difficult for the auditors to detect material errors. Q3: The SFAS No. 48 â€Å"Revenue Recognition When Right of Return Exists,† and the Concept Statement No. 5 of the FASB â€Å"Recognition Measurement in Financial Statements of Business Enterprises† are the leading guidelines informing firms when they are entitled to record revenues (Knapp, 2012). Equally, revenue recognition should be based on accrual accounting in line with the GAAP. Revenue should be recognized when earned, irrespective of the cash receipt timing. Progressive payments, early payments, and deposits are not recognized as revenue until the revenue transpired. Q4: Auditors have the principle objective of attaining a meaningful assurance that the audited financial statements do not have material mismanagement (AU200-12) (.Knapp, 2012). When Deloitte altered the audit evidence, they implied that the conclusion that was presented by the original audit was no longer supported. Question 5: Incompetency with the management team increases the probability of inherent risks within the audit. Hence, auditors have to evaluate the possibility of the

Potassium dichromate solution Essay Example for Free

Potassium dichromate solution Essay 1. Deep colour of potassium permanganate solution will show out two meniscuses but according to burette using, we are try to measure the volume by different. Therefore if we technically use the same meniscuses in the all reading, it will be fine for the experiment. 2. Store the dilute hydrogen peroxide in a cool, dry and well-ventilated area. Also put it in a steel or glass and opaque container. On the other hand, keep away from heat, flame and light. Conclusion: In titration I, we standardize the iron(II) solution is 0. 10M with N-phenylanthranilic acid indicator and Barium diphenylamine sulphonate indicator. In titration II, we determined the potassium permanganate solution is 0. 02M. In titration III, we estimated the dilute hydrogen peroxide is 0. 038g and we found out the molarity of it is 0. 045M. And for the original hydrogen peroxides percentage is 7. 67%(w/v) and volume concentration is 25. 27 volume. Titration III: Estimation of the concentration of hydrogen peroxide solution Titrant (in burette): Potassium Permanganate Solution Titrate (in Conical flask): 25. 0cm3 of Hydrogen Peroxide Solution Indicator used: Potassium Permanganate Solution Colour of indicator changed from: Colourless to Pink Titration II: Determination of the potassium permanganate solution Titrant (in burette): Potassium Permanganate Solution Titrate (in Conical flask): 25. 0cm3 of Fe2+ Solution Indicator used: Potassium Permanganate Solution Colour of indicator changed from: Green to Pink

Capgras Delusion: Impaired Face Recognition Process

Capgras Delusion: Impaired Face Recognition Process Capgras delusion, the belief that somebody is replaced by an imposer. First, this study examines whether Capgras patients, compared to controls, have an impaired face recognition process. Patients show to be hyporesponsive to familiar faces and show to have a decreased activity in brain areas, such as the prefrontal, lateral temporal and mesial temporal regions. The second part of this study examines the belief reasoning processes in patients compared to controls. Patients show an impairment in their belief reasoning process and this is linked to an impairment of the right lateral prefrontal cortex. The goal is to see whether Capgras patients have an impaired face-recognition process and an impaired belief-evaluating process, associated with the brain activity, compared to control participants. The main objectives Showing that Capgras patients have an impaired face recognition process because they are hyporesponsive to familiar faces, by measuring reaction times of the recognition of familiar and unfamiliar faces. Showing that, because certain areas in the brain are responsible for face recognition, Capgras patients have impairments in certain brain areas, such as the prefrontal, lateral temporal and mesial temporal regions (by measuring the BOLD activity in these areas), to experience Capgras delusions, because they are hyporesponsive to familiar faces. Showing that, because according to Colthearts two factor theory, Capgras patients have a decreased reasoning-evaluation process, Capgras patients have an impaired reasoning process. This study also wants to show that this reasoning process is associated with the right lateral prefrontal cortex (by measuring the BOLD activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex) and that Capgras patients should show in impairment in this area. This study is seeking to expand research on which processes are damaged in people who experience Capgras delusions, looking at two theories. Experiment 1 and 2 are about damage to the face recognition system. In experiment 1we argue that patients are hyporesponsive to familiar faces by looking at their reaction times in the recognition of familiar and unfamiliar faces. In experiment 2, an fMRI scan measures the brain activity while participants look at familiar and unfamiliar faces. It is predicted that Capgras patients will show impairments in areas that are involved in face recognition, such as the prefrontal, lateral temporal and mesial temporal regions. The second theory, the two factor theory, suggests that delusions are a result of an impairment of belief evaluation processes. Experiment 3 wants to link this impairment in belief reasoning to the right prefrontal lateral cortex. Capgras patients are expected to show a decreased activity, measured by an fMRI scan, in this area wh ile they do a belief reasoning task. This will indicate that Capgras patients have impaired face recognition processes and impaired belief reasoning processes and these processes are linked to several impairments in the brain. Delusional misidentification syndromes (DMS) are psychiatric disorders distinguished by the fact that they all involve some deviation from normal processes of recognising people (Ellis Young, 1990, p239). A specific DMS is the Capgras syndrome. The Capgras syndrome is characterized by the patient insisting that others, usually those quite close emotionally, have been replaced by doubles, impostors or robots (Ellis et al., 1997, p 1058). For example, a man could think his mother is replaced by an imposer. Mostly the duplicated people, are people very close to the patients (Todd et al., 1981) and the patients often show conflicting feelings of love and hate for the duplicated relatives (Enoch Trethowan, 1991). Most of the patients who are suffering from Capgras syndrome have some evidence of brain abnormalities (Joseph, 1985). Bauer (1984, 1986) introduced the dual recognition route. He suggests that there are two routes of facial recognition, the ventral and the dorsal route. The ventral route runs from the visual cortex to the temporal lobes and is the conscious recognition route. The dorsal route runs from the visual cortex to the limbic system and is the affective response route. Ellis Young (1990) proposed that Capgras delusion is a mirror-image of prosopagnosia, the inability to recognise previous familiar faces, mostly following brain damage (Sorger et al., 2007). They suggested that in Capgras delusions, the affective response route is damaged, which means that patients will consciously recognise the person, but they wont have an affective response that is associated with familiarity, but they do have an intact ventral route. In 1997 Ellis et al. did study on face recognition in Capgras patients. They found that unlike the control participants, who showed significant differences, that Capgras pati ents showed no difference in skin conductance response (SCR) to familiar and unfamiliar faces, which means that they are hyporesponsive to familiar faces and thus that Capgras patients have a breakdown in familiarity processing. Coltheart (2007) worked further on this idea and proposed that if you can answer the next two questions, we can have a possible explanation for the delusion. Where did the delusion come from? and Why does the patient not reject the belief? (Coltheart, 2007, p1044). This called this the two factor theory of delusions. He proposed that there had to be two neuropsychological deficits. First, what is responsible for the content of the delusion and secondly, what is responsible for the persistence of the belief, which means that there needs to be damage in the right hemisphere, because it is involved in belief evaluation. They argued that the right temporal-parietal regions and the right frontal lobe are very important in the belief evaluation. In 2011, Coltheart et al. explained that via abductive inference we make propositions. These propositions have to survive a belief-evaluation process to be adopted as a belief. According to Coltheart et al. (2011) this belief evaluation process is damaged in Capgras patients. This study wants to look at both views, the impairments of face recognition and the impairments to belief evaluation processes. Experiment 1 and 2 focuses on face recognition, whether experiment 3 focuses on the belief evaluation process. First of all, usually reaction times are significantly faster for familiar faces than for unfamiliar faces (Balas, Cox Conwell, 2007). Because of the hyporesponsiveness to familiar faces (Ellis et al., 1997), Capgras patients are expected to have no significant difference in reaction time between familiar and unfamiliar faces. Secondly, according to Ellis et al. (1997), Capgras patients should have an impairment in their face recognition. One study found a reduced neural activity in the face recognition system in a case of Capgras delusion (Thiel et al., 2013). Another study found higher activity in the left superior parietal and biletral middle frontal gyrus in familiar faces (Rossion et al., 2001). Activations in the prefrontal, lateral temporal and mesial temporal regions were associated with recognition of famous faces (Leveroni et al., 2000). This would mean that Capgr as patients, who are hyporesponsive to familiar faces (Ellis et al., 1997), would show an increased activity in these areas. In experiment 3, the belief evaluation process is tested. Coltheart et al. (2011) suggested that the impairment in Capgras patients in the belief evaluation process is associated with right lateral prefrontal cortex pathology. Evidence was found for a dynamic neural system for reasoning in the lateral/dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (Goel Dolan, 2003). In an fMRI study, they found a role of the lateral prefrontal cortex in modulation of reasoning by beliefs (Goel Dolan, 2003). They found that correct logical reasoning showed an increased activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex. This means that, according to Colthearts two factor theory (2010), that Capgras patient would show a decreased activity in this area, because of their impairments in the belief evaluation system. Participants and design: This study will recruit a sample of 10 Capgras patients and 10 healthy age-matched controls. Participants will receive fees for participating. They will be provided with an informed consent. This study exists out of two experiments. In the first task participants will be provided with pictures of familiar and unfamiliar faces (in Capgras patients familiar faces of the persons they replace with imposers and in controls with family members) while reaction time is measured and an fMRI scan is taken. In the second experiment, the right lateral prefrontal cortex activity is measured with an fMRI scan while the participants look at familiar and unfamiliar faces and at the same time are asked questions about these persons in a belief-reasoning task. Stimulus materials and procedure: In the first experiment, participants were asked to sit in 0.5 m in front of a screen. Each trial started with a cue image of a familiar or an unfamiliar face for 500 ms. After an interinterval of 500 ms, a picture that matched the cue image was shown together with a picture that didnt match (left and right). The participants were asked via button presses to show which picture matched the cue image, as rapid and accurately as possible. All stimulus presentation responeses were analysed with the Matlab Psychophysics Toolbox. This task was taken from Balas, Cox Conwell (2007). In the second experiment, before the participants will be asked to enter the fMRI, they will be instructed about the task. This study uses the task Ellis et al. (1997) used, for testing the identification of familiar faces. When they are in the fMRI, they will see pictures of their family members (for the Capgras patients, including the persons they think are replaced by imposers) or unfamiliar pictures. They got to see 10 familiar faces and 20 unfamiliar faces in random order. For each face the participant was asked to respond if the face was familiar to them or not, while the fMRI scan measured their blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) activity in their brain. In experiment 3, the participants were asked again to enter the fMRI scan. We used the belief reasoning task (Appendix: Picture 1) of Sommer et al. (2007). In both of the conditions, the first four pictures are the same. In the true belief task the girl comes back in the room and sees that the boy puts the ball into the baske t. In the false belief task, she comes back in the room after he putted the ball in the basket. The response picture (red) was the same in both condition. In 50% of the trials, the girl, based on her belief, looked for the ball in the expected box and in the other 50% in the unexpected box. The participants needed to decide if Betty, based on her belief, made the expected or unexpected choice by key pressing, while the BOLD activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex was measured. In experiment 1 we expect that Capgras patients will show no significant difference in reaction times to familiar or unfamiliar faces, because of their hyporesponsivess to familiar faces (Ellis et al., 1997), compared to normal controls who are expected to have reaction times faster for familiar faces than for unfamiliar faces (Balas, Cox Conwell, 2007). In experiment 2 we expect Capgras patients to have a decreased activity in the prefrontal, lateral temporal and mesial temporal regions compared to controls, because of their impairment in face recognition (Ellis et al., 1997). In experiment 3, we expect patients to have a decreased activity in the right lateral prefrontal cortex while they do the belief reasoning task, because of Colthearts suggestion that Capgras patients have a damaged belief evaluation process. This study will benefit psychologist who have studied Capgras delusion, because the causes are still very vague and not that many studies have been done on Capgras. It will also benefit Capgras patients. . It can be useful for patients suffering from schizophrenia and dementia because Capgras syndrome is often associated with these disorders. It can help create treatments by knowing the origins in the brain while patients experience these hallucinations. This study focus on more theories, which makes it easier to understand this delusion.

