Opinion of Macbeth Essay

Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in the 16th century as tribute to king James the first. At the start of the text king Duncan made me believe that anyone could be a good leader, Duncan effectively portrayed this idea because he put the needs of his country in front of his own. Throughout the text Shakespeare influenced my opinion to change when Macbeth came into power as he cared about no one but himself; Shakespeare influences re seen well through the techniques soliloquies, irony and contrast. King Duncan is a good leader whose only concern is his country. Macbeth is the thane of Glamis; he is an honorable warrior that has potential to be a good leader. He is described as a â€Å"peerless kinsmen† who doesn’t want to risk his status therefore avoids evil, the beginning of the novel makes me believe that anyone can be a good leader that is until the weird sisters foretell Macbeths prophesies one of which states that he is to be king. Macbeth’s unchecked ambition and persuasion from Lady Macbeth makes him peruse to kill Duncan and become the King of Scotland. Shakespeare effectively uses contrast to show the effect of ambition and evil on humans, the contrast between Duncan and Macbeth influenced me to change my opinion on the idea that anyone can be a good leader, Shakespeare does this by presenting Duncan as an excellent king, who is very trusting and gullible and although holding a lot of power in his hands he doesn’t abuse it and become corrupt by power, In contrast Shakespeare portrays Macbeth as an honorable warrior who would never stoop to murder, but Macbeths unchecked ambition drives him to battle with his conscious and in conclusion pursue to kill King Duncan. When Macbeth gains power over Scotland he becomes more callous and only cares for his own needs which in contrast is different to King Duncan who only cared for the needs of his country, at the end of the novel Macbeth is disillusioned â€Å"he has sold his soul for nothing†. This shows contrast between Duncan and Macbeth, Duncan being a good leader and Macbeth being a bloody tyrant. Shakespeare purpose of this contrast is to show that not anyone can be a good leader and that it takes a good person to actually be a good leader. After the death of Duncan, Macbeth looses all decency; he no longer consults with his wife who he describes as his partner in crime. He uses his power for his own benefit and not for his country this shows that he is callous and will kill anyone who gets in his way. Shakespeare uses soliloquies through out the text to reveal the inner workings of a characters mind; this technique shows that not anyone can be a good leader because in order to be a good leader your thoughts have to be affirmative with your actions. Macbeths thoughts are often completely different to what he is outwardly saying or doing this is seen when he claims to be Duncan’s loyal subject but secretly is plotting to execute him, he says â€Å"the bell invites me, hear it not, Duncan for it is a knell, that summons thee to heaven or to hell†. Another example of soliloquies is when Macbeth pretends to be Banquos friend when he says â€Å"fail it not our feast tonight† whilst in his mind he is delegating to get him killed. Throughout the text Shakespeare uses irony to show that some people are not suited to wield power, irony gives the audience insight on something that the characters don’t know, irony is well shown after the death of Duncan, when Macbeth pretends to be concerned and alarmed towards the death of Duncan this is seen when he says â€Å"Had I but dies an hour before this†, we as the audience are aware of his remorse and catch on to this double meaning. Soliloquies and irony intergrade effectively to show that Macbeth’s deceitful and twofaced nature prevents him from being a good leader because in order to be a good leader you must be honest and trustworthy, these are two traits that Macbeth doesn’t hold. Shakespeare purpose in this is to show that a leader cannot have uncheck ed ambition as this will drive them to turn to darkness in order to keep there power in hold. At the beginning of the text my opinion was that anyone can be a good leader, I came to this conclusion because Duncan was a good leader and Macbeth showed potential in becoming a good leader. Shakespeare influenced my opinion to change to, not anyone can be a good leader and in order to be a good leader you have to be a good person, Shakespeare did this through Macbeth though turned to darkness to gain power and then further abused his power by killing anyone who got in his way, in conclusion Macbeth becomes a  bloody tyrant who has no one to stand by him.

Human Resource Management Policies and Practices That Can Support Business Strategies and Contribute to Improved Performance of the Organization

