Solar Power

Peter Maloney writes in his article, † Environmentalists Against Solar Power† that solar power projects are facing major scrutiny, not from the coal or oil industry, but from environmentalists. Maloney says that Southern California is pushing for solar power in the desert cause the amount of sunlight with virtually no clouds, â€Å"but its also the home to the Mojave ground squirrel, the desert tortoise and the burrowing owl, and to human residents†. Maloney also states that the US Bureau of Land Management says that it had applications submitted for solar power that would cover 78,490 acres in the desert. For the entire US, the number of applications grew from zero two years ago to more than 125 with enouch potential electrical power of 70,000 megawatts or the equivalent to 70 large coal plants. The rush to try and get this land is caused by a California Law that calls for 20 percent of the state's electricity must come from renewable resources by 2010. Jim Harvey, who is the founder of the Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy, is quoted by Maloney saying, † Our position is that none of this is needed. We support renewable energy, and we support California's renewable energy targets, but we think it can be done through rooftop solar†. Harvey also pointed out the success that Germany was having by using rooftop solar panels. The way it works is that the government offers payments for electricity generated from solar panels. The payment is roughly 50 cents per kilowatt hour. The average payment in the US in 11 cents per kilowatt hour, but the payments would not be as high as the German payments here. Maloney goes on to say not only would the solar panels destroy habitats, it would run the deserts small water supply, as it is, even more scarce. The mirror and solar panels would have to be washed, and some panels use turbines which would require more water. Terry Frewin, chairman of the Sierra Club's California/Nevada desert commitee, says that † solar panels destroy all natice resources on site, and have indirect and irreversible impacts on surrounding wilderness†. At the current rate of adding 200 megawatts of rooftop solar panels a year, it would take â€Å"100 years to meet the 20 percent renewable [target set] by California†. The first major debate over a large solar power project was over the 250 acres of land, which was on the outskirts of Victorville, California, on the western side of the Mojave that was gonna be used for the solar panels. Inland hired people to look for the endangered ground squirrel and desert tortoise. No squirrels were found but some tortoises were, so the Inland, cmpany building the panels, said for every acre of lost habitat they would buy one acre of land to offset it. Although it would cost some â€Å"6.5 million to 10 million dollars† to buy the offsetting acreage. Solar Power Peter Maloney writes in his article, † Environmentalists Against Solar Power† that solar power projects are facing major scrutiny, not from the coal or oil industry, but from environmentalists. Maloney says that Southern California is pushing for solar power in the desert cause the amount of sunlight with virtually no clouds, â€Å"but its also the home to the Mojave ground squirrel, the desert tortoise and the burrowing owl, and to human residents†. Maloney also states that the US Bureau of Land Management says that it had applications submitted for solar power that would cover 78,490 acres in the desert. For the entire US, the number of applications grew from zero two years ago to more than 125 with enouch potential electrical power of 70,000 megawatts or the equivalent to 70 large coal plants. The rush to try and get this land is caused by a California Law that calls for 20 percent of the state's electricity must come from renewable resources by 2010. Jim Harvey, who is the founder of the Alliance for Responsible Energy Policy, is quoted by Maloney saying, † Our position is that none of this is needed. We support renewable energy, and we support California's renewable energy targets, but we think it can be done through rooftop solar†. Harvey also pointed out the success that Germany was having by using rooftop solar panels. The way it works is that the government offers payments for electricity generated from solar panels. The payment is roughly 50 cents per kilowatt hour. The average payment in the US in 11 cents per kilowatt hour, but the payments would not be as high as the German payments here. Maloney goes on to say not only would the solar panels destroy habitats, it would run the deserts small water supply, as it is, even more scarce. The mirror and solar panels would have to be washed, and some panels use turbines which would require more water. Terry Frewin, chairman of the Sierra Club's California/Nevada desert commitee, says that † solar panels destroy all natice resources on site, and have indirect and irreversible impacts on surrounding wilderness†. At the current rate of adding 200 megawatts of rooftop solar panels a year, it would take â€Å"100 years to meet the 20 percent renewable [target set] by California†. The first major debate over a large solar power project was over the 250 acres of land, which was on the outskirts of Victorville, California, on the western side of the Mojave that was gonna be used for the solar panels. Inland hired people to look for the endangered ground squirrel and desert tortoise. No squirrels were found but some tortoises were, so the Inland, cmpany building the panels, said for every acre of lost habitat they would buy one acre of land to offset it. Although it would cost some â€Å"6.5 million to 10 million dollars† to buy the offsetting acreage.

Noise Pollution Essay

Not all people in this country living in a noisy place, most of them want to lived in a peaceful place with trees and fresh air and we all know that most of the time we can focus and think carefully in a quiet place. Noise Pollution can be defined as unwanted or offensive sound that unreasonably intrude into our daily activities. In urban areas noise pollution is everywhere, whether we like it or not this is part of everyday life. If the ears was irritated to the sound it is called noise. This is defined a form of air pollution that is audible unwanted sound that poses a threat to a person’s health and well- being. This pollution has many sources from different things such as air conditioner, traffic ,radio ,a dog barking, human conversation, other machinery that causes sound and are associated with urban developments. According to an OECD report â€Å" Transport is by far the major source of noise , ahead of building or industry , with road traffic the chief offender â€Å" motorcycles , trucks and busses are the major contributors to the traffic noise. Noise is described in loudness (intensity) and pitch ( frequency ) the exposure is using a logarithmicn decibel ( dB) scale. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA) recommends the hearing protection in the workplace if the noise is greater than 85 DB for more than eight hours, because there is a chance of the potential hearing loss. Difference of the loudest and faintest sounds that humans can hear is about 120 DB, a range of one million amplitude. People who has a very good hearing can hear the sounds between to -15 Decibels. If the sound reaches the 85 db and above can cause permanent damage of hearing. The more amount of time you listen in a sound effect greater damage it will cause. If the place is quiet the longer you listen safetly and it will not cause a damage even if you listen to it for a very long time. The more exposure to the common sounds can cause a permanent damage. The normal conversation occurs 60 DB. According to my research, the causes of damage in our ears, like the bulldozer idling the sounds are loud 85 DB and can cause permanent damage after only 1 work day ( 8 hours ). Listening a music with earphone/ headpones in ears at a maximum volume, the sound can reach level over 100 Db, begin causing permanent damage after 15 minutes per day. A thunder from storm 120 Db, gunshot 140 -190 DB can both cause immediate damage. There are groups of people who are affected by this  noise pollution such as the young, elderly, and the hospitalized. Young children cannot protect their hearing and they only rely on their parents to keep them from noise exposure.Elderly may not have the capabilities to protect their hearing if they are the one who is disabled by mental or physical illness. Also the patients from the hospitals are not safe because patients especially for orthopedic surgeries may be exposed to loud instruments during a procedure although they are not protected from it while under anesthesia. Noise has numerous health effects making noise pollution a public concern although it has not been well addressed.These could be effected our blood pressure, noise -induced hearing loss,sleep disorders and irritability.Noise pollution also affects the performance at work and school. Noise pollution is harmful because the sound energy is transferred through compressions, and rarefactions. Because the intensity is very large and it can harm the human ears, and the animal ears also and it can damage to physical structure.When sound reach the human ear the structures will vibrate. The intense vibrations can be rapture the eardrum , loudness related hearing loss usually develops overtime. When the sound enters the ear, it is transferred to the brain as a nerve impulse. The nerves in our ears are composed of of tiny nerve fibers, it is surrounded by special fluid within the ear. When intense sound transferred through fluid the tiny nerves may destroyed and the hearing loss is affected. There is two kinds of effects the auditory and non-auditory. The effect of auditory may fatigue and deafness the non-auditory can be physiological and psychological change in human beings. Noise Induced Hearing Loss or (NIHL) is a type of sensorinueral hearing loss that is second only to age induced hearing loss or presbyacusis. The people who are affected of NIHL are the workers that involved in manufacturing , construction, transportation , argiculture , military, factory and mining because their ears are expose in hazardous noise levels.Also the recreational activities like target shooting, speedboat riding,play in a band and listen to a loud music are also the examples of activities that increases the risk of NIHL . The studies revealed that young children and young adults are also showing the  signs of NIHL. Communication,cognition, social emotional development, academics and future careers may all be affected in the young secondary to hearing loss. Noise Induced Hearing Loss ( NIHL) is permanent but it is preventable by using ear protection like earmuffs or earplugs to avoid the noisy environment and the harmful levels of noise. Mental Health , mental illness is thought be exacerbated and intensified by noise pollution and not believed to be cause of mental illness. In one study at United States Country that I read in my research there were a children who are exposed in noise levels above 55 DB had decreased attention, there is difficulty with social adaptation and increased the oppositional behavior to others compared to the children who are not exposed in noise levels. The pollution in the community noise also may cause annoyance and disturbance there are depressed and anxiety and make their symptoms worse. Other people always used sleeping pills for them to avoid the loud sound or the noise in their environment and mental hospital admission rates with those exposed to unwanted noise. The children or elderly who have depression and cannot control over their own hearing protection are the vulnerable to the mental effects of noise pollution. Impairment of Task Performance there are many potential detrimental effects of noise pollution on task performance involving both children and adults.Congnitive task performance at school and at work has bee n well documented in several studies.The children who are exposed to noise in their home or at school may have difficulty in their learning , language development and problem solving. In the study in London involving 340 children between ages of 8 and 11 who were exposed to high aircraft noise showed an association with increased annoyance and poorer reading comprehension. The most affected of noise is on the reading attention,problem solving and memory because we all know that most of the children or adults cannot focus in what they are doing if the environment is under in noisy condition . The noise can impair concentration, decrease the motivation because of irratation , increase the rate of errors and can lead to preventable accidents in workplace. Communication can be affected and leading to misinterpretation of instructions and can cause reducing an employee’s effectiveness an occuracy. Negative Social Behavior and Annoyance Reactions noise levels have been associated with increased negative reactions such as increased igitation, exhaustion,dissatisfaction,anger and  distraction.This may cause social and behavioral affects including attempts to avoi d environmental noise by closing windows or doors, acting out aggression and even result in a change of residence. The exposure to levels above 80 DB will increase aggressiveness when combined with alcohol , provocation and existing anger. Annoyance is a feelings of displeasure when individuals believe in condition has and adverse effect on them. People is dependent on the type of noise, by the time it occurs and the activity that interrupt the noise. A person have an individual sensibilty and also expose in the role of annoyance level. Every people have a lack of sense of control over noise there is a higher level of annoyance especially if the noise is accompanied by low frequency componets and loud impulse noise. The negative social behaviors and annoyance reactions to noise cause declines to one’s sense of well being. Sleep Disturbances well rested sleep is essential to maintain good health and mental function. Noise is the common offender interrupting sleep and it causes both primary and secondary sleep disturbance.Primary effect have a difficulty in falling asleep, awakenings and differences of sleep patterns. The secondary effects are interrupted sleep including fatigue and decreased the well-being performance. This two kinds of effects have a environmental noise exposure during sleep is accompanied by several p sychological effects. The levels of attributable to disturbed sleep can be as low and continuous noise greater than 30 DB. According to study that they revealed the population who are living in the urban areas were at risk for increased neuroticism, subjective noise sensitivity and noise annoyance. The participants of the study have a difficulty to back falling asleep, their fatigue is increased , poorer sleep quality and need for increased use of sleeping agents. Cardio Vascular Distrurbances there is now growing body of evidence associating noise pollution with casdiovascular disease. This effect are secondary to body’s â€Å" fight or flight â€Å" response leading to autonomic nervous and endocrine effects seen with chronic daily levels of noise greater than 65 DB or acute exposure to levels above 80 to 85 DB. These effects can lead to blood pressure, heart rate and peripheral resistance by the release of hormones such as s norepinehrine, epinephrine, and cortisol.From the study of Roselund et al, the demonstrated an increase prevalence of high blood pressure of people that are exposed to ai rcraft noise. The participants of  this study ages between 18 – 80 and the effects is common among the elderly. The second study of Jarup et al reveal the relationship of the traffic noise and nightime noise can increase the blood pressure participants are ages between 45-75 years old. The cardiovascular effects to noise pollution not only in adults also the young childrens are at risk. In otther country they have the organization that can prevent the noise pollution the examples are The National Institute of Deafness and Other Communications Disorders ( NIDCD) they created a national public education movement to prevent the NIHL they called it â€Å" WISE EARS† this campign initatited in 1999 by (NIDCD) and many regional, national and state with their governments.Their main goals is to educate the people about NIHL and to motivate to have actions in NIHL . According to the studies they are focusing on expanding their mission to reach the childrens between 8-12 ages and also their parents. As a individual we can also reduce the noise pollution by construction of soundproof rooms for noisy machines in industrial and manufacturing installations. Most important for residential building their machines should be installed far from living or sleeping rooms, like in a basement of garage . And for the employee’s they cannot reduce the noise of machine so they can only prevent by using earplugs. We can also avoid by stay away from sources of noise. If we are living in noisy place make sure that our windows are dual paned. It also reduced by planting trees, because we all know the main function of trees is to absorb and protect the noise made by people. Community laws must silence zones near schools/colleges and hospitals that needs concentration. We also to know what are the causes of noise pollution and the world becomes more advanced the noise increases. As an individual we can also reduce the noise pollution if owning a car do not use the car horns unnecessarily in the areas that needs silent zones that honking is prohibited . And avoid loud music which will hurt the ears and also others ear. Furthermore ,Firecrackers are very loud so dont try and burn them unnecessarily. Motors, vehicles and large machines produced a loud noise when not maintained properly and it needs proper maintance for a better performance.In theme parks avoid riding on rides that produce lot of noise.  Also turn off the engine of your car if you’re not using it. It stops the annoying hum and also reduce the air pollution. It much better if using only a bicycle or walk go to school. You’re body will fit and also it reduce the air and noise pollution . Noise pollution can make a mind and body stress, there are some techniques that can prevent like breathing exercises , deep breathing and other breathing exercises will work because it can be done anywhere and are effective for calming the body’s physiology in minutes. Meditation, is also a stress reliever because it calms the mind and body and it helps the alter of brain, over time, you are less reactive to stress that happens. Yoga, because this is the combination of breathing and meditation it adds an element of a exercise to be a stress reliever that acts on a different levels that benefit your health. Also provides a simple ways to ease into meditation. We can also stress free by noise pollution by going to the place that quiet and make a relaxation or have a leisure in a hotel and listen to a instrumental music in a low volume. There are so many ways that we can prevent the noisy place and this case study reminded us that we should take care our ears and our environment most of all in urban areas who are near in hazardous noise.