The History And Uses Of Bioremediation

The History And Uses Of Bioremediation The past decade has shown, in greater or lesser degree, our carelessness and negligence in using our natural resources. The problems associated with contamination of natural resources are prominently increasing in many countries. Contaminated environment generally result from production, use, and disposal of hazardous substances from industrial activities. The problem is worldwide, and the estimated number of contaminated sites is significant. It is now widely recognized that contaminated environment is a potential threat to human health, and its continual discovery over recent years has led to international efforts to remedy many of these sites, to enable the site to be redeveloped for use. To bioremediate, means to use living things to eliminate environmental contamination such as contaminated soil or groundwater. Some microorganisms that live in soil and groundwater naturally eat certain chemicals that are harmful to people and the environment. The microorganisms are able to change these chemicals into water and harmless gases, such as carbon dioxide. Plants can also be used to clean up soil, water or air; this is called phytoremediation Bioremediation is an option that offers the possibility to destroy or render harmless various con ­taminants using natural biological activity. As such, it uses relatively low-cost, low-technology tech ­niques, which generally have a high public acceptance and can often be carried out on site. It will not always be suitable, however, as the range of contaminants on which it is effective is limited, the time scales involved are relatively long, and the residual contaminant levels achievable may not always be appropriate. Although the methodologies employed are not technically complex, considerable experi ­ence and expertise may be required to design and implement a successful bioremediation program, due to the need to thoroughly assess a site for suitability and to optimize conditions to achieve a satisfacto ­ry result. Bioremediation has been used at a number of sites worldwide Here, we intended to assist by providing a straightforward, pragmatic view of the processes involved in bioremediation, the pros and cons of the technique, and the issues to be considered when dealing with a proposal for bioremediation. HISTORY Bioremediation has been described as a treatability technology that uses biological activity to reduce the concentration or toxicity of a pollutant. It commonly uses processes by which microorganisms transform or degrade chemicals in the environment (King 1). This use of microorganisms (mainly bacteria) to destroy or transform hazardous contaminants is not a new idea. Microorganisms have been used since 600 B.C. by the Romans and others to treat their wastewater. Although this same technology is still usedtoday to treat wastewater it has been expanded to treat an array of other contaminants. In fact, bioremediation has been used commercially for almost 30 years. The first commercial use of a bioremediation system was in 1972 to clean up a Sun Oil pipeline spill in Ambler, Pennsylvania CONVENTIONAL STRATEGIES OF REMEDIATION The conventional techniques used for remediation have been to dig up contaminated soil and remove it to a landfill, or to cap and contain the contaminated areas of a site. The methods have some drawbacks. The first method simply moves the contamination elsewhere and may create significant risks in the excavation, handling, and transport of hazardous material. Additionally, it is very difficult and increasingly expensive to find new landfill sites for the final disposal of the material. The cap and contain method is only an temporary solution since the contamination remains on site, requiring monitor ­ing and maintenance of the isolation barriers long into the future, with all the associated costs and potential liability. A better approach than these traditional methods is to completely destroy the pollutants if possi ­ble, or at least to transform them to innocuous substances. Some technologies that have been used are high-temperature incineration and various types of chemical decomposition (e.g., base-catalyzed dechlorination, UV oxidation). They can be very effective at reducing levels of a range of contaminants, but have several drawbacks, principally their technological complexity, the cost for small-scale appli ­cation, and the lack of public acceptance, especially for incineration that may increase the exposure to contaminants for both the workers at the site and nearby residents. Conventional ways of Bioremediation Dig up and remove it to a landfill Risk of excavation, handling and transport of hazardous material Very expensive to find another land to finally dispose these materials Cap and contain the contaminated area. Maintain it in the same land but isolate it Only an temporary solution Requires monitoring and maintenance of isolation barriers for a long time Better approaches: Destroy them completely, if possible Transform them in to harmless substances Drawbacks Technological complexity The cost for small scale application expensive Lack of public acceptance especially in incineration Incineration generates more toxic compounds Materials released from imperfect incineration cause undesirable imbalance in the atmosphere. Ex. Ozone depletion Fall back on earth and pollute some other environment Dioxin production due to burning of plastics leads to cancer May increase the exposure to contaminants, for both workers and nearby residents PRINCIPLES OF BIOREMEDIATION Figure 1: Bioremediation Triangle There are three essential components needed for bioremediation. These three components are microorganisms, food, and nutrients. These three main components shown in Figure 1 are known as the bioremediation triangle. Microorganisms are found almost everywhere on earth with the exception of active volcanoes. So a lack of food and nutrients are usually the missing ingredients that prevent successful bioremediation. Microorganisms find the food they eat in the soil or water where they live. However, if a contaminant is present it can become an additional food source for the microorganisms. The contaminant serves two useful purposes for the microbes. First, the contaminant provides a source of carbon needed for growth. Second,the microbes obtain energy by breaking chemical bonds and transferring electrons away from the contaminant. This is known as an oxidation-reduction reaction. The contaminant that loses electrons is oxidized and the chemical that gains the electrons(electron acceptor) is reduced. The energy gained from the electron transfer is used along with the carbon and some electrons to produce more cells. Microbes generally use oxygenas an electron acceptor but nitrate, sulfate, iron, and CO2 are also commonly used. The use of oxygen as an electron acceptor is called aerobic respiration. The major byproducts of aerobic respiration are carbon dioxide, water, and an increase in the microbe population. Anaerobic respiration uses nitrate, sulfate, iron, or CO2 as the electron acceptor instead of oxygen. Anaerobic respiration can occur after the oxygen has been depleted by aerobic respiration or where there is not sufficient oxygen in the first place. The process of anaerobic degradation has been ignored for many years. However, recently it has been gaining more attention; There are also several nutrients that must be accessible to the microorganisms for bioremediation to be successful. These include moisture, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other trace elements. Microorganisms like other organisms need moisture to survive and grow.In addition, microbes depend on the moisture to transport food to them since they do not have mouths. The optimal moisture content for microbes in the vadose zone has been determined to be between 10 and 25% (King 16). Besides moisture, nitrogen (ammonia)and phosphorus (orthophosphate) are two major nutrients needed for the microorganisms. The microorganisms also require minor elements such as sulfur, potassium, magnesium,calcium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, nickel, and zinc (King 19). However, these minor elements are usually available in the environment in sufficient amounts where nitrogen and phosphorus may be lacking and need to be added. There are many contaminants susceptible to bioremediation. Petroleum hydrocarbons, i n particular, benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX), the major components of gasoline, have been biodegraded using this technology. In addition, alcohols, ketones, and esters are well established as being biodegradable by microorganisms. Many other contaminants are emerging as treatable using bioremediation such as halogenated aliphatics, halogenated aromatics, polychlorinated biphenyls, and nitroaromatics. FACTORS AFFECTING BIOREMEDIATION The factors affecting bioremediation can be divided into following categories. Microbial factors Environmental factors Microbial Factors Microorganisms can be isolated from almost any environmental conditions. Microbes will adapt and grow at subzero temperatures, as well as extreme heat, desert conditions, in water, with an excess of oxygen, and in anaerobic conditions, with the presence of hazardous compounds or on any waste stream. The main requirements are an energy source and a carbon source. Because of the adaptability of microbes and other biological systems, these can be used to degrade or remediate environmental hazards. We can subdivide these microorganisms into the following groups Aerobic Anaerobic Ligninolytic Fungi Methylotrophs Aerobic These microbes have often been reported to degrade pesticides and hydrocarbons, both alkanes and polyaromatic compounds. Many of these bacteria use the contaminant as the sole source of carbon and energy. Examples of aerobic bacteria recognized for their degradative abilities are Pseudomonas, Alcaligenes, Sphingomonas, Rhodococcus, and Mycobacterium. Anaerobic Anaerobic bacteria are not as frequently used as aerobic bacteria. There is an increasing interest in