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT POLICIES AND PRACTICES THAT CAN SUPPORT BUSINESS STRATEGIES AND CONTRIBUTE TO IMPROVED PERFORMANCE OF THE ORGANIZATION PREPARED BY: ROLAND GBENGA STUDENT NUMBER: 0075DSDS1011 MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMINITRATION CARDIFF METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY MARKETING MANAGEMENT DR. GEORGE KOSHY 6TH DECEMBER, 2011 Table of Contents Table of Figures4 1. 0. INTRODUCTION4 2. 0. LITERATURE REVIEW6 2. 1. Recruitment and Selection (Toyota)6 2. 2.Training and Professional Development (Singapore Airlines)15 2. 3. Performance Management (Quantum)18 2. 4. Employee Benefits and Compensation ExxonMobil19 2. 4. 1. Salary & Compensation:20 2. 4. 2. Additional Benefits21 3. 0. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION21 Bibliography23 Table of Figures Figure 1 Recruitment and Selection Process7 Figure 2 Job Analysis Model9 Figure 3 Toyota Sales Result 201012 Figure 4 Toyota Recruitment Process for Graduate13 Figure 5 Toyota Recruitment Process for Graduate14Figure 6 Singapore Airline Organizational Hier archy16 Figure 7 Performance Management Model18 Figure 8 Performance Management Process19 Figure 9 Benefits and Compensation Model20 1. 0. INTRODUCTION Gilmore & Williams (2009) said â€Å"People are the most valuable asset†, it is a cliche resounds over and again in the heart of the Human Resource department of an organization. The height of completion in recent years does not leave room for simple executive standard of practices [ (Agawarwala, 2003) ].Different companies inculcates different range of human resource practices and policies because some of them employ certain interwoven practices which has become their attributes and are known to be the root of their achievement through the way the company manage people [ (Pfeffer, 1996) ]. The religious policies imbibed by businesses provides them with the techniques to manage human resource error or risk by keeping up to date with trending things happening in employment standards and required legislation.Business Management Study GuideThis research work seeks to examine different companies who have achieved success through certain characterized human resource practices, a broad overview and a comprehensive analysis into the functions performed by the selected companies as regards maintaining a competitive advantage through concentrated human resource activities. There is difficulty in identifying a company who does all the human resource practices correctly [ (Pfeffer, 1996) ], however there are some companies who have been sustained over the years and are still able to maintain their workforce and also keep them happy and motivated.Organization success and performance are popularly measured assessed by the outlook of the financial statement; the structure behind the system are neglected meanwhile it is the one of the most important aspect of an organization and its harnesses to optimum performance. We neglect the contributions of Human Resources and the various practices put into play in the organizat ions’ success. It is as simple as to say that consumers as happy because there are happy employees who take care of their needs for the company.Why are some employees happy with and are ready to stick with the organization while there are some who wishes for a quick change. The answer to the question above is far fetched but can be streamlined; some organization knows how to take good care of their staffs by creating an enabling and conducive environment them thereby retaining their identity, know-how loyalty while they continue to grow and prove their selves with time. This paper seeks to explore different organization and heir Human Resource practices and how it has helped them to in the establishment of a motivated and highly satisfied workforce which has been a contributor to their performance and their sustainability. It is believed that some company’s strategies and or practices are their strength because the ability to attract, manage and retain vast knowledge a nd experiences are in their best practices. * Performance Management * Employment Security * High wages * Incentive Pay * Employee Ownership * Information Sharing * Participation and Empowerment * Selectivity in Recruiting * Participation Employment Information Sharing * Wage Compression 2. 0. LITERATURE REVIEW 3. 1. Recruitment and Selection (Toyota) [ (recruitment. toyotauk. com, 2011) ] Hiring the best people is paramount to the success of any organization more so is the ability to retain a high quality workforce; if there is a vacant position in an organization there should not be panic because it provides the organization with the opportunity to examine the position, set the description and determine the qualifications. [ (hr. uoregon. edu, 2010) ] Recruitment is the preceding step in the selection method in an organization. Read also Analyze the Ways in Which British Imperial PoliciesIt is seen as an activity directed to earn suitable workforces whose qualifications and skills match roles of the pertinent posts in the Organization. While it is defined also as â€Å"the process of identifying that the organization needs to employ someone up to the point at which application forms for the past have arrived at the organization† [ (businesscasestudies. co. uk, 2010) ]. The success of a business is subjected to the skills and competencies of its workforce [ (Gilmore & Williams, 2009) ], it does not stop once it commences, and it gives the rganization the opportunity to pick from a pool of qualified candidates. Among the purpose of recruit to an organization, it ensures a decrease in an organization and individual effectiveness; it even aligns the selection rate by limiting the number of evidently over qualified otherwise under qualified applicants. [ (Bliss, 2012) ] Figure [ 1 ] Recruitment and Select ion Process [ (lyonsshers. com, 2012) ] Man Power Planning The planning of staff of an organization need that the present and future situation of the organization be assessed and compared to the present and the future forecasted resources.Proper steps would then be put in place so as to bring the demand and supply in equality. Hence the first step is doing a review of the whole existing workforce and their profile which include the total number, gender, age, sex, experience, flexibility, forecast capabilities and characters of the existing staff of the organization and plans are made ahead for like a period of like 3, 5, 10 years as the case may be taken into consideration normal staff turnover, retirements and planned staff movements along with company plans for the same time frame. accel-team. com, 2012 ) The Human Resource manager is faced with the obligation to scrutinize and modify other mangers crude predictions in accordance with the organizational need and forecast along wit h the organizations future demands as regards workforce.Below are the scenarios the Human Resource Manager must take into consideration, forecast of sale and production; the effects of technological change on task needs, variations in the efficiency, productivity, flexibility of labor as a result of training, work study, organizational change, new motivations; changes in employment practices ( for instance Toyota outsourced the recruitment and selection to Kentucky Department of Employment in 2007); differences, which respond to new legislation, for instance the payroll taxes, safety requirements and new health; the changes in Government policies (investment incentives, regional or trade grants, etc. ) Job Analysis Job analysis is concerned with the formal process of determining the characteristics and what a job entails and the specific qualities or attributes required to perform the job. (Gilmore & Williams, 2009) Job analysis is the primary tool in human resource management (www. managementstudyguide. com, 2012); it is also defined as the procedure required to obtain information regarding the responsibilities, duties, results, essential skills, and the working environment of that particular job.The human resource manager requires a lot of data to gather up job description which is the eventual result of job analysis. (Dessler, 2012) Figure [ 2 ] Job Analysis Model [ (www. managementstudyguide. com, 2012) ] Job Description Job description is based on information gathered from job analysis; it is a list that can be used for general tasks, or functions, and responsibilities of a position. Sometimes it includes to whom the position reports, specifications such as the qualifications or skills needed by the person in the job, or a salary range; it helps employees understand their responsibilities Job Specification It is also known as employee specification [ (www. managementstudyguide. com, 2012) ].It is further explained to be a clearly stated level of experienc e, educational qualifications, specific qualities, techniques, communication skills, physical and emotional state needed to perform the job, another responsibility involved in executing the job and other uncommon demands. They comprise of general health, intelligence aptitude, memory, leadership skills adaptability skills mental health, manner, creativity ethics and values and many more as the case may be. Other processes are as follows: Sources of Selection Advertising Short listing Interview Health Examination Induction [ (Murthy, 2010) ] Every company has their well-defined employment and recruitment policies and hiring procedures among which gives them a competitive edge while searching for quality skills.Toyota Motor Company is renowned for their recruitment process, and generally its management philosophy. Being the largest car manufacturer [ (www. theweek. co. uk, 2011) ] the company sold 8. 42 million vehicles in 2010 has a total employee of 300,734 all over the world. The s uccess the Toyota Motor Corporation can also be attributed to their recruitment and selection programme which is designed to fetch the best people. The Toyota recruitment and selection procedure helps to illustrate how the process itself can interpret into better performance for the whole organization. Toyota Motor Corporation is searching for foremost interpersonal skills, due to the company’s importance on the interaction of the team.In addition the company’s whole process is to advance job processes through employee dedication to quality, and reasoning and problem solving skills are also vital manpower requirements. [ (Piatkowski, 2004) ] Furthermore since quality is the Toyota Company’s central value and so it is also seeking a history of quality commitment to the people it employs. The Toyota production system is based on consensus flexible career path decision making and Job rotation. [ (recruitment. toyotauk. com, 2011) ] Figure [ 3 ] Toyota Sales Result 2010 [ (www2. toyota. co. jp, 2011) ] Figure [ 4 ] Toyota Recruitment Process for Graduate [ (recruitment. toyotauk. com, 2011) ] Figure [ 5 ] Toyota Recruitment Process for Graduate Table [ 1 ] Toyota Selection Process Phases| | Objective| Conducted |Phase IApplication/Orientation | The phase includes filling of application forms and a 1 hour video showing the selection system process and Toyota work environment | To familiarized potential employees about the company while collection information about work experience and skills| Kentucky Department of Employment Services| Phase IITechnical Skills Assessment | Paper and Pencil Test General knowledge assessment (2hrs)Tool and Die general assessment (6hrs)| To test general Knowledge and potentials | Kentucky Department of Employment Services| Phase IIIInterpersonal Skills Assessment | Individual problem solving ability test (4hrs)Production assembly simulation (5hrs)| Assess decision making and interpersonal skills| HR Toyota Motor Ma nufacturing | Phase IV Toyota Assessment | A general Interview and evaluation (1hr)| Discussion of achievements and accomplishments| HR Toyota Motor Manufacturing| Phase VHealth Assessment | Physical test and drug or alcohol test (2. 5hrs) | To ascertain the physical condition | Scot County and General Hospital & HR Toyota Motor Manufacturing| Phase VIOn-the-Job observation | Guidance and coaching on the job after being employed | Assessment of Job performance and development skills | HR Toyota Motor Manufacturing| 3. 