What would best constitute an education for men Research Paper

What would best constitute an education for men - Research Paper Example The present education format is focused on providing knowledge to people in order to make them capable of understanding their carrier objectives and be prepared for the next level of education. Many researchers and theorists believe that the current education pattern for men should include some additional subjects, which would help them learn the art of living. The most essential part of education in the modern world is practical life experiences. It has been observed that students from the beginning of their age are fond of stories narrated by their teachers, which are related to society. Men have greater interest towards subjects that are based on practical experiences. Education based on mining is very important for men’s perspective. Mining of natural resources is very important and men are mostly preferred for this purpose. Hence education related to mining is essential for men. Moreover, subjects related to defence, electronics and computers are also equally important for men. Practical experiences and implication of the experiences in the study of students is required in-order to overcome the challenges associated with modern educational system. This research paper focuses on the best compose for the education of men. Education is not only based on academic learning, it is also a cluster of actual life experiences. For an example, subjective matters of physics are not only based on theoretical implications, it is also based on real-time experiments. Experiments are conducted in-order to obtain a real-time observation of the theory discussed during classroom education. It is very essential to understand that learning is the key of life and academic education only can-not provide the required amount of knowledge. Implementation of real-life experiences during education is required to make students understand the use of the subjective matters in practical world. According to essay ‘Learning in the Key of Life’, Spayde tells that academic

Report Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Report - Coursework Example The methods are used in economics, physics, and chemistry, geology, in statistics, in operational research and in other disciplines. The ride has 100 metres of fencing to make a rectangular enclosure as shown. It will use existing walls for two sides of the enclosure, and leave an opening of 2 metres for a gate as shown below we are to show that the area of the enclosure is given by: A = 102x – x2 further we are to calculate the maximum possible area. The snacks will be provided in a box with a lid made by removing squares from each corner of a rectangular piece of card and then folding up the sides as shown in below figure. The box is made with a piece of cardboard that is 40 cm by 40 cm. To arrive at the many conclusions, the particular mathematical modeling techniques used was differentiation. It mostly involved finding the maxima and minima of the various mathematical expressions that were already given or else arrived at. The results show that the maximum and minimum heights for feel the fear roller coaster are 36 meters and -14. 1815 meters respectively. The difference between the two was found to amount to 50.815 meters. On the other hand, The Giant roller coaster is 36. 434 at its maximum and -96.434 at its minimum this roller coaster starts at the ground level. For the case of the enclosure the maximum possible area was found to be the2601 square meters where the width is 51. Finally the dimensions of the snack box that yield maximum volume are as follows 6.67 cm x 13.33 cm x 26.67 cm. in this case the maximum volume is 2370.37 cubic

British Government Essay Example for Free

British Government Essay Evaluate different methods of estimating the current extinction rate. Do you think that humans will induce a mass extinction on the same scale as the Big Five? Introduction: There is consensus in the scientific community that the current massive degradation of habitat and extinction of many of the Earths biota is unprecedented and is taking place on a catastrophically short timescale. Based on extinction rates estimated to be thousands of times the background rate, figures approaching 30% extermination of all species by the mid 21st century are not unrealistic, an event comparable to some of the catastrophic mass extinction events of the past. The current rate of rainforest destruction poses a profound threat to species diversity. Likewise, the degradation of the marine ecosystems is directly evident through the denudation of species that were once dominant and integral to such ecosystems. Indeed, this colloquium is framed by a view that if the current global extinction event is of the magnitude that seems to be well indicated by the data at hand, then its effects will fundamentally reset the future evolution of the planets biota. Robert Whittaker recognized an additional kingdom for the Fungi. The resulting five-kingdom system, proposed in 1969, has become a popular standard and with some refinement is still used in many works, or forms the basis for newer multi-kingdom systems. It is based mainly on differences in nutrition: his Plantae were mostly multicellular autotrophs, his Animalia multicellular, heterotrophs and his Fungi multicellular saprotrophs. The remaining two kingdoms, Protista and Monera, included unicellular and simple cellular colonies. Extinction rates in the fossil records: The time at which an organism is classified as becoming extinct is when the youngest fossil of its form is found. It is likely that there would have been later examples of the organism present, which were simply not preserved. It is known that some genera have existed for long periods around this time without leaving any known fossil record by the phenomena of Lazarus taxa. It is believed that these organisms were simply not preserved during the time they are missing, or preserved in offshore sediments as yet undiscovered. This may also be the case with many other organisms creating the illusion they are becoming extinct before they are in reality. Ecological Evolutionary Factor affecting the past extinction: Many claim