anaerobic bacteria used for bioremediation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in river sediments, dechlorination of the solvent trichloroethylene (TCE), and chloroform. Ligninolytic fungi Fungi such as the white rot fungus Phanaerochaete chrysosporium have the ability to degrade an extremely diverse range of persistent or toxic environmental pollutants. Common substrates used include straw, saw dust, or corn cobs. Methylotrophs Aerobic bacteria that grow utilizing methane for carbon and energy. The initial enzyme in the pathway for aerobic degradation, methane monooxygenase, has a broad substrate range and is active against a wide range of compounds, including the chlorinated aliphatics trichloroethylene and 1,2-dichloroethane. For degradation it is necessary that bacteria and the contaminants be in contact. This is not easily achieved, as neither the microbes nor contaminants are uniformly spread in the soil. Some bacteria are mobile and exhibit a chemotactic response, sensing the contaminant and moving toward it. Other microbes such as fungi grow in a filamentous form toward the contaminant. It is possible to enhance the mobilization of the contaminant utilizing some surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) Microbes are used to degrade gasoline, the most common contaminant of groundwater in the United States. Adding powdered seaweed to DDT-contaminated soil boosts the cleaning activity of DDT-eating microbes. In one test site, 80% of the DDT was removed after six weeks. Microbes and fungi are used in air filters to control odours from sewage treatment plants and in the paint industry. A gene for a protein found in rat livers that binds with toxic metals has been inserted in both tobacco plants and algae. With this gene, the tobacco plant and the algae are able to extract several hundred times more toxic metal compounds from soil or water compared to plants without the gene. One particular microbe degrades polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are cancer-causing petroleum by-products. The microbes, called simply sulfate-reducers, are able to attack PAHs in the sediment of Boston Harbor where scientists thought the contaminant could not be treated due to lack of oxygen. Examples of microbes used for bioremediation include: Deinococcus radiodurans bacteria have been genetically modified to digest solvents and heavy metals, as well as toluene and ionic mercury from highly radioactive nuclear waste. Geobacter sufurreducens bacteria can turn uranium dissolved in groundwater into a non-soluble, collectable form. Dehalococcoides ethenogenes bacteria are being used in ten states to clean up chlorinated solvents that have been linked to cancer. The bacteria are naturally found in both soil and water and are able to digest the solvents much faster than using traditional clean-up methods. Thermus brockianus, found in Yellowstone National Park, produces an enzyme that breaks down hydrogen peroxide 80,000 times faster than current chemicals in use. Alcaligenes eutrophus, naturally degrades 2,4-D, the third most widely used herbicide in the U.S. Some contaminants potentially suitable for bioremediation. Class of contaminants Specific examples Aerobic Anaerobic Potential sources Chlorinated solvents Trichloroethylene + Drycleaners Perchloroethylene Chemical manufacture Polychlorinated biphenyls 4-Chlorobiphenyl + Electrical manufacturing 4,4 Dichlorobiphenyl Power station Railway yards Chlorinated phenol Pentachlorophenol + Timber treatment Landfills BTEX Benzene + + Oil production and storage Toluene Gas work sites Ethylbenzene Airports Xylene Paint manufacture Port facilities Railway yards Chemical manufacture Polyaromatic hydrocarbons Naphthalene + Oil production and storage (PAHs) Antracene Gas work sites Fluorene Coke plants Pyrene Engine works Benzo(a)pyrene Landfills Tar production and storage Boiler ash dump sites Power stations Pesticides Atrazine + + Agriculture Carbaryl Timber treatment Carbofuran Pesticide manufacture Coumphos Recreational areas ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS 1. Nutrients Although the microorganisms are present in contaminated soil, they cannot necessarily be there in the numbers required for bioremediation of the site. Their growth and activity must be stimulated. Biostimulation usually involves the addition of nutrients and oxygen to help indigenous microorgan ­isms. These nutrients are the basic building blocks of life and allow microbes to create the necessary enzymes to break down the contaminants. All of them will need nitrogen, phosphorous, and carbon (e.g., see Table below). Carbon is the most basic element of living forms and is needed in greater quantities than other elements. In addition to hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen it constitutes about 95% of the weight of cells.Phosphorous and sulphur contribute with 70% of the remainders. The nutritional requirement of carbon to nitrogen ratio is 10:1, and carbon to phosphorous is 30:1. 3. Environmental requirements Optimum environmental conditions for the degradation of contaminants are reported in Table below: Parameters Condition required for microbial activity Optimum value for an oil degradation Soil moisture 25-28% of water holding capacity 30-90% Soil pH 5.5-8.8 6.5-8.0 Oxygen content Aerobic, minimum air-filled pore space of 10% 10-40% Nutrient content N and p for microbial growth C:N:P = 100:10:1 Temperature ( °C) 15-45 20-30 Contaminants Not too toxic Hydrocarbon 5-10% of dry weight of soil Heavy metals Total content 2000 ppm 700 ppm Type of soil Low clay or silt content 4. Environmental conditions affecting degradation Microbial growth and activity are readily affected by pH, temperature, and moisture. Although microorganisms have been also isolated in extreme conditions, most of them grow optimally over a nar ­row range, so that it is important to achieve optimal conditions. If the soil has too much acid it is possible to rinse the pH by adding lime. Temperature affects bio ­chemical reactions rates, and the rates of many of them double for each 10  °C rise in temperature. Above a certain temperature, however, the cells die. Plastic covering can be used to enhance solar warming in late spring, summer, and autumn. Available water is essential for all the living organisms, and irrigation is needed to achieve the optimal moisture level. The amount of available oxygen will determine whether the system is aerobic or anaerobic. Hydrocarbons are readily degraded under aerobic conditions, whereas chlorurate compounds are degraded only in anaerobic ones. To increase the oxygen amount in the soil it is possible to till or sparge air. In some cases, hydrogen peroxide or magnesium peroxide can be introduced in the environment. Soil structure controls the effective delivery of air, water, and nutrients. To improve soil structure, materials such as gypsum or organ ic matter can be applied. Low soil permeability can impede move ­ment of water, nutrients, and oxygen; hence, soils with low permeability may not be appropriate for in situ clean-up techniques. STRATEGIES AND TECHNIQUES INVOLVED IN BIOREMEDIATION Basically two types of techniques are involved in Bioremediation In situ Bioremediation (at the site) Ex situ Bioremediation (away from the site) In situ Bioremediation In situ techniques are defined as those that are applied to soil and groundwater at the site with minimal disturbance. These techniques are generally the most desirable options due to lower cost and fewer disturbances since they provide the treatment in place avoiding excavation and transport of contaminants. In situ treatment is limited by the depth of the soil that can be effectively treated. In many soils effective oxygen diffusion for desirable rates of bioremediation extend to a range of only a few centimetres to about 30 cm into the soil, although depths of 60 cm and greater have been effectively treated in some cases. In situ Bioremediation types: Bioventing is the most common in situ treatment and involves supplying air and nutrients through wells to contaminated soil to stimulate the indigenous bacteria. Bioventing employs low air flow rates and provides only the amount of oxygen necessary for the biodegradation while minimizing volatiliza ­tion and release of contaminants to the atmosphere. It works for simple hydrocarbons and can be used where the contamination is deep under the surface. In situ biodegradation involves supplying oxygen and nutrients by circulating aqueous solutions through contaminated soils to stimulate naturally occurring bacteria to degrade organic contaminants. It can be used for soil and groundwater. Generally, this technique includes conditions such as the infil ­tration of water-containing nutrients and oxygen or other electron acceptors for groundwater treatment. Biosparging involves the injection of air under pressure below the water table to increase groundwater oxygen concentrations and enhance the rate of biological degradation of contam ­inants by naturally occurring bacteria. Biosparging increases the mixing in the saturated zone and there ­by increases the contact between soil and groundwater. The ease and low cost of installing small-diam ­eter air injection points allows considerable flexibility in the design and construction of the system Bioaugmentation. Bioremediation frequently involves the addition of microorganisms indigenous or exogenous to the contaminated sites. Two factors limit the use of added microbial cultures in a land treatment unit: 1) nonindigenous cultures rarely compete well enough with an indigenous population to develop and sustain useful population levels and 2) most soils with long-term exposure to biodegrad ­able waste have indigenous microorganisms that are effective degrades if the land treatment unit is well managed. Ex situ bioremediation Ex situ techniques are those that are applied to soil and groundwater at the site which has been removed from the site via excavation (soil) or pumping (water). These techniques involve the excavation or removal of contaminated soil from ground. Ex situ Bioremediation