Nuclear Power :: essays research papers

Nuclear Power Producing energy from a nuclear power plant is very complicated. The process of nuclear energy involves the fission of atoms, the release of energy from fission as heat, and the transfer of heat to electricity in power plants. The process of splitting the atom is called nuclear fission. Fission can take place in many different kinds of atoms. This explanation uses Uranium - 235, the atom most commonly used in nuclear reactors. The Uranium atom has many protons, thus making it unstable. Since the nucleus of the atom is so unstable it wants to split itself apart, causing a spontaneous fission. When the nuclei of a Uranium atom splits apart, it splits into two atoms. Commonly the nucleus splits into Barium and Krypton; however, it can split into any two atoms as long as the number of protons equals the original amount of the protons found in the Uranium. In addition, a mass amount of energy is released along with two or three neutrons. It is these neutrons that can begin a chain reaction, each neutron that is given off could collide with another Uranium atom splitting it apart. Each of these fissioning atoms releases a very large amount of energy, and some more neutrons. This process continues causing a chain reaction withut any outside assistance, and the Uranium has "gone critical"(Martindale, 794-195). This chain reaction is the basis for how nuclear power is made. The amount of the energy that is given off in nuclear fission is astronomical. To equal the amount of energy given off when splitting some uranium the size of a golf ball, one would have to burn approximately twenty-five train cars full of coal. Presently, the planet contains twenty-five times more nuclear fuel compared to fossil fuel. On average, an atomic power plant can produce half a million kilowatts of power. As a comparison, a hair dryer takes about one kilowatt (Jenny, 1-2). The producing of energy from nuclear fission is very similar to using a very common fossil fuel boiler. The difference lies in the reactor, where the heat is generated by fissioning material. The most common of reactors is the pressurized water reactor; however, there are many other types. The pressurized water reactor is the most common reactor in the United States. The reactor of a nuclear power plant is where the fissioning takes place. The Uranium is contained in fuel rods, each rod is sealed so no contamination occurs. Many of these rods are then contained in a fuel assembly. All the fuel assemblies are separated by control rods. The control rods limit the amount of

Adult versus children learning

Although it is my opinion that children and adults differ in the degree to which methods facilitate their learning, I still think that both have the ability to profit from the use of those similar methods. Such strategies as rehearsal and repetition seem to work especially well with children, though less so with adults. I believe this has to do with the fact that children naturally find repetition a diverting exercise, while adults generally dislike doing it. Motivation, therefore, plays a major role in the success of both learners. Such methods of learning as metaphors and imagery would appear to have similar effects on both adults and children. It would seem to me that these methods would work better with adults, who are likely to already possess a schema for much of what is being learned and would thereby be able to make better connections. However, I once read of such learning inhibitors as interference (especially in adult language learning), in which prior knowledge of a language and expectations about learning get in the way of the information to be assimilated (August, 2006). Motivation is also a critical aspect of learning (Zhao & Mogan, 2004). Adults tend to be more motivated when learning, and therefore, in such cases will be able to benefit from methods that might otherwise not be conducive to adult learning. I think the efficacy of such methods as repetition is dependent on the person’s willingness to do it. A motivated adult would therefore benefit from repetition as a learning method. For example, a few summers ago I tried to learn German, and even though I stopped after a few months, I find that the motivation I had at the time caused me to learn quite a few vocabulary words via repetition. This is the same method I used as a child while learning Spanish in high school. As an adult, my motivation was to communicate with a Swiss friend whom I was tutoring; as a child, it was to continue getting some of the highest Spanish grades in my class. Both experiences suggest to me that children and adults tend to learn in similar ways. References August, G. (2006). â€Å"So, what’s behind adult English second-language reading?† Bilingual    Research Journal. 30(2), 245-264. Zhao & Morgan. (2004). â€Å"Consideration of Age in L2 Attainment – Children, Adolescents and Adults.† Asian EFL Journal. 6(4), 1-13.