that human activity caused a large scale of plants and animals extinction. The others claim that human caused extinctions are on a similar scale to those that occurred 65 million years ago at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary eras when most species perished including the dinosaurs. This causes two distinct worries: (1) The loss of species will harm humans (2) Quite apart from any harm to humans; there is a duty to prevent ecocide. According to Peter Raven (National Academy of Science) â€Å"We are confronting an episode of species extinction greater than anything the world has experienced for the past 65 million years. Of all the global problems that confront us, this is the one that is moving the most rapidly and the one that will have the most serious consequences. And, unlike other global ecological problems, it is completely irreversible. † Different people evaluate this duty differently. Since the purpose of these pages is establish the sustainability of material progress, Ill take the view that although biodiversity is an important amenity, we are mainly concerned with the extent to which losses of diversity are a threat to human progress. One interesting fact in the article concerns the effect of an increase in temperature on the north-south range of a plant species, especially of trees. It turns out that the northern limit of a species is determined by temperature. As that limit is approached the rate of growth goes to zero. However, the rate of growth of a species does not decline as it approaches the southern limit of its range but remains stable or even increases. What determines a species’ southern boundary is competition from other species that require high temperatures. For this reason the southern boundary of a species is likely to change slowly as its territory is gradually invaded by species liking warm temperature. The invasion is likely to begin in gaps caused by logging and various kinds of die-off. According to Lord Robert May (FRS)-Chief Scientific Adviser to the British Government. â€Å"Hardly a day passes without one being told that tropical deforestation is extinguishing roughly one species every hour, or maybe even one every minute. Such guesstimates are based on approximate species-area relations, along with assessments of current rates of deforestation and guesses at the global total number of species (which range from 5 to 80 million or more. ) While such figures arguably have a purpose in capturing public attention, there is a clear and increasing need for better estimates of impending rates of extinction, based on a keener understanding of extinction rates in the recent and far past, and on the underlying ecological and evolutionary causes. † Scientists who worry about extinctions often agree that the world will reach a new equilibrium as temperature increases assuming it does. However, they worry that the rate of increase of temperature is unprecedented and that species, especially of plants, will migrate northward too slowly and become extinct. Roughly 43 percent of the earth’s terrestrial vegetated surface has diminished capacity to supply benefit to humanity because of the recent, direct impacts of the land use. This represents 10 percent reduction in potential direct instrumental value (PDIV), defined as the potential to yield direct benefits such as agricultural, forestry, industrial and medical products. Capitalizing on the natural recovery mechanisms is urgently needed to prevent further irreversible degradation and to retain the multiple values of productive land. Differences in extinction rates among groups: Estimated Future extinction rates from the species area relations: A better way of studying rates of complete biota extinction levels has been developed with the analysis of isotopic ratios of Carbon. When life is abundant there is almost completely carbon-12 within the geological record. Enzymes within organisms, passing into organic matter faster, more efficiently accept this isotope, which becomes lithified into rock. At times of lowered biotic activity, such as at an extinction event when a lot of life has been killed, the ratio of carbon-13 within the rocks will be higher as a higher proportion of carbon will be being fixed as carbonates inorganically. Inorganic precipitation of carbon does not differentiate between the different isotopes of carbon as life does. By analyses of carbon isotope ratios it is then possible to see, by peaks in the carbon-13, at what times there has been a reduction of biotic activity. This is independent of whether organisms present are being preserved or not, and shows at what rates the extinction is occurring. Estimated future extinction rates from IUCN red Lists: Recent extinction rates are 100 to 1000 times their pre-human levels well known, but taxonomically diverse groups from widely different environments. If all species currently deemed threatened become extinct in the next century, then the future extinction rates will be 10 times recent rates. Although new technology provides details on habitat losses, estimates of future extinctions are hampered by our limited knowledge of which areas are rich in endemics. The 2004 IUCN Red List contains 15,589 species threatened with extinction. The assessment includes species from a broad range of taxonomic groups including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, and fungi. However, this figure is an underestimate of the total number of threatened species as it is based on an assessment of less than 3% of the world’s 1. 9 million described species. Among major species groups, the percentage of threatened species ranges between 12% and 52%. The IUCN Red List identifies 12% of birds as threatened, 23% of mammals, and 32% of amphibians. Although reptiles have not been completely assessed, the turtles and tortoises are relatively well reviewed with 42% threatened. Fishes are also poorly represented, but roughly a third of sharks, rays and chimaeras have been assessed and 18% of this group is threatened. Regional case studies on freshwater fishes indicate that these species might be more threatened than marine species. For example, 27% of the freshwater species assessed in Eastern Africa were listed as threatened. Of plants, only conifers and cycads have been completely assessed with 25% and 52% threatened respectively. References: Robert M. May, John H. Lawton and Nigel E. Stork. â€Å" Assessing Extinction Rates† â€Å"Extinction Rate Analysis† http://palaeo. gly. bris. ac. uk/Palaeofiles/Permian/rateanalysis. html â€Å"Restoring the value to the worlds degraded Lands† Gretchen C. Daily â€Å"The future of biodiversity â€Å" Stuart L. Pimm, Gareth j. Russell, John L. Gittleman ,Thomas M. Brook â€Å"IUCN Red List of Threatened Species†http://www. iucn. org/themes/ssc/red_list_2004/GSAexecsumm_EN. htm References: IUCN 2001. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3. 1. IUCN Species Survival Commission, IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK, pp. ii+30. Parr C. S. and Cummings M. P. 2005. Data sharing in ecology and evolution. Trends Ecol. Evol. 20: 362–363. Purvis A. and Rambaut A. 1995. Comparative analysis by independent contrasts (CAIC): an Apple Macintosh application for analysing comparative data. Comput. Appl. Biosci. 11: 247–251. Sherwood, Keith and Craig Idso (2003) â€Å"The Specter of Species Extinction Will Global Warming Decimate Earths Biosphere? † 2003 September John Lawton and Robert May â€Å"BIODIVERSITY AND EXTINCTION RATES† 17-May-2004) www-formal. stanford. edu/jmc/progress/biodiversity. html

Problem Faced By The Tourism Industry

Problem Faced By The Tourism Industry 1.0 Introduction: 1.1Background/ Preamble: In todays world the top three most important industries are telecom, tourism and IT. According to some estimates tourism shares 11% of the total worlds employment and around 100 million were employed in tourism industry during 2008. Tourism sectors around the world have shown phenomenal growth. Over the last quarter of a century it has grown by 500%. Many economically weak countries are generating their largest share of GDP from the tourism sector. Thailands tourist industry started to grow when Thailand launched Visit Thailand Year in 1987. This growth remained constant despite the Gulf war in 1991. This growth period is called as the Golden Decade of Thai Tourism. Economic growth of Thailand also proved to be very helpful for the growth of the tourism sector over the years. According to an official research the tourists coming to Thailand had reached an astonishing 42.5 million. The focus on Thailands government was not the only reason for its growth of the sector; there were other factors which helped the growth. These factors include the prevailing peace after the Cold War, the overall expansion of the countries in the pacific regions, the focus on tourism in the countries around Thailand, the growth and feasibility of the trade between countries, the innovations in the airline sector, the innovations in telecom industry which increased the feasibility of communication and others. The fact that all these factors were very helpful for the growth of Thailands tourism industry was that it was the first country to recognize the advantages of the tourism and set out to implement its tourism campaigns. Thailand also had location advantages as a tourist country as the tourist coming to Thailand also had the option to go either to China or India which are also one of the leading tourist countries. Following the growth of tourism in Thailand was the growth on middle income class. The later growth stimulated the desire of Thais to travel abroad too. The growth in local tourists has over all declined the net income from the tourism sector of Thailand. Currently tourism sector of Thailand has a 6.5 percent share in the GDP. Although the tourism industry of Thailand is very flourishing, but it still lags behind other sectors, such as manufacturing and services. Tourists coming to Thailand spend 16 billion dollar each year and spend 9 days in Thailand on average. Foreign visitors are not the only tourists Thailand depends on. The local residents of Thailand are also a major part of the tourists. Although the amount spent by these tourists is far less than the foreign tourists. In 2008 more than half of the international tourists were from East Asia, Malaysia and Japan. Malaysian visitors have a majority in the overall number of foreign investors to the country. European countries give close to 25% of the total number of visitors. Around 700,000 Australians visited Thailand in 2008; the number is huge when compared to the total residents in Australia. 1.2 Trends from 2007 to 2011 The number of tourists in the 1stQtr and 2ndQtr of 2009 was around 3.6m and 2.9m respectively. The numbers of tourists were lower than the 1stQtrs of 07 and 08. In the 3rdQtr/09 the no. of visitors is similar to that of both 07 and 08. In the 1stQtr/09 there was the highest number of visitors than the previous two years. The no. of visitors was highest during the 1stQtr/10. Due to the political instability from April to May 10, the number of visitors was low. The number of visitors was lower by about 1 to 2 million during year 09 and year 10. Still the number of arrivals in year 10 was record breaking. This shows that visitors forget the instabilities in only around 2 to 3 months. 2.0 Literature review Countries around the world are facing several problems with the tourism industry. Looking at the current trends there are a number of factors affecting tourism industries. Some of these factors are economic factors, technological factors, political factors, demographic factors and cultural factors. 