types: These techniques involve the excavation or removal of contaminated soil from ground. Landfarming is a simple technique in which contaminated soil is excavated and spread over a pre ­pared bed and periodically tilled until pollutants are degraded. The goal is to stimulate indigenous biodegradative microorganisms and facilitate their aerobic degradation of contaminants. In general, the practice is limited to the treatment of superficial 10-35 cm of soil. Since landfarming has the potential to reduce monitoring and maintenance costs, as well as clean-up liabilities, it has received much atten ­tion as a disposal alternative. Composting is a technique that involves combining contaminated soil with nonhazardous organ ­ic amendants such as manure or agricultural wastes. The presence of these organic materials supports the development of a rich microbial population and elevated temperature characteristic of composting. Biopiles are a hybrid of landfarming and composting. Essentially, engineered cells are con ­structed as aerated composted piles. Typically used for treatment of surface contamination with petro ­leum hydrocarbons they are a refined version of landfarming that tend to control physical losses of the contaminants by leaching and volatilization. Biopiles provide a favorable environment for indigenous aerobic and anaerobic microorganisms. Bioreactors Slurry reactors or aqueous reactors are used for ex situ treatment of contaminated soil and water pumped up from a contaminated plume. Bioremediation in reactors involves the pro ­cessing of contaminated solid material (soil, sediment, sludge) or water through an engineered con ­tainment system. A slurry bioreactor may be defined as a containment vessel and apparatus used to cre ­ate a three-phase (solid, liquid, and gas) mixing condition to increase the bioremediation rate of soil-bound and water-soluble pollutants as a water slurry of the contaminated soil and biomass (usually indigenous microorganisms) capable of degrading target contaminants. In general, the rate and extent of biodegradation are greater in a bioreactor system than in situ or in solid-phase systems because the contained environment is more manageable and hence more controllable and predictable. Despite the advantages of reactor systems, there are some disadvantages. The contaminated soil requires pre-treatment (e.g., excavation) or alternatively the contaminant can be stripped from the soil via soil washing or physical extraction (e.g., vacuum extraction) before being placed in a bioreactor. Monitoring bioremediation The process of bioremediation can be monitored indirectly by measuring the Oxidation Reduction Potential or redox in soil and groundwater, together with pH, temperature, oxygen content, electron acceptor/donor concentrations, and concentration of breakdown products (e.g. carbon dioxide). This table shows the (decreasing) biological breakdown rate as function of the redox potential. Process Reaction Redox potential (Eh in mV) Aerobic: O2 + 4eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 4H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 2H2O 600 ~ 400 Anaerobic: Denitrification 2NO3à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 10eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 12H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ N2 + 6H2O 500 ~ 200 Manganese IV reduction MnO2 + 2eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 4H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Mn2+ + 2H2O 400 ~ 200 Iron III reduction Fe(OH)3 + eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 3H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Fe2+ + 3H2O 300 ~ 100 Sulfate reduction SO42à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ + 8eà ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ +10 H+ à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ H2S + 4H2O 0 ~ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢150 Fermentation 2CH2O à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ CO2 + CH4 à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢150 ~ à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢220 Types of Bioremediation Bioremediation techniques can be subdivided into various based on following factors Based on type of atmosphere in which Bioremediation takes place it can be divided into two types Engineered Bioremediation Intrinsic Bioremediation Based on Type of organism being used for Bioremediation Mycoremediation Phytoremediation ENGINEERED BIOREMEDIATION Factors effecting engineered bioremediation Contact between the microbes and the substrate Proper physical environment Nutrients Oxygen Absence of toxic compounds Sources of microorganisms From contaminated field sites(with varying environmental conditions subzero temperatures or extreme heat, desert conditions or in water, with excess of oxygen or in anaerobic conditions, with presence of hazardous compounds or on any waste stream) From culture collections Genetically Engineered Microorganisms (GEMs) Electro kinetically enhanced bioremediation (EEB) is a method of engineered bioremediation of soil contaminated by such organic compounds as solvents and petroleum products. As depicted schematically in the figure, EEB involves the utilization of controlled flows of liquids and gases into and out of the ground via wells, in conjunction with electrokinetic transport of matter through pores in the soil, to provide reagents and nutrients that enhance the natural degradation of contaminants by indigenous and/or introduced microorganisms. The operational parameters of an EEB setup can be tailored to obtain the desired flows of reagents and nutrients in variably textured and layered soils of variable hydraulic permeability and of moisture content that can range from saturation down to as little as about 7 percent. A major attractive feature of EEB is the ability to control the movements of charged anionic and cationic as well as noncharged chemical species. The basic components of electrokinetic enhancement of bioremediation are the following: * Ions are transported by electromigration; that is, with minimum transport of liquid through the soil. The ions of interest include nutrient agents, electron donors (e.g., lactate) or electron acceptors (e.g., nitrate or sulfate) added to the soil. Electromigration is utilized as an efficient mode of electrokinetic transport in vadosezone soils. * Water in soil is pumped (horizontally or vertically, depending on the positions of electrode wells) by induced electro-osmotic flow. Whereas the hydraulic flow used in older methods decreases with decreasing pore size and is thus not effective for treating tightly packed soil, electro-osmotic flow is less restricted by tight packing. Electro-osmosis is utilized to enhance the transport of both ions and such noncharged particles as micro-organisms, by moving water from anodes (positive electrodes) toward cathodes (negative electrodes). * Electrophoresis induced in soil under an applied electric field is used to control the transport and/or distribution of micro-organisms throughout the treated soil volume. The beneficial effect of electrophoresis can be augmented or otherwise modified by use of electro-osmotic flushing of the soil. * The applied electric current can be utilized to heat the soil to the optimum temperature for bioremediation. * The gaseous and liquid products of electrolysis of water in the soil are removed from electrode wells and mixed and reinjected into the ground as needed to maintain the pH of the soil within a range favorable for bioremediation. Disadvantages Mostly GEMs do not work the way we expect: Lab strains become food source for soil protozoa Inability of GEMs to contact the compounds to be degraded Failure of GEMs to survive/compete indigenous microorganisms. Mostly due to lack / decreased activity of House Keeping Genes. INTRINSIC BIOREMEDIATION It is a natural attenuation process that leads to the decrease in contaminant levels in a particular environment due to unmanaged physical, chemical and biological processes. Conversion of environmental pollutants into the harmless forms through the innate capabilities of naturally occurring microbial population is called intrinsic bioremediation. However, there is increasing interest on intrinsic bioremediation for control of all or some of the contamination at waste sites. The intrinsic i.e. inherent capacity of microorganism, to metabolize the contaminants should be tested at laboratory and field levels before use for intrinsic bioremediation. Through site monitoring programmes progress of intrinsic bioremediation should be recorded time to time. The conditions of site that favours intrinsic bioremediation are ground water flow throughout the year, carbonate minerals to buffer acidity produced during biodegradation supply of electron acceptors and nutrients for microbial growth and absence of toxic compounds. The other environmental factors such as pH concentration, temperature and nutrient availability determine whether or not biotransformation takes place. Bioremediation of waste mixtures containing metals such as Hg, Pb, As and cyanide at toxic concentration can create problem (Madsen, l99l). The ability of surface bacteria to degrade a given mixture of pollutants in ground water is dependent on the type and concentration of compounds, electron acceptor and duration of bacteria exposed to contaminants. Therefore, ability of indigenous bacteria degrading contaminants can be determined in laboratory by plate count and macrocosm studies Example: Microbes in Hudson River mud developed an ability to partially degrade PCB (Poly Chlorinated Biphenyls) Process occurs in two steps Partial dehalogenation of PCBs occurs naturally under anaerobic conditions Less chlorinated residues Then mud is aerated to promote the complete degradation of these less chlorinated residues MYCOREMEDIATION Mycoremediation is a form of bioremediation, the process of using fungi to return an environment (usually soil) contaminated by pollutants to a less contaminated state. The term Mycoremediation was coined by Paul Stam

