Guide to Carbon Fiber Material

Guide to Carbon Fiber Material Carbon fiber is, exactly what it sounds like - fiber made of carbon. But, these fibers are only a base. What is commonly referred to as carbon fiber is a material consisting of very thin filaments of carbon atoms. When bound together with plastic polymer resin by heat, pressure or in a vacuum a composite material is formed that is both strong and lightweight. Much like cloth, beaver dams, or a rattan chair, the strength of carbon fiber is in the weave. The more complex the weave, the more durable the composite will be. It is helpful to imagine a wire screen that is interwoven with another screen at an angle, and another at a slightly different angle, and so on, with each wire in each screen made of carbon fiber strands. Now imagine this mesh of screens drenched in liquid plastic, and then pressed or heated until the material fuses together. The angle of the weave, as well as the resin used with the fiber, will determine the strength of the overall composite. The resin is most commonly epoxy, but can also be thermoplastic, polyurethane, vinyl ester, or polyester. DaveAlan/E/Getty Images Alternatively, a mold may be cast and the carbon fibers applied over it. The carbon fiber composite is then allowed to cure, often by a vacuum process. In this method, the mold is used to achieve the desired shape. This technique is preferred for uncomplicated forms that are needed on demand. Carbon fiber material has a wide range of applications, as it can be formed at various densities in limitless shapes and sizes. Carbon fiber is often shaped into tubing, fabric, and cloth, and can be custom-formed into any number of composite parts and pieces. Common Uses of Carbon Fiber High-end automobile componentsBicycle framesFishing rodsShoe solesBaseball batsProtective cases for laptops and iPhones The Apollo IE hypercar. Martyn Lucy/Getty Images   More exotic uses can be found in the: Aeronautics and aerospace industriesOil and gas industryUnmanned aerial vehiclesSatellitesFormula-1 race cars Some would argue, though, that the possibilities for carbon fiber are limited only by demand and the manufacturer’s imagination. Now, it’s even common to find carbon fiber in: Musical instrumentsFurnitureArtStructural elements of buildingsBridgesWind turbine blades   gilaxia/Getty Images If carbon fiber could be said to have any detractions, it would be production cost. Carbon fiber is not easily mass-produced and is therefore very expensive. A carbon fiber bicycle will easily run in the thousands of dollars, and its use in automotive is still limited to exotic racing cars. Carbon fiber is popular in these items and others are due to its weight-to-strength ratio and its resistance to flame, so much so that there is a market for synthetics that look like carbon fiber. However, imitations are often only partially carbon fiber or simply plastic made to look like carbon fiber. This occurs often in after-market protective casings for computers and other small consumer electronics. The upside is that carbon fiber parts and products, if not damaged, will almost literally last forever. This makes them a good investment for consumers, and also keeps products in circulation. For example, if a consumer is not willing to pay for a set of brand new carbon fiber golf clubs, there is a chance those clubs will be pop up on the secondary used market. Carbon fiber is often confused with fiberglass, and while there are similarities in manufacturing and some crossover in end products like furniture and automobile moldings, they are different. Fiberglass is a polymer that is reinforced with woven strands of silica glass rather than carbon. Carbon fiber composites are stronger, while fiberglass has more flexibility. And, both have various chemical compositions that make them better suited for different applications. Recycling carbon fiber is very difficult. The only available method for complete recycling is a process called thermal depolymerization, wherein the carbon fiber product is superheated in an oxygen-free chamber. The freed carbon can then be secured and reused, and whatever bonding or reinforced material that was used (epoxy, vinyl, etc.) is burned away. Carbon fiber can also be broken down manually at lower temperatures, but the resulting material will be weaker due to the shortened fibers, and thus likely not to be used in its most ideal application. For example, a large piece of tubing that is no longer being used may be split up, and the remaining parts used for computer casings, briefcases or furniture. Carbon fiber is an incredibly useful material used in composites, and it will continue to grow manufacturing market share. As more methods of producing carbon fiber composites economically are developed, the price will continue to fall, and more industries will take advantage of this unique material.