2. Training and Professional Development (Singapore Airlines) Organizations see training and development and as a vital human resources activity as they consider it as a motivator for employees to do their job better and consequently contributes to their career development.Improvement of an employee’s capabilities plus their professional development as well as the organizations is part of the purposes of training and development Types of training: Aviation remai ns a large and growing industry. It facilitates economic growth, world trade, international investment and tourism and is therefore central to the globalization taking place in many other industries (syl. com, 2006). In the past decades Air travel has grown by 7% per year, travel for both business and leisure purposes grew strongly worldwide; the large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 (Boeing , 2012 ) made it convenient and affordable for people to travel further to new and exotic destinations.The airline industry in Asia Pacific Region is highly competitive and price wars are a common occurrence. (Chan, 2000) There is constant fighting for territory and expansion which has led to the merger of Air Asia and Malaysian Airline, a merger which was fronted based on being a major player in the industry   along with Qatar Airline, Emirate Airline and more who have concentrated on lowering their costs and improving service to customers thereby posing as a strong competitor. However Singap ore Airline has risen to the challenges and are therefore one of the biggest players in the airline industries by going extra miles in their strategies and they are basically the trend setter of the airline industry.SIA has employed many innovative strategies since it began. These strategies have been supported and strengthen over the years, and have led to the success, the company enjoys today. To be successful in the airline industry you have to employ superior efficiency, quality, innovation and customer responsiveness. Figure 6 Singapore Airline Organizational Hierarchy [ (singaporeair. com, 2012 ) ] Human Resource Management in Singapore Airline inculcated a system that helps their worker achieve the best they can be, the culture of the company ensures that their employees have full opportunity of extensive learning and development which enhances their personal and professional development.Joining the company gives the employees to be open to experience a full experience rangin g the normal orientation programs, visiting of the company sites and attachments so they can exposure to the company and the industry as well, further also the company would embark on leadership and general management programs on the average each employee receives eleven days of training each year. Some employees may be assigned to a mentor in their first year who might be their line manager who plays the role in imitating training relating to job skills, a system in place to help the employees adapt to the working life and adjust to the Company’s culture.The company is committed to helping its employees develop into â€Å"true airline professionals†. The company thrive in the business due to the diverse nature of the business require a different scope for development. SIA involves its employees in job rotation schemes which ensure that employees perform their duties in their field of specialization or across functional areas. It is so planned that throughout the caree r stages and advancement employees will have to interact with his/her colleagues as well as senior management staffs across the whole organization and globally, through involvement in the committees and task forces. Even opportunities for overseas duties are available to Employees of Singapore Airline.Employees after working for a period of experience years can apply to join the company’s Overseas Manager Scheme. This is a good career development as they have the opportunity to become one of the Airline's General Managers oversees. Such manager would be in charge of the company’s overseas business interest which ranges from sales and marketing, Human Resource, finance, management and government relations. As a graduate entry at Singapore Airline would start from the junior management level but can rise to the senior management positions such as vice-presidents and above with experiences, training, exposures, and stellar performance as they case may be. [ (singaporeair. com, 2012 ) ] 3. 3. Performance Management (Quantum)Figure [ 7 ] Performance Management Model [ (hr. cornell. edu, 2012 ) ] Performance Management, according to Dessler, (2012) is a â€Å"continuous process of identifying, measuring, and developing the performance of individuals and teams and aligning their performance with organizational goals† some schools of thought still refers to performance management as performance appraisal while some say it is just a branch of performance management that deals with reward for performance (Dessler, 2012). Quantum Corporation manufactures and renders services of recovery, and archive solutions for customers ranging from small businesses to multinational enterprises (investing. businessweek. om, 2012); it came into computing business as a supplier of hardware to manufacturers and end users in 1980. The activities below are the regular practices of Quantum Corporation that seemly infer they are practicing performance management. * Maint aining a result Focus * Decision Making with the best interest of the Company in mind * Working together Collaboratively * Finding problem Troubleshooting and fixing them * Setting high standards * Being open, honest and direct * Staying flexible and adaptable * Taking initiative for one’s own development * Resolving issues in an objective manner Figure [ 8 ] Performance Management Process [ (Office of Personnel Management, 1999) ] 3. 4.Employee Benefits and Compensation ExxonMobil ExxonMobil a multinational oil and gas corporation was formed from the 1999 merger Exxon and Mobil, the corporation was rated as one of the largest publicly traded company by market capitalization. In 2011 the company recorded a revenue of 354,674,000 and a sale of 30,460,000 [ (money. cnn. com, 2011) ] and recently ExxonMobil was rated by Forbes as the number 1 largest company among 200 [ (DeCarlo, 2012) ]. The amount of employee in the company is 102,700 [ (CNN, 2010) ] happened to be the second after Wal-Mart. The Human Resource Department of ExxonMobil places high emphasis on the benefit and compensation of its employees.It stresses the fact that that to stay at the top the corporation has to attract retain and develop the best man power that would meet their business needs, hence the strategy the company is to stay aloof in their HRM activities is the attractive and competitive compensation and benefits. Figure [ 9 ] Benefits and Compensation Model [ (trueinfos. com, 2012 ) ] ExxonMobil is aware of the effect of reward is, in terms of remuneration and benefits which they are given to employees for their intelligence, passion and ingenuity in performing their duties to the company. The company feels there should be satisfying balance in what the employees seeks in their career and personal pursuits while outside work; hence the company provided necessary resources that would meet their various needs. At ExxonMobil there is this believe that employees should be properly re warded because of their hard work. 3. 5. 1. Salary ; Compensation:A very competitive salary (including 13th ; 14th month) – regular salary for staffs are paid with concrete research into salaries paid by other competing companies in their various positions all over and a benchmark is set. Further in that extra months pay to workers. A Pension Savings Plan – The Company contributes to the pension saving plan of each employee which would be added to the government pension payout. Commuting Allowance – Every mileage used from home to work every day are reimbursed by the company. Even on business trips, travel cost are burn by the company no matter the time duration. 3. 5. 2. Additional Benefits ExxonMobil adds some tokens as benefits on top of the interest and their competitive salaries paid to their employees.They range from savings plan, pension plan, medical plan, dental and vision plans, disability plan, life insurance plan and other programmes such as vacation , global fit discount program, product discount, flexible work arrangements and leaves of absence: Medical Coverage (for you and your dependents) – this is an insurance plan in place for medical cost not provided for the employees basic policy (BE) or medical cost contribution. Accident ; Disability Insurance – Insurance plan in place for employee accident both during worry and outside work area, industrial accident insurance police Product discounts – Rebates of 10% (excluding taxes) given off to employees for using ‘Esso Card’, rebates on heating oil, and many more Savings Plan- ExxonMobil employees are provided with a saving scheme where they contribute a certain percentage of their pay and receive the return even with interest.Disability Plan- the programme is in place for employees who are absent from work for both short-term and long-term due to illness or injuries that happened on or off the job. Dental and Vision Plans – dental servic es and vision service are done for both preventive and corrective ones. The cost of incurred would be shared between the company and staff. Employees are eligible for this programme once you start working with ExxonMobil. Pre- Tax Spending Plan – All the staff of the company that participated in the dental and a vision plans are all involved in pre-tax spending plan. Holidays – ExxonMobil pays for 8 designated holidays and each employee is eligible to go for 2 paid ones. Scheduling of holidaying varies for company paid for some locations.Global Fit Discount Program – the scheme paves way for the company employees and retiree and their families to join top rated health club at a discount rate. 3. 0. RECOMMENDATION AND CONCLUSION A careful look at the companies best practices and policies in human resource management as discussed in the previous section, it is observed that there are many practices and policies a company can decide to use to strengthen the organiz ation with its success only depends on their contribution to organizational performance. It has assumed that one of these practices is the sole contributor to organization performance however all the functions of human resource cannot be neglected considering their roles collectively as none of the practices can even function without the other.The competitiveness and success of an organization can not only be determined by human resource activities, the fact cannot be ignored that without human effort an organization can function but so far the companies have been singled out as successful through their revenue, sales, market share and market growth. ExxonMobil is an oil and gas company and they happen to be the number largest company dues because of their revenue. My 3 years experience has given an idea in which human resource practice that has proven to be successful; it is evident in success of Quantum corporation even ExxonMobil. I have had a good performance because at every cl osing hour of the day there is always a review and report writing where the Executive director would sit and redress every variances and also set a target for the next day.Furthermore all the practices of human resource management are applicable it only depends on the human resource executive to choose know which one is best suited for the company and its employees. Bibliography accel-team. com, 2012 . ACCEL. [Online] Available at: http://www. accel-team. com/human_resources/hrm_01. html [Accessed 11 August 2012 ]. Agawarwala, T. , 2003. Innovative Human Resource and Organization Commitment: an Empirical Investigation. The International Journal of Human Resource, 14(2), pp. 174-197. Bliss, R. , 2012. How to Pitch a Campaign (Watching AMC's The Pitch Doesn't Count! ). The Washington Times, 2 June. Boeing , 2012 . Boeing. [Online]Available at: http://www. boeing. com/commercial/cmo/ [Accessed 8 August 20012]. businesscasestudies. co. uk, 2010. The Times 100 Business Cas Study. [Online ] Available at: http://businesscasestudies. co. uk/business-theory/people/recruitment-and-selection. html [Accessed 2 August 2012 ]. Chan, D. , 2000. Capstone summary – Insights and implications for management development. Journal of Management Development, 19(6), pp. 543 – 569. CNN, 2010. Cable News Network. [Online] Available at: http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/global500/2010/snapshots/387. html [Accessed 8 August 2012]. DeCarlo, S. , 2012. Forbes. com LLC. [Online] Available at: http://www. orbes. com/global2000/ [Accessed 1 August 2012 ]. Dessler, G. , 2012. Human Resource Management. 13 ed. Essex: Pearson. Gilmore, S. ; Williams, S. , 2009. Human Resource Management. s. l. :Oxford. hr. cornell. edu, 2012 . Cornell University. [Online] Available at: https://www. hr. cornell. edu/life/career/performance_management. html [Accessed 4 August 2012 ]. hr. uoregon. edu, 2010. University of Oregon. [Online] Available at: http://hr. uoregon. edu/recruit/recruitment -and-selection/guidelines-recruitment-and-selection [Accessed 1 August 2012]. hrfundamentals. co. uk, 2011. HRFundamentals. [Online] Available at: http://www. hrfundamentals. o. uk/employment-advice/introduction-to-hr-policies. php [Accessed 11 August 2012 ]. investing. businessweek. com, 2012. Bloomberg BusinessWeek. [Online] Available at: http://investing. businessweek. com/research/stocks/snapshot/snapshot. asp? ticker=QTM:US [Accessed 8 August 2012]. lyonsshers. com, 2012. LyonsShers Incorporated Sdn. Bhd.. [Online] Available at: http://www. lyonsshers. com/Wizard/WebsiteConsulting/ManPowerPlanning. asp [Accessed 10 August 2012 ]. money. cnn. com, 2011. Cable News Network.. [Online] Available at: http://money. cnn. com/magazines/fortune/global500/2011/full_list/ [Accessed 6 August 2012 ]. Murthy, D. , 2010.Orange County Files civil lawsuit against Toyota Motors. TopNews. in, 14 March. Office of Personnel Management, 1999. Performance Management Process Handbook. s. l. :s. n. Pfe ffer, J. , 1996. Competitive Advantage through People: Unleashing the Power of the Work Force. 3 ed. s. l. :Havard Business School. Piatkowski, M. , 2004. People Selection Process for Implementing Lean Manufacturing. In: s. l. :s. n. , p. 5. recruitment. toyotauk. com, 2011. TOYOTA MOTOR MANUFACTURING (UK) LTD. [Online] Available at: http://recruitment. toyotauk. com/graduates/recruitment. jsp [Accessed 9 August 2012]. recruitment. toyotauk. com, 2011. Toyota Motor Manufacturing (UK) LTD. Online] Available at: http://recruitment. toyotauk. com/graduates/recruitment. jsp [Accessed 9 August 2012 ]. recruitment. toyotauk. com, 2011. TOYOTA MOTORS MANUFACTURING (UK) LTD. [Online] Available at: recruitment. toyotauk. com [Accessed 9 August 2012]. singaporeair. com, 2012 . Singapore Airlines. [Online] Available at: http://www. singaporeair. com/jsp/cms/en_UK/global_footer/career-development. jsp [Accessed 9 August 2012]. syl. com, 2006. Search Your Love. [Online] Available at: http://www. syl. com/travel/overviewoftheairlineindustry. html [Accessed 2 August 2012]. trueinfos. com, 2012 . Trueinfos. [Online] Available at: http://trueinfos. com/compenandben. html