The Relationship between Gender and Modernism/Postmodernism

In late XIX – early XX century a total crisis gripped various areas of life – economy, politics and culture. However, the ideological ferment minds, lack of confidence in the future, premonition close historical and social change, although anxiety filled the souls of men, but encouraged to seek new ideals of life and creativity. Artists tried to find new forms adequate to reflect changes that had occurred primarily in human consciousness, and reach a new level of artistic creation values as they didn’t perceive the romanticism and realism means.Art of the first half of XX century primarily determines such things as decadence and modernism. Among many modernist writers, I would like to mention Ibsen and O ‘Conner, whose works are a reflection of real life and social problems. The status of women in society and family is considered to be one of these problems (Burgess 153). Henrik Ibsen is Norwegian playwright, whose work is considered the crowning achievemen t of so-called â€Å"middle-class drama†, which fell on the flowering of the XVIII century. However, he is considered the creator of the foundations of â€Å"new drama† – a new path in the development of world drama.What was a new Ibsen’s approach to reality? Ibsen was one of the first playwrights, who had shown a new society by making stress on the tragedy of human life not in individual acts of negative second part, and in life itself. He showed the tragedy of life, debunked the false morality. In the play â€Å"A Doll's House† not only the dream of the playwright about the family and the family comfort was embodied, but also a critical attitude towards society, which does not recognize women's equal rights with men. â€Å"A Doll's House† was an innovative product and the best example of â€Å"new drama†.In addition, it combines realism with modernist form of embodiment. It is also an intellectual and analytical piece, in which ther e is a problem of personality, which seeks to protect his identity, the right to dignity in modern drama society. The end of XIX century was marked by the development of feminist movements. This question provoked strong interest of society and was the subject of disputes in many families. So the play by Ibsen was a response to the requests of time. The focus of the playwright is in the role of women in the family and her status in society.From the first scenes the reader can understand how the author appreciates the comfort of kin, how he admires Nora – a real ideal woman: funny, sweet, and nice. Her children adore her and her husband is satisfied with the tale, illusion of a perfect family. What's wrong with this idyllic picture? Maybe, it's just fantasy, not the authenticity of everything that they see outside. The plays by Ibsen are called â€Å"analytic† not by chance, the author analyzes the problems of the modern family, in which the woman is often not only conqu ered, but does not have the right to vote.While Nora was such a vital playful â€Å"squirrel† for her husband Thorvald, he admired her; he loved his wife and took care of her. Only of her? Probably not. But once it became clear that Nora could do something by her own, she could make her own decision. When she took the money for her husband’s medication everybody saw the real attitude of such a loving husband to his wife. It was a despot who did not bear the thought that his wife has something to solve herself, that she could be responsible for her choices.That's where the subsoil is constructed in the Helmer family (Boyesen 94). The play has become a loud resonance precisely because of the fact that the problem of women's fate, and human was at point that time. When Nora left the family, it was really a shock for society, with its stabilized mind's eye on the role of women in family and society. It was the first time when woman said of her dignity and desire to be a pe rson, not just a beautiful doll for men. A woman does not agree any more with the role of a slave and a housewife.She wants to be on a par with men to live a full life, to love, raise children and feel like a man. This solves the problem of women's rights in the family. Flannery O'Connor is an outstanding American author. The author of â€Å"Gothic† novels and short stories about rural life of the American South, animate the religious fervor and brightly-colored comic strokes. Metaphysical, on what it called â€Å"enlarged† view of the world combined with the full perception of reality. Major trends of her work have identified a zealous Catholic and a disbelief in science, shattering the primordial life.For O'Connor, the image is characterized by unexpected, extreme situations, resulting in acts of violence provoked by the grotesque characters. â€Å"A good man is hard to find† is the most outstanding work of this author which tackles both the author’s vi ews regarding personal transformations and Christianity. The story follows the life of a Christian grandmother who faces various struggles with her family and environment in terms of religion, beliefs, and practices. Many of Flannery O'Connor's characters defy cultural expectations.For example, many of her women are strong, opinionated leaders, while the prevailing culture, especially during O'Connor's lifetime, prized women as nurturing homemakers whose role was to support the decisions and opinions of men. Grandmothers, especially, were expected to follow the lead of their grown sons if there was no grandfather in the house. Men, not women, were the driving decision-makers (at least on the surface) in literature, and generally in society until after World War 2. The mother in this story is the more stereotypical character who is left in her assigned gender role.O'Connor's grandmother character defies the cultural stereotype. She is opinionated and not shy of voicing those opinions on subjects from vacation destinations to proper etiquette for children to current events. She pays attention to the details that others ignore, including the starting mileage of the car and the facial features of The Misfit (O’Connor 48). O Connor's grandmother character is also the one to defend the family during the â€Å"predicament. † Again in traditional gender roles, family protection is the domain of the family patriarch, not one of the women.Yet, in another example of O'Connor's challenge to social norms, it is the elderly woman who stands to defend her family. Both authors in their works paid great attention to the role of a woman in family and in society, her right to take decisive actions, the importance of her personality. The works by Ibsen and O'Conner caused much controversy but they still remained bright representatives of modernism. The topics and problems they discussed in their works are still important and relevant.