7 Agenda Items for Your Writing Groups First Meeting

7 Agenda Items for Your Writing Groups First Meeting 7 Agenda Items for Your Writing Group’s First Meeting 7 Agenda Items for Your Writing Group’s First Meeting By Mark Nichol This is the third post on our series about writing groups. You can read the first one here and the second one here. Now, you’ve done it. You’ve launched a writing group, or you’re about to. What now? It’s time to organize. Here’s what to do at the first meeting: 1. Break the Ice Give each member a few minutes to introduce themselves, or try the team-building game Two Truths and a Lie: Have members come prepared to present, with a straight face, three interesting things about them; everyone else votes on which two items are true and which is false (though it can be a variation on the truth or an aspiration). 2. Set a Schedule How often will the group meet? Every week is probably pushing it, so vote on whether sessions will be held every two weeks or monthly. Agree on meeting duration. (Two hours is a good block of time.) Ask members to commit to attending regularly and arriving punctually. 3. Establish Goals What do you and the other members want to get out of the group? Is everyone determined to get published, or is the experience just a way to solicit feedback in a supportive environment and work on writing skills? Make sure everyone has a common ambition. Consider creating a mission statement. 4. Determine Protocol Briefly discuss meeting structure: Does everyone read every time, or do members alternate every two or three meetings? Do members email work in progress in advance so that others can prepare critiques, or do they give cold readings? Will your group alternate between both strategies? Consider having members take turns preparing mini-tutorials based on their experiences or research, like describing the different archetypal characters or sharing a list of plot pitfalls. Or give each person a chance to share an advice tidbit from an accomplished author. 5. Take a Break Allow five or ten minutes halfway through the session for a snack and small talk, but don’t let it drag out. 6. Read Samples Give everyone a chance to read briefly from a work in progress. Have members start right off without a preface and then take a moment to talk about the story. Save critiques for subsequent sessions this is just a chance for everyone to get a taste of others’ writing styles. 7. Plan Ahead Agree on what to do next time: Have everyone email an excerpt to the group a week before the next session, prepare a short selection to read aloud, or plan to bring hard copies of a sample passage to hand out. (Materials for cold readings by writers or others should be no more than a couple of pages; excerpts sent in advance can be longer). Decide what the focus will be each time: crafting an opening scene, establishing character, etc. Focus on technical aspects for a while before delving into content. Coming up: How to run a writing group. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:36 Adjectives Describing LightHow to Play HQ Words: Cheats, Tips and Tricks40 Words Beginning with "Para-"

Sports and Entertainment Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sports and Entertainment Management - Essay Example This paper portrays the current situation of unemployment in the United States and the best way to handle the problem using various economic models. The paper also looks at the government and monetary policies put in place in attempt to fight against the problem. The US unemployment problem has been raising recently attracting attention to both the Federal Government and private investors. Strategies to fight the problem are currently in place to freeze the increasing percentage of unemployment rate in the global economic leader. Despite the fact that the US is the largest economy in the world, global economic pressures and bad economic policies could be the major causes of the employment problem currently facing the country. A recent household survey indicated that the unemployment condition in the United has risen by 0.1 per cent in May 2013 to 7.6 per cent. The situation was however worse in October 2009 than it is currently. Compared to the rate of unemployment in 2009, the situa tion had fallen to 2.4 per cent but it is now rising according to recent surveys (The US Department of Numbers 2013). Article tackling Unemployment Guardian News and Media Limited. 2013. US jobless claims rise modestly as economic growth revised down. Retrieved June 24, 2013, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2013/may/30/us-jobless-claims-economic-growth This article by the Guardian News and Media Limited points out that regardless of the US economic growth with a modest 2.4% this year, there is still a significant rise in the number of Americans seeking for jobs indicating the current unemployment increase from 338,000 five years ago to the current 354,000. The article postulates that most employers are now steadily hiring, making an average of 208,000 jobs available every month different from the previous reported statistics of 138,000 in the recent couple of months past (Guardian News and Media Limited 2013). With this statistics, it is observed as positive adjustment towar ds employment, which leaves unemployment down fall from 10% of the year 2009 to the current 7.5%. However, this decrease is as result of many people especially the youth has given up seeking for jobs and the government will count one as unemployed if he/she is actively looking for employment. Government spending continues to be the major area of weakness to US economy with also other as global weakness and higher taxes. Notably, economists assert that decline in the economy is not as severe as many people may think. Home construction is top performer in the economy growth which itself is growing at a double digit of 12.1% (Guardian News and Media Limited 2013). There is increased hiring in the private sector reduced prices in consumer goods and recorded high stock gains that maintain consumer spending high. Increased demand in consumers has prompted businesses to faster restocking rate indicating growth in business inventories. . Discussion Unemployment is normally treated as a shor t-term economic phenomenon, which affects fluctuations. The problem is often neglected in neoclassical growth models. Fiscal policies, which can be explained as an economic components initiating effect on one of the various components of aggregate demand, has a different effect on both GDP and employment. This happens when making application of the Keynesian demand-driven models or the Neo-classical supply driven models (Magnani 2013 ). Differences arise when dealing with problems associated with low economic growth and high public debts (Magnani 2013 ). The US has been working hard t ensure a minimum public debt and initiate mechanisms and strategies for job creation. Efforts of the US government to create