On Developing Instructional Designs Essay

Efforts to ensure improvement in the quality of education across all states have been the central focus in the education arena. Schools have employed many different ways to make learning easier and more qualitative. These ways include preparing instructional designs that meet the present-day needs of students. Instructional designs are needed to identify certain goals and methods to be employed during instruction. Designed accordingly, they promote improvement in teaching strategies, and identify needs of students that should be addressed during the learning process. Importantly, instructional designs should consider the learner as the focus of instruction. This means that the whole program should be geared towards providing all possible assistance to the student. Proponents of student-centered instruction promote the role of the learner as the major key player, whereas that of the teachers serves the supportive role. For instance, activities that maximize student participation (discussing, presenting in groups, etc. are more favored than those which highlight the effectiveness of the teacher. Another consideration in preparing instructional designs is the comprehensive review of learners’ needs which are briefly discussed under Goals and Challenges and Limitations. By gaining a comprehensive view of learners’ needs, teachers would be able to target each need, and give solutions to them. Such are the things specified under Results. In this part, the student is viewed to acquire or learn relevant skills designed for the instruction. Still another consideration in preparing relevant instructional designs is the selection, development or modification of instructional materials. To ensure relevant instructional materials, one may employ the research strategy. There are many ways by which one can explore the use of this strategy. It may involve formal search for peer-reviewed materials, or reading reviews or critiques by colleagues who had experienced using the same resource. It may also include online search and gaining feedback through online discussion boards involving colleagues from different states or countries. Moreover, the research strategy should examine whether the material may appropriately address the needs of the students. One need is to develop multiple intelligence of students to adhere to holistic goals of the school. Definitely, a good material is one that does not discriminate among cultures, skills, gender, and religion. As such, the role of the teacher is to examine whether the materials selected for instruction adhere to this standard. In order to do this, one must be sensitive to the language of the material and analyze its contents for the said purpose. Critiquing a material for instruction should be done in order to find out its implications to students, whether positive or negative. Although teachers have the ability to critique a selection, it may also help to seek opinions from students, for they themselves will be the ones to use the materials. During discussion, the teacher could ask students how they feel about certain passages in a text, and from this the teacher would know whether the material is sensitive enough to cultural differences. If the teacher discovers such fallible, s/he should refrain using the material or use it to emphasize the inability of the author to respect cultural differences. Finally, to test the usability of the instructional materials, the teacher could base findings from students’ performance in tests, activities, and discussion. These materials would truly determine usability of the materials because as the materials challenge students to react, create, and apply learning, more learning outcomes are achieved. Also, employing a survey among students at the end of each unit could prove effective. After each lesson, the teacher could devise an evaluation sheet to be answered by students to allow them to express whether the materials used had been helpful or not. Also, as mentioned earlier, the teacher could seek the help of colleagues in evaluating the material. In this regard, online forums are a great help to gain a worldwide perspective.

The concept of management change in regards to Larsen and Toubro Essay

The concept of management change in regards to Larsen and Toubro - Essay Example The paper tells that with changes in consumer needs and perceptions the demands for the goods and services of the organisation also counter a paradigm shift. Thus because of such changes in the organisation’s external climate the management team of the organisation tends to bring about a lot of alterations in the technological and operational processes in the organisation. These changes are reflected as the organisational changes inside the concern. Focusing on the above discussion the organisational changes brought about in Larsen and Toubro can be further analysed. The Chairman of the concern envisaged that the need for organisational change within the concern arose from the need of value creation. Value creation was envisaged through bettering up the position of both the internal and external stakeholders of the concern. The internal people or the employees’ position was developed through the induction of the rating system which would rate the employees based on thei r performance rather than seniority. On the external side, the process of value creation focused on enhancing the value of the shareholders through augmentation of the value of the projects carried out by the several departments. The Chairman of the concern took these steps so as to help in the increase of motivation of the employees and shareholders of the concern. Taking the above organisational change processes were further envisaged to help in the augmentation of the share value of the concern in the stock market which was quite low previously. (McKinsey & Company, 2010, pp.28-29). Justifications for the Organizational Change Forces of Change The forces or needs for organisational change arise out of large amount of dissatisfaction emerging out of people belonging to different organisational hierarchies. The organisational people demand a change from the existing situation for which changes or alterations needs to be brought about in the organisational structure. Failing to such demands of the people leads to several problems which in turn spreads employee unrest. On the other hand the change in organisational leadership also leads to bring about forces of change in the concern. The new organisational leader inherent with new vision and organisational philosophy endeavours to bring about changes in the existing business process and technological interventions. This force of organisational change is sometimes not welcomed by the internal people leading to strong protests and events like strikes and

