Rising Sea Level Essays - Coastal Geography, Coastal Engineering

Rising Sea Level Rising Sea Level Rising sea levels have been disturbing geographers and geologists for some time now. Scientists are constantly trying to prevent the effects rising waters are causing, which mainly includes beach and island erosion. So far, their attempts with man-made development on beaches along the eastern coast of America have only made things worse. "Up and down the U.S. coast, public money is subsidizing private property on islands made of sand, the stuff on which, as the Bible says, only fools build" (Ackerman 7). In recent years there has been a trend towards living on the barrier islands of America's Atlantic Coast. High rise condominiums, numerous shops, and several businesses have been built to sustain large populations on these islands and continue to be built. As a result, this vital chain of islands that lies between the ocean and the mainland are at risk. While interfering with the natural configuration of these islands, human construction has advanced the rate of beach erosion, thus leaving the mainland with no barriers during times of high surf. This effect has also led to costly, unnatural ways to preserve the barrier islands. Saving these islands in their natural state by curbing human encroachment will both protect mainland populations from high surf and save a considerable amount of federal money. The barrier islands are a chain of islands, stretching from New York to southern Texas, that have served as a critical barrier from the Atlantic Ocean for well over the past 4,500 years (Ackerman 23). These islands however are not as stable as those who live on them would like it to be. Beaches, and in fact whole islands, are constantly eroded as they are subjected to varying winds, currents and changing sea levels. Along Florida's East Coast, roughly 368 miles, the average shoreline change is retreating 22cm per year. Under natural conditions, native vegetation and shifting sands constantly replace or withhold sand on the islands (16). Unfortunately for the inhabitants of the barrier islands, this is a geological behavior which can only continue if the islands remain in a natural state. In recent years humans on these shorelines and islands have been responding to the naturally changing conditions, through the use of man made structures such as seawalls, groins, and sand replenishment, in an effort to save beachfront property from erosion. Obstructing the natural shifts of the islands, says Orrin Pilkey of Duke University who has studied these islands for thirty years, will cause them to, "be lost forever" (16-17). Attempting to hold beaches in place with the use of seawalls, groins, and sand replenishment may seem like a good solution in theory, but in practice they probe ineffective. One of the most common methods of attempting to hold barrier island beaches in place is through the use of sea walls, which are costly and ineffective. Seawalls are typically cement walls constructed parallel to the seashore in an effort to block waves from coming over the beach and into property. However, seawalls tend to withhold sand behind the wall during times of high surf and the natural tendency of the beach to respond to waves is disturbed (Kaufman 207). The structures commonly fail from undermining or erosion by waves breaking over their tops. Under normal conditions sand would be spread out by outgoing currents, which in turn would lower the slope of the beach and cause the waves to break gradually. With seawalls in place, sand remains stationary while waves erode the beach as wave energy is deflected against sand not protected by the seawall (208). In addition to advancing the erosion rate of the sand and inhibiting the beaches' natural tendencies, seawalls have become quite costly to maintain. For example, in New York $120 million was paid by the federal government to sustain and replenish seawall installations as of 1996, and repairs continue to be made (Dixon 231). Clearly, this method is both costly and ineffective. Another commonly used method of stopping erosion is the placement of groins, which are also ineffective. Groins are pilings of rocks that extend into the ocean and perpendicular to the shore. Like seawalls, the primary purpose of a groin is to trap sand, but in longshore currents rather than sand deposits already on the beach. Contrary to their intended purpose, these structures trap sand on the side facing a longshore current and leave the opposite side without sand (Kaufman 207). Over time, the side not facing longshore currents erodes and the initial problem reoccurs. Once again, after the unsuccessful use of groins, money and resources must be spent to restore the beach.