Research Methodology and Research Design Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Methodology and Design - Research Paper Example Much of the interest in organizational culture can be sourced to studies in early 1980s which claim that the astute management of organizational culture is associated with improved performance (Deal, 1982) (Peter, 1982). Furthermore, managers and academics have recommended that organizational culture should be considered during periods of change such as mergers and acquisitions, growth or downsizing phases in an organizational life-cycle, and periods of conflict or diversification (Schwartz, 1981) Despite a range of thoroughly interesting empirical studies on organizational culture, the systematic evaluation of the relationship between organizational culture and conflict resolution methods is comparatively uncommon and deserves further research. While on the one hand authors have always devoted special attention to the study of organizational culture, on the other hand they have faced difficulty in studying organizational culture and in establishing a standard method for its study. ... ture of organizational culture that makes it particularly difficult to access; thirdly, the political issues involved, for example with power groups having various self-interests in maintaining or changing the culture; and finally, the possible existence of multiple subcultures. Therefore, the organizational culture is characterized by a diversity of research methods and it would not be an exaggeration to experiment with a new methodology to study organizational culture. Hence, the aim of this paper is to document a creative framework for the research by analyzing the theoretical context in which the present research lies and by critically analyzing the methods, techniques, tools and instruments to be used for the study. THE RESEARCH FRAMEWORK Renowned authors on organizational culture, Fox and Tan (Langan-Fox & Tan, 1997) have set out a methodology to measure organizational culture by implementing a repertory grid technique. Their study assumes the view point that an objective study offers rigor of research, in its suitability for theoretical testing, in developing universal statements, and in facilitating intra- and inter-unit comparisons. They have set out to test the theory based on past research evidence and hypothesis. Setting out my study on a similar paradigm as laid by Fox and Tan, the hypothesis for this study can be stated as: organizational culture will affect the conflict resolution methods used within the ministry of education in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The organizational culture is an independent variable (IV) and conflict resolution method is a dependent variable (DV). According to this, the aim for the study is to determine the relationship between organizational culture and conflict resolution methods used in Saudi institutions of education. The study

Hitler and Big Brother Essay Example for Free

Hitler and Big Brother Essay Some totalitarian regimes can be similar in some ways but also different in others. 1984 is a book that talks about a totalitarian regime that is ruled by big brother. We can find some similarities to this totalitarian regime with the regime of Adolf Hitler. They are both totalitarian regimes that are ruled by different leaders that can convince people to follow them so they can rule a population, and make people to be subordinated to them just by persuading them. So if you look to both totalitarian regimes you can find come similarity in how they ruled the population and what their idea was, but also can find a lot of differences between bot regimes. In the novel of 1984 the author writes about the society under the powerful and omniscient Big Brother. Is an story that show us the dangers of a totalitarian government. So in the book it shows how controlling Big Brother is and also shows that in the future it would be so much more. That means that in the future the danger would be bigger. This is a similarity that Big Brother has with Adolf Hitler; both are very controlling, Hitler controlled and watched all the time the Nazis and the Jews. Both leaders besides being very controller both are obsessed with power. So both leaders needed to have everyone in control of them, because they needed that. Hitler didn’t think twice about his actions, this relates to Big Brother because he was also quick to judge and didn’t give anyone second choice, you were or equal or dead. Influencing people at a young age is one tactic used by Hitler in Nazi Germany and by Big Brother in 1984 to keep the future of their nations devoted. This type of organization makes the young ones feel like they are involved in something important. Both Hitler and Big brother have ways of brain washing the youth mind so they start following them. The spies in 1984 and the Hitler Youth in Nazi Germany grow up living the way that their dictator had set up and for the rest of their lives they will be faithful and devoted, and both dictator make them think that that way of living was the only one good for them, so for the rest of their lives they would think that was the only way of living. That is cruel because the youth don’t know what is going to happen, they don’t know if what they are doing is right or wrong. Both leaders chose youth to manipulate because is so much easier, because they still don’t know a lot of things. Hitler killed a lot of Jews during the Holocaust because he had prejudice against them. This can be related to Big brother because he had prejudice against intelligent people, and used a memory ship to erase their memory, that was his way of stopping intelligence people. Maybe this is not a similarity between them both because Big Brother didn’t kill that much people, but both have the same idea, stopping the people they had prejudice. Both leaders also use mass media to create heroic images about them. Hitler create a cult about himself by making he look god-like and infallibles. Both leaders transform their society in their revolutionary ideas using propagandas and techniques. Hitler and Big Brother presented themselves as god-like to gain the people appeal. They both are strong leaders that use their intelligence and their persuasive to play off peoples fear to gain more power.

Software And High School :: essays research papers

Software And High School The beginning of the 1990's is marked by the era of computers. Everywhere we look ,we see computers. They have become an essential part of our every day life. If the world's computer systems were turned off even for a short amount of time, unimaginable disasters would occur. We can surely say that today's world is heading into the future with the tremendous influence of computers. These machines are very important players in the game, the key to the success however is proper software (computer programs). It is the software that enables computers to perform a certain tasks. Educational systems in developed countries realize the importance of computers in the future world and therefore, emphasize their use in schools and secondary institutions. The proper choice of software is very important especially for beginners. Their first encounter with the computer should be exiting and fun. It should stimulate their interest in the computing field. First and foremost is the fact that computer software is a very important educational tool. Students in high schools experience computers for the first time through games and other entertaining software. These help develop youth's mental pathway in the way of logic, reflexes and the ability to make quick and concrete decisions [Lipcomb, 66]. The next step requires them to think more seriously about the machines. Secondary students learn the first steps in computer programming by creating simple programs. Here, the assistance of useful software is necessary. The computer software has many applications in the real world and is found virtually everywhere. The new generation of very fast computers introduces us to a new type of software. Multimedia is a of computer program that not only delivers written data for the user, but also provides visual support of the topic. By exploring the influence of multimedia upon high school students. I have concluded that the usage of multimedia have significantly increased students' interest in particular topics(supported by the multimedia). In order get these positive results, every child has to have a chance to use the technology on a daily basis [jacsuz@]. Mathematics is one of the scientific fields that has employed the full potential of computer power complicated problem solving. By using the computer, students learn to solve difficult problems even before they acquire tough mathematical vocabulary. The Geometer's Sketch pad, a kind of math software, is used in many Canadian high schools as a powerful math tutor. Students can pull and manipulate geometric figures and at the same time give them specific attributes. The next best feature of the software is a drawing document. It allows for easy drawing of perfect ellipses, rectangles and lines.