2.1 Economic factors: Economic factors of both the host and the visitors country impacts a countrys tourism industry. The overall buying power of the visitors acts as a very important determinant for the tourist industry. In some countries the cost the vacations is very high. This discourages visitors from going to the specific country. On the other hand some countries offer cheap vacation packages allowing more visitors to come to their country. Over all global prosperity also plays a very important role. If the over all economical condition of countries is good this means in most cases that the purchasing power is higher in those countries. When the standards of living are better and the purchasing power is better people can afford more luxuries. Tourism is also considered as a luxury and the overall numbers of tourists from the specific countries grow. Thailand is one of the favorite places for tourists as it provides every thing that tourists want. Low cost and high quality services, beautiful beaches and natural environment. This also backfires for the host country at many places. Due to higher economic growth in the host country, the residents of the country also will to go abroad for vacations. This causes outflow of money from the economy known as leakage. The overall outflow is then balanced by the inflow of currency from other countries. The net income from the tourism industry of the host country is lowered over all due to the local population going abroad for vacations. Inflation is also a very important determinant when it comes to tourism sector. If the inflation rate is higher in the host country compared to the visitors country, the overall spending by the visitors is low in the economy as the price of products and services is higher in the host country. On the other hand if the inflation is lower in the host country compared to the visitors country, visitors tend to spend more in the host country. Thailand is facing a high inflation rate because of increase in the prices of crude oil but the problem is global. But due to difference in exchange rates inflation does not have a major impact on the tourist industry. For example, the appreciation of the euro against the US dollar has increased the number of EU tourists in Thailand. Along with this the purchasing power of Americans in Thailand has been stable, despite the depreciation of the dollar. In order to maintain the price competitiveness of exports the bank of Thailand has not allowed the Baht to appreciate against the dollar. The baht is under upward pressure, and it has an adverse affect on Thailands tourist industry. Thailands low price level has made it a most reasonable tourist place. 2.2 Technological factors In the current era aviation technology has seen a lot of advancements. Now days the major cause of inflation in many countries is the increase in fuel prices, but it also greatly hampers the tourism sector. As the increase in the fuel prices also increase the airline ticket prices. Therefore aircraft building companies are bringing a lot of innovation to the air craft designs. Due to this reason the over all air fare is greatly reduced. Countries now pay attention to keep the best and most technologically advanced planes at their main airports so that more visitors can come in. Infrastructure is very important factor for tourists on vacations. Tourism is considered as luxury act and tourists from across the world want the best or atleast sufficient infrastructure in the country they are about to visit. Example, Dubai is considered a famous tourist location only because it has better infrastructure than many other countries in its region. Tourists when think of Dubai, they know that it will be a place where they will have all the facilities that they might require; this is a global mind set for most of the tourists. Countries therefore must spend heavily on their infrastructure for the growth in the tourism sector. Now days the use of IT has been a focus of most of the countries. People around the world are now more used to of IT than any other mode of communication. Even visitors now days search online for holiday packages. Countries must make sure that ample information is available relating to their country and tourist spots which people around the world can see and be motivated to visit their country. 2.3 Political factors Visitors avoid areas of political unrest mainly when they visit other countries for vacations. This is mostly because of the mindset that people want to enjoy and relax during the vacations. An extreme example can of Egypt currently. Due to the protests for the change of president and protests in previous months the overall tourist industry of Egypt has recently collapsed. In order to achieve a liberal democracy, Thailands economy is facing a fluctuating and worsening political condition. However as tourists are mostly not interested in any countrys political condition then the political instability would not affect the tourism industry. Instable security conditions can be a major problem for the tourism industry. However research shows that if there is any instability in some parts of the country and the political turmoil is happening in a local area then it would not have a major impact on the tourist industry. Such as worsening of political condition in the southern province of Thailand does not have a declining impact on the tourist industry. However if the political instability increases and reaches other parts of the country it will boost tourists insecurity and fear. It will build a negative perception in the minds of tourists about that place. Also it might have a negative impact on tourists plans for example, if the crisis in Thailand increase s and reaches other parts of the country than it might have a n adverse affect on the tourist industry _ bomb blasts in Bangkok has led to a negative affect on the development of the tourist Industry. Individual and situational characteristics have affected tourists a lot because of the availability on information. It should be considered when taking in the account the security of tourist destinations, that the political instability is exaggerated by the news reporting. Several incidents in Thailand such as terrorists strike are given greater importance by the media than major road accidents. Road accidents in Thailand create a major security risk than a political unrest- and tourists are out most of their time and face many traffic jams every day. How ever Thailand is fairly a safe place than several other countries. Except for political instability, terrorism also has an indirect relation with the amount of tourists visiting a country. Terrorists also try to target the most important sites of a country to spread their terror. Most of these sites are the same sites to which tourists around the world come to visit. An example can be the pyramids of Geza which can we seen as an ideal spot for terrorists to attack. Thea Sinclair and Adam Blake of WTO said The contribution of tourism and travel to both industrialized and