Acid Rain Essays (1702 words) - Inorganic Solvents, Acid Rain

Acid Rain Introduction: What Causes Acid Rain? One of the main causes of acid rain is sulfur dioxide. Natural sources, which emit this gas, are Volcanoes, sea spray, rotting vegetation and plankton. However, the burning of fossil fuels, such as Coal and oil, are largely to be blamed for approximately half of the emissions of this gas in the world. When sulfur dioxide reaches the atmosphere, it oxidizes to first form a sulfate ion. It then Becomes sulfuric acid as it joins with hydrogen atoms in the air and falls back down to earth. Oxidation occurs the most in clouds and especially in heavily polluted air where other compounds such as ammonia and ozone help to catalyze the reaction, changing more sulfur dioxide to sulfuric acid. However, not all of the sulphur dioxide is changed to sulfuric acid. In fact, a substantial amount can float up into the atmosphere, move over to another area and return to earth unconverted. In the following pages I will show the effects of acid rain on: ? Effect on Trees and Soils ? Effect on Lakes and Aquatic Systems ? Effect on Materials ? Effect on Atmosphere ? Effect on Architecture ? Effect on Humans Effect on Trees and Soils One of the most serious impacts of acid precipitation is on forests and soils. Great damage is done when sulfuric acid falls onto the earth as rain. Nutrients present in the soils are washed away. Aluminium also present in the soil is freed and the roots of trees can absorb this toxic element. Thus, the trees are starved to death as they are deprived of their vital nutrients such as calcium and magnesium. Not all of the sulphur dioxide is converted to sulfuric acid. In fact, a substantial amount can float into the atmosphere, move over to another area and return to the soils unconverted. As this gas returns back to earth, it clogs up the stomata in the leaves, thus hindering photosynthesis. Research has been made where red spruce seedlings were sprayed with different combinations of sulfuric and nitric acid of pH ranging from 2.5 to 4.5. The needles of these seedlings were observed to develop brown lesions. Eventually, the needles fall off. It was also found that new needles grew more slowly at higher concentrations of acid used. Because the rate at which the needles were falling was greater than the rate at which they were replenished, photosynthesis was greatly affected, The actual way in which these needles were killed is still not yet known. However, studies have shown that calcium and magnesium nutrients are washed away from their binding sites when sulfuric acid enters the system. They are replaced by useless hydrogen atoms and this inhibits photosynthesis. Effect on Lakes and Aquatic Systems One of the direct effects of acid rain is on lakes and its aquatic ecosystems. There are several routes through which acidic chemicals can enter the lakes. Some chemical substances exist as dry particles in the air while others enter the lakes as wet particles such as rain, snow, sleet, hail, dew or fog. In addition, lakes can almost be thought of as the sinks of the earth, where rain that falls on land is drained through the sewage systems eventually make their way into the lakes. Acid rain that falls onto the earth washes off the nutrients out of the soil and carries toxic metals that have been released from the soil into the lakes. Another harmful way in which acids can enter the lakes is spring acid shock. When snow melts in spring rapidly due to a sudden temperature change, the acids and chemicals in the snow are released into the soils. The melted snow then runs off to streams and rivers, and gradually make their way into the lakes. The introduction of these acids and chemicals into the lakes causes a sudden drastic change in the pH of the lakes - hence the term spring acid shock. The aquatic ecosystem has no time to adjust to the sudden change. In addition, springtime is an especially vulnerable time for many aquatic species since this is the time for reproduction for amphibians, fish and insects. Many of these species lay their eggs in the water to hatch. The sudden pH change is dangerous because the acids can cause serious deformities in their young or even annihilate the whole species since the young of many of such species spend a significant part of their life cycle