Chemical Equilibrium in Chemical Reactions

Chemical Equilibrium in Chemical Reactions Chemical equilibrium is the condition which occurs when the concentration of reactants and products participating in a chemical reaction exhibit no net change over time. Chemical equilibrium may also be called a steady state reaction. This does not mean the chemical reaction has necessarily stopped occurring, but that the consumption and formation of substances have reached a balanced condition. The quantities of reactants and products have achieved a constant ratio, but they are almost never equal. There may be much more product or much more reactant. Dynamic Equilibrium Dynamic equilibrium occurs when the chemical reaction continues to proceed, but a number of products and reactants remain constant. This is one type of chemical equilibrium. Writing the Equilibrium Expression The equilibrium expression for a chemical reaction may be expressed in terms of the concentration of the products and reactants. Only chemical species in the aqueous and gaseous phases are included in the equilibrium expression because the concentrations of liquids and solids does not change. For the chemical reaction: jA kB → lC mD The equilibrium expression is K ([C]l[D]m) / ([A]j[B]k) K is the equilibrium constant[A], [B], [C], [D] etc. are the molar concentrations of A, B, C, D etc.j, k, l, m, etc. are coefficients in a balanced chemical equation Factors That Affect Chemical Equilibrium First, consider a factor that does not affect equilibrium: pure substances. If a pure liquid or solid is involved in equilibrium, it is considered to have an equilibrium constant of 1 and is excluded from the equilibrium constant. For example, except in highly concentrated solutions, pure water is considered to have an activity of 1. Another example is solid carbon, which may be form by the reaction of two carbom monoxide molecules to form carbon dioxide and carbon. Factors that do affect equilibrium include: Adding reactant or product or a change in concentration affects equilibrium. Adding reactant can drive equilibrium to the right in a chemical equation, where more product forms. Adding product can drive equilibrium to the left, as more reactant forms.Changing the temperature alters equilibrium. Increasing temperature always shifts chemical equilibrium in the direction of the endothermic reaction. Decreasing temperature always shifts equilibrium in the direction of the exothermic reaction.Changing the pressure affects equilibrium. For example, decreasing the volume of a gas system increases its pressure, which increases the concentration of both reactants and products. The net reaction will see to lower the concentration of gas molecules. Le Chateliers principle may be used to predict the shift in equilibrium resulting from applying a stress to the system. Le Chateliers principle states that a change to a system in equilibrium will cause a predictable shift in equilibrium to counteract the change.  For example, adding heat to a system favors the direction of the endothermic reaction because this will act to reduce the amount of heat.

Children with Lupus Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Children with Lupus - Article Example Researchers analyzed data reports â€Å"children with lupus kidney disease had more than twice (2.4 times) the risk of dying compared to children with other forms of kidney disease† (para.5). Kidney failure or disease caused by lupus is called Lupus nephritis. This has become a major concern of various medical institute especially lupus related organizations. Last April 14, 2011, the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) with coordination of RN.com, RxSchool.com, and Dr. Mary Anne Dooley, Member, LFA's Medical-Scientific Advisory Council, launched a new continuing education program for the nurses, pharmacists, and pharmacy technicians. The program entitled ‘Lupus, Deciphering the Clues’ will enhance health professionals awareness of lupus diagnosis and treatments, to meet the needs of early diagnosis and treatment to avoid further vital organ complications. It has been observed by the LFA, based on their own survey, more than fifty percent among lupus patient had visi ted three or more doctors, and some even suffered four or more years, before they were being diagnosed (Medical News Today, 2011). May this program will be of great help to minimize lethal cases of Lupus nephritis to children, as well as to adults. Actually, researchers have been very enthusiastic in performing in-depth study to learn more about lupus and how lupus nephritis developed. LFA(2011) related the experimentation performed on nineteen week-old female mice to learn about the role of immune system proteins called interferons (IFNs) and macrophages (white blood cells) in the development of lupus nephritis. The mice were divided into three groups, wherein mice in the first group were injected three times per week for four weeks of a drug called polycytidylic acid (PCA) which will cause increased activity of IFNs that will start out lupus. The mice in the second group were injected a single dose only of one kind of lupus-related IFN called type I IFN, while the mice in the thir d group were injected with salt water only, to be used as comparison group. The mice urine were monitored for protein development testing. Then after two weeks, the first and second group of mice manifested developed protein in urine, evidence of developed lupus nephritis. Animal experimentation served as an instrument to discern what types of imbalances might be causing human lupus, and may contribute in finding ways for treatment. Yet, the researchers admitted that such animal experimentations have limitations since there are many known, as well as unknown, differences between human and mice immune system. But still, this may shed light for further studies on what treatment might or might not be useful for treating lupus. As expected, urine protein testing would become useful in early detection of kidney damage from lupus. Therefore, Medical News Today (2010) reported a newly discovered simple urine tests for four proteins that might serve as an instrument for early detection of k idney disease in patient with lupus. Likewise, as the article reports, the UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers conducted experiments on mice and found out four proteins protease, PGDS, SAP and SOS showed up in larger amounts on mice urine with progressive kidney damage. They believed that each of these proteins has corresponds in human’s protein or either present in human system. Researchers admitted that this kind of tests might take years to be utilized clinically since they are