developing countries is now so great that any downturns in the level of activity are a cause for concern. The repercussions extend beyond activities directly associated with tourism, notably airlines, hotels and catering, to sectors that supply intermediate or final goods that are purchased by firms and employees in the industry, so that all sectors of the economy are affected to a greater or lesser effect. In the above quotation they are clearly pointing out the adverse impact of terrorist activities on tourism industry and how this adverse impact amplifies over time. Examples can be of cases from target killing of tourists in Egypt, bombing in Nairobi, hijacking of planes for the 9/11 attack etc. These activities not only collapse the tourist industry of the specific countries, but it also impacts the overall global growth of tourism. As mentioned above 9/11 had one of the most harmful impacts on global tourism industry. The overall impact of the 9/11 attacks cannot be measured but according to an estimate but it lowered world tourism by 10%. To regain the confidence most of the countries are using several encouragement tools such as lowering their air fares. 2.4 Demographic Factors Demographics of countries also impact the tourism industry. Living patterns and population affects both the demand of tourists and the supply of labour in the tourist industry. Example the overall percentage of tourists from Australia is higher though their population is lower than many other countries. 2.5 Cultural factors It cannot be ignored that culture is one of the strongest factors affecting the tourist numbers. It can be crucial point when it comes to competitiveness between the countries. Tourism nowdays basically stems out of cultural attractions. And this is this bond of culture and tourism that makes a destination more attractive than other to either go as a tourist, employee, investor or emigrant. 3 Objectives of the study The main purpose of this study is: To find out what are the current social problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current economical problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current infrastructure problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out how tourism industry of Thailand is suffering due to the current political situation of the country. To find out what are the current demographical problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current technological problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. To find out what are the current demographical problems Thailand is facing regarding its tourism industry. 3.1 Limitations: In order to conduct this study few limitations will be faced as well, such as: Geographical research limitations are our first constraint. The target audience is large in number and it will be very difficult to interact with every tourist of Thailand. We will not be able to cover all the minor problems related to the sector. Some of the official analysis by the Thai govt may be restricted to us. Time is also a big issue which will make our research limited. 3.2 Scope: In this study we will be focusing on the current economical condition of Thailand. We will relate different economical variables with the tourist sector. These variables can range from inflation to exchange rates. By looking at the previous trends of growth we will try to analyse the future growth of the Thailands tourism sector. Through online or paper questionnaires we will try to find out what problems are tourists in Thailand facing. 3.3 Assumptions: The assumptions we will take in this study are: The sample size of our research shows the majority of the tourists coming to Thailand The situation of Thailand remains stable during our research. Data gathered from TDRI is accurate. 4.0 Research Methodology: 4.1 Research Design: In order to understand the problems affecting the tourism industry we will first measure the effect of each of the variables on the over all tourism industry of Thailand. In exploring these variables several different studies will be taken under as secondary data to build the foundation. Apart from this, several tourists perception surveys will be conducted to develop a deeper understanding. In order to insure that all the variables are covered we will attach specific weight ages to the variables and the results will be both qualitative and quantitative in nature. 4.2 Procedure: Problem Statement Study of Thailands economy: Basic understanding of the different sectors, Problems Thailand is facing as a country, Understanding of the Thailands tourism industry foreign perspective: Introduction of the sector, Growth of the sector, Comparison the to the other countrys tourism industries, Past trends of the sector, -In-depth research on forces which previously moved the market globally and in relation to Thai tourism: Economic forces, Political forces, Demographic forces, Technological forces, Primary research: Questionnaire In-depth Questionnaire, Hypothetical offers, In-depth Analysis, Conclusion: Problems and challenges faced by Thailands tourism industry, Recommendations for the Thai government as a whole, 4.3 Sample: The sample size will be consisting of 100 tourists both local and international. Interviews will be taken from famous economic analysts for in-depth research. 4.4 Measurement/ Instrument Selection: Data Collection: Data will be collected through both secondary and primary sources. Primary data will be collected after complete analysis of available secondary data. Method of Data Collection: Interviews: interviews will be taken from both the tourists and economic analysts. Data gathered from the tourists will be used to form a perception chart of Thailand as a whole and the information gathered from the experts will just be used to see if the research is going on the right track and nothing is being missed out. Structured questionnaire: For the collection of primary data, in depth structured questionnaires will be developed. 4.5 Variables: The variables will be incorporated at the later stages, as the research will proceed. 4.6 Hypotheses: Hypothesis will be incorporated at later stages. 4.7 Software employed: We will use Spreadsheet and SPSS software in during our study.