Contract Law Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Contract Law - Coursework Example Under normal circumstances, one party’s document will have different terms from the other party’s terms thereby begging the question: whose terms governs the contract? This is what leads to what is termed as the â€Å"battle of forms.† Such a case was explored by Lord Denning in Butler V. Ex-Cell-O3. In case there is a battle of forms in any transaction, a contract is assumed to have taken effect as soon as the last of the forms is sent and received without any issue or objection being taken to it. Nevertheless, a difficulty arises when it comes to deciding which form or part of the form is a term or a condition with regard to the contract in question. Under some cases, the battle is won by the party that fires the last shot. This is the general rule under the battle of forms4. The last shot rule provides that no contract comes into existence as long as an offer and acceptance does not match. Under such a situation, each party’s reference to its own genera l conditions is taken as a rejection of the other party’s offer, thereby treated as a counter offer. It is only if one party to the contract accepts the other party’s offer, plus all the conditions prescribed in it that a contract is deemed to have been formed. The terms of the contract in this case refer to those of the party who has managed to ‘fire the last shot.’ In most cases under the battle of forms cases, this becomes the seller5. For instance, by sending the seller a purchase order by making reference to its general conditions, the buyer makes an offer under his personal standard terms. Then, by making reference to his/her own standard terms in the reply the seller makes a counteroffer and consequently rejects the buyer’s terms. The buyer is implied to have accepted this offer through acceptance of its delivery. This was evident in the case between British Road Services V. Crutchley6 . In this case, the court held that Crutchley’s co unter offer, which was not objected to by the British Road Services, was valid and, as such, carried the day7. From the case, it is evident that the victory was for the party that fired the last shot. It is worth noting that despite this being the general rule under battle of forms, certain exceptions exist. An exception comes where the victory goes to the party that gets in the blow first. For instance, where one party offers to sell at an express price based on the stated terms on the back and the buyer happens to order the same commodities implying to having accepted the offer on the order form with his own different terms on the back. If the difference happens to be so material to the extent that it may affect the initial price quoted, then the buyer is not supposed to be allowed to take advantage of this difference, not unless he/she notifies the seller regarding the difference. Such was the case between Butler V. Ex-Cell-O8. In the case between Butler V. Ex-Cell-O, it was the sellers who fired the first shot since they expressly made it clear that the contract was to be made only on their terms. Lord Denning alludes that in such a case, the seller should win the battle. Nevertheless, according to the ruling of the case by the court of appeal, the issue at hand was the question of who made the offer against the party that accepted it. As such, since the seller made the offer but the buyer later made a counter offer, which was accepted by the seller by raising no abjection, the buyer carried the day9. Application under

Scarlet letter Annotated Bibliography Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Scarlet letter - Annotated Bibliography Example 2008. Web. 13 Apr. 2014. It is a comprehensive article that delves into the main character of the novel, Hester Prynne. Her character, personality and experiences are analyzed and extensively evaluated. It also tackles the symbolic roles she, as a woman, represents from the time that she moved from England to the United States, her act of adultery to her husband, and the harsh punishment and condemnation that she had to face thereafter. Press, 1985. Print. It is a collection of different essays written by scholars and literary critics that explores the themes and implied messages that the story conveys, from the roles of the characters to the experiences that they undergo throughout the whole novel. Additionally, the essays also discuss the significance and impact of the book in today’s literature, analyzes the different elements, which contains and expresses varying premises about the Puritans in the United States, sexuality, sin, gender roles, life and

W6 Asign BA541 Customer-Based Metrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

W6 Asign BA541 Customer-Based Metrics - Essay Example For example, at the peak of their popularity with people willing to buy coffee with a more expensive price tag, Starbucks spent a lot of money opening several stores, expanding rapidly locally and internationally. In 2008, however, it was forced to assess which stores were making profit and proceeded to close 600 stores in the Unites States. (The Associated Press, 2008) Not all customers have the same value to a company. A company should be able to know who among their customers they should create relationships with to earn revenue. Some customers may buy big ticket items occasionally, but are less significant when compared to customers you regularly buy less expensive items. The customer equity test must be applied to know the degree of marketing efforts to be exhausted in acquiring and retaining customers. (Peppers, D. & Rogers, M., 2011) Seeing that Starbucks is able to maintain a loyal following, this metric appears to have been satisfied. The company offers a variety of products, dependent on the location of the store. For instance, some of their products in the United States are not available in their branches overseas. With this scenario, it can be said that the company was able to understand what their loyal customers like about them and thus made sure those items were available. An issue with this is in order to be competitive and have an edge in the industry, the company needs to come up with other ideas. One of these is providing alcohol at a certain time of the day to reach a possible market and this is problematic because as a survey has shown, some of those who have quit drinking gather at Starbucks for their support group meetings and drink coffee. (Williams, G., 2014) Knowing what the customers want is a very important strategy in a business. Customers need to feel important and needed. Thus, a company that wants to build lasting

Texting while driving in Miami-Dade County Essay

Texting while driving in Miami-Dade County - Essay Example According to research, it has been noted that a person communicating on his mobile phone has a higher possibility of causing an accident than a drunken driver (Rader, 2008). This essay is a critical evaluation on the threat of mobile telephony on Miami Dade County, with respect to texting while driving. The Miami Dade County was the first to legislate a law banning the use of mobile telephones while driving in Florida, which was passed in the year 2001 (Rader, 2008). According to the ordinance, first time violators were to be awarded a $250 fine or opt to register for a refresher driving course while second time offenders were to receive a punishment of $500. Most importantly, this act recognized the efficiency of these gadgets to communicate in cases of emergency and thus exceptions were made to allow their usage in cases such as reporting on fire, crime, irresponsible driving or other urgent occurrences. However, this law was preempted in 2002 thereby allowing drivers the liberty to decide on when and where to use the distractive gadgets (Rader, 2008). This has been the major setback in the county, which, according to statistics conducted by the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, experienced a high rate of accident occurrence of approximately 118 fatal accidents per day in 2008 (Muller, 2010). Every time a bill is introduced for debate to restrict the use of hand held phones either to call or text messages while driving, it is either defeated at the committee stage or it fails completely to gain the support of the legislature, which applies to the whole state of Florida. Furthermore, the state of Florida has a preemption policy which does not allow its local authorities to legislate laws governing or prohibiting distracted driving (Miami-Dade County, n.d). As a result, the prerogative of controlling distracted driving especially

Select one country from the list below and evaluate the contribution Essay

Select one country from the list below and evaluate the contribution that remote sensing could make to measuring and monitoring - Essay Example Amongst the eight distinct MDGs, MDG 7 deals with environmental sustainability and is measured through a set of 10 indicators. The task of preserving the environment is extremely important for the achievement of other MDG goals such as education, economic development, equality and healthcare. For instance, Azmi (2010) notes that over a quarter of the epidemics and diseases reported worldwide result from environmental factors. Over 35% of all deaths in third world countries are caused from environmental disturbances. According to Hassan (2004), MDG 7 is sometimes misunderstood for its context and broader outlook and criticized for being disconnected from other issues such as farming and healthcare that seem to affect the poor. Bradford (2005) says that this is however not true since numerous studies have concluded that most of these problems are a direct result of environmental exploitation and the lack of sustainable practices and strategies to counter this decline. Researchers like Faure (2009) have carried out extensive studies on environmental impact and have concluded that most environmental disasters result from and are often accelerated by massive environmental degradation. For example, countries like Jordan are facing acute water shortage, energy deficiency and climate change due to rapid desertification of the countryside and global warming. Within the context of poverty reduction, environmental sustainability plays a pivotal role due to their widespread dependence on non-renewable sources of energy and unsustainable environmental practices. Wagstaff (2010) argues that the major obstacle to developing any environmental strategy is the measurement of the current trends in the local environment and cites the importance of technologies like remote sensing in monitoring any related initiatives. With over 65% of the population dependent on fisheries, agriculture and minerals, Jordan is a nation that is highly dependent on the environment for its economic gro wth (Mays, 2009). Thus, devising and tracking any environmental strategy for the country needs a holistic and wholesome approach and cannot rely on a person-to-person methodology. Remote sensing, the science of acquiring information on a geographical region from aerial satellites, encompasses numerous technologies that are capable of measuring anything from meteorology and terrain (minerals and other natural resources) to deforestation and desertification. This paper therefore describes the role of remote sensing in monitoring and measuring progress towards the MDG 7 in Jordan. Role of Remote Sensing The metrics and targets specified under MDG 7 help in determining the amount of conservation of a resource. In the case of Jordan, indicators 7.1 and 7.5 have been used to evaluate the total amount of land covered by forests and the percentage utilization of water resources available within the country (Joseph, 2010). While these indicators provide critical insights into a regionâ€℠¢s environmental stability, these resources are so widespread and diverse that it becomes to measure these metrics at the national level. Resources such as water and natural resources are also harnessed from underground sources and are highly difficult to estimate based on simple physical observation of the area. Moreover, ecosystems and inherent ecological processes are so intricate that it becomes difficult to use simple parameters to

The Macro and Micro-Marketing of Counterfeit Goods Essay

The Macro and Micro-Marketing of Counterfeit Goods - Essay Example The act of branding can be traced back to the early 1800s when cowboys would brand their cattle before driving them across the central plains of the United States (Rozin 2002). In order to identify which cattle belonged to each ranch, a unique symbol was permanently burned onto the cow. These symbols, in addition to serving as a means of identification, provided a set of traditions and a social identity for the Cowboys. Today, companies use brands to distinguish themselves from their competition and to communicate unique qualities of their products (Aaker and Keller 1990; Low and Fullerton 1994). Once a brand is established, the brand name itself is thought to add value to the product in the minds of consumers. This added value is referred to as brand equity (Aaker 1991). Companies and designers often employ marketing strategies that capitalize on their brand equity and place a greater value on the shapes and labels of their products than the material from which they are made. Such companies provide buyers with what is conventionally called elite brands, defined by Silverstein and Fiske (2003) as those brands that possess higher levels of quality, taste and aspiration than other brands in the product category. These products are often justifiably priced higher than other brands in order to make their brand seem exclusive and more prestigious. For example, elite designers are able to transform a 10-pound t-shirt into a $200 sought after treasure (Chatpaiboon 2004). Recently, Hermes reported that customers were placed on a two-year waiting list for their most popular Birkin bag, which retails for $6000 (Branch 2004). On eBay, women engaged in bidding wars over a blue Birkin bag for which the winner ultimately paid over $13,000 (Rose 2003).