Interface design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Interface design - Essay Example Moreover, the intellectual level of target group should be a guiding principle for the interface design document. The user should feel relaxed and comfortable while using the interface and it must be a pleasurable experience. â€Å"Each moment has the potential to increase user’s confidence or destroy his trust in a product or company, and each one is an important piece of the whole experience† (Hoekman 2008). Requirement Analysis of Potential Audience This requires narrowing down what type of information, features and products your targeted audience would be looking for. The basic theme of interface is designed keeping in mind the research conducted in Assignment # 1, which underlines the identification of the user group before starting the development of the product. In our case the site offers massaging services and allied facilities to its customers. The identified customer group is mainly comprised of the middle-aged women of the upper middle class and the elite cl ass of the society. However, there are other groups of customer which are attracted by the product and they include more or less every age group bearing children. The site should also support the customer class where a massage therapy is advised by the doctors. The identified user group is supposed to be well-off and educated. More often than not this group will use the services for stress management and in some cases for medical reasons. The basic theme of the interface is required to be light and refreshing. A shade of light green is used as the theme color of the site. This gives a soothing and refreshing effect to the site. The interface is designed to impart a comforting and gentle effect at first sight to address the issue of the major group of customers while incorporating the needs of the rest of the identified groups. Special care is taken in use of images at the site and especially at the home page of the site to further support and endorse the theme of the site. This is s hown below in figures 1 and 2. [Figure 1: The home page for zypresse.com] [Figure 2: The about us section for zypresse.com] Numbers of interviews were conducted for inclusion of user opinions in the development of the interface. During this process some of the expected clients of the massage services insisted on the availability of video clips of various massaging techniques at the web interface. Feedback of the clients was also integrated in the shape of the price list for various services offered by the massage center. Moreover the names, specialties, and experience of various therapists have also been provided on the basis of requirement analysis. This is shown below in figures 3 and 4. [Figure 3: The video support section for zypresse.com] [Figure 4: The price list section for zypresse.com] A number of doctors, surgeon and physician are consulted to bridge the gap between the customer needs and the product design. This process helped a lot in rationalization and understanding of the customer’s requirement. The user group of massage services is particularly comprised of middle-aged ladies, however adult men and elderly people may also form a part of this user group. Therefore the interface design especially caters for the requirements of this user grou

Compare a presidential system with a parliamentary system. Choose one Essay

Compare a presidential system with a parliamentary system. Choose one country that represents each system. Explain their legislative, executive and judicial br - Essay Example He stays in office as head of government for six years with no re-election. His functions primarily revolve around the implementation of laws, policies, and, development plans for his country. In the parliamentary system adapted by Great Britain, there is a fusion in the three branches of government. The executive branch of Britain is composed of the Queen who is considered the chief of state and the Prime Minister as head of government. The Prime Minister is elected by the members of the legislative branch. He has no definite term of office as the conduct of elections is decided on by Parliament. The legislative branch of government of Mexico has two chambers-the upper (Senate) and the lower (Chamber of Deputies). They have the power to pass laws, ordinance, impose taxes, declare war, and approve the national budget. Some members of the Senate are voted through direct popular vote, some are voted per state. The members of the lower chamber are voted per district based on proportional representation. The legislative branch of Great Britain, called the House of Parliament, is also bicameral-composed of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. This branch serves as the supreme legislative body of Britain and its territories. The House of Lords is largely made up of appointed members, with a small percentage who are voted by hereditary peerage. The members of the House of Commons are elected via popular vote every four or five years. The distinct feature about British Parliament is that they control the executive branch of the government. As opposed to the Legislative branch of government in the presidential system, the executive and legislative branches of government are independent from each other. The judicial branch of government in Mexico is divided into the federal and state systems. It has a Supreme Court of Justice composed of magistrates and auxiliary judges who