Colonial Life DBQ essays

Colonial Life DBQ essays There are several reasons as to why the colonies of the Chesapeake and the colonies of New England differed so greatly. The reasons all had to do with the climates, the religions, the people, and their motives for coming to the areas in which they settled. The climates of New England and the Chesapeake area differed greatly. This factored in and effected several different key differences. The climate down south was more conducive to cash crops such as sugar, tobacco, and rice- while New England's rocky and infertile soil catered to a lifestyle that revolved around manufacturing. The north would purchase crops from the south and then use them to manufacture goods. Then, they would sell the finished products to the south or to England. This ensured economic stability because Britain always bought products from the colonies, and the south depended on the north for finished goods. The climate also affected the quality and length of life. In the Chesapeake region, life expectancy was rather poor. Diseases like malaria were not uncommon and long days working in the fields often took years off one's life. Another problem was that when the colonists who had come to the south arrived, most were not into the whole idea that one had to plant crops and hunt in order to survive. They were mostly into looking for gold that didn't even exist. So from the start, their numbers dwindled and many died over the Because so many young men passed away, women actually had to be afforded certain rights, such as the widow's right to inherit her husband's property. This was a far cry from the rights of women up north. Basically, their rights included taking care of their children (they usually had about eight) taking care of the household, and being accused of practicing witchcraft. In New England, women just really didn't have that much power, mostly because men didn't ...

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) Research Paper

ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) - Research Paper Example In the year 2006, the group further joined other Sunni insurgent groups to form the Mujahedeen Shura Council. The rise of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, lead to the emergence of an Islamic state, the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI). After the taking over of the leadership of the group by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group expanded much more where it further entered in Syria through participation in the civil war that was going on in the country. In this instance, the group formed itself in the areas dominated by the Sunnis of Syria through the governance of Ar-Raqqah, Idlib, Deir ez-Zor and Aleppo. After gaining control of Syria, the group, in this case, changed to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant in April 2013. The action followed after the announcement by al-Baghdadi of the merger with al-Nusra Front group from Syria. The group maintained their close cooperation with the al-Qaeda until February 2014 when they broke ranks with each other due wrangling issues related to power (Mastors, 75). According the information obtained from the Iraqis and the spokesmen from the United States, the Islamic State of Iraq, and the Levant supported themselves. They supported themselves through raising of the money got from the kidnappings of wealthy Iraqis who paid to them a given ransom for their release. Apart from kidnapping of the wealthy citizens for ransom payments, the rebel group also used such activities like car theft, hijacking fuel trucks, and counterfeiting. Other sources of finance came from the raised supplies by commandeering rations and shaking down Iraqi soldiers for ammunition. The last cases involved the most lucratively stole oil in the region of Bayji for the black market to raise money for supporting their activities (QutÃÅ'Â £b, 56). Besides kidnappings and corruption means of sourcing for finance, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant also got financial assistance from jihadists in