Critical Review for a Research Article Based

INTRODUCTION English language is the main international English. It is also said that English is the language of progress and development. In this age of internet and globalization, the use of English has increase tremendously. Most of the non-speaking English countries take great importance in English education. China and Malaysia being one of them. Ministry of Education (MOE) in Malaysia has been trying for years to improve the standard of English language especially in communication and writing by implementing efforts such as research on methods that could be applicable in Malaysian schools.English language has been accorded for second language in Malaysia as stated on Article 152 and been given due attention for years. Teaching English can be declared as challenge in Malaysia because the subject has always been argued, doubted, changed for many times that the issues has never been completely resolved. Meanwhile, MOE keep trying to improvise the teaching and learning process in sc hools from early education to the highest level by employing suitable means and aids such as bringing in modern teaching methods from Western countries.Communicative teaching methods and grammar-translation has been discussed, implemented on English language teaching in China based on the article by Jin, Singh, and Li (2005). This paper will provide the critical review of it, and the relevance of the methods in Malaysian Schools. 2. 0 COMPARISON BETWEEN COMMUNICATIVE LANGUAGE TEACHING AND GRAMMAR-TRANSLATION Based on the article by Jin, Singh and Li (2005) the CLT and Grammar-Translation method might not be applicable to all teaching situation.While the final result of the study was in favour of CLT methods, the gaps between the results on test paper for two groups are low. Futhermore, the research done by Rao (2002) concluded that students claim that using Grammar-translation method will be more suitable for class session in China. Since teaching is deeply rooted in the local philo sophy, culture, and basic concepts of education, the students’ learning styles and habits in language acquisition must be considered. Although the grammar-translation method is out of favor, students accustomed to this method may still derive benefit from it. Feature Article  Country School  Allen CurnowFor example, Chinese students generally show great interest in language structures and linguistic details when they are learning a language. â€Å"We would like to know what happens, because if we understand the system, we can use English more effectively† (Harvey 1985). Therefore, in teaching English to Chinese students, appropriate grammar analysis is essential, especially for beginners. Limited utilization of translation from or to the target language is an indispensable part of teaching. Vocabulary work and pattern drills are also ways of familiarizing the student with sentence structures.This information helps learners acquire linguistic competence. The main features of GT are: 1. It is teacher centred and does not cater for the learner’s individual needs 2. The emphasis is on grammar learning through verb drills, the translation of written texts and the memorization of wordlists 3. The focus is on the product rather than the process of learning; 4. Language is viewed as a body of knowledge rather than an instrument for communicating and functioning effectively in the real world 5.Linguistic practice is confined to the memorization of words and rules 6. Instruction aims at the mastery of the written medium rather than oral communication 7. Accuracy rules over fluency 8. Correction is all-out and punitive 9. The L2-model adopted is elitist and so is the educational philosophy 10. Feedback on learner performance is not likely to be helpful as it is solely accuracy-based But instead of teaching grammar traditionally and drilling grammar patterns, teachers need to relate teaching grammar and pattern drills to meaning and use.In other words, language structure practice should be used in contexts that involve some basic principles of appropriateness. This is the exact area that the traditional ESL teaching has long overlooked—teaching English for a communicative purpose. Thus, English teaching should be partly communicatively oriented, so students can acquaint themselves with appropriate language usage. the main pedagogical principles advocated by CLT are: 1. It is pupil-centred rather than teacher-centred 2 The emphasis is on communication and effective interactional skills 3.The focus is on the process rather than the product of learning; 4. Language is viewed as a skill to learn rather than a body of language  to pass on to the pupil 5. Linguistic practice occurs through communicative activities 6. Instruction aims at the mastery of all of the four core language skills 7. Fluency rules over accuracy 8. Correction is selective and non-judgmental 9. The L2-model adopted is flexible and can deviate from the L2-standard Form 3. 0 RELEVANCE TO MALAYSIAN SCHOOLS. In Malaysia, the teaching of English language starts early, as early as in kindergarten between the ages of 4 to 5.Students were exposed to many kinds of teaching methods from the traditional approach such as gra mmar-translation and towards more modern one like CLT. It is common for teachers to support the one that is more effective and theoretically sound basis for teaching. After independence, the changes was made for education in Malaysia where instead of using English language in school, the medium of teaching and learning process changes to Malay. Thus, affecting the teaching methods in Malaysia where teachers will provide materials and lecturers to students and teacher-centred classroom were practiced.Malaysia introduced the communicative syllabus in 1970. Back then, the study of grammar was considered not ‘fashionable’ and out of date. Students were not taught how to build correct sentences in English. Too much emphasis was placed on spoken English. Role-play and how to respond to given situations