Filtration & Centrifugation

FILTRATION â€Å"Filtration may be defined as a process of separation of solids from a fluid by passing the same through a porous medium that retains the solids, but allows the fluid to pass through. † The suspension to be filtered is known as slurry. The porous medium used to retain the solids is known as filter medium. The accumulated solids on the filter are referred to as filter cake, while the clear liquid passing through the filter is filtrate. When solids are present in a very low concentration i. e. , not exceeding 1. 0% w/v, the process of its separation from liquid is called ‘clarification’. Process of filtration: The filtration operation is shown below in the figure * The pores of the filter medium are smaller than the size of the particles to be separated. * Filter medium (for eg: filter paper or muslin cloth) is placed on a support (a sieve). * When slurry (feed) is passed over the filter medium, the fluid flows through the filter medium by virtue of a pressure differential across the filter. * Gravity is acting on the liquid column. Therefore, solids are trapped on the surface of the filter medium Figure 1: filtration Once the preliminary layer of particles is deposited, further filtration is brought about wherein the filter medium serves only as a support. * The filter will work efficiently only after an initial deposit. * After a particular point of time, the resistance offered by the filter cake is high that virtually filtration is stopped. For this reason, a positive pressure is applied on the filter cake (upstream) or negative pressure (suction) is applied below the filter medium (downstream). Factors affecting the rate of filtration: The rate of filtration which depends on various factors can be written as: Rate of filtration = Area of filter X Pressure difference Viscosity X Resistance of cake and filter The rate of filtration depends on the following factors: 1. Pressure: * The rate of filtration of liquid is directly proportional to the pressure difference between the ‘filter medium’ and ‘filter cake’. * Thus, the rate of filtration can be increased by applying pressure on the liquid being filtered or by decreasing the pressure beneath the filter. 2. Viscosity: * The rate of filtration is inversely proportional to the viscosity of the liquid undergoing filtration. Liquids which are very viscous get filtered slowly in comparison to liquids with low viscosity. * Reduction of viscosity of a liquid by raising the temperature is frequently done in order to accelerate filtration. eg: syrups are more quickly filtered when hot and cold. 3. Surface area of filter media: * The rate of filtratio n is directly proportional to the surface area of filter media. * Pleating the filter paper or using a fluted funnel increases the effective surface area of filter paper for filtration. Filter press also works on the same principle. 4. Temperature of liquid to be filtered: Temperature plays an important role in the rate of filtration. * Viscosity is reduced by a rise in temperature and the filtration of viscous oils, syrups etc is often accelerated by filtering them while they are still hot. 5. Particle size: * The rate of filtration is directly proportional to the particle size of the solid to be removed. * It is easier to filter a liquid having coarse particles than that having finely divided particles because coarse filtering medium can be used to filter liquid having coarse and hence it increases the rate of filtration. Therefore before filtration, some method should be adopted to agglomerate the finely divided particles into coarse particles or to increase the particle size by precipitation. 6. Pore size of filter media: * The rate of filtration is directly proportional to the pore size of the filter media. * The liquid having coarse particles requires a coarse filtering media to remove them. So, the rate of filtration is increased when a coarse filter medium is used for filtration. 7. Thickness of cake: * The rate of filtration is inversely proportional to the thickness of the filter cake formed during the process of filtration. As the filtration process proceeds, the solid particles start depositing on the filter medium, and thus, it increases the thickness of the cake and decreases the rate of filtration. 8. Nature of the solid material: * The rate of filtration is directly proportional to the porosity of the filter cake. * The porosity of the filter cake depends on the nature of the solid particles to be removed from the liquid. * Filter aids are sometimes added to the filtering liquid to make a porous cake Theories of filtration The flow of a liquid thorough a filter follows the basic rules that govern the flow of any liquid through the medium offering resistance. The rate of flow may be expressed as: Driving force Rate = ——————– (equation 1) Resistance The rate of filtration may be expressed as volume (lit) per unit time (dv/dt). The driving force is the pressure differential between the upstream and downstream of the filter. The resistance is not constant. It increases with an increase in the deposition of solids on the filter medium. Therefore filtration is not a steady state. The rate of flow will be greatest at the beginning of the filtration process, since the resistance is minimum. Once the filter cake is formed, its surface acts as filter medium and solids continuously deposit adding to the thickness of the cake. The resistance to flow is related to several factors as mentioned below. Length of capillaries Resistance to movement = ———————————————————— Poiseuille’s Equation: Poiseuille’s considered that filtration is similar to the stream line flow of a liquid under pressure through capillaries. Poiseuille’s equation is ? pr4 V = —————– 8L? Where, V= rate of flow, i. e. , volume of liquid flowing in unit time, m3/s(1/s) p = pressure difference across the filter, pa r = radius of the capillary in the filter bed, m L = thickness of the filter cake (capillary length), m = viscosity of filtrate, pa s If the cake is composed of a bulky mass of particles and the liquid flows through the interstices (correspond to a multiplicity of capillary tubes), then the flow of liquids through these may be expressed by poiseulle’s equation. Darcy’s Equation: Poiseuille’s law assumes that the capillaries found in the filter are highly irregular and nonuniform. Therefore, if the length of a capillary is taken as the thickness of the bed, correction factor for radius is applied so that the rate equat ion is closely approximated and simplified. The factor influencing the rate of filtration has been incorporated into an equation by Darcy, which is: KA P V = ——————– ? L Where, K = permeability coefficient of the cake, m2 A = surface area of the porous bed (filter medium), m2 p = pressure difference across the filter, pa L = thickness of the filter cake (capillary length), m ? = viscosity of filtrate, pa s The term K depends on the characteristics of the cake, such as porosity, surface area and compressibility. Permeability may be defined quantitatively as the flow rate of a liquid of unit viscosity across a unit area of cake having unit thickness under a pressure gradient of unity. This model relates not only to filter beds or cakes but also applies to other types of depth filter. Equipment is valid for liquids flowing through sand, glass beads and various porous media. Darcy’s equation is further modified by including characteristics of K by Kozeny-Carman. Kozeny-Carman Equation: Poiseuille’s equation is made applicable to porous bed, based on a capillary type structure by including additional parameters. Thus the resultant equation, which is widely used for filtration is Konzeny- Carman equation. A p ? 3 ?S2 KL (1- ? )2 V = —— ——- ——– Where, ? = porosity of the cake (bed) S = specific surface area of the particles comprising the cake, m2/m3 K = Konzeny constant p = pressure difference across the filter, pa L = thickness of the filter cake (capillary length), m ? = viscosity of filtrate, pa s The Konzeny constant is usually taken as 5. The effect of compressibility of the cake on flow rate can be appreciated from equation (1), since the flow rate is proportional to ? 3/ (1- ? )2. A 10 percent change in porosity can produce almost 3-fold change inn V. Limitations of Kozeny Carman equation: Kozeny Carman equation does not take in to account of the fact that the depth of the granular bed is lesser than the actual path traversed by the fluid. The actual path is not straight throughout the bed, but it is sinuous or tortuous Mechanisms of filtration: The mechanism whereby particles are retained by a filter is significant only in the initial stages of filtration. Some of the mechanisms are: Straining: Similar to sieving i. e. , the particles of larger size cannot pass through the smaller pore size of the filter medium. Impingement: Solids having momentum move along the path of streamline flow and strike (impinge) the filter medium. Thus, the solids are retained on the filter medium. Entanglement: Particles become entwined (entangled) in the mass of fibres (of cloth with a fine hairy surface or porous felt) due to smaller size of particles than the pore size. Thus the solids are retained on the filter medium. Attractive forces: Solids are retained on the filter medium as a result of attractive forces between particles and filter medium, as in case of electrostatic precipitation. FILTER MEDIA AND FILTER AIDS Filter media: The filter medium act as a mechanical support for the filter cake and is also responsible for the collection of solids. Filter medium should have the following characteristics: 1. It should have sufficient mechanical strength. 2. It must be inert; it should not show chemical or physical interaction. 3. It should not absorb the dissolved material. 4. It should allow the maximum passage of liquid, while retaining the solids. It means that it must offer low resistance to flow. The magnitude of the resistance of the filter medium will change due to the layers of solids deposited earlier, which may block the pores or may form bridges over the entrances of the channels. Therefore, the pressure should be kept low at the beginning to avoid the plugging of the pores. The usual procedure is to filter at constant rate by increasing the pressure as necessary. When normal working pressure is reached, it is maintained. On continued filtration, the thickness of the cake further builds up and hence the rate of filtration decreases. When the rate is uneconomical, filtration is stopped. The filter cake is removed and filtration is restarted. Materials: The following materials are used as filter media: 1. Woven materials such as felt or cloth: * Woven material is made of wool, cotton, silk, glass, metal or synthetic fibres (rayon, nylon etc. ) * Synthetic fibres have greater chemical resistance than wool or cotton, which are affected by alkali and acid respectively. * The choice of the fibre depends on the chemical reactivity with the slurry. . Perforated sheet metal: * For eg: stainless steel plates have pores which act as channels as in case of meta filter (edge filter). 3. Bed of granular solid built up on a supporting medium: * In some processes, a bed of graded solids may be formed to reduce the resistance to the flow. * Typical examples of granular solids are gravel, sand, asbestos, paper, pulp an d keiselguhr. * The choice of solids depends on the size of the solids in the process. 4. Prefabricated porous solid unit: * Porous solids prefabricated into a single unit are being increasingly used for its convenience and effectiveness. Sintered glass, sintered metal, earthenware and porous plastics are some of the materials used for the fabrication. 5. Cartridge filter media: * Cartridge units are economical and available in pore size of 100 µm to even less than 0. 2  µm. * These can be used either as surface cartridges or depth type cartridges. a) Surface type cartridges: * These are corrugated and resin treated papers. These are used in hydraulic lines. * Ceramic cartridges are advantageous in cleaning for reuse by back flushing or firing. * Porcelain filter candles are used for sterile filtration. ) Depth type cartridges: * These are made of cotton, asbestos or cellulose. * These are disposable items, since cleaning is not feasible. Filter Aids: Filter aid forms a surface deposit which screens out the solids and also prevents the plugging of the supporting filter medium. The important characteristics of the filter aids are: 1. Chemically inert to the liquid being filtered and free from impurities. 2. Low specific gravity, so that filter aids remain suspended in liquid. 3. Porous rather than dense, so that previous cake can be formed. 4. Recoverable Justification: The object of the filter aid is to prevent the medium from becoming blocked and to form an open, porous cake, hence reducing the resistance to flow of the filtrate. a) Usually low resistance is offered by the filter medium itself, but as layers of solid built up the resistance will be increased. The cake may become impervious by blocking of the pore in the medium. Flow rate is inversely proportional to the resistance of the solid cake. b) Slimy or gelatinous material and highly compressible substances form impermeable cakes. The filter medium gets plugged and the flow of filtrate stops. Disadvantages: * The filter aids remove the coloured substances by absorbing them. Sometimes active principles such as alkaloids are absorbed on the filter aid. * Rarely, filter aids are a source of contaminants such as soluble iron salts, which can provoke degradation of sensitive ingredients. * Liquid retained in the pores of the filter cake is lost in the manufacturing process. Example of filter aids: * Keiselguhr, Talc, Charcoal, Asbestos, Paper pulp, Bentonite, Fullers earth * Activated charcoal is used for removal of organic and inorganic impurities. Keiselguhr is a successful filter aid and as little as 0. 1% can be added to the slurry. The rate of filtration is increased by 5 times or more, at the above concentration, though the slurry contains 20% solids. Handling of filter aids: Filter aids are mostly used for clarification processes, i. e. , where solids are discarded. Different flow rates can be achieved depending on the grade of the aids. * Low flow rate (fine solids) â €“ fine grade filter aids –mainly intended for clarity. * Fast flow rate (coarse solids) -coarse grade filter aids –acceptable filtrate. The filter aid can be employed in either one or both ways. a) Firstly, a pre coat is formed over the medium. For this purpose, a suspension of the filter aid is filtered to give a coating up to 0. 5/m2. b) Secondly, a small proportion of filter aid (0. 1-0. 