The War Against The White American Man Research Paper

The War Against The White American Man - Research Paper Example Racism against white people is one of the critical areas of concern. The country has undergone tremendous changes for many years and there are prospects of continual growth in the coming years in regards to the strong economic backbone. Therefore, all people need to get it through there minds that there will always be people out there that do not have similar looks as they do, and do not have the same reasoning capacity the way they do, won't die the way they do, do not have dietary perspectives a theirs and would not raise there kids the way they do. This characterizes complexities of life. Everything on this planet has to come to terms with its surrounding. Thus people have to either learn to adapt or face the wrath of being rigid to change. Do know how dull life would be if everyone was the same color? If you are a believer in God or any other form of a supreme creator, then the decision to make everyone to look the same would not have been a problem (Strong, 2008). Existence of d ifferent races is just analogous to the difference in Everything that comprise our environment such as birds, plants, and natural features. Therefore, it is inconceivable for any reasonable being to escalate racism among the white American man since they society holds him as the instigator of racism. Just like it is easier for the minority to receive public recognition, the white American man requires similar recognition in order to curb racism propagated against the group (Wise, 2012). White men have been blamed by many nationalities for every ill thing that has been infused into the society (Flemming, 2003). Worse of it all, is that their own women are league with other races in blaming them. In regards to these racism actions, the white man has become an endangered human species because the world is embracing thugs, drug dealers and their form of life, while those things pioneered by the white boys or males is shunned away due to memories of the slavery (The Telegraph, 2011). As a white American husband to a black woman, I experience prejudice from the male black and other ethnic groups but not from my white counterparts. According to my own understanding, white people do not have any advantage against the Indian, Chinese, colored, or black community because we are human beings subject to feelings, need to belong to a family, love, feeling and much greater need to live life. There are several forms of bigotry in the society that has received much support due to the entertainment aspect associated with it. To begin with, my evaluation of the Japanese donning themselves with bushy wigs or beards, large fake nose embellished with speaking in loud, broken, and poor English is a direct demeaning activity to the white population. The white communities that take note of these practices are left in the dilemma whether to perceive it as offensive or as a form of amusement meant for entertainment purposes (Morgan, 2008). Nevertheless, the white person is not allowed to stereotypically dress like the Japanese people in yellowish skin, â€Å"slanted eyes,† geeky glasses, and buck teeth because the world would immediately recognize that as an unpleasant negative typecast. Similarly, the black community has received much recognition through their comedy routines where they openly say almost every thing they wish about the

Business Research Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 2

Business Research - Essay Example Customer satisfaction gains all the more relevance in hospitality industry like the hotel industry. The Ritz hotel is one of the prestigious and luxurious hotels in France. The hotel is located at the heart of Paris in France and is one of the seven recognized Parisian palace hotels. Ritz presently offers 159 rooms with suites, restaurant, bars and private salons. True to the spirit of Ritz, each room offers a harmonious blend of modern ease and classical charm in a quintessentially French style. While there can be many reasons to choose Ritz over others; some reasons can only be experienced (Ritz Paris, n.d.). The hotel, now, plans to evaluate the level of customer satisfaction with the help of a survey. ‘Guest Satisfaction Questionnaire’ is distributed in various guest rooms and suites of the hotel. This report contains the questionnaire along with proper methodology to analyze the same. A conclusion has been inferred from the analysis and plausible recommendations are suggested to improve the service. Customer satisfaction is majorly understood as the sense of satisfaction that a customer feels when he or she compares his or her expectations with the actual quality of the acquired service. Satisfaction is closely related to the quality of the service (Krivobokova, 2009). In the absence of customer feedback, the quality of service is extremely difficult to assess. That is why direct involvement of the customers is necessary to analyze the improvement activities. Since evaluation of the level of customer satisfaction demands a considerable involvement from the customers, surveys are of paramount importance. Customer survey is a part of primary research. In this case primary researches are used to investigate an issue specific to business and to get feedback from the customers. Primary research delivers more specific results than the secondary research. On the other hand, secondary research is done on