Vinegar :: essays research papers

Who’s been cheating on the vinegar? Aim: To investigate if the vinegars have been diluted by working out their concentrations. Scientific Background: Vinegar is an acid and there fore can be neutralised by an alkali. Acid + Alkali à   salt + water Hydrochloric acid + Sodium Hydroxide à   Sodium chloride + water Vinegar is a weak acid and therefore it only partially ionises in solution. CH3COOH ßà   CH3COO- + H+ An alkali such as Sodium Hydroxide has a formula NaOH. If the alkali is strong then it ionises fully in solution. NaOH ßà   Na+ + OH- When the acid H+ reacts with the alkali OH- the solution neutralises. Prediction: If the acid has been diluted there will be less H+ ions present in the volume used. Therefore to cancel the alkali more acid will be required. This is on the assumption that the alkali volume and concentration stay constant. Method:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Measure 10cm3 of 0.1m alkali into a measuring cylinder then place the solution into a 75cm3 conical flask.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then add 2-3 drops of indicator to the alkali (it will go purple in colour)  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Measure out 50 cm3 of the vinegar into a measuring cylinder and then place into a glass beaker.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then using a dropper add the vinegar drop wise to the alkali until 1-drop changes the solution to colourless.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Replace the vinegar back into the measuring cylinder and record the volume of vinegar used.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Repeat this process twice more, recording results.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Then repeat the whole procedure for each different concentration of vinegar. Preliminary Work: Aim:- To find out which concentration of alkali will give accurate, measurable values. Concentration(M) Volume of acid(cm3) 0.1m 21.45cm3 0.5m 78.9cm3 0.75m 100+cm3 1.0m 100+cm3 2.0m 100+cm3 We decided from the results that the best measurable concentration of alkali would be the 0.1m concentrations. Investigation:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Test 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Average Manufacturers’  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.27cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.3cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  9.73cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.11cm3 Shop 1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.3cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  9.5cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.25cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  10.11cm3 Shop 2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18.4cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  17.9cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18.4cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  18.23cm3 Shop 3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  40.1cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  38.45cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  35.7cm3  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  38.08cm3 Analysis: These results show that the vinegar from Shop 2 and Shop 3 have been significantly diluted with water or some other substance. The results obtained from shop1 show that its is very similar in concentration to the manufacturers’. Two of the results show that it is less concentrated than the manufacturers’, but one shows that it is more concentrated, this is impossible so its is most likely due to human error and not taking the readings properly. Concentrations: Manufacturers’= 1 ¸10.11 = 0.0989119683 Shop1 = 1 ¸10.11 = 0.0989119683 Shop2 = 1 ¸18.23 = 0.054854635 Shop3 = 1 ¸38.08 = 0.026260504 These results show an obvious difference in the concentration with the manufacturers’ being the most concentrated and shop 3’s being the least concentrated. Evaluation: The results from this experiment can be considered reasonably accurate we took the results quite accurately.

Summary of the Film Hero :: essays research papers

The Film, Hero In the Oxford Dictionary, Favorite is described as something or someone that you like, In this matter that something is the film called â€Å"Hero.† Roughly based on an assassination attempt of China’s first emperor Chin Shi Huang Di, the motion picture â€Å"Hero† discusses the life of a ancient warrior. The story describes the journey of a sword master who was determined to slay the king of the province Qin, the future emperor of united China. With the help of three assassins who’s goal in life was the death of the Qin King, the nameless warrior gets a chance to crush the future emperor China. This film consists of many twists and turns making it very exiting and unpredictable. This movie was a combination of calm and spectacular battle scenes which gives you the need to be one of the characters from the flick. The amazing actions scenes just leap out of the screen and the film is still able to touch your heart. In every second of this film, you can feel it’s powerful emotions, which gets you so caught up in the world of the movie, you hate to the return to present day world. This film dazzles it’s viewers by its vivid colours and the whole movie is a painting in motion. My favorite scene of â€Å"Hero† was the amazing but aggressive action scenes and also the deep drama it created. The plot of the movie was incredible. Though â€Å"Hero† was a spectacular film there were some things that I did not enjoy like, the film was much too serious and I did not like the factor that most of the movie was in flash backs. From intense action scenes to emotional drama, I think this film can

Applying the Background and Methodology of the Research Process

Jonathan HoffsuemmerA serious problem seen by nurse practitioners that work in rural areas is teen pregnancy. A peer-reviewed research paper published by The Journal for Nurse Practitioners entitled â€Å"Who Will Listen? Rural Teen Pregnancy Reflections.† There are both medical and social concerns that occur with teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy statistic shows that teen mothers give birth to premature babies with low birth weight. The social aspect is teen mothers do not complete high school and lives in poverty. These situations rank high in abuse and neglect with teen parents.Definition of the ProblemRural areas show the highest rate of teen pregnancy compared to state rates, which produces a problem that researchers are questioning why this rate is higher in the rural areas. The Theory of Adolescent Sexual Decision Making (TASDM) is the basis this research was conducted to resolve. This theory has two main objectives that include the risk-promoting environments teens experi ence and exposure to risky situation that create the situations teens use to justify sexual behavior (Weiss, 2012).The problem with teen pregnancy produces premature birth and low birth weight in the babies. A medical problem with teen pregnancy is the medical expenses incurred with both teenager and infant. These statistics indicate that teen pregnancy result from family with no insurance and no means to pay the medical expenses teen pregnancy incurs. The social problem teen pregnancy presents are that teen mothers tend not finish high school. Teen pregnancy results in low income rates, the need for higher public assistance, poor educational, behavioral, and health problem in children.Study PurposeThe purpose of the study is to understand the decision-making of teens and why teen pregnancy is higher in the rural areas of the country. The TASDM theory indicates that environment promotes the situation of peer influences, substance use, and media influences (Weiss, 2012). The study wi ll focus on the thought process of teens as to why teens make the choice become sexually activity and risk the consequence of becoming pregnant.Research QuestionThe researchers are studying the question of why teen pregnancy is higher in rural areas. Teen pregnancy occurs because of the lack of prevention that teens do not use and why teens make these types of decisions. The essay directions were for students to indicating if the teens thought there was a teen pregnancy problem in the community (Weiss, 2012). The researchers’ directions were only one question to determine the thought processes of both male and female teens regarding teen pregnancy.HypothesisThe study does not state a hypothesis, but strives to understand why there is a higher rate of teen pregnancies in rural areas. The study will evaluate the difference between boys and girls views about teen pregnancy. The study only has one main focus, but the study derives different variables of the hypothesis. The study reviews the thoughts as to how teens perceive sex as good, bad, or ambivalent.Study VariablesThe two variables in the study are independent and dependent variables. The independent variables in the study are the essays that the students wrote defining their views about teen pregnancy in rural areas. The dependent variables are the reasons teen pregnancies occur, which include the idea of  whether sexual activity is good or bad. The study reviews the conception teens have of sexual activities, which studies the prevalence regarding beliefs, consequences to actions, and consequences to others (Weiss, 2012).Conceptual Model or Theoretical FrameworkThis study uses the theoretical framework for the study. The theoretical perspective of study analyzes the answers obtained from participates against the Theory of Adolescent Sexual Decision Making theories. These theories measure the decision-making teens use in determining the risk of teen pregnancy. The theoretical framework weights the consequences associated with the risks and how teenage boys and girls perceive teen pregnancy. These perceptions that teens are reporting in the study are weighted against the two ground theories of risk-promoting environments and risky sexual behavior. â€Å"Using constant comparative methods, the data were analyzed using the MAX Qualitative Data Analysis © software† (Weiss, 2012, p. 805).Review of LiteratureThe literature review of the article addresses the issues of low parental guidance as a significant factor to teen making risky behavior decisions. The fact that rural areas indicate that teens view there is nothing much to do is a contributing factor to teen pregnancy. The education regarding sexual behavior and prevention methods were noted to be lacking in the rural areas. This factor indicates that financial support to provide for after school programs contributes to the notation that there is nothing to do for teens. This is a contributing factor to the higher rat e of teen pregnancy in rural communities.Study DesignThe study design was conducted in Florida involving 125 10th grade students. These students consisted of both male and female from age 15 to 17. The students were from an English class and were asked to write an essay on if they thought teen pregnancy was a problem in their community. The teens  wrote the essay during an English class in high school. This study was conducted with the approval of the institutional review board, teacher, and administrator.