took centre stage. CLT method is one of the famous methods used by teachers and claimed to be more effective rather than GT. Krashen and other SLA theorist stress that language learning comes about through learning language communication rather than through practicing.Johnson (1984) and Littlewood (1984) consider that the acquisition of communication competence in a language is an example of skill development. On the other hand, the draw backs from this method are the need of an authentic materials and interaction between learners with them using only the target language as means of communication. Comparing to schools in urban area, most of the schools in rural area lacks the means of these authentic materials and ready interaction from outside. Malaysian people used Malay, Chinese, and Indian to communicate especially in rural area where English has not been used at all.This in turn will affect the communication grasp of students in rural schools where the proficiency in English are low. Thus, in turn, students will refuse to join in the interaction by being silent and it will hinder the teaching and learning process as they cannot catch up to the class lesson. The students in rural school still depend on teacher translation as their lack of exposition to English language will lower their proficiency. They could not speak the language fluently and need to learn the language structures and understand it from basic and practice by their own.It is different for students enrol in urban area where they were pre-disposed to the languages already. Most of them start to learn English from child where their cultural environment and socio-economy were contrasting from students from rural schools. They might have help with their parents and family and the more modern school system in the city. Technologies were blooming in this area where the students’ proficiency is slightly higher. Because they might be aware of the language and have practice them, communicative approach can be adapted to their teaching and learning process.But even so, teachers claimed that practising CLT method in class will take too much time and works as it requi re complete involvement from all students because of its learner-centred style. Because of this, the lack of practice will somehow affect the learning of the grammar structure and glaring mistakes from students for writing will form as CLT method is divulging more into developing students’ communicative approach. Yes, their speaking skill will be better as will their listening skill but that will not promise them 100% correctness in spelling and grammatical uses.The solutions to this are that both students should try to adapt both methods in learning a second language in Malaysia. The students need to be taught on how to learn not only of the language but to practice the language as frequently as possible. The CLT method can help the students develop an insight into the language and prepare them into an environment where the language are the only one use to communicate. On the other hand, grammar-translation will help the students practice the language on their own where ther e is no exposition of the language around them.Teachers can provide materials for these students to facilitate or encourage them to learn it independently without being too dependent on teacher. CONCLUSION Various efforts, on both national and individual levels, have been poured into the strategies to improve students’ ability or command of English language. There are of course many methods in second language teaching which include the Grammar Translation Approach. This approach was historically used in teaching Greek and Latin and later modern languages.Experienced teachers said that if they did not engage the help of the mother tongue, the lesson would involve a lot more time and resulting in students that were indifferent and psychologically were not there. ESL teaching in Malaysia, with its traditional setting, is markedly different from that in the United States and Great Britain in that it is conducted in different social and cultural contexts. Yet this does not mean th at the communicative approach is not applicable in such a context. By practicing CLT alone, it might be hard for teachers to attract students to participate and thus wasting time in trying to facilitate them.So, as to make this approach work well in here, we must reconcile it with the traditional grammar-translation method that is still popularly used in Malaysia. REFERENCES 1- Lingjie Jin, Michael Singh, Liqun Li; Communicative Language Teaching In China: Misconceptions, Applications And Perceptions. (2005) Australian Association For Research In Education. 2- Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin, Norsimah Mat Awal, Kesumawati Abu Bakar; The Mastery Of English Language Among Lower Secondary School Students In Malaysia: A Linguistic Analysis, European Journal Of Social Sciences – volume 7, number 2, 2008. – Mohd. Faisal Hanapiah (1993); English Language And The Language Of Development: A Malaysian Perspective. Department Of Modern Language, Jurnal Kemanusian. Page 106-120. 4- Rao Zh enhui; Modern Vs. Traditional, Bureau Of Educational And Cultural Affairs, Office Of English Language Programs. Taken on Oct 2012 from http://eca. state. gov. 5- Hyacinth Gaudart; English Language Teaching In Malaysia: A Historical Account, The English Teacher  Vol Xvi December 1987. 6- Kesumawati Abu Bakar, Nor Zakiah Abdul Hamid, Dr. Norsimah Mat Awal, Assoc.Prof. Dr. Nor Hashimah Jalaluddin; First Language Influence On Second Language Performance: A Study Of Common English Grammatical Errors Among Rural Secondary School Students. Taken on oct 2012 from http://repo. uum. edu. my. 7- Prof Puan Sri Dr Rohaty; (June 28, 2009) Teaching English by Using Bahasa Malaysia, Taken On Oct 2012 from http://rohaty-education. blogspot. com. 8- Dr Gianfranco Conti,(2011) Grammar Translation And Communicative Language Teaching Compared, taken on oct 2012 from http://languageteachingbyconti. blogspot. com