Knowledge Management and Instructional Technology Essay -- Knowledge M

Knowledge Management and Instructional Technology The new "buzz word" in many corporate circles currently is the term "Knowledge Management or K.M." KM is considered mostly a role for the Information Technologist because of its storage of the company's information on databases. Because of the "info-glut" that is occurring in many corporations, K.M. is strongly becoming the role for the Instructional Technologist to group that information into training modules for the corporate Intranet, so that the corporation's employees can retrieve the "knowledge" in a real-time, need-to-know basis. In this white paper, I will define Knowledge Management from a business and an educational perspective. I will also discuss two basic strategies for Knowledge Management and the role the Instructional Technologist will have in the process. What is Knowledge Management? From the business perspective, the definition of Knowledge Management from the Business College of the University of Texas is The systematic process of finding, selecting, organizing, distilling, and presenting information in a way that improves an employee's comprehension in a specific area of interest. Knowledge management helps the organization to gain insight and understanding from its own experience. Specific Knowledge Management activities help focus the organization on acquiring, storing and utilizing knowledge for such things as problem-solving, dynamic learning, strategic planning and decision making (1998). In the article "Intellectual Capital and You" in Training Magazine, Knowledge Management is defined as " An effort to capture or tap an organization's collective experience and wisdom- including the tacit know-how that exists in people's head... ...eved September 17, 1999 from EBSCO Business Search on the Galileo: http://www.galileo.gsu.edu. Gordon, J. (1999). The whole enchilada: intellectual capital and you. Training Magazine Retrieved on September 13, 1999 from Training Supersite: http: //www.trainingsupersite.com/publications/magazines/training/909cover.htm Hansen, M., Nohria, N. & Tierney, T. ( 1999, March-April). What's your strategy for managing knowledge? Harvard Business Review, reprint 990206 Mudge, A. (1999, April-May). Knowledge Management: Do we know that we know? Communication World, (16)5, Retrieved on September 17, 1999 from EBSCO Business Search: http://mariner.galileo.gsu.edu Van Buren, M. (1999, May). A yardstick for knowledge management, Training & Development, (53)5 pp. 71+ Retrieved on September 17, 1999 from EBSCO Business Search on Galileo: http://mariner.galileo.gsu.edu

Breaking Free in The Matrix Essays -- Movie Film Essays

Breaking Free in The Matrix      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau begins his infamous discourse The Social Contract by stating, "Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains. One thinks himself the master of others, and still remains a greater slave than they." Both Plato's "Allegory of the Cave" from The Republic and the Wachowski Brothers' hit film The Matrix discuss man's efforts on his journey towards illumination to break free of his chains and then liberate others imprisoned. While definite connections exist between the allegory and The Matrix, Plato and the Wachowski Brothers present different paths that one may take to achieve that end. The Matrix utilizes the symbolic figure of a hero, Nietzsche's ÃÅ"bermensch, who through fate acquires the responsibility of enlightening all, while Plato presents an individual journey in which others may act as guides but one attains enlightenment through one's desire for knowledge.    Throughout The Matrix, the Wachowski Brothers insert obvious hints of unusual skills that separate Neo from the other rebels. The film tells the story of the search for "the One" who will free the human race from its enslavement by the machines. "The One" possesses unique abilities and can manipulate the Matrix in ways that no other human has been able. Despite Neo's claim that "I'm nobody," he exhibits more "superhuman" qualities as the film progresses. Tank indicates, "He's a machine," able to spend hours learning kung fu, and Mouse notices while Neo fights Morpheus that "his neural kinetics are way above normal." Ironically at the beginning of the movie Neo's boss reprimands him for tardiness, saying, "You think you are special, th... ... Plato and the Wachowski Brothers' interpretations of the course to enlightenment differ greatly in their perspectives. As the ÃÅ"bermensch, Neo must challenge the ingrained values of society, wake the sleeping human race, and free it from the grasp of the Matrix. Plato dismisses Nietzsche's idea and instead describes a path similar to that of Hermann Hesse's Siddhartha, who realizes that an enlightened one cannot enlighten others but merely lead the way. While sporadically man still follows the ÃÅ"bermensch, Plato's process has entered society's mainstream, serving as the most frequently traveled path to enlightenment.    Sources Cited    Plato. The Republic. Trans. Benjamin Jowett. Mineola: Dover Publications, 2000. The Matrix. Dir. The Wachowski Brothers. Perf. Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne. Videocassette. Warner Home Video, 1999.   