Impact of the Acheson Report on Health Policy

Impact of the Acheson Report on Health Policy In what way did the Acheson Report represent a radical approach to health policy? How far did it inform New Labours policy on reducing inequalities in health? Introduction: A government commissioned report on health inequalities led by Sir Donald Acheson has been marked as extremely influential in shaping future UK health policies. The Acheson report highlights the area in which health inequalities could be reduced and provides the direction of health policies promoted by the Department of Health. The report focuses on several areas such as poverty that seems to have disproportionate effect on children. Increased benefit levels have been recommended for women of childbearing age, expectant mothers, young children and older people suggesting mothers on income support tend to have inadequate diets. The report also calls for more funding support to schools in deprived areas, better nutrition and the concept of health-promoting schools. Benefit levels for providing nutritional meals to children should be increased and food should be more affordable for fulfilling nutritional needs of children. The report also focuses on smoking and drinking problems urging for restrictions on smoking in public places, a ban on tobacco advertising and promotion, mass educational initiatives, increases in the price of tobacco and the prescriptions for nicotine replacement therapy. The Acheson report also suggests close links between health and mortality rates. The Acheson report has been instrumental in shaping, directing and implementing several changes in the NHS Health policy. Several studies and research reports have been published on the impact and influence of the Acheson report on changes within health care policy. The Acheson report identified three crucial areas on social gradient and health inequalities and suggested that a high priority should be given to the health of families with children; all policies likely to have an impact on health should be evaluated in terms of their impact on health inequalities; steps should be taken to reduce income inequalities and improve the living standards of poor households. The Acheson Report and UK Health Policies The Acheson Report 1998, an Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health was similar to the Black Report 1980 and can be considered as a Department of Health review of the evidence on inequalities in health in England. The Department of Health has responded to the Acheson report by taking an official course of action. The Department of Health mentions that tackling health inequalities is a top priority for the Government, and is focused on narrowing the health gap between disadvantaged groups, communities and the rest of the country, and on improving health overall. The strategy for addressing this problems is published in, Tackling Health Inequalities: A Programme for Action that lays the foundations for meeting the Governments target to reduce the health gap on infant mortality and life expectancy by 2010.A programme for action include a three-year plan for tackling health inequalities and to help local organisations improve the way services are delivered to disadvantaged groups. The programme for action in response to the Acheson report is based on Supporting families, mothers and children Engaging Communities and Individuals Preventing Illness and providing Effective treatment and Care Addressing the underlying determinants of health The Acheson report suggests that socioeconomic inequalities in health and expectation of life have been found in England for many years and there have been data identifying differences in longevity by ones socioeconomic position. Inequalities of health are measured in terms of mortality, life expectancy or health status and could be categorised by socioeconomic status, ethnic group or gender. The Acheson report suggested that there are differences in the health status of mothers, babies, people of lower socioeconomic status and people who smoke or drink heavily. The report definitely shows that death rates are falling in England and the rates have fallen since 1896. Thus life expectancy seems to have risen in the last few years although healthy life expectancy has not been rising. In fact the proportion of people with long standing illness has risen from 15 percent to 22 percent (Acheson Report, 1998). The Acheson report thus gave new insights on health policies and identified issues that contribute to an increased rate of mortality and possible ill health. It identified several socioeconomic determinants including income distribution and household below average income, education, employment, housing, homelessness, public sector, transport and health related behaviour. Following the report, the Choosing Health White Paper given by the Department of Health sets out the key principles for supporting the public to make healthier and more informed choices in regards to their health. Through the paper, the Government has provided information and practical support to get people motivated and improve emotional well-being and also provide access to services to encourage people to make healthy choices. The government has also drawn up a food and health action plan that focuses on the ways that better health can be achieved through better nutrition at all stages of life and for different gro ups in society, recognising and addressing different needs, particularly those of disadvantaged groups (Choosing Health, DH, 2004). The government has also set up the Health Improvement Plan and a new NHS plan for tackling health inequalities 81% of people in higher socio-economic groups consider themselves to be in good health now, compared with 61% of people in the lowest groups 76% of people in the higher groups expect to be in good health in 10 years’ time, compared to 53% of people in the lowest groups (DH, 2004). Putting forward the NHS improvement plan, the Government reiterated the NHS commitment that the NHS is motivated to prevent disease and improve health in general. The Government policies are focused on the fact that inequalities in health cannot be accepted and the fundamental objective is to create healthier choices for disadvantaged groups. The NHS Improvement plan was laid down in 2004 to not only counter health inequalities but also provide better quality of care to patients and provide safer and more effective treatment. The NHS Improvement Plan set out modernisation and health plans putting patients and service users first through more personalised care; a focus on the whole of health and well-being, not only illness; and further devolution of decision-making to local organisations. (DH, 2004) According