5% of total batch weight) is purposely added to the slurry. So the filter cake has a porous structure and filtration can be efficient. The filter aid of 1-2 parts per each part of contaminant is mixed in the feed tank. This slurry is re circulated through the filter until a clear filtrate is obtained. Filtration then proceeds to completion. The body mix method minimises equipment requirement and cross contamination potentials. Sterile Filtration: Sterile filtration is carried out for removal of microorganisms from fluids. It is a cheap and satisfactory method for sterilizing heat-sensitive (thermolabile) materials. The method implies the use of membrane filters which do not impart any particulate matter, fibers, or chemical reaction to the filtrate unlike unglazed porcelain candles, asbestos pads and other filters. In addition, no pretreatment is required, cleaning is no problem and the filters can be autoclaved or gas sterilized after assembly in its holder. Even when sterility is not warranted but ‘polishing’ (removal of particulate matter including live or dead bacterial cells in order to obtain high purity and clarity) is desired in products like oral or topical antibiotic preparations, membrane filters are the best choice. The following filters are used for bacterial filtration: 1. Candle filter 2. Seitz filter 3. Edge filter 4. Sintered glass filter 5. Membrane filter Candle filters: Candle filters are made of unglazed porcelain and are available in various porosity grades, either cylindrical or in the shape of the flanged test tube. Normally the filtration is so carried out that the liquid flow is from is from outside inwards and greater filtration surface is available to the incoming liquids. Candle filters can be sterilized by steaming, by hot moist air, or by autoclaving. Cleaning may be affected by drawing a large volume of distilled water through the candle filter thereby completely washing the previous solution from the pores. Thus the surface of the filter should be gently scrubbed with a soft brush, rinsed well with water and finally ignited in a muffle furnace. The main disadvantage of such filters s that the pores become plugged with organisms and debris which necessitate a very thorough cleaning. Sietz filter: It consists of an asbestos pad. The pads are available in several porosities that make them valuable for ‘polishing’ of solutions as well as removal of bacteria. Unless however the filter is backed with nylon mesh or sintered stainless steel: fibers occasionally get into the solutio n. The lower edge is fitted with a broad flat flange and the upper part is cylindrical. A perforated plate fitted into a lower part of the funnel supports the asbestos pad. As the pads are meant only for single use, the cleaning of filter media is no problem. Each time a fresh pad is to be used. The apparatus is simple in operation but suitable mostly for small quantities of liquids. Sintered glass filters: These are made of borosilicate glass. Borosilicate glass is finely powdered, sieved and particle of desired size are separated. It is then packed in to a disc mould and heated to a temperature at which adhesion takes place between the particles. The disc is then fused to a funnel of suitable shape and size. The sintered glass filters are available in different pore size. Hence the funnel with a sintered filter is numbered according to the pore size. The filtration is carried out under reduced pressure. These funnels are used for bacterial filtration. Sintered filters are also available in stainless steel which has a greater mechanical strength. However these are very much liable to attack by the solutions passing through them. Edge filters: In edge filters a pack of the filter media used and filtration is done edges by passing the liquid or slurry between and not through the media. Such filtration must be conducted under pressure or under partial vaccum system. Meta filter and stream line filter are two types of edge filters but the former is of greater use in pharmaceutical industry. Meta filters: Meta filters are useful in those manufacturing processes where filter presses are not frequently suitable. It requires no cloth, gauges, paper etc. and may be used at any pressure and temperature and for any liquid. It can be thoroughly cleaned after each operation. In its simplest form, meta filters consists of a grooved drainage rod or guide tube on which a series of rings are packed. On keeping the pack and finds its way along the grooves in drainage rod and ultimately to the receiver. These may be operated with pressure or under vaccum system. The rings are usually of stainless steel, of about 15mm inside diameter, 22mm outside diameter and 0. 8mm in thickness, with a number of semicircular projections on one surface. These pressure filters can be used for the filtration of very viscous liquids such as syrups or oils by fitting a steam jacket and rendering the liquids less viscous. They are also useful in the clarification of injection solutions and products such as insulin liquids. This type of filter can be cleaned easily by back-flushing with water or steam. Because of the shape of the pores in the ring, back-flushing will wash away the filter bed completely. Meta filters are very economic in use. Streamline filters: Operation wise and also geometrically, the streamline filter is similar to meta filter but the cylindrical filter pack consists of compressed paper discs. The liquid flow takes place radially inwards through the small space between individual papers and through the papers themselves. Membrane filters: * Ultra filtration methods have become popular in recent years mainly due to increased refinement of various membranes. Cellulose and cellulose derivatives are mostly commonly used materials for these filters. They are available in a wide range of pore sizes, ranging from 8 µ down to 0. 22 µ. * However, for sterile filtration, membranes with pore size of 0. 22 to 0. 45 µ are usually specified. * As such fine porosity of membranes may get clogged rapidly, a prefilter is used to remove colloidal matter in order to extend th e filtration cycle. * The filter primarily acts as a simple screen and retains on its surface all particles of size greater than the pore size of the filter (resembling sieving action). Due to an enormous number of very fine pores, the pore volume approximates 80% of the total volume of the membrane. * The action of the filter is mainly due to the combined forces of gravity and van Der Waals forces. * Membrane efficiency can be predicted in terms of its bubble point which is a characteristic function of porosity. It is defined as the pressure required to push air through a liquid saturated filter. Filter pores retain liquid until this point is reached. * Each membrane has specific bubble point which depends on the liquid wetting the membrane. An obvious disadvantage of membrane filter is their brittleness when dry and this makes handling difficult. The use of filters in cartridge form, overcomes this problem. * Apart from the small laboratory models, large models are available for p ilot plant and small scale production to handle up to about 25litres/minute of liquid through a 0. 45 µ pore size membrane. * Membrane filters find extensive use in filtration and sterilization of a variety of pharmaceutical products such as ophthalmic and intravenous solutions, other aqueous products, biological preparations, hormones and enzymes. In conjunction with a suitable pipette syringe, it is very useful in dispensing measured volumes of sterile fluids. * This assembly is often utilized for handling of pharmaceutical, biological and bacteriological preparations which can be damaged by metallic contact. Centrifugation Centrifugation is a unit operation employed for separating the constituents present in the dispersion with the aid of the centrifugal force. Equipment used for centrifugation is centrifuge. Centrifugal force is used to provide the driving force for the separation. It replaces the gravitation force in the sedimentation. Centrifugation is particularly useful when separation by ordinary filtration is difficult. Centrifugation provides convenient method of separating two immiscible liquids or solid from liquid. * Centrifugation is a separation process which uses the action of centrifugal force to promote accelerated settling of particles in a solid-liquid mixture. * If particles size in the dispersions is 5 micro meter or less, they undergo Brownian motion, hence they do not Sediment under gravity, therefore a stronger force, centrifugal force is applied in order to separate Two distinct major phases are formed in the vessel during centrifugation: The  sediment Usually does not have a uniform structure. The  centrifugate  or  centrate  which is the supernatant liquid. Process of centrifugation: The centrifuge consists of a container in which mixture of solid and liquid or two solids is placed and rotated at high speeds. The mixture is separated into it’s constituent parts by the action of the centrifugal force on their densities. A solid or liquid with higher specific gravity is thrown outward with greater force & it is retained at the bottom of the container leaving a clear supernatant liquid. The speed of the centrifuge is commonly expressed in terms of number of revolutions per minute. Theory of centrifugation: If a particle (mass = m kg) spins in a centrifuge (radius r, m) at a velocity (v, m s-1) then the centrifugal force (F, N) acting on the particle equals m v2/r. The same particle experiences gravitational force (G, Newton) = m g (where g = acceleration due to gravity) Centrifugal force = f = mv2/r Centrifugal effect (C) = F/G = mv2 /mgr (v = 2 ? r n ) c = (2? r n)2/ g r = 4 ? 2r n2/ g (d= r/2) = 2 ? 2 d n2/ g (g = 9. 807) C = 2. 013 d n2 Centrifugal effect, C= 2. 013 n2d n= speed of rotation( revolution per second of centrifuge) * d= diameter of rotation So * Centrifugal effect is directly proportional to diameter of rotation * Centrifugal effect is directly proportional to (speed of rotation)2 There are two main types of centrifuge used to achieve separation on an industrial scale, * Filtration centrifuge: Those using perforated baskets, which perform a filtratio n-type operation (work like a spin-dryer) and * Sedimentation centrifuge : Those with a solid walled vessel, where particles sediment towards the wall under the influence of the centrifugal orce Perforated basket centrifuge: Figure: Perforated Basket Centrifuge In this type of centrifuge, a basket is mounted above a driving shaft. This type of centrifuges are used for batch processes. Principle: Perforated basket (bowl) centrifuge is a filtration centrifuge. The separation through a perforated wall based on the difference in the densities of solid and liquid phases. The bowl contains a perforated side wall. During centrifugation, the liquid phase passes through a perforated wall, while solid phase is retained in the bowl. The solids are removed after stopping the centrifuge. Construction: It consists of a basket, made of steel (sometimes covered by vulcanite or led) or copper. The material of construction should be such that it offers greatest resistance to corrosion. The basket may have diameter of 0. 90 meters and capacity of 0. 085 meter cube. The diameter of perforations must be based on the size of crystals to be separated. The basket is suspended on a vertical shaft and is driven by a motor using suitable power system. Perforated basket is kept in a casing which collects the filtrate and discharges it through outlet. Working: The material to be separated kept in the basket. The loading of material must be done to give an even distribution. The power is applied to run the basket at speed of 1000 rpm. During centrifugation the liquid passes through the perforated wall and solid phase retaind in the basket. Uses: * Perforated basket centrifuge is extensively used for separation of crystalline drugs (aspirin) from mother liquor. Sugar crystals are separated using the perforated basket centrifuge. * Precipitated proteins from insulin can be separated. Advantages: * The process is rapid * The final product has low moisture content * It cam handle slurries with high proportion of solids even those having paste like consistency * Dissolved solids from cake can be separated. Disadvantages: * On prolonged operation solids may form hard cake. * It is a batch process. Non-Perforated Centrifuge: Principle This is sedimentation centrifuge. The separation is based on the difference in the densities of solid and liquid phases without a porous barrier. The bowl contains a non perforated side wall. During centrifugation, solid phase is retained on the sides of the basket and liquid remains at the top removed by skimming tube. Construction: It consists of a basket, made of steel (sometimes covered by vulcanite or led) or copper. The material of construction should be such that it offers greatest resistance to corrosion. The basket is suspended on a vertical shaft and is driven by a motor using suitable power system Working: The feed is continuously introduced into the centrifuge while the liquid (centrate) is continuously removed from an overflow weir inside the centrifuge * Solids build up during centrifugation forming a cake that must be periodically discharged Figure: Non-Perforated Basket Centrifuge * After the basket becomes filled with solids the centrifuge slows down and â€Å"skimming† (the removal of the top semi-liquid soft cake layer) takes place * Skimming typically removes 5 to 15% of the bowl solid volume * The bulk of the cake is discharged using a ploughing knife moving into the slowly rotating cake * The solid is discharged centrally at the bottom of the centrifuge * Solid accumulation is typically up to 60 to 85% of the maximum available depth * This type of centrifuge is typically operated at low centrifugal forces and has a relatively low solid handling capacity. The imperforated basket centrifuge is the only basket centrifuge commonly used for typical sludge dewatering applications. * High solid recovery can be achieved with this centrifuge even without chemical additives. Uses: Non-perforated basket centrifuge is useful when deposited solids offer high resisttance to the flow of liquid. Conical disc centrifuge: Principle: It is a sedimentation centrifuge. The separation is based on the difference in the the densities between phases under the influence of centrifugal force. In this a number of cone shaped plates are attached to the central shaft (which has provision for feed) at different elevations. During centrifugation, the dense solids are thrown outwards to the underside of cone shaped casing. While lighter clarified liquid passes over bowl and collected from top of the cone. Construction: It consists of shallow form of bowl containing series of conical discs attached to the central shaft at different elevations. The discs are made up of thin sheet of metal or plastic separated by narrow spaces. A concentric tube is placed surrounding the central drive shaft. Working: The feed is introduced into the concentric tube surrounding the drive shaft. The feed flows down and enters the spaces between the discs. The solids and heavier liquids thrown out ward and move underside of the discs. Low speed and short time of centrifugation is sufficient to give high degree of clarification. Uses: * Two immiscible liquids can be easily separated by continuous process after liquid-liquid extraction in manufacture of antibiotics. * Precipitated proteins in manufacture insulin can be clarified. Advantages: * Conical disc centrifuge is compact and occupies very less space. * By controlling speed of rotation and rate of flow, particles are separated into two sizes. * Separating efficiency is very high. Disadvantages: * Capacity of conical disc centrifuge is limited * Construction is complicated * Not suitable if sediment of solids form hard cake. Figure: Conical Disc Centrifuge Tubular bowl centrifuge: The tubular bowl centrifuge has been used for longer than most other designs of centrifuge. It is based on a very simple geometry: it is formed by a tube, of length several times its diameter, rotating between bearings at each end. The process stream enters at the bottom of the centri fuge and high centrifugal forces act to separate out the solids. The bulk of the solids will adhere on the walls of the bowl, while the liquid phase exits at the top of the centrifuge. * As this type of system lacks a provision of solids rejection, the solids can only be removed by stopping the machine, dismantling it and scraping or flushing the solids out manually. Tubular bowl centrifuges have dewatering capacity, but limited solids capacity. Foaming can be a problem unless the system includes special skimming or centripetal pumps. Figure: Tubular bowl centrifuge * This type of centrifuge can also be used to separate immiscible liquids. * Rate of sediment can be control by controlling the inlet rate. * The uses of centrifugal sedimenters include liquid/liquid separation, e. g. during antibiotic manufacture and purification of fish oils, the removal of very small particles, the removal of solids that are Compressible and which easily block the filter medium, The separation of bloo d plasma from whole blood (need C =3000).