A typed report concerning Herman Melville's overall style, typical Essay

A typed report concerning Herman Melville's overall style, typical subjects, influences, etc incorporating specific references to works - Essay Example Melville shows his criticism of the rich Dives who prospers at the expense of orphans at the end of Chapter Two. Melville’s narrator, Ishmael says; ‘Now, that Lazarus should lie stranded there on the curbstone before the door of Dives, this is more wonderful than that an iceberg should be moored to one of the Moluccas. Yet Dives himself, he too lives like a Czar in an ice palace made of frozen sighs, and being a president of a temperance society, he only drinks the tepid tears of orphans.’ Melville incorporated stage directions in his character’s monologues. These helpful directions are in brackets. For example, Ishmael narrates this in Chapter Two; ‘Euroclydon! says old Dives, in his red silken wrapper- (he had a redder one afterwards) pooh, pooh!’ The narrator has long soliloquies in order to explain to the reader what is happening. Melville’s Bartleby the Scrivener is his famous short story because it deals with Existentialist and Absurdist elements. The character Bartleby works for his lawyer boss. Initially he is hardworking but he changes when he stops working but stays around the office doing nothing. The lawyer tries to help him but Bartleby refuses to cooperate when he answers all requests with; ‘I prefer not to.’ Eventually, Bartleby is imprisoned for being a nuisance to society and he slowly starves himself to death because he prefers not to eat. Bartleby demonstrates his Existentialist unique position as a responsible individual who makes his own choices. Melville incorporates his philosophies of anti-rationalism and anti-empiricism into Bartleby. Melville wanted this work to have absurdist ideas so he made Bartleby behave in absurd ways. Melville’s poem, John Marr And Other Sailors, speaks to the reader in a direct manner which is typical of Melville’s style of narration that he used in his novel and short story. His philosophies of anti-rationalism

Modern Architecture de Stijl Architecture Essay Example for Free

Modern Architecture de Stijl Architecture Essay De Stijl architecture was formed by a group of young artists who created the new movement in 1917; calling both the movement and the magazine they published De Stijl. The group promoted utopian ideals and group members believed in the birth of new age in the wake of WWI. They felt it was a time of balance between individual and universal values. The work was completely abstract as well. The goal was total integration of art and life. GERRIT THOMAS RIETVELD, Schroder House, the Netherlands, 1924. Rietveld came to the De Stijl group as a cabinet maker and created spectacular furniture throughout his life. He used this as an inspiration for the plans and designs of his architecture. He expresses his spirits and definition into the whole piece. This structure is an anti-cube and does not contain much functional space, nor did it intend to. It instead throws all of this space out of the center therefore making the height, width, and depth an open space. The main areas such as the living room are on the second floor where as the private rooms are confined to the bottom. The second floor also uses sliding objects in order to be able to have definite shape or be open when needed. The movable panels illustrate three-dimensional ideas but have proportional planes. This contemporary style portrays nature through its open plan. The Bauhaus Walter Gropius developed a particular vision of â€Å"total architecture†. He made this concept the key to his work and the work of others who studied under him at a school called, The Bauhaus. It taught that all art forms, from simple to complex should be designed as a unit. WALTER GROPIUS, Shop Block, the Bauhaus, Dessau, Germany, 1925-1926. In 1924 a new government was elected who forced the Bauhaus to move north to Dessau. When the Bauhaus program had matured, Gropius set guidelines for the schools universal goals. These included maintaining a positive attitude to living in a contemporary world (technology was embraced), avoid all romantic embellishment and whimsy, restriction to basic forms and colors to what is typical and universally intelligible, and simplicity within complexity. All these goals are used in Gropius’ Work Shop Block. The building consisted of workshop, class areas, dining rooms, a theatre, and gym. Standing 3 stories tall, it housed many activities and programs however in a simplistic form. They constructed the Skelton of reinforced concrete but supported it back farther in order to sheath the entire building with glass creating a streamlined and light effect also revealing the classrooms beyond. The building is lifted off the ground slightly, seemingly floating. The white horizontal stringcourses also embrace the building. He wanted the â€Å"economy in the use of space† which was one of the schools ultimate goals. It is organized and simplistic, free from embellishments or architectural motifs, a masterpiece he always dreamed to create during his career. International Style This style from the 1920s to 1950s was greatly influenced by the Bauhaus. Its qualities and styles focus on simple geometric aesthetics. Le Corbusier, an influential architect and theorist on modern architecture applied himself to designing a functional living space which he referred to as a â€Å"machine for living† using these ideas. LE CORBUSIER, Villa Savoye, 1929, Poissy-sur-Seine, France Le Corbusier made an elegant country house which dominates its site and has a broad view of the landscape that surrounds it. It is essentially a cube that is composed with the idea of space where free open-rooms let light flow freely throughout the house as well as utilizing the space it has, including using the roof as a patio. It contains a three-bedroom villa with servant’s quarters and the main part of the house is lifted off the ground by narrow columns and thin freestanding posts. It does not have a definite entrance and the building has no traditional faà §ade so one must walk around the house to truly comprehend its layout, however, the turning circle on the bottom floor is a carport so that family members can enter directly from their car. The boxlike horizontal quality of the house displays its abstraction by showing that the spaces and masses interpenetrate so fluently that the inside and outside space intermingle. Art Deco Contradicting the simplistic forms of the international style, Art Deco focuses strictly on industry, the machine and aerodynamics by focusing on industrial designs. The names comes from the 1925 exposition International des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, held in Paris, which celebrated living in the modern world. It replaces the vegetal forms of its parent with machine stylization. Its products have a â€Å"streamlined† elongated symmetrical aspect through its simple flat shapes alternate with shallow volumes. Many themes of Art Deco include automobile wheels, grills, cruise ship portholes and railings. This style was popular in the 1920s and 1930s. WILLIAM VAN ALEN, The Chrysler Building, 1928-1930, New York Art Deco’s masterpiece is the stainless steel spire of this particular building being the world’s tallest building during its time, even taller than the Eiffel Tower! It is built up of fan shapes and has an extensive use of metalwork on the faà §ade. The car motifs dominate the building; the symbols of hubcaps, car fenders, gargoyles in the form of radiator caps and hood ornaments. At the top there is a brilliant crown honoring the business achievements of the great auto manufacturer. The Chrysler Building was dedicated to the principles and successes of American Business before the Great Depression. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT- Robie House, Chicago, Illinois, 1907-1909. Frank Lloyd Wright was influenced by volumetric shapes. His architecture is â€Å"natural and organic†. He sought to develop an organic unity of planning, structure, materials, and site. Also he showed a lot of continuity in his patterns and designs. This structure (the Robie House) was known for its naturalism in the way it was adjusted to the site. The long, sweeping, ground-hugging lines, unconfined by abrupt wall limits, reach out toward and capture the expansiveness of the Midwest’s great flatlands. This building has no symmetry, and the entrance is almost concealed. For the plan of the Robie House, Wright filled it with intricately joined spaces (some large and open, others closed) grouped freely around a great central fireplace. He extends the roofs far beyond the walls for dramatic effect. This house has domestic significance showing unexpected light sources designed with enclosed patios, overhanging roofs, and strip windows. Also they show glimpses of the outdoor viewers as they move through the interior space. The construction of this house creates a sense of motion, inside and out. The flow of interior space is determined by the sharp angular placement of exterior walls. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT- Kaufmann House (Fallingwater), Bear Run, Pennsylvania, 1936-1939. This residence was nicknamed â€Å"Fallingwater† because of the image of the water that flows through the exterior of the house. Wright believed that the inhabitants of this Residence would become desensitized to the waterfall’s presence and power if they merely overlooked it, so he built it over the waterfall. He confines the building-to-site relationship in this architecture by incorporating the natural water around the building into the actual construction of it. This was designed as a weekend retreat at Bear Run near Pittsburgh. It is perched on a rocky hillside over a small waterfall; the building extends in all four directions. The full-length strip windows enliven the house’s shape, as well as the contrast in textures between concrete, painted metal, and natural stones in its walls. This site is an icon of modernist architectural design because of its unique approach to space design. It was made as a space designated to fit the patron’s life. Unfortunately, Fallingwater has been plagued in recent years with structural problems due to the unusual terraced design. The dynamic exchange of fluid between the interior of the house and the natural environment outside was a problem. Frank Lloyd Wright designed a series of terraces that extend on three levels from a central core structure, like self-supporting shelves. However, overtime the â€Å"shelves† became unstable. In the end, about $11.5 million was put into the restoration of Fallingwater and was completed in 2003. FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (exterior view from the northwest), New York, 1943-1959 (photo 1962) In the age of modernism, architects became concerned with a formalism that stressed simplicity. Wright had already introduced curves and circles in his earlier plans, so the spiral (the circle brought into the 3 rd and 4th dimensions) was the next step. The thick walls and solid organic shape give the building a sense of turning in on itself. Inside the building, the shape of the shell expands toward the top, and a winding interior ramp spirals to connect the gallery bays, which are illuminated by a sky light strip embedded in the outer wall. The long interior viewing area opening onto a 90-ft. central well of space gives the impression of a sheltered environment, secure from the bustling city outside. LE CORBUSIER- Notre Dame du Haut, 1950-1955. Ronchamp, France. This is a fusion of architecture and sculpture. The building is illusive, giving the impression that it is huge from afar, when it actually only holds about 200 people. The stale, heavy walls and ambiguous illumination make the building reminiscent of a sacred cave or a medieval monastery. Like the medieval cathedrals, this structure was built and designed with an underlying system integrating mathematics. This structure is made from fabric formed by a steel frame and metal mesh. The entire interior is painted white except for the ceiling in a couple of private chapel niches which were left unpainted to darken and lighten with the time of day. Corbusier constructed the roof so that it appears to float freely by elevating the roof with near invisible blocks. The same illusion can be seen on the Indian structure Hagia Sophia with had the same effect achieved through the usage of windows. These two structures share many qualities and thus demonstrate the roots of inspiration. The overall design of the building came from shapes such as praying hands, the wings of a dove (which is the symbol for the Holy Spirit), and the prow of a ship (this is referring to the Latin word â€Å"nave† which means ship, referencing old basilicas). Through those images, Corbusier wanted all who viewed this structure to be in awe of the floating roof, see the religious shapes, and then have the urge to go forth and profess their faith in God. He hoped to develop a new interpretation of the sacred beliefs of his people and of the natural environments, bringing them closer together as a society. LUDWIG MIES VAN DER ROHE and PHILIP JOHNSON- Segram Building, 1956-1958. Manhattan, New York. This is a rectilinear glass and bronze tower in Manhattan and was one of the first models for skyscrapers when the industrial revolution was taking place in the United States and large cites began to urbanize. Once finished, this building plan was common in all major cities, all around the world. Although many people vulgarized this design, it was easy to duplicate and so many companies used the same design for their own buildings. This building was designed thin purposely so that the first quarter of the space that the building was to occupy could be used as an open pedestrian plaza. This plaza has been famous for drawing people to the building for social interactions. The architects gave the illusion of the building rising out of the street on stilts; they even made the lobby completely out of glass giving it the illusion of being invisible and unsupported to further that effect. The recessed structuring of the building makes it seem to have glass skin being that everything is glass apart from the bronze that holds the windows in place. Together, the bronze and amber glass make the building appear more elegant, rich, and illuminated. The architects even went a step further and planned the interior and exterior lighting to achieve an intriguing and elegant look both day and night. RICHARD ROGERS and RENZO PIANO- Georges Pompidou National Center of Art and Culture (the â€Å"Beaubourg†), 1977. Paris, France. This structure marked the beginning of deconstructivist architecture, incorporating the characteristics of being unfinished and incomplete. The architects incorporated motifs from industrial building in their design for this structure, seen by the metallic, factory theme to the building. What is fascinating about this structure is that the anatomy of the entire structure was left visible with no exterior walls, very reminiscent of the Crystal Palace. What is even more intriguing is that the metabolism -pipes, ducts, tubes and corridors- is visible and color coded according to function (red=movement of people, green=water, blue= air conditioning, yellow=electricity). Common criticism of the structure is that it requires frequent maintenance to protect the exposed structure from the elements. While that is true, it doesn’t stop the many people who still go to enjoy the art that they building holds. Its many functions include art galleries, industrial design centers, a library, science/music center, conference rooms, research/archival facilities, movie theaters, rest areas and even a restaurant. The same type of activities and demonstrations that occurred outside of the great cathedrals can be seen outside of this building. Art lovers can be found performing day and night outside of the building along with the likes of salesmen and people who utilize the large number of tourists that visit to their advantage. It is all of these characteristics that further the building’s prominent reputation for culture and popular entertainment.