Imperialism in Africa

Explain what is meant by the term imperialism. Discuss the causes of imperialism in the 1800s. Kamar Findlay ID# 092165839 Mico University College Imperialism in Africa Mrs. Pitter October 29, 2011 Imperialism is â€Å"the creation and or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationship, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination† (Johnston, 2000. p. 375). In its simplest form Farah and Karls (2001) describes imperialism as one country’s domination of the political, economical and social life of another country.The Europeans imperialism during the 1800s occurs out of the advantages of strong economies, well organized governments and powerful armies and navies. ‘Superior technology including riverboats and telegraph, as well as improved medical knowledge also played a part’ (Esler et al 2009. p. 752). Advances such as the Maxim Machines Guns and steam driven warships were very st rong signals in persuading the Africans and Asian to accept European domination. European imperialism did not begin in the 1800s. European states have had empires in the Americas after 1492 and in South Asia and China.Imperialism has been found in the histories of Japan, the Assyrian Empire, the Chinese Empire, the Roman Empire, Greece, the Persian Empire, and the Ottoman Empire, ancient Egypt, and India and was a basic component in the conquest of weaker state. According to Smith (1998) the word itself, derived from the Latin verb imperare (to command), the Roman concept of imperium, while the actual term ‘Imperialism' was coined in the 16th century, reflecting what are now seen as the imperial policies of Belgium, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain in Africa, Asia, and the Americas.Imperialism not only describes colonial and territorial policies, but also economic and/or military dominance and influence. From about 1870 to 1914, imperialist gain control ov er much of the world. Leading the way were the soldiers, merchants, settlers, missionaries, and explorers. In Europe, imperial expansion found favor with all classes, from bankers and manufacturers to workers. Western imperialism expanded rapidly for a number of reasons. The imperialism in the 1800s resulted from four key factors.First, nationalism created an atmosphere in which rival European countries build empires in their competitive quest for dominance in Europe and indeed the world. Secondly, the Industrial revolution created an extraordinary demand for raw material and new markets, which in essence push industrialized nations to seek over sea territories. Thirdly imperialism rested on the notion of what was called the â€Å"White Mans Burden†. This was a belief that was held by the European powers that it was their responsibility to civilize the people who the belief was pagans.Farah and Karls (2001) lamented that humanitarian impulses inspired many individuals to leav e their secure lives at home and head for distant colonies. The desire was to spread western technology, religion, custom and tradition to those how were seen as the uncivilized. Finally, according to Ellis and Esler (2009) behind the idea of western civilizing mission was the growing since of racial superiority. European races, the lamented, were believed to be superior to all others and domination of the weaker races was simply nature’s way of improving the human species.Nationalism played a vital role in the drive towards imperialism. ‘Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms’ (Athena, 2001. p. 226) . It is also seen as the belief that a nation will benefit from acting independently rather than collectively, emphasizing national rather than international goals Ellis et al (2009) lamented that western leaders claimed that colonies were needed for nationa l security. In the last half of the 1800s European nations visualize them self as the ideal country.If Great Britain started a small colony in distant or Africa, France had to start one too-and so did Belgium, Germany, Italy, Holland, Spain, Portugal and Russia. Nationalism in the extreme promotes the idea of national superiority. Industrialized countries therefore felt they had the right to take control of weaker areas. Countries also tried to increase their power through the control of more land and people. In the 1800s Europe underwent a renewed period of imperialism which was very sophisticated in its nature. Much emphasis was placed on gaining or controlling a colony.The resources and wealth gain from the colony was used to finance war and the army as well as the economy. The stronger a European military gets the more power full that country become in Europe and as such gaining the wealth from a colony could either break or build the power and prestige of a nation. When France for example, moved into West Africa, rival nations such as Britain and Germany seized lands nearby to halt further French expansion. In essence the Europeans taught of the colonies as a source of security. So strong and sophisticated was the sentiment of nationalism that it set of what was known as a ‘Scramble for Africa.West Africa was already known to the European but the interior was untouched. The Belgian king Leopold the second occupies and carry profitable economic activities in the Congo (South Central Africa). Before long Britain, France, Germany and Italy were all lock in a tussle, pressing rivals claim to the region. According to Bickers and Henriot (2000), the scramble was turning out to be bloodshed between European powers. However this was somehow prevented with the calling of the Berlin Conference in Germany by the German Statesman Otto Von Bismarck.This conference was design to reach a peace full agreement over the partition of Africa, but it reflect the ideals of imperialism as only the European powers were invited to the meeting and yet still it was the land of the Africans they were dividing among themselves. The Industrial Revolution of the 1800s knew no borders. The era known as the Industrial Revolution was a period in which fundamental changes occurred in agriculture, textile and metal manufacture, transportation, economic policies and the social structure in England’ (Ashton, 1969. p. 24).Advances in agricultural techniques and practices resulted in an increased supply of food and raw materials, changes in industrial organization and new technology resulted in increased production, efficiency and profits, and the increase in commerce, foreign and domestic, were all conditions which promoted the advent of the Industrial Revolution. ‘The industrial revolution was the most compelling driving force behind imperialism in the 1800s’ (Thompson, 1964. p. 147). The newly build machineries and factory in Europe and the un ited state utilizes tons of raw resources and produces a tremendous amount of manufactured goods.Europe alone could not provide the raw material and the bulk the recourses needed for manufacturing would have to come from outside of Europe. On the same note the European market was becoming overwhelmed with producers and a new market was also needed for the selling of the manufacture goods. As such, face with the desire for well needed raw materials and new markets, the industrialize countries of Europe set out on a quest for new colonies in order to facilitate the needs of their new industrialize cities.Fascinatingly the areas such as East Asia, Africa and the Americas were scarcely known to the Europeans. However the little they know about areas was compelling enough to indicate that these regions amass a huge amount of resources. Thus it is not surprising that these regions would become the safe haven for European exploit of raw material and markets. According Ellis (2009) the indu strial revolution started with the textile industry in Britain and the amount of textile produce was dependent on the availability of cotton.Cotton was grown in huge amount in the regions of North Africa particularly the ancient civilization of Egypt. Cotton was also grown in excessive amount in India and because of this supply it came with little or no surprise that the British would seize the opportunity to colonize and bring these areas under their control. In great demand was raw material such as gold, copper, Rubber, diamond, silver, ivory, steel, Coal, Petroleum. Most of these resources if not all could be found in Africa and areas in the Middle East (Near East).As such these areas became the catalyst of European exploiting and economic activities. The economic demands of the industrial revolution were one of the reasons why these areas with the abundance of resources succumbed to the burden brought by the European imperials ideals. Europeans also ventured on a path to civiliz ed (Civilizing Mission) the people who they themselves claim as uncivilized. The ‘civilizing mission’ as it was term was notably the underlying principle of French and Portuguese  colonial rule  in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.Kuper (1965) lament that it was influential in the French colonies of  Algeria,  French West Africa, and Indochina, and in the Portuguese colonies of Angola, Guinea, Mozambique and Timor . The European colonial powers felt it was their duty to bring  Western Civilization  to what they perceived as backwards peoples. Rather than merely govern colonial peoples, the Europeans would attempt to westernize them in accordance with a colonial ideology known as â€Å"assimilation†. Those who did not practice the Christian faith were seen as pagans and as such it was the ‘white man burden’ (Europeans) to save these people by Christianizing them.According to Esler (2009) during the age of imperialism, growing numbers of catholic and protestant missionaries decided to bring the Christian message to the most remote parts of Africa and Asia. Like many other Europeans and Americans of this period, these missionaries believed that Christianity and Western Civilization together could benefit and transform the world. Educating the people into western education was just another aspect of European conquest as even the education itself was design in such a way to prevent the people from the colonies to accept their own traditions and culture.To achieve these goal missionaries usually set up churches schools and hospitals as well. Esler (2009) explained that some Europeans seized on the theory of Social Darwinism as a proof of their cultural and racial superiority. ‘Social Darwinism’ is a belief, popular in the late Victorian age in England, and America which states that the strongest or fittest should survive and flourish in society while the weak and unfit should be allowed to die’ ( Hawkins, 1997. p. 457).The European adopted this theory and truly put it into effect as one of their reason for conquest and imperial rule was because they saw themselves as the dominant race with the god given right to rule. European during the 1800s and the earlier half of the 1900s view the non-white race of Africa and Asia as barbaric and uncivilized or somewhat a lesser species of the human race. Because of these descriptions the European held it in their view that this race should be control and dominated by the superior race which of course was the Europeans.European domination led to erosion of traditional African and Asian values and destroyed many existing social relationships. Native peoples were forced to work long hard hours for subsistence pay. In an attempt to come to a conclusion, the research done have shown that imperialism in the 1800s was cause out of four key factors. These were the Industrial Revolution, Nationalism, religion and racial superiority. The econom ic demands of the industrial revolution had a profound impact on European economy and the colonies the governed. The more resources came from he colonies the wealthier and more power full the mother country became. In their quest was also to civilized the people of the colonies who the thought were barbaric. As such schools and church alike was established within the colonies. Imperialism was also driven on the basis of racial superiority. The Europeans held the view that they were superior to the colonies over which they dominated. Africa and Asia were the continents that succumb to the imperialist ideals of the 1800s. They were a region with a lot of resources and wealth which was needed to foster economic growth n Europe.Reference Athena,L (2001). Encyclopedia of Nationalism. New Brunswick: Transaction Publishers Ashton, T. S. (1969) The Industrial Revolution. London: Oxford University Press Chambers, J. D. The Workshop of the World. London: Oxford University Press, 1968. Esler, A and Ellis, E (2009) World History. USA: Prentice Hall Farah, A and Karls, A. B (2001) World history: the human experience. USA: McGraw Hill Hawkins, M (1997). Social Darwinism in European and American Thought 1860-1945: Nature and Model and Nature as Threat.London: Cambridge University Press Johnston, Ronald John (2000). The Dictionary of Human Geography (4th ed. ). USA: Wiley-Blackwell Kuper H,(1965) Urbanization and Migration in West Africa . California: Mayfield Publishers Company Bicker,R and Henriot,C (2000) New Frontiers: Imperialism's New Communities in East Asia, 1842–1953. Manchester: Manchester University Press Simon C. Smith, (1998) British Imperialism 1750–1970, Cambridge University Press Thompson, E. P. (1964) The Making of the English Working Class. New York: Pantheon