Evolution of Hard Disk Essay

Hard disk is a storage device that resides inside a computer to read and write the data. Before the arrival of hard disk drive; paper was used as storage device; however the paper worked in a different way. Programs and data would be recorded using holes punched into paper where a special reader with a beam of light would scan the cards or tape. The paper-based computers were used by US Navy to store data during 1940s and 1950s. During 1950s, work began in IBM on experimental hard disks. The researchers at IBM were working on various technologies to develop a disk drive that could not only store data easily, but also feasible commercially in consumer mass market. IBM developed the first hard disks in 1950s, but this disk technology was unlike today’s disk. It rotated on cylindrical drum; over which the magnetic patterns were stored. The early hard disk had heads of hard disk in contact with surface of disk; which was done to allow the low sensitivity to read the magnetic fields and pick up the data bits. The early disk drive was huge in size mainly composed of huge vacuum tube. Its random access method occupied the space equal to two refrigerators with a weight of almost one ton. The disk huge magnetic drums were complex and hard to work with; and its manufacturing technique was also very cumbersome. For example, it was not possible to get the disk surface as smooth as possible to allow reading the data at high speed. The disk head would also easily worn out after little usage and the magnetic head would stop working. It was in late 1950s that IBM engineers found a break through allowing them to create the modern day hard disk drive. The IBM engineer found the solution to the earlier problems; when they realized that with a proper design, the head of hard disk could be suspended over the disk surface to read the data beneath it. Working on this discovery in 1956, IBM first hard disk (IBM 305 RAMAC was introduced. This hard disk was able to store 5 millions characters; which was a huge amount in those days; while today’s hard disk densities are measured in billions of bits square per inch. It was in 1961 that IBM invented separate head for each data surface in their hard drive. By 1973 IBM shipped hard disk 3model 340 that were the first sealed hard disk drive continues till today. This technology is used by almost all the hard disk manufacturers around the world. Further development took place in 1980s; when Seagate introduced the first hard disk for PC or microcomputers named as ST506. Even though it was much more smaller in size than the disks produced in that time; compared to modern hard disks, it was twice the size. During the 1980s Philips also manufactured the optical laser drive. By 1981 Sony also started to ship floppy drive. In 1983 Rodime made the first 3. 5-inch floppy drive; and by 1985 first CD-ROM encyclopedia came into being. The modern 3 1/ 2 IDE drive arrived in the market in 1985. The technology used in IDE drive was not much different from the earlier disk drive technology; but ultimately it was added into the expansion board. The hard card included the drive that finally evolved into IDE hard disk drive, where the controller was finally merged into the printed circuit. During 1980s the arrival of DOS made easy the selling of hard disk; as DOS made computing easy for normal users. However there was problem in DOS version 3. 31 and above. The new DOS 4. 0 did not support hard disk larger than 32 MB. The reason for this problem was the number of sectors that could not exceed 16-bit. This need pushed the programmers to come up with new software. The solution was provided by Ontrack Disk Manager’ that allowed partition in hard disks. In 1986, the first 3-? hard disks that had voice coil actuator were introduced. By 1997 Seagate made big leap by introducing first 7200-RPM ATA hard disk drive for PC followed by 15000-RPM hard disk drive that allowed data reading and writing data much faster. The amazing thing about hard disk is that they haven’t changed that much compared to other PC related components in the past 40 years. The figure below shows the changes taken place throughout the decades in hard disk technology. Even today’s hard disk basic design has remained the same, except the size, capacity and storage. Thus it can be said that 1980s and 1990s allowed the spread of hard disks due to the arrival of PC; which were available to the modern consumers. As the hard disk technology developed so does it capacity and size. The earliest computers normally had 20 MB drive. By 2007 desktop computers hard disks drives have reached 100 to 500 GB.

westward expansion dbq essays

westward expansion dbq essays Beginning in the early 1800s the United States began a mission of westward expansion. The concept of Manifest Destiny encouraged Americans to spread their civilization all the way to the Pacific Ocean, and even down into Mexico and Central America. However, with a rapidly developing economy, the United States began looking to foreign countries for new markets and materials. With the strengthening of the U.S. navy and nationalism, the United States began to participate in a race for foreign markets. After the Spanish-American War, U.S. citizens were even more zealous in the idea of imperialism. Although pressured with questions of the constitutional rights of new peoples, the United States was able to open new trading markets with valuable sources, such as the Chinese. Expansionism from the nineteenth and early twentieth century was, in fact, a continuation of past United States expansionism, and yet also a departure. Beginning in the 1830s and continuing to the 1860s, the Unite d States adopted the popular belief of Manifest Destiny. They believed they had a divine mission from God to extend their power and civilization across North America. The U.S. continually expanded westward, trying its best to protect themselves from foreign influence, meanwhile gaining such territories as Oregon, California, and New Mexico. However, after their economies began to flourish, the U.S. began to look toward foreign continents to fulfill their needs of worldwide markets and raw materials. Many American conservatives also believed that overseas territories could offer a safety valve for unhappiness at home. Expansionists looked to achieve their gains by economic and diplomatic means, instead of military action, as they did in the past. One concept that was applied to the competition among nations for new land was Darwinism. This theory stated that only the strongest nations survived (Doc. B.) This meant that the United States h...