The Bielski Brothers: a Story of Survival

There are many forms of survival. There is living every day, surviving quietly with the rest of the world. There is personal survival, fighting in a way only you know how. And then there is survival in the face of the greatest adversity, survival against all odds. Survival as a group, when an even larger power is doing everything it can to keep you from surviving. This is the survival experienced by the troop of Jews detailed in The Bielski Brothers, the true story of how three brothers saved thousands by living in the forest.With this book, Peter Duffy tells the story of one of the greatest triumphs of Jews during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied lands. The Bielski brothers’ group survived through a brutal genocide, even thrived in their forest camps, and were able to take a stand against their oppressors, fighting for their right to live. During this time in history, it was easy for most people to focus on themselves and their own personal survival. For most, it was every man for himself, but not for the Bielskis. They worked as hard as they could to save as many lives as possible.Saving Jews was their number one priority, even above killing Nazis and destroying supplies. For them, saving these Jews was an even more powerful way to get back at the Germans. Even when it was hard, when the winter was harsh and food supplies were low, the Bielskis never turned anyone away. Tuvia Bielski, the eldest brother, is quoted as saying, â€Å"I would rather save one old Jewish woman†¦ than kill ten German soldiers† (Duffy, P. x). The Bielski Brothers shows that one of the keys to survival is having a strong leader. In the effort to save Jews from ghettos, heroes were found in unlikely places.The success of the Bielskis themselves was itself unprecedented, but they would not have saved so many without the help of others. One important hero to the Bielski Jews was Konstantin Koslovsky. Despite being a Gentile, he was dedicated to helping the escaping Jews in any way he could, offering shelter, food, and passage into the puscha. Unlikely leaders also formed among groups in ghettoes, planning elaborate escape and survival methods. The biggest leader of the forest groups was Tuvia Bielski, whose commanding presence and dedication were an inspiration to the Jewish people.He orchestrated the entire forest party, leading rescue missions and raids against Nazis and cooperators. Asael and Zus Bielski were also leaders of their own partisan fighting groups, and Asael was a liaison with the Soviets. The Bielski Jews not only survived in the forest, they thrived there. Instead of seeing the puscha as a prison trapping them in, it became a haven full of freedom and life. They turned their situation around and flourished in industry and the arts. Shops were set up to manufacture goods like weapons, shoes, foodstuffs, and furniture.The forest camp even had a school and a theater group. The group performed songs, skits, and dances, entertaining bot h the Jews in the camp and visiting partisans and Soviets. This was a huge insult to the Nazis—that they had not only failed to eliminate all Jews, but there were even some that felt freedom and success during this time of oppression. Everything the Bielskis did was in defiance of the Nazis, and in protection of their fellow Jews. They gave their group of refugees a sense of security, and hope for the war’s end.Although the Bielski brothers’ greatest triumph was saving thousands of Jews by living in a forest, they also triumphed against the Germans in other ways. One of the first things the Bielskis did was set up fighting groups among the escapees, who planned attacks on Nazis, the police, and German cooperators. Most people of this time followed a submit-to-survive mentality, never rising against their tormentors in the hopes that they would stay alive by keeping their head down. The Bielski Jews, however, while still focused on survival, took a completely dif ferent approach to it.They knew that the Nazis would never let them live, no matter how much they cooperated with them. So, in order to survive, they went against the Germans and fought back. The Bielskis and their fighters were extremely aggressive in their actions against their enemy. They stopped at nothing to take down as many Nazis, cooperators, and supplies as possible. They set mines and watched the roads for approaching Nazi convoys, then, using weapons made in the forest camps, shot the drivers and guards, took as much food, weapons, and other goods as they could, and destroyed the rest of the equipment.When they got word of incoming train shipments, they lay in wait near the tracks and took down the train, taking valuable equipment from the Nazis and using it for themselves. When peasants cooperated with the Germans by feeding them, turning in hidden Jews, and offering intelligence on the Bielski partisans, the fighting groups would visit the peasants’ homes, take t heir food, and kill everyone living there, without hesitation. This merciless stance protected the camp from not only outside enemies, but also from dissent within the group. When IsraelKessler challenged the leadership of the Bielski brothers, Asael Bielski did not hesitate to execute him. Even on their last day in the puscha, when a man defied Tuvia’s orders to only take personal belongings from the camp, Tuvia shot him immediately. The Bielskis made it clear that they had complete control, and opposition would not be tolerated. During the Holocaust, the one thing everyone was striving toward was survival. The Bielski brothers were some of the most successful at this goal, surviving in a series of forests in Belarus against all odds.They saved 1,200 Jews from ghettoes, with the help of Gentiles and Jews alike. Even under the extreme duress of World War II, with a fierce enemy constantly out to get them, they were able to thrive in their forest community and feel a taste of freedom in the middle of a great prison. They fought aggressively against both the Nazis and the ideal that they must suffer quietly in order to survive. The Bielski brothers and their allies were an inspiration to many ghetto Jews, and they continue to inspire people with their courage and strength.