The Call Centre and Tengo Ltd.

TABLE OF CONTENT INTRODUCTION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 03 POOR CUSTOMER QUALITY†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 03 HIGH LABOR TURNOVER IN THE CALL CENTRE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 04 REMEDY â€Å"TURNOVER†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. 05 IS TURNOVER LIKELY TO BE UNIVERSALLY DYSFUNCTIONAL?†¦ 06 CONCLUSION†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 07 RECOMMENDATIONS†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. 08 REFERENCES†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 12 INTRODUCTION: The main objective that focus on this report is to analysis the â€Å"employee perspective issues† that are mainly concerning and involving the employees who are contribute to the poor services quality of the Tengo Ltd.The report is mainly focusing some key areas that are including some key suggestions and it may be overcome the direct and indirect difficulties that effect employees on their job. Using organizational theories and analyzing the employee’s attitude to justify the information that they provides and forecast some solution as well as recommendations moreover the whole report is mainly based on employee job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, absenteeism and lacks of involvement with job, turnover of the employees which HR strategies are expected to improve relations of employees.The main objectives that focus on this report, how Tengo Ltd can improving their work environment moreover to reduce employees dissatisfaction which get better work performance in the organization. .At the end of the report, there are some detailed recommendations with possible solution will include. The recommendation mainly based on how Tengo Ltd can deal with the upcoming challenges. POOR CUSTOMER QUALITY: In actual fact, Tengo’s poor customer quality can be endorsed the problems of people and the whole process.The new computerized system which required standardizing customer service, develop the management capability to monitor the service quality of Tengo and accelerate the response times is not provide the desired result. Also customer dissatisfaction indicates that the quality of service is not appears a function of workplace technology. The resolution of the poor customer service is supplementary promi sing to arrange in the organization of work. The main impact comes from the restructuring process and in particular way the inflexible severance between units and the awareness of workers in exact areas of customer service.This process mainly removed the job rotation which is expected to show the approach to develop equal advantages of service quality and job satisfaction. High turnover rate in the customer complaints department mainly indicates a lack of essential job satisfaction in the workplace. However this fact is directly related with the employee’s attitudes towards their job. In addition, the growing labor turnover rate at Tengo’s is indicating unconstructive impacts on service quality as well as the new trained workers are replaced with skilled employees.The restructuring process and the job loss are mainly liable to have employee confidence and moral that might be measured to represent the abuse of psychosomatic agreement with a consequent impact on the expr ession of flexible behavior. HIGH LABOR TURNOVER IN THE CALL CENTRE: For analyzing the labor turnover two themes are included at the beginning stage. Firstly the nature of call centre work and the second theme is the work and management at Tengo Ltd. Thaler and Carter (1999) said that, the use of call centre and development criteria are to handle different characteristics of customer relationship management maintains to grow quickly.Mainly the call centre provides both customer service and opportunities of sales to the public. The main considerable issue whether the call centre works is naturally dissatisfying and the lack of diplomacy (means lack of control) and the management performances are liable to be connected with poor employee relation. Slater (1999) noted that, the call centre employees get very little respect from their superior. For that reason they felt more stress. To analyze the Tengo Ltd it has been clearly view that the employees are not satisfied with their work.Fo r the reason of restructuring employees are always stressful and their service quality fall down. The restructuring process mainly detached the job rotation which is the key area to develop the employee ability and get equal advantages of service quality as well as job satisfaction. Frenkel et al. (1999) describe that, the great job satisfaction is being connected by the end appearance of the work. This categorization can be useful where complaint management, for illustration, is expected to stick to the previous, even as the technical help is being possible to be related with concluding.In addition the beginning of differentiation and the task spelization between units can also be talk about comparative to low satisfaction, required multiplicity and boredom as achievable â€Å"push† factors. The additional issue apprehensions terms and conditions of worker at Tengo and it seems that better Tengo and call centre’s (other than pay) existing at other close by call center s. The restructuring and content of morale is too likely to be important. Tengo’s payment method is higher than others call centre. However the work environment is not friendly that’s why employees are discouraged and dissatisfied with their job.The less favorable facilitates includes work longer shift comparing nearby call center’s employees, employees are received few holidays and very few opportunity for training and development. Only payment is not the key criteria to satisfied organization’s employees. The consent meaning of Granny, Smith and Stone (1992) the job satisfaction is an sentimental (called emotional) effect to one’s job, consequential from the present evaluation of real outcomes with individuals that are desired (deserved, expected and so on). REMEDY TURNOVER:For the proper understanding on labor turnover the organization’s management needs to find out some key criteria that are mainly relevant to understand properly for the reason of turnover. The reason of turnover is not always showing the bad things happen in the organization. However, the perspective of business analysis turnover is not bringing good things for the organization in most of the time. The criteria that management needs to address: 1. Who/who is not leaving the organization? 2. Why they are leaving/ staying in the organization? 3.Where are the leavers departing to work (if somewhere)? To analyze this case study, many reasons that happens to leave the workplace at Tengo Ltd. According to this report several criteria can be found why employees are leaving their workplace. Employees are dissatisfied about their job Impact of restructuring for that reason job rotation is being removed Work environment is not friendly Work in longer shifts and getting fewer holidays Lack of training and development Rigid workplace Job redesigns that why some employees lost their job. Less employee priorityReduce training and development cost that’s why it’s not effectives Lack of promotion The problem arises when restructuring process starts and the new job design implement by the organization. There are mainly three units in this restructuring process level 1, level 2 and level 3. But the main facilitates goes to the level 3 employees who deal the technical work. That affects employee’s moral and turnover increase. On the other hand, before restructuring the employees can moved other departments if they want and this process they cannot felt boring and they got the trained to take on a multiplicity of roles.However, after the restructuring process the customer service director divided the employee’s responsibility of every department and give restriction for going other departments to improve the employees. Even though, this process cannot work properly and after two months, 25 percent of new recruits employees left the job. Kemery et al. (1985) said that, most of the stressful jobs are directly connected to intention to leave the organization. In that case, the management needs to identify with the dynamic of labor turnover and to recognize outline of turnover that might contain a negative result on the employee performance.For doing this work organization obtain immediate approach and search for the categorization of former or present patterns of turnover during exit interviews and analysis of turnover data. Besides such an approach, the organizational management might too be proactive in looking for the identification and address the interior drovers of turnover throughout attitude survey of employee and appropriate responses to â€Å"head-off† any probable problems. IS TURNOVER LIKELY TO BE UNIVERSALLY DYSFUNCTIONAL?Constantly the turnover is visibly affecting the customer service quality at Tengo Ltd. However some turnover is expected to be functional somewhere it directs to the failure of poor performance or individuals inappropriate to the work place. Although this sit uation become visible to be the case in the complaints unit where after passing a short time the new recruits are leaving from the organization. Although this turnover emerge to specify a collapse in employee training and selection. Fried et al. (2008) describe a remarkable step.They analyze and found that the role anxiety was directly connected to the individuals work performance during the job satisfaction