Theories of psychological research

Theories of psychological research Humans are expected to deal with an immense amount of information whilst dealing with everyday complex tasks such as driving at high speeds in variable weather conditions and road conditions. Yet, research has shown that there is a limit to what humans can handle. It is well documented that human error on the road causes minor injury to fatal accidents and even damage. Treat et al (1977) calculated that human error is a major contributing factor in 90% of accidents and was also the only factor in 57% of accidents. This essay will consider two theories of psychological research on human memory. Attention and perception that can be used to assist understanding of the cause of human error on the roads. It will provide an overview of these two theories and the limitations in human information processing that contributes to accidents. It will also consider human error and how the research mentioned can be applied to minimise driver errors on the roads. It will conclude with a number of possibilities considered to reduce human error. Several studies noted that capacity of humans to process information is limited in capacity. Green(1991)research confirms that the flow of information whilst undertaking everyday tasks as driving is complex with the driver handling various information at the same time such as auditory and visual input vehicles, pedestrians, road signs, weather conditions. There is a continuous demand on the drivers memory who is also handling other auditory information such as talking to other passengers, listening to music, and recalling or recognising directions. Information processing theory is used to explain the importance of attention. Several studies show that accidents occur when the driver was focussed on something else. Several studies reveal that the driver can carry put all of the above tasks if visual and auditory input is low. However, if there is an increase in demand for attention when there is poor visibility or the driver is driving very fast, or driver is affected by fatigue or alcohol then attentional capacity is reduced. This limitation in capacity relates to bottleneck theories which suggests information enters the awareness one at a time whilst the information capacity theories propose information is processed through various channels, but each channel has a limited capacity. The driver does not have the capacity for inputs; they can only pay attention to certain number of information. Broadbent(1958),Treisman(1960) and Deutsch Deutsch(1963) put forward the theories of selective attention that remains influential, despite current theories focus on capacity theory, and the decay of information explained by Baddeley Hitch(1974). Broadbent Filter Model theory is based on Atkinson and Shiffrin multi-store memory model (1968) that explains memory processes and sequences stages; sensory, short-term and long term memory. The research confirms that the driver processes two types of stimulus. According to Broadbent the input comes through the filter and the other stimuli are held in a bottleneck for processing later. Baddeley Hitch (1974) working memory not only has limited capacity but also information decays, this gives limitation in regards to new information being held. There is some difficulty with Filter model Theory of attention. Cherry (1953) cocktail party effect experiment confirms the subject focuses attention on interesting stimuli whilst ignoring other stimulus. Again, Treisman (1960) proposed that if stimulus has meaning it can be processed, whilst Deutsch and Deutsch (1963) proposed that if stimulus needs to be responded to it can be selected later. The conclusion to be drawn from this, is that driver capacity to interact safely on the road is reduced and the possibility of human error increases because of the demands placed on attention. With such complex tasks as driving, information would not be retained or recalled, and as the capacity for inputs are limited the driver can only pay attention to certain pieces of information, so information which could be important could slip from memory. The issue remains of how to get drivers to focus their attention fully on the road. Human perception is another research area that can be applied to human error on the roads. Human perception is based on context and expectations the bottom up and top down approach. Several studies reveal that perceptual error jeopardise road safety. For example drivers often admit to not seeing visible information such as pedestrians crossing the road. In addition drivers misinterpret information such as speed or closeness to other vehicles. or drivers misread the speed or the closeness of other vehicles. Mack Rock (1992) researched visual perception of unexpected shapes whilst looking at it directly. This phenomenon is called inattentional blindness or perceptual blindness. This phenomenon occurs when subjects do not see visible objects in front of them. This can be for reasons such as overload of information or their attention is focussed on something else that has meaning, or no internal reference to the visible object. Simons, Chabris (2004) experiment on perception resulted in showing how subjects did not see an incident happening in front of them. This experiment involved participants playing basketball game and missing an unexpected appearance of someone dressed up in a white gorilla suit walk onto the ball court during the game. Subjects did not recall seeing the white gorilla. Scholl et al (2003) research also suggests that auditory input such as talking on mobile telephone can increase the opportunity of a subject failing to notice the unexpected and leading to increased human