Rites of Passage within Colour

Introduction In this essay I will be discoursing my personal experience of what Arnold Van Gennep ( 1909 ) has described as â€Å"rites de passage† , concentrating on the liminal stage. This essay will detail my experience of traveling from an all ‘coloured’ community to a bulk ‘black’ suburb and my rites of transition experience of seeking to be ‘black’ . I will besides be discoursing on why I agree and disagree with Van Genneps rites de transition. SEPARATION PHASE Separation stage â€Å"comprises symbolic behaviour meaning the withdrawal of the person either from an earlier fixed point in the societal construction, from a set of cultural traditions ( a â€Å"state† ) , or from both ( Turner, 1969, p. 94 ) . I was born on November 1, 1993 in East London, EC. I lived with my household in Buffalo Flats, EL for the first six old ages of my life, at the clip and today, it is still a predominately colored township. Turning up in that township for six old ages I, along with every other individual populating in that community is what South African society would depict and hold as ‘coloured’ . I would speak ‘coloured’ , walk ‘coloured’ , act ‘coloured’ , fight ‘coloured’ and believe it or non, somehow I would even run ‘coloured’ , or at least every bit ‘coloured’ as the stereotypes myself and my community had been placed in. At the age of six I moved from my beloved Buffalo Flats, EL to what I at the clip considered the center of nowhere, Midrand, GP. This, as Turner put it, was my separation stage. Midrand was a assorted suburb, many Whites, many inkinesss, rather a few Indians and a smattering of coloureds, or at least that was what I saw. I was taken off from my place, detached from it, separated from my household and friends and thrown into this whole new universe which led to my â€Å"liminal phase† . LIMINAL PHASE Liminal period is when â€Å"the features of the ritual topic ( the â€Å"passenger† ) are equivocal ; he passes through a cultural kingdom that has few or none of the properties of the past or coming state† ( Turner, 1969, p. 94 ) . This was the period in which I yearned to be ‘black’ , I prayed to be ‘black’ and after a subconscious and unstructured induction, I learnt how to be ‘black’ . I attended a assorted school, bulk black, but still a assorted school where I was one of two ‘pure’ coloured male childs in my class, the other named Michael Williams. The two of us along with a Chinese male child named Jacky Mo, made up my ‘communitas’ ( Turner, 1969 ) . We were all in the same phase of our lives, we were detached from the society we one time knew, for myself it was Buffalo Flats, for Michael it was the Cape Flats and for Jacky it was China, and we were all thrown into Midrand, and all three of us were in an unstructured and subconscious induction to be ‘black’ . We were all stripped of our race, were no longer coloured or Chinese, nor were we black, we were merely at that place. In between what we were and what we were endeavoring to be, being black wasn’t merely a race or civilization to us, it was a societal standing to be ‘cool’ , and we knew being non-black yet black, would be the highest award amongst our black friends and couples. During this unstructured induction phase our black friends became our somewhat â€Å"ritual elders† ( McNeill, 2011, p. 74 ) . They were learning us how to be black, what to make, how to make it and when to make it. Myself and Jacky lived in the same composite with a male child named Siyabonga Mlaba, who would subconsciously take up the function of being our ‘ritual elder’ . Traveling through this liminal period populating so near to one another made us really competitory for the blessing and regard of our ‘ritual elder’ . The same manner the ritual seniors punished the novices for singing about AIDS ( McNeill, 2011 ) , if we had disrespected or misunderstood any facet of ‘black’ civilization, we were besides punished, non in the same physical mode but with verbal maltreatment and humiliation to a point of feeling disdained. These ‘punishments’ were difficult to accept and understand, but it made me more hungry and eager to s uit in the group I was being initiated into. There were many symbols in my liminal period, one of the chief 1s being the manner I talked. The speech pattern, the words and the actions I used when I spoke were major symbols. I couldn’t merely talk with my normal ‘coloured’ speech pattern, I had to try to talk with the same speech pattern of my ‘black’ friends, use the same words and slang when I spoke. I couldn’t use the conversational ‘coloured’ recognizing â€Å"Awe my Broe! † , I had to utilize the ‘black’ township recognizing â€Å"Sho Mfede† . Around this clip as I easy incorporated African linguistic communications in my address, I began floating from my roots of speech production Afrikaans, easy I bit by bit stopped utilizing it until finally I ne'er spoke Afrikaans, unless in Afrikaans category. Other symbols were dress codification. For some uneven ground the ‘Tsotsi’ or ‘gangster’ image was one the young person wou ld gravitate to, and that’s the expression I wore proudly as a minor. All stars, faded denim and ever a beany worn half off or a popular cap called a â€Å"sportie† worn with a joust. This was all of import. The manner I ate was of import, I had to eat pablum and vleis with my manus, no spoon or fork was of all time required, and I felt more ‘black’ than of all time. As this induction took topographic point, the more it dragged on and the closer I got to my end as adjustment in as ‘black’ , the more I drifted off from my ain civilization and heritage, subconsciously I was denying who my community raised me to be. The more ‘black’ I was, the less ‘coloured’ I was. I looked at being ‘black’ or being a portion of ‘black’ civilization as a societal standing and non as something sacred and to be proud of. The sarcasm was that I viewed my ‘coloured’ civilization and people to be violent, yet I used force to seek and be ‘black’ . Contending was a symbol or portion of the ritual as anything else. ‘Black’ people were strong, and the manner we proved our strength was through these battles, the conflict of the better adult male. A circle would organize and one of the older ‘black’ childs would take one of us younger novices to contend each ot her or another member of the group. If the battle was won, the embracing would be like winning a war, or a football lucifer. But the also-ran will be made merriment of and humiliated, but after every battle a compulsory handshaking would take topographic point as a mark of regard and that it was non personal. I was grade three when my liminal period ended, a battle with a male child named Tebogo, a much bigger male child. He beat me down infinite times in that battle, but I won regard and my rubric of being black by ne'er giving up. So after three long old ages of subconscious induction I eventually made my manner out of the liminal period and was reincorporated to my societal group as longer a ‘coloured’ or novice, but as ‘black’ . But this is where I do non to the full agree with the theory of rites of transition. I the reincorporation stage does non really round up rites of transition, but really starts a new rhythm, do although now I’m ‘black’ , I have to once once more go through a liminal period and induction to turn out that I am worthy being a ‘Hip Hop Head’ . The group in which I spent as an novice for three old ages and eventually got accepted as one of their ain had another societal construction I had to be initiated into, taken back to a liminal stage whereby I was non what I was and non what I was going, but in between that. Take for illustration the school calling of an person. One gets separated from place, sent to school for 12 old ages ( liminal period ) and so reincorporated to the universe one time graduated high school. Yet the reincorporation of graduation is the separation stage for university, so the old ages analyzing at university is the liminal period an d graduating university is one time once more reincorporation. But that one time once more can be the separation stage in happening a occupation, where being unemployed is the liminal stage and acquiring a occupation is the reincorporation stage yet the separation stage for 1s calling and so on and so forth. Decision I agree and disagree on rites of transition, the separation stage and liminal period seem really solid, but the reaggregation/reincorporation stage can besides be seen as the separation stage for the new rhythm of rites of transition.

Stylistic Analysis. Doctor in the House

â€Å"Doctor in the house† is written by Richard Gordon a real ship’s surgeon and an assistant editor of the British Medical Journal. The story deals with describing process of exams, difficulties provided by them and students’ feelings and thoughts before and after examinations. The general slant of the story is quite tense, gloomy and even a bit depressed. It makes the Reader feel anxious and it forces us to have a disagreeable sense of a heavy load because we worry about the narrator’s success at the exam. The author manages to create such an atmosphere by an abundant use of similes.He compares examinations with a serious contest, an eight-round fight, a final breathless sprint and even with death. All these devices leave a very vivid description of the students’ anticipating such an unpleasant inevitability as the exam. By means of the author’s language our imagination depicts a distinct and colorful picture proving the effectiveness of t he stylistic devices in Gordon’s description. It’s hard to believe but suspense is even growing from one paragraph to another turning just an investigation of a man’s knowledge into judgment day. Also read: The Man With The Scar AnalysisAnd to my mind this allusion is chosen nonrandom but to emphasize a meaning of the exam for candidates. And Gordon asserts that if an examinee loses his nerve he’s like a cow in a bog and soon he will be finished. But not all students act like this and knowing that the author focuses his attention on describing different psychological types of candidates. He pictures them with common understandable vocabulary which refers us to life and makes the portraits very convincing.At the same time Gordon adds some tiny but significant details like the Nonchalant lolling back on the chair, the Franky Worried tearing his invitation, the Crammer fondling his books, the Old Stager treating like a photographer at a wedding. Besides an attentive Reader could notice how skillfully the author names these types underlining their essences and expressing them shortly just in one word. Meanwhile despite of a psychological type everybody can find no peace af ter the exam not knowing anything about their results. And the author perfectly conveys students’ sense of futility and despair considering these days to be black.It helps the Reader to guess how difficult to cope with such a condition when you are numbed, unable to realize what has happened and everything you can is just hope for the better. This is precisely what the author says about pernicious aftereffect of exams. So as I said the suspense is still growing especially when the results are about to come out. Gordon gives us a very unusual and picturesque image of the speechless world where everything isn’t going to stir, not a leaf. The Reader has already got used to a high speed of the story and this sudden stop makes a great contrast in mood between the whole text and the last part.But this stillness is fake the narrator’s heart is on a point of leaping out of his chest. The description of the hero’s state is highly emotional. His wet palms, burning face, pulse in his ears keeps the Reader in so great tension which disappears at once after just one word ‘pass’. And a long-awaited relief covers the narrator and the reader because the author ideally coped with his main task – he hold our attention during the whole narration compelling us to feel we are inside of this story.

Fracking and water pollution Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Fracking and water pollution - Research Paper Example fracking fluid, comprising of common toxins and carcinogens such as uranium, lead, mercury, methanol, formaldehyde, hydrochloric acid, ethane glycol etc (Spellman, 2013). Waste water resulting from fracking usually has a lot of potentially poisonous chemicals from the fracking fluid and natural contaminants from very deep in the ground, comprising of totally dissolved solids (such as barium, salts and strontium)radioactive materials like Radium 226 as well as organic pollutants like toluene and benzene. About thirty to seventy percent of all the fluid utilised in fracking is likely to resurface, and thus requires treatment. In addition, fracking discharges â€Å"produced water† mainly from underground which also ascends onto the surface, and mostly can be somewhere from two to two hundred times as much water, something dependent on the water/gas/oil absorption in the shale configuration. It has been proved therefore beyond any reasonable doubt that waste water arising due to fracking has a lot of possibly dangerous chemicals that were used in the fracking liquid, in addition to deep underground natural contaminants (Spellman, 2013). For these contaminants and chemicals to be removed, all techniques of wastewater management (comprising of reuse, recycling as well as injecting into dumping wells) normally entail some kind of treatment. Eventually, wastewater can be pumped to treatment works that are publicly owned or rather to dedicated industrial or brine wastewater plants, also known as centralized waste treatment plants, which might also add precipitation and coagulation methods in removing of dissolved solids. All treatment techniques produce residuals-which basically are waste materials, mainly in sludge, liquid or solid form, that mostly stay after treatment. Because of public concerns regarding the huge volumes of water used in hydraulic drilling, gas and oil fracturing corporations have begun not only reusing but also recycling the wastewater (Spellman,