A Brief History of the Ivory Trade in Africa

A Brief History of the Ivory Trade in Africa   Ivory has been desired since antiquity because its relative softness made it easy to carve into intricate decorative items for the very wealthy.  For the past one hundred years, the ivory trade in Africa has been closely regulated, yet the trade continues to thrive. Ivory Trade in Antiquity During the days of the Roman Empire, the ivory exported from Africa largely came from North African elephants. These elephants were also used in the Roman coliseum fights and occasionally as transport in war and were hunted to extinction around the 4th century C.E. After that point, the ivory trade in Africa declined for several centuries. Medieval Times to the Renaissance By the 800s, the trade in African ivory had picked-up again. In these years, traders transported ivory from West Africa along the trans-Saharan trade routes to the North African coast or brought East African ivory up in boats along the coastline to the market-cities of north-east Africa and the Middle East. From these depots, ivory was taken across the Mediterranean to Europe or to Central and East Asia, though the latter regions could easily acquire ivory from southeast Asian elephants. European Traders and Explorers (1500-1800) As Portuguese navigators began exploring the West African coastline in the 1400s, they soon entered into the lucrative ivory trade, and other European sailors were not far behind. During these years, ivory was still acquired almost exclusively by African hunters, and as the demand continued, the elephant population near the coastlines declined. In response, African hunters traveled further and further inland in search of elephant herds. As the trade in ivory moved inland, the hunters and traders needed a way to transport the ivory to the coast.  In West Africa, trade focused on numerous rivers that emptied into the Atlantic, but in Central and East Africa, there were fewer rivers to use. Sleeping Sickness and other tropical diseases also made it almost impossible to use animals (like horses, oxen, or camels) to transport goods in West, Central, or central-East Africa, and this meant that people were the primary movers of goods.   The Ivory and Slave Trades (1700-1900) The need for human porters meant that the growing slave and ivory trades went hand-in-hand, particularly in East and Central Africa. In those regions, African and Arab slave traders traveled inland from the coast, purchased or hunted down large numbers of slaves and ivory, and then forced the slaves to carry the ivory as they marched down to the coast. Once they reached the coast, the traders sold both the slaves and the ivory for hefty profits. The Colonial Era In the 1800s and early 1900s, European ivory hunters began hunting elephants in greater numbers. As demand for ivory increased, elephant populations were decimated. In 1900, several African colonies passed  game laws that limited hunting, though recreational hunting remained possible for those who could afford the expensive licenses.   Pouching and Legitimate Ivory Trade, Today At Independence in the 1960s, most African countries maintained or increased colonial game legislation laws, either outlawing hunting or permitting it only with the purchase of expensive licenses. Poaching and the ivory trade continued, however. In 1990, African elephants, with the exception of those in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, were added to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna, which means that participating countries agreed not to allow their trade for commercial purposes. Between 1990 and 2000, the elephants in Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, were added to Appendix II, which permits trade in ivory but requires an export permit to do it.   Many argue, though, that any legitimate trade in ivory encourages poaching and adds a shield for it since illegal ivory can be publicly displayed once purchased. It looks the same as legitimate ivory, for which their continues to be relatively high demand for both Asian medicine and decorative objects.   Sources Hughes, Donald, â€Å"Europe as Consumer of Exotic Biodiversity: Greek and Roman times,† Landscape Research 28.1 (2003): 21-31. Stahl, Ann B., and Peter Stahl. â€Å"Ivory production consumption in Ghana in the early second millennium AD,† Antiquity 78.299 (March 2004): 86-101.

The Flat Tax Issue essays

The Flat Tax Issue essays The article on the Flat Tax system was actually one that I could relate to in terms of personal taxes. I have heard of this new system over the last five or six years, but I still have yet to see any type of action for implementation with this system. Before becoming enlightened about the new system through this article, I believed that the Flat Tax needed to be adopted by our government and adopted immediately. The thought of only paying fifteen percent to taxes is something that I relished. I always thought that a straight fifteen percent tax across the board would be fair and adequate for our system. I never truly understood the consequences the flat tax made upon the debt. This, again, was all before reading the article in depth. I appreciated the fact that the author presented numerous facts and examples when he spoke of the advantages and disadvantages of the flat tax. Some of these disadvantages I would never have known if not for this article. Most of us hear of a new tax system and without knowing the details, we want to jump into the new system believing that it will help all of us save some of our income. Obviously, by employing this system, it will save us some income but in the end, we will be paying higher taxes for other essentials. Taxes will be paid by the consumer either on payroll or through the purchases of durable and non-durable goods. There is no way around it. One way or the other we are paying the taxes to support our country. The other astounding fact that I received from the article was that the fifteen- percent would not even come close to supporting our country. In fact, the country would be losing billions overall. In order to support the country, the flat tax would have to increase almost up to twenty-seven percent! Most peo ...