to the Government report and Action Plan laid out in then Choosing Health White paper the nutritional priorities were given as follows: increase in the average consumption of a variety of fruit and vegetables increase in the average intake of dietary fibre to 18 grams per day reducing average intake of salt to 6 grams per day reduce average intake of saturated fat maintaining the current trends in reducing average intake of total fat reducing the average intake of added sugar (Choosing Health White paper, 2004) The Government took several steps to ensure that the recommendations of the Acheson report is considered for any further changes within the NHS. Accordingly major steps have been taken to ensure consumer awareness on the consumption of healthy foods and development of good food habits. Reducing the proportion of fat, salt in the diet has been recommended and retailers and caterers have been asked introduce healthier range of foods and offer such foods in convenient stores, centre locations and in remote areas of the city. In a plan to tackle health inequalities, the Government has focused on many plans including – Offer people personal health plans with support from the NHS. Recruit NHS health trainers to provide advice and support for people to develop their personal health plans. Provide services in the areas of highest need. Offer disabled people the option of taking up a health check. (DH, 2004) Considering the Acheson report on the exaggerated problems of health care among pregnant women and children, the government has also provided eligible pregnant women with vouchers that can be exchanged for fresh fruit and vegetables, milk and infant formula through a new scheme called Healthy Start. A Sure Start scheme is also in place for providing training, guidance and support for early years to children. Practitioners encourage changes in parental behaviour and improve the social and emotional development and physical health of children in the early years. Community Parental Support Projects are also in place that involves training of lead workers in 500 communities. ‘Healthy Schools’ programmes are encouraged to target deprived schools including Pupil Referral Units. The Government has promoted the concept of healthy schools by 2006, working towards a healthy school status by 2009. The concept of Healthy schools, Sure Start and the Concept for providing Parental Support as well as providing people with personal health plans are some of the steps that the government has taken to ensure the promotion of health. Some of the objectives of the Action Plan have been given as follows. Following the Acheson report, the government focus has shifted from the one aimed to meet national targets to a different approach that could be given as follows standards are the main driver for continuous improvements in quality; there are fewer national targets; there is greater scope for addressing local priorities; incentives are in place to support the system; and all organisations locally play their part in service modernisation. (Care Standards Planning Framework, 2004). Research Studies We discuss several studies which deal with the Acheson report. Oliver and Nutbeam (2003) point out that health inequalities has been considered seriously for an approach to improve health care and government policies have been developed to explicitly address existing health inequalities that has become an important issue since Labour has returned to power in 1997. The development of health inequalities policies, have been critically examined to assess how such policies could or should be developed. The authors point out that progress in the development of health inequality policies has been made although the progress is less than expected or ideal. Kisely and Jones (1997) have written on the issues of public health ten years after the Acheson report. They point out that the issue of communicable disease control and the role of public health medicine is of considerable concern in the light of outbreaks and NHS reorganisations. The Acheson report seems to have highlighted several issues in this regard. Yet as Kisely and Jones the Reports findings have yet to be fully implemented. The paper calls for a further review of public health function and should include the removal of the specialty from management costs, and the clarification standardisation of the roles of the Director of Public Health (DPH), CPHM and other members of the multi-disciplinary public health team (Kisely and Jones, 1997). Possible organisational implications for a public health approach have also been suggested. Tarlov (1999) has delineated four conceptual frameworks providing the bases for constructing public policy strategies for improving population health and this include: (1) Determinants of population health. (2) Complex systems: (3) An intervention framework for population health improvement. (4) Public policy development process with two phases of public consensus and policy action. The Acheson report can be judged in this context and has provided both a consensus and a policy framework. Conclusion: The research studies and analysis of the Acheson report suggests that the 1998 Acheson report has been extremely influential in shaping Health care policies in the UK and reducing inequalities in health. Bibliography Primary health care in Londonchanges since the Acheson report. BMJ. 1992 Nov 7;305(6862):1130-3. Tarlov AR. Public policy frameworks for improving population health. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1999;896:281-93. Blane D. Health inequality and public policy: one year on from the Acheson report. J Epidemiol Community Health. 1999 Dec;53(12):748. Williams A. Commentary on the Acheson report. Health Econ. 1999 Jun;8(4):297-9. Barnes R, Scott-Samuel A. The Acheson report: beyond parenthood and apple pie? J Epidemiol Community Health. 1999 Jun;53(6):322-3. Spencer NJ. The Acheson report: challenges for the College. Arch Dis Child. 1999 Jun;80(6):576-8. Better benefits for health: plan to implement the central recommendation of the Acheson report. BMJ. 1999 Mar 13;318(7185):724-7. Acheson D. Inequalities in health. Report on inequalities in health did give priority for steps to be tackled. BMJ. 1998 Dec 12;317(7173):1659. Oliver A, Nutbeam D. Addressing health inequalities in the United Kingdom: a case study. J Public Health Med. 2003 Dec;25(4):281-7. Kisely S, Jones J. Acheson revisited: public health medicine ten years after the Acheson Report. Public Health. 1997 Nov;111(6):361-4. Also see: DH publications: Choosing Health White Paper, DH, 2004 NHS Plan, DH publication 2004 Acheson Report, DH publication, 1998 Inequalities in health, DH publication 1998 NHS Improvement Plan, 2004 www.dh.gov.uk