errors. This research on perception has implications for road safety, as drivers often report they did not see the pedestrian or car in front. The driver focus on what they expect to see top down processing rather than on the unexpected objects. This results in the likelihood of important and unexpected objects being missed. Neisser (1976) suggests that is not either or for humans. Perception involves both top down and bottom up processing becoming a perceptual cycle. Reason (1991) extensive research on human error defines error as circumstances in which planned action fail to achieve the desired outcome. Examples of this are stepping on the brakes too late and failing to stop at red traffic lights. Norman Shallice(1986) and Reason(1991)theory could be used to explain human error in driving tasks and knowledge. Norman and Shallice propose two types of control controlled control and automatic control. Controlled control being within awareness, but conscious and limited and automatic control out of awareness, creates automacity in tasks already rehearsed over a long period of time. This become out of awareness and is performed without effort like driving. Reason (1991) also suggests that there are 3 types of cognitive processes that cause errors. Skills based error or slips these consist of automatic action that was unconscious Rules based mistakes these consist of non-appliance of a heuristic to undertake a task Knowledge based conscious thought to solve a problem Finally Reason (2000) Swiss Cheese Model of human error can assist in understanding how road accident occurs. All slices of the cheese model have gaps which have to be aligned for an accident to occur. Thus a combination of factors can cause human error. To reduce the chance of accident road experts could use Reason model to identify the factors that contribute reducing unsafe acts such as talking on mobiles whilst driving, visible multiple cues, signals, colour coding, speed limits and road examinations are some of the examples observed to reduce road fatalities. Conclusion This essay has attempted to briefly explain the psychological research on memory that could be applied to the road. It concludes that this research on attention and perception can help to understand the cause of human errors on the road. However, memory research is still laboratory based, and opens to criticism regarding ecological validity. In deed human error is inevitable and getting humans to adapt their behaviour may prove challenging. References Treat,J,R, Tumbus,N,S,McDonald,S,T,Shinar,D,Hume,R,D,Mayer,R,E,Stanisfer,R,L and Castellan,N,J(1977) Tri-level study of the cause of traffic accidents report No.DOT-HS-034-3-535-7777(TAC) Green, M (1991) Visual Search, Visual streams and Visual architectures. Perception and Psychophysics, 50,388-403 Cherry, C (1958) some experiments in the recognition of speech with one and two ears, Journal of acoustical society of America, 25,975-979 Broadbent, D (1958) Perception and Communication London/New York, Pergamon Press Atkinson,R and Shiffrin,R(1968) Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes, In K,W Spence and J,T Spence(Eds) The psychology of learning motivation (vol2) London Academic press Baddeley,A Hitch,G (1974)Working memory in G Bower(Ed) The psychology of learning motivation(vol 8)pp.47-90 San Diego, Academic Press Treisman, A (1960) Contextual cues in selective listening. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 12,242-248 Mack, A Rock, I (199 ) Inattentional Blindness Cambridge,MA,MIT Press Scholl,B Noles,N,Pashera,V,Sussman,R(2003) Talking on cellular phone dramatically increases sustained Inattentional blindness[abstract]Journal of vision,3(9):156,156a Simons,D Chabris,C(1999) Gorillas in our Midst: Sustained Inattentional blindness for dynamic events.Perception,28,1059-1071 Reason,J(2000) Human Error, Models and management, British Medical Journal,320 768-770 Norman,D,A,Shallice,T(1986) Attention to Action: Willed and automatic control of behaviour in R.J. Davidson,G.E Schwartz and D.Shapiro(Ed)The design of everyday living, New York, Doubleday Neisser(1976)Cognition and Reality San Francisco,CA,W.H Freeman

Business Education Essay -- essays research papers

Argumentative Draft Formal Education Is the Key to Success   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The advancement of technology in the last decade has increased the demand for Americans to seek higher and formal education. No longer do we live in the age of manual labor, family owned & operated conveniences, but rather a computerized age. Thirty-years ago job seekers could find stable and secure work that would ensure stability and a prosperous future. Those white collar jobs could be obtained and secured by individuals lacking a formal and/or higher education. Today, blue collar jobs like fast food restaurants, warehouse labor, and/or janitorial services prefer and sometimes require some form of education. Employers have become more openly concerned about their employees ability to represent their companies. (Formal education is the key to empowerment, but it is not necessary in order to become successful in today’s society.)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Education has become a large importance and often the determining factor for competitive job seeker. More than half of Americans citizens seek some form of education at one time or another whether it be for job placement or advancement. Technology is always changing and requires employers to train and re-train its employees to keep then afloat. College students like myself have always been for warned that higher education is the key to ensure success in the career world and will be the only means of providing a competi...