E-Commerce. The Advantages of Global Education Essay

E-Commerce. The Advantages of Global Education - Essay Example The paper tells that global education is a perspective in education arising from the notion of the contemporary people’s interactions and lives in the ever escalating globalized world. As such, it assists greatly in providing learners with the competencies as well as the opportunities aimed at reflecting and sharing of an individual’s role and an individual’s point of view within the world. In the same point of view, the society is subjected to interconnection and to comprehend this, it is essential that a discussion to point out flaws in variables such as; common social relationships, which are in nature very complex, economic, ecological and political issues, be engaged towards deriving new acting as well as thinking ways. Mobile learning is a contemporary virtue university whose intentions are to offer courses in an eLearning setting to students across the world. Many of the eLearning courses are particularly offered making use of the web only but global educa tion is aimed at making easy access learning irrespective of the location. Global education has a marketing statement which imparts a message that not all can access a computer on a regular basis but presence of mobile phones plays a huge role thereby proving to be important. As such, Global education has an objective of offering eLearning courses that can be easily assessed through internet enabled mobile phones through bite size chunks and paid on the basis of, as you go. However, it should not be considered as an approach that every person should accept without being critical towards it. This is because; there exist tensions, dilemmas, different perceptions as well as doubts in the process of education usually evidenced in dealing with issues in regard to globalization (Schniederjans, & Cao, 2002). Thesis Statement In the light of the contemporary as well as the expected changes in mobile phones, this paper will provide a report on the global education feasibility in implementati on of this ideology. Strengths and challenges of the proposed idea The strength on eLearning using a mobile phone usually lies in the aspect of the communication approach rather than an approach pertaining to contents (Ryu, & Parsons, 2008). As such, the statement is not intended to cause confusion, as it is not supposed to imply that mobile learning cannot have an approach to contents. Technologies within the mobile industry will at the moment as well as in the future tend to be made use of with a content approach but it must be pinpointed out that, mobile learning real advantages lie in the domain of communication (Shah, & Clarke, 2009). As compared to computers, mobile phones are cheaper and very easy to maintain. Due to the current wave of superiority battle among the mobile companies, more and more hi-tech devices are being made and brought into the market at fair prices such that, any person with the money and has the willingness to buy, can afford. As such, this will make the idea of eLearning using mobile phones more easily as it is through the phone that one can sign up or register for a course in any online college which has been accredited and access the learning materials available in those accredited schools (Tsang, Simon, & Victor, 2010) . Learning materials access is made easy by the fact that one can download various files such as pdfs and Microsoft word documents or even reading those documents while still in an online mode (Fred, & North central University, 2008). Again, mobile phones are easy to maintain in the notion of service charges. Using the mobile internet is cheap as it is uses compressed form of browsers. In respect to the access of internet using a computer, it requires one to sacrifice huge amounts of money to set up a continuous source of internet as well as maintaining that internet flow (Quinn, 2011(a). Still, it is an ideal thing that mobile phone

Observing Global Warming & the Harm of It Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Observing Global Warming & the Harm of It - Essay Example Like many are already aware of, carbon dioxide plays a major role in its own right as it comes to the warming of the Earth and the resulting weakness of the global inhabitants that comes as a result of that warming. Another culprit is the continued robbing of the forests through the means of deforestation. Those trees are meant to act in a way that turns the CO2 into breathable oxygen for human consumption. Most importantly, the industrial nature of the modern world has served as a means of killing the natural world that is forced to co-exist with it. The technological desires of mankind have forced the Earth into a tailspin that, if not caught, will continue to force it into a continued destructive phase that will ultimately tear it apart at the core. With the increase in human population and other expansion, it has increased the need for a building that has taken small cities and built them into metropolises of great grander. These Cities feed the advancement of man, without any kind of thought to the environmental damage which is inflicted upon the Earth. As many knows, greed itself sells. Humanistic nature overwhelms, as well as strangles, in most cases, the needs of those things around them, especially in the precious environment that is drowning as each day goes by. The desire of people for their own self-serving interests takes hold and crushes anything in its surrounding path that may interrupt that. As the analysis shows within the presentation, human nature is at the root of the current state of the environment. Humans need shelter to survive and as such trees need to be cut down for the construction of those dwellings. Only those trees are what create the breathing oxygen. Charcoal aids in cooking food, and so much  mo re.  

Offensive strategy options - CostCo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Offensive strategy options - CostCo - Essay Example Nevertheless, with increased domestic competition within the U.S. retail industry and the maturity of the market, Costco needs to consider other offensive strategies that would not only enable them to improve their market share but also enhance their financial performance. Costco may consider implementing initiatives that capitalize on the weakness of competitors, and/ or pursue end run offensive strategies. The stiff competition in the domestic U.S. retail industry, coupled with the maturity of the market implies that firms should focus on holding and milking their market share (Valdani & Alessandro, 2012). However, Valdani & Alessandro observes that firms may seek to improve their market share in these markets by focusing on the weaknesses of their main rivals. The SWOT matrix rank reveals that Costco is a strong company, which is able to take on their rivals head on. Nevertheless, Costco may direct its internal strength, capabilities and resources towards attacking the weaknesses of its rivals in the U.S. retail market. Costco may achieve this by going after customers whom the competitors are less equipped to serve. It may also attack those rivals offering poor customer services. Alternatively, Costco may expand into regions and market segments where their rivals are either weak or have ignored completely. Apart from capitalizing on weaknesses of their competitors, Costco may consider pursuing end run offensive strategies. The end run offensive strategies enable firms to avoid frontal and head on attacks that may escalate and produce unhealthy competition (Cullen & Praveen, 2013). With the end run strategies, Costco would be able to go around competitors, capture the market segments that are ignored by the rivals and establish the first mover advantage in these markets (Cullen & Praveen, 2013). Cullen & Praveen observes that a company may implement end run strategies in four ways. Firstly,

My Personal Pedagogy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

My Personal Pedagogy - Essay Example This essay shall demonstrate how my personal philosophy and pedagogy works together to define the kind of teacher that I am and strive to be. It will discuss four aspects of my pedagogy namely assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation as underpinned by my values of being a lifelong learner, being reflective, valuing positive, respectful and harmonious relationships and listening with an open heart and mind (as seen in Appendix 1).Edwards & Nuttal’s (2005) contention is that pedagogy is more than just understanding children and the curriculum and how they fit together to suit children’s learning. It goes beyond that. I agree with them that pedagogy also involves understanding the children’s contexts, personal experiences outside the academic sphere and factors around the wider community (Edwards & Nuttal, 2005). Such a viewpoint elevates the educator as an â€Å"active interpreter†(Edwards & Nuttal, 2005) of the context of children’s learni ng and not a mere interpreter of a prescribed curriculum. As an active interpreter, I believe assessment of children is the keen observation of how children learn, grow and develop and interpret these observations in accordance to the expected developmental milestones for their particular stage of development. It is all about my knowing more about children through noticing and recognizing their learning preferences and disposition for learning (Claxton & Carr, 2004). I try to see how curious, they are and how persistent and open they are in learning what they want. I try to see how curious, they are and how persistent and open they are in learning what they want. My assessment of children is guided by what I know about how they should be behaving, thinking, feeling, interacting, communicating, etc. at their particular age level (Fleer, 2006).I know that even if there are patterns of development, they are still unique individuals who possess their own individual personalities and abi lities. When I do observe them, I gather information about them so I can further improve outcomes for them with the planning that I will do for and with them. My reflection in Appendix 2 shows how I have observed children’s interests to further their learning while it also enhances my own learning. As a teacher, I have engaged in never-ending observation as a way to â€Å"obtain information†, (Quality in Action, 1998, p. 86). This is part of my value of learning. I always strive to be a keen observer as I look into their interactions, choice of resources, use of language (see in Appendix 3). In that reflection, it shows the change in how I believed learning should be, as I used to think it was more academic learning that should be pursued. But working in a real early childhood centre has made me realize that learning is more about child-centred initiations such as engaging in play, arts, sports, etc. to pursue their own interests so they fulfil their hunger for learnin g rather than from a teacher-directed activity, although I am not saying children will not learn from that too. Also in the assessment example in Kei Tua ote Pae (MoE, 2004), I agree what the social-cultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978 ) recommends - an assessment method which gives children the power to set their own goals, assess their own achievements and become responsible for their own learning. This is exhibited in the portfolio of their works which give voice to children’s thinking and abilities (Ministry of Education, 2004, 2005) (see in appendix 4 ). My value for positive, respectful and harmonious relationships also pushes me to observe the children with their families so I am able to see the dynamics of their relationship. Part of my assessment includes that I get to know about the children’s whanau and ask about what goes on in their families in such a way that I maintain a respectable distance so I do not probe too personally (as see in Appendix 5). I agree wit h Rinaldi (2001) contention that making child’

Impact of Positive Airway Pressure Among Obstructive Sleep Apnea Essay

Impact of Positive Airway Pressure Among Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients - Essay Example This amounted to a study population of 15,424 individuals, who were then followed for a minimum of 12 months and a baseline of 24 months to determine what if any health impact PAP might have been having on treatment. Of those participants, approximately ten percent did not use PAP while the remaining 90% did. Furthermore, the study designers controlled for previous illness by eliminating anyone who had a previous diagnosis of cardiovascular disease, to ensure that these results did not bias the sample. The study measured health effects by measuring the rates of hospitalization among those using PAP to those who were not. They measured this using two different metrics: total hospitalization and hospitalization related to OSA. OSA is associated with a wide number of illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, heart failure, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and hypertension, so any hospitalization for these reasons (which obviously constitute a large number of total hospitalizations) would be considered OSA related hospitalizations (1). The study found a statistically significant (p

The rewards of living a solitary life by May sarton Research Paper

The rewards of living a solitary life by May sarton - Research Paper Example She notes that the man shockingly discovered that he could enjoy himself alone just as much as he would have been in the company of people (Pike and Acosta). In retrospect, Sarton wonders what the man had been afraid of all along. Nevertheless, having found himself alone, Sarton observes that the man is on the brink of adventure to explore himself and to launch himself into his own inner space. She likens the experience to that of an astronaut in outer space. She posits that the new experience will bring to him freshness that would seem original in the beginning. Moreover, she interjects that anyone able to see for himself using his naked eye becomes a genius for a moment or two. On the other hand, when our perception is influenced by other people’s ideas, the original impact becomes diffused or gets lost (Pike and Acosta). One may ask, are we alone or do we exist as a single cell in a population of a billion other cells in the universe? We may argue that it all depends on what life one chooses to live and what benefits one the most. May Sarton opines that solitude is the salt that flavors personhood. Arguably, solitude helps one discover himself or herself away from the interferences accrued from interacting with other people. She retorts that being alone does not necessarily mean that one is lonely. Furthermore, people do feel lonely even in the company of others. She observes that people feel lonely in the company of their lovers and others because people suffer from their differences in taste , mood and temperament. Human interaction demands that people soften their perception and withdraw at the fear of hurt. However, being alone enables one to explore oneself wholly at whatever place, whichever time (Pike and Acosta). Quite a fascinating luxury, if I may add! May Sarton provides a description of her life and apparently her schedule throughout the day. It