Energy Production Opportunities From Community Waste Water Environmental Sciences Essay

In 2002 and 2003, the late Richard Errett Smalley ( 1943-2005 ) , Nobel Laureate in Chemistry ( 1996 ) , devised a list of the 10 most urgent jobs confronting humanity in the following decennaries [ 1 ] . Clean H2O was ranked as the 2nd most of import challenge for world. The standard that Smalley used to rank these jobs was their impact on other facets of human life. Water straight influences critical countries such as wellness and sanitation, resource efficiency and the protection of the environment. Urban H2O ingestion varies mostly from over 1 Ts per capita in developed states ‘ larger metropoliss to simply 3 L in the 3rd universe ‘s urban countries [ 2 ] . In the US, approximately 3 % of the one-year energy ingestion ( 75,000 to 100,000 GWh a twelvemonth ) is used to handle H2O and waste H2O in municipal installations [ 3 ] . In the peculiar instance of efficient waste H2O intervention, it is interesting that the cardinal literally lies in the job itself: waste H2O contains 9 times more energy than is used to handle it [ 4 ] . This means that H2O has a antic renewable potency, fact which is of great relevancy for a proper ecological record and for countries where clean H2O is merely barely available. A twosome of methods for roll uping energy from waste H2O have been tried with assorted grades of success. Biogas production through the agitation of organic affair is the most normally used method and presently has a recovery efficiency of approximately 40 % [ 5 ] , [ 6 ] . Sludge incineration is besides used in order to dispose of solid affair and generate thermic energy for intervention workss [ 6 ] . Rearward osmosis, which has proven its efficiency in handling salt H2O, late entered use for cleaning industrial waste H2O [ 7 ] . Apart from these conventional methods, several new attacks have been studied, taking at a better energetic efficiency. The Microbial Fuel Cells ( MFCs ) are at the head of these fresh promotions [ 8 ] . A MFC typically works this manner: at the anode the organic affair is oxidized by micro-organisms ; the negatrons so travel through an external conductive wire to the cathode, therefore bring forthing electrical energy, while protons are transferred through a proton-exchange membrane. At the cathode, the negatrons combine with the protons and with O from the ambiance and form clean H2O. For the clip being, development is still in an early phase and important work has to be done for obtaining designs that can do MFCs feasible for all-out applications. The simplified theoretical account of a MFC is shown in Figure 1. Another possibility for H2O purification, already in usage as a desalinization engineering, is utilizing solar energy in a solar-still of assorted forms and designs – Figure 2 [ 9 ] .2. Short description of Buzau waste H2O intervention unitI was really excited by the proposed subject and so I decided to see with my ain eyes a waste H2O intervention unit. I chose the Waste Water Treatment Unit from the metropolis of Buzau ( WWTUB ) , as it corresponds to European Council Directive [ 10 ] , and I was given all the necessary information and the chance to take exposures of the chief constituents of the installing. In the Figure 3 the chief constituents of the unit are presented. The station is designed to function an tantamount population of 235,000, handling more than 72,000 m3/day of waste H2O. Under certain conditions conditions, a partial intervention of up to 120,000 m3/day is possible. The station treats waste H2O, pluvial H2O and industrial H2O after partial intervention. At this clip, WWTUB is handling about 22,000 m3/day of waste H2O ensuing in about 200 m3/day of sludge. The electrical energy necessary is 6,628 kW/day for H2O and 212 kW/day for sludge, ensuing in a monthly ingestion of about 212,040 kilowatts. From the biogas that is obtained about 72,540 kilowatts are produced each month, guaranting all thermic energy that is needed for the procedure of sludge treating and for internal usage. From the appraisals of the proficient staff, when the Cogeneration station will be connected to the National Electrical Network, the sum of produced energy will be significantly increased. The chief stairss in the intervention procedure are presented in the Figure 4 and include: – Primary intervention: harsh screen of big objects ; all right screen of big suspensions, littorals, and lubricating oil ; primary deposit. – Secondary intervention: consists of biological intervention through activated sludge and O extract through aeration. After the secondary deposit, 75 % of the sludge is sent back into the circuit, while the remainder of 25 % plus the sludge from the primary deposit is operated on ( through thickener, anaerobiotic digestion and centrifugal desiccation ) ensuing in biogas and solid mass ( fertiliser ) . The biogas is used to obtain electrical and thermic energy through a cogeneration system or a thermic station. – Tertiary intervention: has the intent of extinguishing extra compounds ( N and P ) and to disinfect the H2O. The riddance of N is done biologically by nitrification and subsequent denitrification, which transforms the nitrate into N, which is sent into the ambiance. Phosphorus riddance is performed chemically. The resulting H2O is sent into the Buzau River.3. Practical thoughts for energy efficient community waste H2O