DISCUSS THE NURSING ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF A PATIENT WITH Essay

DISCUSS THE NURSING ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF A PATIENT WITH HYPOGLYCAEMIA EMERGENCY - Essay Example nerves, and blood vessels. Pancreas: The pancreas is a gland that lies behind the stomach; it is a compound gland with both exocrine and endocrine components. The endocrine component is secreted in the islets of Langerhans, and this comprises of two hormones, glucagon and insulin. Within the islets, there are beta cells that secrete insulin (A Dictionary of Nursing, 2003).Pathophysiology of Diabetes: Diabetes results from deficient insulin secretion, decreased insulin action, or both. Many causative pathologic processes may be involved ranging from autoimmune destruction of beta cells of the pancreas to incompletely understood processes that result in insulin resistance. In both the mechanisms, there is strong evidence of a genetic counterpart. Whatever may be the mechanism of injury, deficiency of insulin leads to production of large volume of urine and excessive thirst. The excess sugar in the blood draws water, and the excess sugar starts appearing in urine, thereby leading to a loss of sugar in the urine. This results in weight loss, and the patient not only becomes thirsty, but also hungry. (A Dictionary of Nursing, 2003). Types of Diabetes Mellitus: Depending on the pathologic mechanism causing diabetes, diabetes has been classified into two types. One, where there is absolute deficiency of insulin due to destruction of islet cells, so the patients are entirely dependent on insulin for counteracting this deficiency state. This usually starts in childhood or adolescence, and this is termed as IDDM or insulin-dependant diabetes mellitus or type 1 diabetes mellitus. The other, where there is insulin resistance and... "hypoglycaemia n."Concise Medical Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2002. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.British Council Delhi.2 May 2007http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.htmlsubview=Main&entry=t60.e4784 "insulin n."Concise Medical Dictionary. Oxford University Press, 2002. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.British Council Delhi.2 May 2007http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.htmlsubview=Main&entry=t60.e5064 "pancreas n."A Dictionary of Nursing. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press.British Council Delhi.2 May 2007http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/ENTRY.htmlsubview=Main&entry=t62.e6551

Classical Republican Model of Citizenship Essay

Classical Republican Model of Citizenship - Essay Example The classical republican model emphasizes more about the common good than the rights. It has three basic components based on the old Roman ideas; these are: res publice, virtus and civitas. These three concepts can be easily defined in our terminology as the following: With this concept of model, the people living in the society are concerned about the common good of the people more than their own benefits or rights and that is how a good life is possible. In a society, following such a framework, live in together with no exterior violence and have the internal cruel and arbitrary use of authority. The main tool of protection is the rule of law. It states that by following such a model people can enjoy the mutual respect and are able to live in liberty. For this model to follow, variety of republican tools are needed that work accordingly to make the government secure and stable. And these institutes need a strong moral background to work effectively. Citizens are advised to be active politically, participate in political activities and share their views. They should be well aware of their duties and responsibilities and should exercise them regularly to build up a successful society as defined by the laws of classical republican model of citizenship. The righteous energy to perform in political activities is provided to the citizens. For this they need to be honest, loyal and courageous. Religion and the compulsory education are the components of this model. According to this model of citizenship, a criterion is provided for the citizens following which they can become the ideal citizens. The duties of all the citizens are decided. This leads towards the ideal of direct democracy that means that all citizens play the equal part in political decisions. It means the rule by the people as apposed to the rule by the monarch. It demands the citizens to hold back their personal interests for their country. A framework of rules of law is defined for the citizenship that stresses on the individuals right. The objects of acts of virtue can easily be found in the classical republican model of citizenship, a feeling of eagerness that directs towards the simulation. It is the duty of every citizen to participate equally in the politics of the society hat is why he is called the political animal. The citizens are required to be virtuous, that is they need to opt for the decision that is in common benefit of every one over their individual interests. In this model it is not necessarily followed that the good work which is praised for its gracefulness really needs the admiration. From which it doesn't really benefit the other people, there is no advantage or profit for the people concerned, and that does not create any enthusiasm for simulation of such acts, or has any leaning or urge on them