40 Million Years of Dog Evolution

40 Million Years of Dog Evolution In many ways, the story of dog evolution follows the same plot line as the evolution of horses and elephants: a small, inoffensive, ancestral species gives rise, over the course of tens of millions of years, to the respectably sized descendants we know and love today. But there are two big differences in this case: first, dogs are carnivores, and the evolution of carnivores is a twisty, serpentine affair involving not only dogs, but prehistoric hyenas, bears, cats, and now-extinct mammals like creodonts and mesonychids. And second, of course, dog evolution took a sharp right turn about 15,000 years ago, when the first wolves were domesticated by early humans (see a gallery of prehistoric dog pictures). As far as paleontologists can tell, the very first carnivorous mammals evolved during the late Cretaceous period, about 75 million years ago (the half-pound Cimolestes, which lived high up in trees, being the most likely candidate). However, its more likely that every carnivorous animal alive today can trace its ancestry back to Miacis, a slightly bigger, weasel-like creature that lived about 55 million years ago, or 10 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct. Miacis was far from a fearsome killer, though: this tiny furball was also arboreal and feasted on insects and eggs as well as small animals. Before the Canids: Creodonts, Mesonychids, and Friends Modern dogs evolved from a line of carnivorous mammals called canids, after the characteristic shape of their teeth. Before (and alongside) the canids, though, there were such diverse families of predators as amphicyonids (the bear dogs, typified by Amphicyon, which seem to have been more closely related to bears than dogs), prehistoric hyenas (Ictitherium was the first of this group to live on the ground rather than in trees), and the marsupial dogs of South America and Australia. Although vaguely dog-like in appearance and behavior, these predators werent directly ancestral to modern canines. Even more fearsome than bear dogs and marsupial dogs were mesonychids and creodonts. The most famous mesonychids were the one-ton Andrewsarchus, the largest ground-dwelling carnivorous mammal that ever lived, and the smaller and more wolflike Mesonyx. Oddly enough, mesonychids were ancestral not to modern dogs or cats, but to prehistoric whales. The creodonts, on the other hand, left no living descendants; the most noteworthy members of this breed were Hyaenodon and the strikingly named Sarkastodon, the former of which looked (and behaved) like a wolf and the latter of which looked (and behaved) like a grizzly bear. The First Canids: Hesperocyon and the "Bone-Crushing Dogs" Paleontologists agree that the late Eocene (about 40 to 35 million years ago) Hesperocyon was directly ancestral to all later canids- and thus to the genus Canis, which branched off from a subfamily of canids about six million years ago. This western dog was only about the size of a small fox, but its inner-ear structure was characteristic of later dogs, and theres some evidence that it may have lived in communities, either high up in trees or in underground burrows. Hesperocyon is very well-represented in the fossil record; in fact, this was one of the most common mammals of prehistoric North America. Another group of early canids was the borophagines, or bone-crushing dogs, equipped with powerful jaws and teeth suitable for scavenging the carcasses of mammalian megafauna. The largest, most dangerous borophagines were the 100-pound Borophagus and the even bigger Epicyon; other genera included the earlier Tomarctus and Aelurodon, which were more reasonably sized. We cant say for sure, but theres some evidence that these bone-crushing dogs (which were also restricted to North America) hunted or scavenged in packs, like modern hyenas. The First True Dogs: Leptocyon, Eucyon, and the Dire Wolf Heres where things get a bit confusing. Shortly after the appearance of Hesperocyon 40 million years ago, Leptocyon arrived on the scene- not a brother, but more like a second cousin once removed. Leptocyon was the first true canine (that is, it belonged to the caninae subfamily of the canidae family), but a small and unobtrusive one, not much bigger than Hesperocyon itself. The immediate descendant of Leptocyon, Eucyon, had the good fortune to live at a time when both Eurasia and South America were accessible from North America- the first via the Bering land bridge, and the second thanks to the uncovering of central America. In North America, about six million years ago, populations of Eucyon evolved into the first members of the modern dog genus Canis, which spread to these other continents. But the tale doesnt end there. Although canines (including the first coyotes) continued to live in North America during the Pliocene epoch, the first plus-sized wolves evolved elsewhere, and re-invaded North America shortly before the ensuing Pleistocene (via that same Bering land bridge). The most famous of these canines was the Dire Wolf, Canis diris, which evolved from an old world wolf that colonized both North and South America (by the way, the Dire Wolf competed directly for prey with Smilodon, the saber-toothed tiger.) The end of the Pleistocene epoch witnessed the rise of human civilization around the world. As far as we can tell, the first domestication of the Gray Wolf occurred somewhere in Europe or Asia anywhere from 30,000 to 15,000 years ago. After 40 million years of evolution, the modern dog had finally made its debut!