interventionFrom the showing of scientific literature, there is clearly an huge energetic potency in waste H2O. Unfortunately, up to this twenty-four hours this potency has been mostly underused, usual waste H2O interventions, although critical, being energy-consuming procedures. As depicted in the simplified diagram of an usual waste H2O intervention works ( Figure 5a ) , there are at least six stairss that require energy, for merely one measure that can bring forth thermic and electrical energy. As mentioned in the debut portion, the two methods that retained my attending were the Microbial Fuel Cell ( MFC ) and Solar Distillation ( SD ) . Even if these methods are in their early phases of development, and may be for the clip being unproductive, they do hold the possible to boom in the hereafter. My thought consists in uniting these methods in what I have named â€Å" A intercrossed MFC-SD waste H2O intervention works † and turn the separate restrictions of both methods into a cumulated advantage. Although such a intercrossed works affecting MFCs and solar stills would still necessitate electrical energy to run ( for all pumping operations ) , we can safely presume that this sort of works will hold a lower ingestion of energy and it could besides bring forth plenty electrical power to prolong itself. As it can be seen by comparing Figures 5a and 5b, the energy consuming/ energy bring forthing stairss ratio is 5/4 ( for the intercrossed works ) , a much better ration t han 6/1 ( for the usual works – Figure 5a ) . There are several advantages of this type of works, schematically represented in Figure 5b, that will be discussed individually for MFCs and solar distillment operations.3.1. Microbial fuel cells and plat-microbial fuel cell operationsSince MFCs and Plant Microbial Fuel Cells ( PMFCs ) [ 11 ] require organic affair to feed the micro-organisms ( chiefly anaerobic bacteriums, such as Shewanella oneidensis and Geobacter sulfurreducens ) , after a first harsh separation of big mechanical drosss, the waste H2O is introduced in the first MFC, where, at the same time with the bacterial debasement of organic affair and subsequent production of electricity, the aqueous slurry is thinning. After the first measure of solar vaporization, the staying slurry has concentrated plenty to be submitted to a 2nd MFC intervention where staying organic affair is farther decomposed by the same bacterium. The staying sludge after a 2nd solar distillment is used as food for the PMFC unit, where farther energ y is produced. The PMFC unit serves besides as a â€Å" baby's room † for bacterial population that is used to sow MFCs 1 and 2, but besides as â€Å" filter † to retain CO2 evolved in the MFCs. Indeed, in order to minimise the cost of the runing units, graphite electrodes can be used, the C easy transforming itself in CO2. Thus, evolved CO2 in MFCs 1 and 2 will function a dual intent: one as portion of the photosynthetic procedure in phytoplankton, algae and aquatic flora in the PMFC, and another one as hydrogen carbonate anion ( HCO3- ) , functioning as a scavenger for heavy metals. However, there are already surveies covering with the decrease of CO2 emanations [ 12 ] . In Figure 6, a PMFC is intuitively represented. The construct of MFCs is comparatively new ( less than a decennary old ) , but at that place already are rivals in the immature market of industrial and semi-industrial microbic cells, such as the Israel-based company, suggestively named Emefcy Co.3.2. Solar distillment operationsThe chief advantage of this operation is obtaining pure H2O at lower costs, a H2O that does n't necessitate a subsequent biological or chemical auxiliary purification measure. A proper design of the solar still could speed up the vaporization and H2O roll uping procedure [ 13 ] . An advantage of solar distillment is that it can besides disinfect the waste H2O, since most micro-organisms are sensitive toward UV radiation [ 14 ] ( that is the ground for which after the SD measure, waste H2O must be re-inseminated with microbic populations from the PMFC ) . However, a certain disadvantage could originate from the location and operating hours of these units. On the other manus, if the location permits it, before its discharge in next watercourses, this H2O could be used to bring forth more electricity in a micro-hydroelectrical works.4. DecisionIn my sentiment, the high energy potency of waste H2O must be regarded in position and with trust in adult male â₠¬Ëœs possible to bring forth efficient solutions. Bearing this in head, we must excite research on utilizing this possible and use the consequences on a graduated table that is going larger and larger. This is the lone manner we will accomplish better practical solutions and lower costs. There have been infinite jobs in world ‘s history that seemed impossible to be solved in an efficient and economical mode. However, we have ever managed, through wonder and doggedness, to happen inexpensive solutions that could be applied at a big graduated table. Take the computing machine, for case. Who would hold thought a twosome of decennaries ago that this machine, that used to make full an full room and was merely accessible to some, would of all time turn out to be literally at manus for about anyone. I am certain that, with the right support, my thought of sublimating H2O utilizing Microbial Fuel Cells and Solar Distillation can go a world excessively!