William Faulkners A Rose for Emily is a Gothic Horror Tale :: A Rose For Emily, William Faulkner

William Faulkner is widely considered to be one of the great American authors of the twentieth century. Although his greatest works are identified with a particular region and time (Mississippi in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries), the themes he explores are universal. He was also an extremely accomplished writer in a technical sense. Novels such as The Sound and the Fury and Absalom, Absalom! feature bold experimentation with shifts in time and narrative. Several of his short stories are favorites of anthologists, including "A Rose for Emily." This strange story of love, obsession, and death is a favorite among both readers and critics. The narrator, speaking for the town of Jefferson in Faulkner's fictional Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, tells a series of stories about the town's reclusive spinster, Miss Emily Grierson. The stories build up to a gruesome revelation after Miss Emily's funeral. She apparently poisoned her lover, Homer Barron, and kept his corpse in an attic bedroom for over forty years. It is a common critical cliche to say that a story "exists on many levels." In the case of "A Rose for Emily", this is the truth. Critic Frank A. Littler, in an essay published in Notes on Mississippi Writers regarding the chronology of the story, writes that "A Rose for Emily" has been read variously as ". . .a Gothic horror tale, a study in abnormal psychology, an allegory of the relations between North and South, a meditation on the nature of time, and a tragedy with Emily as a sort of tragic heroine." These various interpretations serve as a good starting point for discussion of the story. The Gothic horror tale is a literary form dating back to 1764 with the first novel identified with the genre, Horace Walpole's The Castle of Ontralto. Gothicism features an atmosphere of terror and dread: gloomy castles or mansions, sinister characters, and unexplained phenomena. Gothic novels and stories also often include unnatural combinations of sex and death. In a lecture to students documented by Frederick L. Gwynn and Joseph L. Blotner in Faulkner in the University: Class Conferences at the University of Virginia 1957-1958, Faulkner himself claimed that "A Rose for Emily" is a "ghost story." In fact, Faulkner is considered by many to be the progenitor of a sub-genre, the Southern gothic. The Southern gothic style combines the elements of classic Gothicism with particular Southern archetypes (the reclusive spinster, for example) and puts them in a Southern milieu.