and was ultimately connected to job performance during tendency to leave. The process of recruitment and selection criteria is not working appropriately in the Tengo Ltd. However Tengo’s Payment method is higher comparing others call centre even it is creating problem when management decide to reduce the training and development cost as lower as possible. The new recruit’s workers are not getting proper training from the organization.Even though the newly recruits employees are working with the present experienced employees. The gap is too high between newly recrui ts and experienced employees since the newly recruits employees are not well trained. For the reason of job redesign process 25 percent of new recruit’s employees ware being leave there job within two months. Wilton (2010) described that, the majority of employee turnover can be measured dysfunctional for the multiplicity of reasons and the reasons are failure of knowledge/skill, worse return on speculation in HRD, indicative of wider worker relations problems.CONCLUSION: Here the solution would appear to be relevant whether the Tengo’s management was looking for poor service quality as well as high labor turnover. The possible scheme might be contain the reintroduction of several job rotation and connected with cross-training program, enhanced the effective selection and recruitments processes to ensure pragmatic job preview, more emphasize for training and development program moreover present benchmarking implementation by focusing terms and conditions of employ rela tion to that of opponent. RECOMMENDATIONS:After analyzing this case study and current situation of Tengo Ltd, following criteria would be focus for recommended to the managers of this call centres. Determining the job satisfaction in the course of evaluation: Tengo’s HR manager must assess the overall job satisfaction of the employees moreover why employees are not satisfied when they got the high payment comparing others call centre. In addition the job satisfaction is very sensitive issue which is mainly consequential from the evaluation of jobs based on several assured features.However the evaluation procedure might be included following criteria: 1. Survey research: HR manager at Tengo Ltd should accomplish survey research among all the employees who works in Tengo Ltd to verify the job satisfaction level. The survey has been taken by two ways that are verbal and written process moreover the written process is more effective comparing to the verbal process. In addition th e written survey process is more realistic, reliable, cost effective and more accurate.On this written survey research process the question for the employees might be â€Å"what issue/issues is/are mainly the big reason for employee job dissatisfaction? † 2. Rating method: moreover another way to measure the employee’s job satisfaction is the rating method. The rating method mainly includes two ways measuring criteria. Single global technique and summation score technique. However the global rating method is mainly based on the single question technique that is judging all the characteristic of job satisfaction and how much satisfied the employees about their job as well.In addition, the summations score technique measures all the aspects of job and ask the questions for employees that includes the entire characteristic of jobs and determine each and every job feature separately. To measure the job satisfaction at Tengo Ltd, the summation score technique is more effect ive rather than global rating method. Enhance to use the summation technique the managers would be able to measure every characteristics individually moreover that includes supervision, recent pay scale, effective relationship with co workers, nature of work environment.Adding up the company would be use a rating scale that mainly called liker scale moreover it includes 1 to 5 consequent points. The rating scale might be related to â€Å"highly dissatisfied and highly satisfied†. However this process is very easy for employees since employees would be able to circle the best suitable number for all characteristic and at last all score would be calculate for getting the appropriate result. Performance evaluation: performance evaluation is another criterion that HR manager must practice during Tengo’s development process.Under this evaluation program managers have to set up several development processes that are implement for access to every employees in this organizatio n. Furthermore, the call centres advisors should be expectant to generate their individual’s personal development plans, for that reason being they might be develop as well as monitor their individual performance. Learning as well as training: training program creating employees more effectives. Tengo must provide the training program for their employees to achieve organizational goals and improving their work quality as well.The first task is to identify the training needs for the organization and this responsibility goes to the HR managers. In addition managers can use training needs analysis process that helps to identify what types of training are recommended for the organization. Moreover this process might be completed during a formal training survey that accomplishes all employees in Tengo’s. 1. On the job training: on the job training is more effective. The long service employees might be locating as advisor and to train the recent and newly recruits employees. This process is very helpful to know how to perform better in organization. 2. Team meetings: team meeting is another way to determine employees mind about their work related issue moreover it helps to increase the employee relationship with top management. Tengo’s HR manager should arrange team meeting with employees. They can set up an idea that relates every week team meeting with every employee to find their perspective about job. Moreover it increases the workers productiveness and get better co relationship. 3.In-house course: in-house training program is another term to increase employee’s better performance. Under this program HR manager can accomplish a sessions for organization’s employees in a classroom environment. manager can provide some useful learning materials that includes lecture, open discussions about their work related issue etc. 4. Stimulation: stimulation process can determine the organizational needs. Moreover it mainly focuses what type s of work organization wants from their employees. Furthermore this process is very useful to connect employees with organizational work environment and culture. 5.Seminars: organization can arrange seminar to touch employees mind and build up better relationship. In every month Tengo’s manager can arrange a seminar and briefing them to hit the targets very quickly moreover this is the best way to giving employees feedback that might be very useful to get better performance from employees. Joint consultation of employee relation: employees and top management relationship is improving employees productivity as well as organization’s requirement. Manager can establish joint consultation process to improve employee’s performance as well as fulfil the organization’s demand.Rewarding employees based on performance: to give reward and to get feedback is the best way to encouraging employees performance. The effective reward management should include following c riteria: 1. Monetary pay: monetary pay is the best way to motivate employees. Up to that time the payment criteria at Tengo was based on total time spent in organization, job evaluation grade and hierarchical ranking. However direct monetary pay method is an effective approach which certifies that organizational workers are paid according to their involvement with organization. . Non monetary benefits: this is basically a non-financial reward. This process cans reinforcement employees to emphasize on better performance moreover it also motivates organizational employees. However managers at Tengo Ltd should appear at wide-ranging benefits that are given to employees in other organization. Tengo Ltd can introduce some non-financial benefits like transport service, medical care, life insurance, prize bond etc. 3. Contingency pay method: this method includes some extra pay in agreement with the fundamental pay structure.In some cases basic pay is not enough for employee’s life s urviving factors. For that reason some extra pay like contingency pay helps to motivate employees to better performance in organization. Tengo’s manager must introduce this method to motivate employees. Communication with employees: communication process is well connected with employee’s performance. To get the better performance form employees, the implementation of communication process is very important. The main objectives of this process is to get know employees feedback as well as employee engagement with work. REFERENCES:Fried, Yitzhak, Shirom, A. & Gilbon, S. and Cooper, G (2008), The Medating Effects of Job Satisfaction and Propensity to Leave on Role Stress-Job Performance Relationships: Combining Meta-Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling. International Journal of stress Management, 15, 305-328 Granny, C. Smith, P. and Stone, E. (1992), job satisfaction: advances in research and application, Lexington, MA: Lexington Books. Hemphill, T. A. (2005), US Offs hore Outsourcing of R&D: Accomodating Firm and National Competativeness Perspectives. Innovation: Management, Policy & Practice, 7, 351-356Kemery, E. Bedeian, A. Mossholder, K. and Touliatos, J. 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