Relevance of Palliative Care Training in Nursing Practice Literature review

Relevance of Palliative Care Training in Nursing Practice - Literature review Example Palliative care has generally been linked with end-of-life care of cancer patients, but considering its effectiveness in reducing the suffering of patients and their family the concept has now been extended to include non-cancer population as well. "Dying patients need to be assured that their destiny lies in the hands of well trained, multi-disciplinary, professional team because often the death is no longer capable of caring for themselves and their rights." (Gronemeyer, et al 2005, p.1). Hence, effective implementation of palliative care will be possible only through adequate training and grooming of health care providers. Since nurses interact most with patients and act as intermediaries between other health care providers and patients and their family members it is imperative that addressing the training needs of nurses is crucial for the success of palliative care program. As such, an attempt has been made to analyze select articles related to experimental models of palliative care and training strategies relevant to nursing practice. University of Wollongong Library's electronic resources was searched for locating relevant articles. Though Google scholar has larger volumes of articles, considering the fact that Proquest database covers specific nursing-related peer-reviewed journal articles, the search was limited to Proquest database only. The basic search question used was 'Palliative care', which retrieved 7982 articles from Proquest. A further search of the database for 'medical sciences-Nursing and allied health sources' shortlisted number of articles to 130. When the results were limited to full-text documents of scholarly journals 23 articles have been retrieved. Five articles with different area of coverage, such as (1) Nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care residents with dementia; (2) Providing pediatric palliative care through a pediatric supportive care team; (3) Using high-fidelity simulation to educate nursing students about end-of-life care; (4) Enhancing meaning i n palliative care practice: A meaning-centred intervention to promote job satisfaction; and (5) Spiritual development of nursing students: Developing competence to provide spiritual care to patients at the end of life. Since large volumes of research articles (303,000) have been retrieved from Google Scholar using the catchphrase 'Palliative care' and only 5 articles have to be selected for the literature review it has been decided to search Proquest database and cover palliative care experiences in two challenging areas, such as pediatrics and geriatrics (dementia), and three articles covering innovative training approaches; Nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care residents with dementia. The study conducted by Kaasalainen et al (2007) explores nurses' perceptions around providing palliative care for long-term care (LTC) residents with dementia, using a qualitative descriptive design. The inspiration for this study was the unprecedented increase in a ged care population with cognitive impairment and identification of 'many barriers to optimal palliative care in LTC homes' in Canada. Dementia is a progressively degenerating physical condition leading to gradual loss of cognitive abilities.

Principal Structural and Demographic Changes That Characterized the Essay

Principal Structural and Demographic Changes That Characterized the Period From 1865 to 1892 - Essay Example Changes occur where the democrats broke down the policies that the Republicans have imposed. The Democrats rewrites the constitution and the social programs. They also lower taxes and cut the state budgets. They impose various laws meant to curb the tenants and sharecroppers rights with the aim of ensuring a black labor force. One of these laws forces the debtors to work in the land until they settle their debts. The following is a discussion of the movements that manifest these changes that occur during this period. During this period, the United States experiences reconstruction, industrialization, and immigration. The state experiences rapid economic growth and emerges as the world’s dominant, agricultural, economic, and industrial power center. The annual income of workers after inflation grows by 75% between 1865 and 1900. It later recorded a growth of 33% by the year 1918. After the victory in the Civil War, the state emerges as a powerful and united nation characterized by a strong government. Reconstruction ends slavery and the slaves acquire citizenship in the United States. The European immigration brings 2.5 million new arrivals between 1865 and 1918. The arrivals provide the required labor force to expand agriculture and industry. They also provide the population base for the urban America that is fast growing. The country took part in two fundamental wars. The US entered a war with the German military. The industrial growth fuels efforts to bring the country back into alignment with an American definition of freedom. Availability of abundant resources, cheap energy, new technology, fast transport, and availability of labor and capital made an outstanding contribution towards the success. Livestock mines and forests provide raw materials for most of the industries in the country. Local-level political machines A political machine is an organization that has control over sufficient votes to maintain administrative and political control of the society. In the United States, the rapid growth of towns and cities creates problems for the government responsible for the cities. These city governments are unable to provide services due to poor organization. Politicians offer favors by offering patronage housing and jobs and thus win support. Despite that, the machines help to restructure the city governments; they result in poor service, aggravation of ethnic and racial hostilities, and corruption. The Irish and Democratic party dominates in politics until elections and civil service brings about its demise. The Irish is among the first immigrant group in the American cities that are large and capable of challenging leadership. The Democratic Party makes a substantial contribution court, the urban immigrants, hence acquiring the power for local bosses. As the number of immigrants grows, the cities become ethnically diverse, and the newcomers dominate the largest population. Efforts at middle-class reforms People like Lincoln ca me up with Freedman’s Bureau to aid the slaves with education, employment, and healthcare. The Radical plan of reconstruction allows the coalition of Freedmen to take control of the southern state government. This gives the federal courts power to deal with justice at a state level. The state passed the Civil Rights in 1875 to give people rights to access public facilities without considering their race or servitude. The state passed