Code of Ethics and Safety in Engineering

Code of Ethics and Safety in Engineering Abstract With a safe product, we have no worries of using it because there is no risk that going to occur. But we must know that nothing in this world is perfect. Any accident can happen to any one of us out there. Engineer always involve themselves with design and creation of new things which demand for a good quality and safer product. Safe Design must comply with the applicable law, requires knowledge and capability, must attempt to foresee potential misuses of the product, must meet standard of accepted engineering practice and must verify every final design. After the process that being followed by the engineer themselves, so it is up to the user to use it in the right way. This project is expected to give awareness to the engineering ethic course student on the term risk, safety and accident in the real world. INTRODUCTION What can we say about Engineering Code of Ethics in this topic? To be simple, it is related to the engineers to produce products that are safe for the society. It is also important that they are the main role in preventing accidents of their invention. We must know that nothing can be 100% safe and perfect, but still engineers are required to make products as safe as reasonably possible.[1] Firstly, we must know that safety is about freedom from the occurrence or risk of injury, danger or loss. So, engineers have to follow the process or designing his product in order to make it safe as possible. Safe design is a process of hazard identification mainly at the design stage or controlling risk as early as possible to health and safety in the planning and design of products, systems or process. Through risk assessment, design option will be generated to eliminate Occupational Health Safety (OHS) hazards or to minimize OHS risks of injury to those who make the product and to those who used it.[3] In response to societal demands for safer products and workplaces, governments, businesses, engineers and others who are involved in innovation are requiring that safety be a fundamental principle in design. Design is a fundamental engineering activity. Engineer always involve in design, development and creation of new or improved products, process, systems and services. Hence, quality and safety in design should be fundamental in engineering concerns, not only to ensure that the code of engineering ethic is to be practiced but also to maintain a good reputation in engineering profession for better sense to develop products, processes and systems.[3] Safe design plays a big role in design objective, including practicability, cost and the functionality of the designed-product. Safe design is the process of successfully achieving a balance of these objectives. To ensure a total safety in a design, safe design needs an understanding of the each stage in the life of a designed product, starting with the initial conception to the end life of the product. Poor design can result in low productivity, higher maintenance, higher employment and workers compensation expenses and reduced asset life. These economic costs are in addition to human costs of injury, illness, disease and disability.[3] As we all know that accidents can always occur in anytime. It is usually happened on the user itself although the product that being used is already being design in term of safety and the usage too. It is case to case basis situation. It depends on whom to be blame. It may seem that engineers sometime bear no responsibility for any accident that happened. However, engineer must understand that the system or products that he is working on and to attempt to be creative in determining how things can be designed to avert as many mistakes by people using the technology as possible.[1] As we design something, we must also consider the manual and procedure for the use of the device or technology of the design. It is for the user itself. Engineers have to follow the design rules and in fact they have to pay the risk by designing something so that any accident can be averted. By generating the owners manual, maybe the user can use the device or the technology in the right way and it also can reduce the chances of getting any accident that can lead to death or injury. So engineers are born to help the people in the world by inventing the advance technology and designing it with the prospect of safety too. SAFE DESIGN CRITERIAS 1) Safe Design must comply with the applicable law All the design must meet their specifications and standards to ensure a good and safe design. Federal safety laws are different for each departments or industries. For example, International Maritime Organization (IMO) has an important part to play for adopting legislation for ships. IMOs safety legislation deals with the ship and passenger while The SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) do concern with passenger safety and with lifesaving equipment on passenger ships. While for electrical field, The National Electrical Safety Code (NESC) is a set of rules to safeguard people during the installation, operation, and maintenance of electric power lines. The NESC contains the basic provisions considered necessary for the safety of employees and the public. Although it is not intended as a design specification, its provisions establish minimum design requirements. PPL Electric Utilities Corp. (PPL) has developed design specifications and safety rules which meet or surpass all requirements specif ied by the NESC.[3] 2) Safe Design requires knowledge and capability In this case, engineers need to have and be able to demonstrate required knowledge about the design that he or she is about to build. They must have knowledge about the workplace hazards and any harmful effect because some of the design or project involves the prevention that may have potential to release hazardous material or energy. Such incidents will affect the environment such as toxic effects, fire or explosion and will drive to other consequences such as serious injuries, property damage and loss production. These are the basis possibilities that engineers must concern and implement ways to avoid any danger causes.[4] 3) Safe Design must attempt to foresee potential misuses of the product Engineers are professionally responsible for ensuring that their products or system are safe enough before they are established. They are legally bounded through law and regulations to ensure that their designs are safe from concept through disposal. To ensure a safe design, engineers must foresee the possibilities about the misuses of the products and implement ways to minimize the cautions of product misuses by the users. By adopting a safe design approach, it is possible to design-out health and safety hazards to create a design options that meet both clients need and our obligations as an engineer.[2] 4) Safe Design must meet standard of accepted engineering practice. Accepted engineering practice is a safety issues that involve fundamental ideas about how we view the world and what we believe is important and right. A designer has a responsibility to ensure that their conceptions do not put the others on risk. They cant just create the design by simply ignore insignificant risk even it consumes lots of cost. For example, it might be less important for a small house to install lightning protection but it is a must for such a large factories or tower to do so and to meet the standard of specification.[3] 5) Safe Design must verify every final design For good engineers, they must always find alternatives about how to improve their current products to improve safety effect besides implementing new ways of design. However, after designing, the products and finished devices must be tested rigorously to see whether the products are safe and meet the specifications needed. For fresh graduate engineers, they would be expected to work under the supervision and guidance of more experienced engineers, while they gain experiences. This is very important as fresh engineer will attempt to make more mistakes as they have lack of experiences.[2] DESIGNING FOR SAFETY Safety is generally interpreted as implying a real and significant impact on risk of death, injury or damage to property. In response to perceived risks many interventions may be proposed with engineering responses and regulation being two of the most common. Better safe than sorry by Bruce Erion, President of the National Broadcast Pilots Assn, a simple but crucial for designers to bear with. One version of the process for safety design, taken from the finding of Wilcox will be thoroughly elaborated. Some of the steps are including defining the problem and generate as well as analysing several solutions before implementing the design Consideration of safety should be an integral part of the design process at the various stages. Designers should assess the design as it progresses and if any significant hazard is identified the design should be altered to eliminate the hazard where reasonably practicable, or otherwise to reduce the risk where reasonably practicable [4]. As the design progresses from concept to detail, consideration of safety issues moves from general aspects to specific aspects. The most important contribution that a designer can probably make is at the concept and early design development stages of a project when project-wide and system hazards are being considered. Another important thing that an engineer needs to consider is to minimize the inherent danger in the process as could as possible. It is good if we can excluded any potential danger in our design rather that to cope with or otherwise avoided Hence, dangerous substances or reactions are replaced by less dangerous ones, and this is preferred to using the dangerous substances in an encapsulated process[3]. Trevor Kletz said that to eliminate the hazard completely or reduce its magnitude sufficiently to eliminate the need for elaborate safety systems and procedures. Furthermore, this hazard elimination or reduction would be accomplished by means that were inherent in the process and thus permanent and inseparable from it. Here we focus on the specific area of pertaining to engineering design. We believe that engineering design constitutes an interesting starting point for ethical issues in engineering, both for educational and research purposes [3]. The first step that designer need to consider is to define the needs and requirements and often involves determining the constraints. Consideration of safety should be an integral part of the design process at the various stages. Designers should assess the design as it progresses and if any significant hazard is identified the design should be altered to eliminate the hazard where reasonably practicable, or otherwise to reduce the risk. Before some design has been done, we must consider all the pros and cons before implementing every single one. We have to recognise if there any design trade off of the products. In order to build a stadium for example, Stadium A gives a more astounding structure but less safe compared to Stadium B that is very safe but the structural design is not that remarkable. Which one will we choose to build? Here, we need to generate several solutions in order to decide the best selection to choose but as a good designer, safety is always be the main priority Hence, after several solutions have been listed with their advantages as well as disadvantages, they need to be analysed. Safer products, processes and systems will result and that ultimately benefits business and society generally, now and in the long term, because it minimises injury and illness and provides for a better social and workplace environment. This step involves determining the consequences of each design solution and determining whether it solves the problem. The aspect of the design process is connected to, or brings about possible negative consequences, for people other than the designers involved; hence it is a must for engineer to test the solution whether they are safe enough before each of product has been released. Then after completing the solution testing, the design is ready to implement. In the nutshell, safety must come first in every design to avoid any unwanted accidents in the future and subsequent criminal or civil action against us RISK-BENEFIT ANALYSIS Risk-benefit analysis is the comparison of the risk of certain cases to its related benefits in the real world. Exposure to personal risk is recognized as a normal aspect of every daily routine life in human being. We accept a certain level of risk in our lives as necessary in order to obtain some particular benefits. In most of these risks one feels as though he or she have some sort of control over the real situation. For example, driving a car is a risk most people take every day. The controlling factor appears to be their perception of their individual ability to manage the risk-creating situation. However, analysing the risk of a situation is very dependent on the individual that doing the analysis. When individuals are exposed to involuntary risk or risk which they have no control, they tend to avoid the risk that they faced. Under these conditions, the individuals will favor to have the risk to be as much as one thousand times smaller than for the same situation under their pe rceived control.[7] Let us consider the adequacy of this way of dealing with uncertainty with the help of the simple conceptual model of risk management described by Figure 1. It characterises risk management as a non-monetized form of cost-benefit analysis. Figure1: simple conceptual model of risk management The model postulates that everyone has a propensity to take risks this propensity varies from one individual to another this propensity is influenced by the potential rewards of risk taking perceptions of risk are influenced by experience of accident losses ones own and  others individual risk taking decisions represent a balancing act in which perceptions of  risk are weighed against propensity to take risk accident losses are, by definition, a consequence of taking risks; the more risks an  individual takes, the greater, on average, will be both the rewards and losses he or  she incurs.[6] To make it simple, there are three kind of risk as shown in the figure 2. Figure 2: three kinds of risks Virtual risks are products of the imagination which work upon the imagination. The less conclusive the science relating to a particular risk, the more liberated are peoples imaginations. directly perceptible risks are managed instinctively and intuitively. Science illuminates many of the connections between behaviour and consequence, sometimes so successfully that previously invisible risks become directly perceptible. However estimates of such probabilities are usually of limited value to those seeking guidance about what to do in the face of uncertainty. There are at least as many problems attaching to the probability estimates as there are to the value estimates by which they are multiplied.[6] ACCIDENT Accident is an unexpected event that will be interrupt any completion of an activity, and that may be include injury or property damage. . Work accidents can occur due to unsuitable protective clothing and gear and insufficient training or non training. Injury can also be caused by careless co- workers and poor lighting. The employers should provide safe place of working, safe system of working and safe methods of working. When the accident was investigated, the important part is to find out what is the causes of the accident. It will use as a guideline in order to prevent similar accident in the future. The objectives of the investigation accident is actually to find out the facts that can guide to take the actions and not to find the fault. The investigation of the accident can be conducted by someone who have experienced in accident causation and have experienced about investigation technique. Besides that, the person must be have a knowledgeable about the working process or condi tion, the procedures and the person involve.[1] Most of the accident happen maybe because of some human error or else. For example, when doing the investigation, the accident is occur due to the worker carelessness. The accident happen still must be to investigate if there are not involve any injury or property damage because any hazards can be corrected for in the future apply. Accident can be considered into a several type which is procedural, engineered and the systemic. For procedural accident, it is the most common happen and it will give the someone to make a bad decision or choice and will not follow the established procedures. The procedural accident are quite well to understood and can be minimize with the appropriate way for example with the given training to the workers, more supervision, and must have laws or regulations .For engineered accident, it caused by flaw in the design. Failures in the choice of material, devices not operating properly, devices or parts not operating well under all circumstances. Engineered failure should be anticipated in the design stages and should be caught and corrected during testing. However, it not always to anticipate in every condition that will be encountered, and sometimes testing doesnt occur over the entire range of possible operating condition. Engineered accident cam be understood and alleviated as more k nowledge is gain through testing and actual experienced in the field.[1] For systemic accident, it is quite hard to understand and not easy to control it. They are characteristic of every complex technologies and the complex organizations that are required to operate them. For example in airline industry which have a very complicated system that involve many working people including baggage handler, machine, pilot, and so on. In designing some project, there are so difficult to detect any systemic accident since there are many small and seemingly insignificant factor that can be considered. As the designer and engineer, we suppose to understand the complexity of the system working and try to design something which the accident occur can be minimized. CASE STUDY CASE STUDY FOR SAFETY DESIGN Case Study 1 Safe Design: Employee received electric shock while trying to adjust damaged connector linking coin operated box to photocopier. 50mm connector jutting out at 90o on side of copier unsafe workplace-equipment layout obstructing access to electrical power outlet Preventive Actions Reopen case worksite preventive / brainstorming session with staff thru process of consultation, hazard ID, risk control measures. Re-layout photocopier and book shelf Case Study 2 Safe design: Nov 2004 Exhaust fumes from diesel engine at basement got into the air conditioning intakes on Floors 4 to 7, building was evacuated. When building was first built, there was no restriction to exhaust ventilation. With development, adjacent buildings were causing environmental restriction to existing exhaust ventilation systems, creating unsafe and uncomfortable workplace environment! Corrective action: Building owner to fix Preventive Actions: Development Act LG admin controls BCA building regulations controls Building Designers responsibility Case Study 3 Safe design: Jan 2005 Maintenance worker received electric shock after coming into contact with an LIVE evaporative cooling system isolation switch filled with water. Cause: Water droplets from the filter pad splashed onto the fan-motor power cable and gradually gained entry into the conduit and switch housing through gravity feed. Safe Design Consideration: Install a 90o elbow facing downwards at the cable entry point from the inside of unit to create the lowest dip point by design. Sealing the conduit entry point with silicone rubber or equivalent may not provide a permanent  barrier. CASE STUDY FOR ACCIDENT Case Study 4: Collapse of Stadium Terengganu Image of Terengganu Stadium Collapse In 2 JUNE 2009, the Stadium of Terengganu collapse after one year of being built. It was officially opened by the Yang di-Pertuan agong sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin. The roof of the stadium is named after him in Gong Badak, Kuala Terengganu collapsed in early morning of 2 June 2009 and causing damage to the few cars that was park in the vicinity. Fortunately no one was injured in this accident. The frame structure of the roof of the 50,000-seat stadium came crashing down around 7.30 am and none of the stadium staff were at the premises yet. 60 percent of the roof at the stadium that was built at a cost of RM270 million and opened on 10 May 2008, collapsed, including that above the royal box at the grand stand. Overall damage was estimated at RM35mil. Meanwhile, even after the debris from the 2,500-tonne roof has been cleared, the Terengganu government is  unable to say if the stadium is safe  as the impact of the collapse is not known. Some causes of the collapse of this new stadium were identified. It is maybe because of components used and work quality did not meet the specifications; design factor was not appropriate; roof was not constructed properly; quality control was not carried out at the project site; weak supervision during the construction process; lack of skilled workers; and shortage of experts and experienced consultants. A notice has been issued to the contractor to repair the 50,000-seat Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium which is the biggest stadium in the East Coast but no response so far[9]. Case Study 5: The Crash of Valujet Flight 592 Image of Valujet Flight 592 In May 1996, Valujet Flight took off from Miami International Airport, heading for Atlanta. Theis Valujet Flight offered cheap fares to Florida and other popular destinations. It cost savings were achieved in part by hiring other companies which is Sabre Tech to perform many of the routine operations that keep an airline flying including the routine task of replacing oxygen generator canisters in some of its DC-9s. The canisters are located above the passenger seats and are used to provide oxygen to the passengers through masks should the cabin pressure somehow lost. The canisters contain a core of sodium chlorate, which is activated by a small explosive charge. This small explosion is initiated when the passenger pulls the oxygen mask toward herself. A chemical reaction within the canisters liberates oxygen, which the passenger breathes through the mask. During use, the surface temperature of the canister can be as high as 500F, which is normally not a problem, since the canister is well ventilated. To ensure that the canister will operate properly when needed, the oxygen generator canisters must be replaced periodically. Valujet maintenance rules made it clear that when the canisters are removed, a bright yellow safety cap must be installed on them to ensure that the explosive charge is not inadvertently set off. Unfortunately, Sabre Tech didnt follow this rule while performing this work. Instead, tape was applied where the caps should have been gone, and the canisters were placed in five cardboard boxes and left on a shelf in the hangar. However, two of the Sabre tech mechanics marked on the paperwork that the caps had been installed and signed off on the job. Within minutes after leaving the runway, the DC-9s electrical system started to fail and the cockpit and passengers cabin began filling with smoke. The pilots immediately called the Miami tower for permission to return and began to descend and turn back toward the airport. However, the situation becomes worsened because of fire started melting the control cables and the pilots become shrouded in smoke. The plane suddenly banked sharply and descended rapidly. The descent was so fast and causes the traffic control radar in Miami no longer able to register an altitude for the airplane. Amazingly, either through the efforts of the pilot or because the autopilot come back on, the plane becomes leveled off again. The airplane was now at only 1000 feet above the ground. The air traffic controllers in Miami radioed the pilots and attempted to send the aircraft to the closer airport at Opa Locka, Florida. Instead, the plane was rolled sharply to the right and facing nose down crashed into the Everglades. The two pilots, three flight attendants and 105 passengers on board were killed instantly in this accident. The subsequent investigation into this accident indicated that the fire was caused by the accidental firing of at least one of many chemical oxygen generators that were being carried in this plan to send back to Valujet headquarters in Atlanta. This chemical oxygen generator is the canister that had been removed from another Valujet airplane. The heat generated by this canister caused a fire in the cargo hold beneath the cockpit that ultimately brought this plane down. The investigation showed that this accident is not a flow in the airplanes design, but rather was attributed to a series of the oxygen canisters. These canisters were improperly secured and supposedly shouldnt have been on the airplane at all. One of the most important duties of an engineer is to ensure the safety of the people who will be affected by the products that he designs. As we have seen, all of the codes of ethics of the professional engineering societies stress the important of safety in the engineers duties [1][8]. CONCLUSION There are so many small insignificant factors that engineer doing that occur the accident. It may seem that the engineer has no responsibility and not alert about the law of safety and regulation. However, the engineer must understand and learn the complexity and the system that he is working on and also to be creative in determining how things can be design to avoid the accident happen again. Many of the risks can only be expressed by probabilities and no more educated guesses. Furthermore, there are synergistic effects between probabilities especially in a new and innovative design. Because of that, the engineer must design a product as safe as possible. Base on the designing for safety, the risk can minimize much more easierThe risk can minimize if the engineer spending more time to recheck the design cycle before sell it. It is because of to make sure that the product safe to use. Even though the price quite expensive, especially in the design cycle before the product has been built or is on the market, but the engineer must make sure that the product have a safety prevention and high quality. The prudent and ethical thing to do is to spend as much time and expense the design correctly so as to minimize future risk of injury and civil actions. The method to help analyze and to determine a project to proceed is risk benefit analysis. This method can summarize that the only ethical way is to implement risk-benefit by sharing the benefit between the engineer and society. As a conclusion, the product not surely 100% safe, but the engineer must design a product more effectively and follow the ethical law as a guideline.

Custodial Deaths and Human Rights Issues

Custodial Deaths and Human Rights Issues Whenever we go through daily newspapers or news on broadcast media or internet, one of the most common topics we can find is deaths in custody. This is something that we get to hear about most often from people surrounding us, and it has been happening for quite a long time, not only in a particular country or region, but in the whole world. However, many people is dying in custody each year. The deaths while in custody remains a very controversial topic as it is believed that the main reasons of these deaths are kept in darkness from the world.  [1]  These deaths could be a regular subject for the ones in charge of the custody, but bring a major issue in the limelight which is the gross violation of human rights. According to the Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR), When the state takes away a persons liberty, it assumes full responsibility for protecting their human rights. The most fundamental of these is the right to life.  [2]  As we go through this paper, we will dis cuss more about custodial deaths and its impact on international law and human rights. Custodial deaths are referred to those deaths, while in custody of the police, prison service, or other authorities. The causes of these deaths or we can say that the custody authorities are often accused of abuse, cover-ups, racism and neglect.  [3]  Some examples of custodial deaths are Operation Clean Heart by the government of Bangladesh where a minimum of 32 people died; death of about 100 prisoners in United States custody in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2002; and at least 650 people were killed in Jamaica by the police officers in 1999 which were all unlawful killings, but none of them were convicted since then.  [4]   Human Rights: Human rights are rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled.  [5]  These rights protect us from severe political, legal, and social abuses. A few examples of human rights are the right to freedom of religion, the right to a fair trial when charged with a crime, the right not to be tortured, the right to engage in political activity, and the right to life.  [6]  All these rights are protected by law for the wellbeing of a society. These rights, if violated, can lead to severe consequences or penalties if proved guilty to the sovereign authority. Human Rights against Custodial Deaths: The most fundamental part of human rights is the right to life.  [7]  This type of human rights which protect people detained by the State falls under the law of Human Rights Act 1998. A death penalty or even custodial deaths violate these rights according to many human rights activists from around the world. A state ensures protection of its people enforced by law. They have more responsibility about a persons protection when they take them into custody in doubts of unlawful acts. Therefore, whenever a person dies in custody, it raises a major human rights issue. Besides people who are serving whole-life sentences, many others die in custody. These custodial deaths maybe caused due to natural causes or diseases, attacks by other prisoners, self-infliction, third-degree tortures while in remand, and many other reasons. Many of those people who die in custody are held on remand in either police custody or prison for doubts of unlawful acts, and are convicted of no criminal offence. These are serious violations of human rights as every individual has the right to life, which is protected by the State and these deaths are not enforced by law. Custodial Death and Human Rights Concerns around the World: In Bangladesh, a huge battalion of Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) killed more than seventy army officers and others dead in February 25 and 26, 2009. After that, most soldiers of Bangladesh Rifles were held in prisons as suspects for the massacre. More than a thousand soldiers including twenty civilians were detained, and the others are still in the police custody. From a statement of the Bangladesh Rifles on April 23, 2009, it was said that Sixteen detainees have died in custody four from suicide, six from heart attacks, and six from other diseases.  [8]  But Brad Adams, Asia Director at Human Rights Watch  [9]  , said that he couldnt find a solid reason for which the detainees have committed suicide, and thus, he has urged the government to take immediate actions to stop such deaths in custody. From credible sources in Bangladesh, reports were found by the Human Rights Watch on torture of detainees while they were in custody. One of the suspects told that he was tortured with electric shocks for seven days by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)  [10]  . After the death of another suspect, a family member said that he was in good health before taken into custody and has no reason of sudden death. In a medical report of a dead suspect, wounds of torture were inflicted, which the authority denied by saying that the wounds may have been caused while they were trying to escape following the rebellion. Adams said that these explanations are not credible and that torture is a regular investigation technique in Bangladesh and killing of detainees in custody is an endemic problem. The detained suspects have been denied access to family and lawyers in most cases. In Vietnam, Human Rights Watch reported that they have received nineteen documents of brutality cases in twelve months till September 2010, which resulted in deaths of fifteen people. Deaths in custody were reported from major cities in Vietnam which has provoked the public protestant in the country and raised serious concerns. In a few cases, the detainees died due to massive beatings while in custody of the police or civil defense force, and in other cases, people died in public areas where the police used excessive forces. In many cases, detainees are taken into custody and killed for minor violations of law. In June 30, 2010, a person died in police custody after being detained following a dispute with his mother. In another case, which was on July 23, 2010, a man was arrested for riding a motorbike without a helmet. He was then taken is custody for questioning and hours later, it was reported that he died. This has raised serious concerns in Vietnam for such a custodial death. In all these nineteen incidents in just twelve months time, not a single involved police officer was convicted by the local court for their actions. There have been major protests by the media as the government has high restrictions and control over their local press. Only a few police officers have been detained or suspended, which was caused due to media exposure of the incidents and severe protests from the public. Unless the government shows serious concerns regarding such human rights issues, it is very uncertain that such killings can ever be stopped. In Afghanistan, a soldier named Jamal Nasser died in March 16, 2003 while in custody of the United States Army.  [11]  After eighteen months of his death, it was reported that his death attributed to a kidney infection. Later on, investigations found that the cause was just a fiction. According to Senator Patrick Leahy, The detainee, Jamal Naseer, died in March 2003, allegedly after weeks of torture by American soldiers. Because the  Special Forces  unit that reportedly controlled the detention facility failed to report the death, it was never investigated. This incident is very troubling on its own, but, like so many other incidents we have discovered, it points to a much larger problem. The  U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command  received a tip about Naseers death earlier this year, but could not investigate the matter due to a lack of information.  [12]  An army detective at Bagram Airbase told the LA Times that there are no records for which they werent able to conclude the investigation process. Human Rights Law: There are many human rights law assigned by the sovereign authority for the well being of a society by ensuring the safety of every individual. The law which concerns with the deaths in custody is Article 2 of The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR), The Human Rights Act 1998, which states that: 1. Everyones right to life shall be protected by law. No one shall be deprived of his life intentionally save in the execution of a sentence of a court following his conviction of a crime for which this penalty is provided by law. 2. Deprivation of life shall not be regarded as inflicted in contravention of this Article when it results from the use of force which is no more than absolutely necessary: (a) in defence of any person from unlawful violence; (b) in order to effect a lawful arrest or to prevent the escape of a person lawfully detained; (c) in action lawfully taken for the purpose of quelling a riot or insurrection.  [13]   Article 2 clearly provides that the state should not deprive you of your life, except in very limited circumstances.  [14]  According to the article, whenever someone is killed by a police, army or prison officer, the incident will always link to right to life. In such a circumstance, investigations will be called and a failure in the investigation at the hands of a state official is likely to be a breach of Article 2. Conclusion: Many people have been killed and are still being killed while in custody of the state officials in almost every country. The state is responsible for the protection of its each and every single individual and the ones violating laws shall be detained or punished after the consequences has been sanctioned by the higher authority. But any kind of custodial deaths are unlawful as every human has the right to life, and they cannot be punished unless they are proved guilty. Custodial deaths fall under the Human Rights Act 1998, Article 2 which states that custodial deaths should be investigated and if not done, then it would be a breach of law. After studying this paper, we are able to conclude that custodial deaths have become a global human rights issue and these deaths are gross violation of Human Rights. The state must take all necessary steps in order to prevent deaths in custody, ensure that every individual is well protected by law, and only the ones proved guilty are punished or d etained. Success in preventing will lead to the well being of the society.

Anthropological Feminism in The Piano :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism

Anthropological Feminism in The Piano  Ã‚   There is a moment in The Piano when the crazed husband takes an axe and chops off his wife's finger. We do not see the awful blow, but both times I watched the film the audience gasped and a few women hurried from the theater. It is a disturbing but crucial scene, the culmination of a sado-masochistic screenplay which has been condemned by some as harmful to women and welcomed by others as an important feminist work. Critics have been more nearly unanimous in their praise for The Piano, and for writer and director Jane Campion. A New Zealander, Campion made two previous low budget films with relatively unknown actors which attracted little notice and small audiences. But their quirky originality established her reputation among film cognoscenti. The Piano, by contrast, is both an astonishing artistic achievement and a major motion picture. Featuring Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel, it has made Campion an overnight celebrity. She is being hailed as a "natural" and "original" film maker , and no doubt she is. Campion was also trained as a social anthropologist, however, and that training -- particularly the work of Levi-Strauss -- has had a profound impact on her directorial imagination. More than just a spectacular period piece or a feminist tract, The Piano is an anthropological excursion into the 19th century. And for Campion herself, it marks a shift from ethnography to fable-making. Campion as Ethnographer Campion's first esoteric film, Sweetie, was more "clinical" case history than screenplay. If it fails as a movie, it can be recommended as an instructional film for family therapists. Sweetie, the beloved daughter who turned out badly, is a greedy, impulse-ridden woman who constantly discomforts her family. Fat, if not morbidly obese, she is an unattractive personality in an unappealing body -- repulsive to conventional movie audiences. Fellini, fascinated by the grotesque, often gave such ugliness cameo roles in his films. But it is difficult to imagine any commercial film maker, even Fellini, choosing someone so utterly lacking in glamour, so completely unphotogenic, as heroine. There can be no doubt, however, that this was Campion's conscious aesthetic choice, for we see traces of the same kind of "ugly" choices in her two subsequent films. Campion is interested in Sweetie for all of the anthropological reasons that would repel an "escapist" movie audience and makes no effort to p rettify her. Anthropological Feminism in The Piano :: Feminism Feminist Women Criticism Anthropological Feminism in The Piano  Ã‚   There is a moment in The Piano when the crazed husband takes an axe and chops off his wife's finger. We do not see the awful blow, but both times I watched the film the audience gasped and a few women hurried from the theater. It is a disturbing but crucial scene, the culmination of a sado-masochistic screenplay which has been condemned by some as harmful to women and welcomed by others as an important feminist work. Critics have been more nearly unanimous in their praise for The Piano, and for writer and director Jane Campion. A New Zealander, Campion made two previous low budget films with relatively unknown actors which attracted little notice and small audiences. But their quirky originality established her reputation among film cognoscenti. The Piano, by contrast, is both an astonishing artistic achievement and a major motion picture. Featuring Holly Hunter and Harvey Keitel, it has made Campion an overnight celebrity. She is being hailed as a "natural" and "original" film maker , and no doubt she is. Campion was also trained as a social anthropologist, however, and that training -- particularly the work of Levi-Strauss -- has had a profound impact on her directorial imagination. More than just a spectacular period piece or a feminist tract, The Piano is an anthropological excursion into the 19th century. And for Campion herself, it marks a shift from ethnography to fable-making. Campion as Ethnographer Campion's first esoteric film, Sweetie, was more "clinical" case history than screenplay. If it fails as a movie, it can be recommended as an instructional film for family therapists. Sweetie, the beloved daughter who turned out badly, is a greedy, impulse-ridden woman who constantly discomforts her family. Fat, if not morbidly obese, she is an unattractive personality in an unappealing body -- repulsive to conventional movie audiences. Fellini, fascinated by the grotesque, often gave such ugliness cameo roles in his films. But it is difficult to imagine any commercial film maker, even Fellini, choosing someone so utterly lacking in glamour, so completely unphotogenic, as heroine. There can be no doubt, however, that this was Campion's conscious aesthetic choice, for we see traces of the same kind of "ugly" choices in her two subsequent films. Campion is interested in Sweetie for all of the anthropological reasons that would repel an "escapist" movie audience and makes no effort to p rettify her.

The Role of Estrogen in Sexual Differentiation :: Biology Essays Research Papers

The Role of Estrogen in Sexual Differentiation Most, if not all, species with two sexes exhibit sexually dimorphic behavior and physical characteristics. These dimorphisms can be attributed to differences in the brain, such as size or function of structure, and these brain structures can be affected by the hormones circulated throughout the organism. It has been held that the sexual dimorphisms rely only on the presence or absence of androgen, namely, testosterone, during the critical period of development for an organism; however, new research suggests that the presence of estrogen, specifically estradiol, has an active role in sexual differentiation. Several sexual dimorphic structures in the brain have been observed in laboratory experiments. The corpus callosum in male rats is much larger than that in female rats, and this size difference is uncorrelated with total brain weight. These findings led many to investigate the relationship between human male and female corpus callosa. A paper published by de Lacoste-Utamsing and Holloway stated that the splenium of the callosum is larger in women than in men, but their finding has since been challenged by several reports stating that there exists no sexual dimorphism. Analysis done from 1982-1994 reveals a small difference of corpus callosum size in favor of males, but it is hypothesized that age, handedness, overall brain size and weight, and incorrect statistics were not taken into account. (3) There has also been controversy in the research involving the brain region INAH-3 in humans. The heterosexual male INAH-3 is larger than that of heterosexual females; the INAH-3 in homosexual males is on the average smaller than that of heterosexual males and approximately the same size of heterosexual females. The general population has attempted to use this fact as an explanation of the biological basis of homosexuality, though the differences in structure may not be causally related to the sexual orientation of the man. Because we can only observe behaviors when doing experiments with lab animals, the data cannot firmly establish a basis for sexual orientation. The traditional view on sexual differentiation is that organizational effects from hormones which occur during neonatal development are the master plan for the organisms sex and corresponding behaviors and characteristics. Exposure to androgen, namely, testosterone, would result in a male organism, while exposure to neither androgen nor estrogen would result in the default sex: female. Characteristics resulting from organizational effects include formation of genitalia and traits such as aggression. The Role of Estrogen in Sexual Differentiation :: Biology Essays Research Papers The Role of Estrogen in Sexual Differentiation Most, if not all, species with two sexes exhibit sexually dimorphic behavior and physical characteristics. These dimorphisms can be attributed to differences in the brain, such as size or function of structure, and these brain structures can be affected by the hormones circulated throughout the organism. It has been held that the sexual dimorphisms rely only on the presence or absence of androgen, namely, testosterone, during the critical period of development for an organism; however, new research suggests that the presence of estrogen, specifically estradiol, has an active role in sexual differentiation. Several sexual dimorphic structures in the brain have been observed in laboratory experiments. The corpus callosum in male rats is much larger than that in female rats, and this size difference is uncorrelated with total brain weight. These findings led many to investigate the relationship between human male and female corpus callosa. A paper published by de Lacoste-Utamsing and Holloway stated that the splenium of the callosum is larger in women than in men, but their finding has since been challenged by several reports stating that there exists no sexual dimorphism. Analysis done from 1982-1994 reveals a small difference of corpus callosum size in favor of males, but it is hypothesized that age, handedness, overall brain size and weight, and incorrect statistics were not taken into account. (3) There has also been controversy in the research involving the brain region INAH-3 in humans. The heterosexual male INAH-3 is larger than that of heterosexual females; the INAH-3 in homosexual males is on the average smaller than that of heterosexual males and approximately the same size of heterosexual females. The general population has attempted to use this fact as an explanation of the biological basis of homosexuality, though the differences in structure may not be causally related to the sexual orientation of the man. Because we can only observe behaviors when doing experiments with lab animals, the data cannot firmly establish a basis for sexual orientation. The traditional view on sexual differentiation is that organizational effects from hormones which occur during neonatal development are the master plan for the organisms sex and corresponding behaviors and characteristics. Exposure to androgen, namely, testosterone, would result in a male organism, while exposure to neither androgen nor estrogen would result in the default sex: female. Characteristics resulting from organizational effects include formation of genitalia and traits such as aggression.