The importance of Occupational Health and Safety studies Essay

The importance of Occupational Health and Safety studies - Essay Example Government as well as private health sectors work hand-in-hand to ensure that appropriate measures are implemented to attain health and safety management in any construction project sites. Lifting operations involves wide range of lifting equipment and have been a causative factor in major injury, if not fatal accidents in construction industry. In April of 2007, the Construction Design and Management Regulations, otherwise known as "the CDM Regulations" were re-introduced. The said regulations aimed to ensure that stakeholders who are directly involved in the construction projects will comply with their health and safety obligations. It seeks to improve the entire management and synchronization of health, safety and welfare all the way through stages of a construction project in order that large number of grave and fatal accidents as well as cases of ill health will greatly reduce. Lifting operation can be defined as an operation concerned about the lifting or lowering (LOLER Regulation 8, 1998) of a load. The load can mean a person or lifting equipment which in turn refers to work equipment used for lifting or lowering of loads, attachments used for anchoring, fixing or supporting it are included. The Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations or LOLER (1998) supported by the ACOP and HSE Guidance Safe Use of Lifting Equipment applies over as well as above the universal requirements mandated by the 1998 Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations with hazards and risks related with lifting equipment and also the lifting operations. The following are the specific requirements of the regulations: Every employer shall guarantee that: a) lifting equipment is of sufficient in strength and stability for every load; b) all part of a load and attachments must also be of adequate strength. Every employer shall see to it that lifting equipment for lifting persons: a) focus to sub-paragraph (b), prevents worker from being crushed struck or trapped, fall from carrier; b) prevent so far as is practically a person using it, as he carry out activities c) subject to paragraph 2, wear suitable devices to avoid the risk of falling; d) not thereby exposed to harm or danger.Every employer must guarantee that every lifting procedure involving lifting equipment is: a) correctly planned; b) appropriately supervised; as well as c) carried out safely. Before lifting equipment is placed into service by the person, it has to be thoroughly examined by the said person to check the defects, unless: a) lifting equipment was never used before; and b) if and when lifting equipment (for which an EC pronouncement of conformity should (example, the case of an affirmation under the1997 Lifts Regulations) have been represented, the employer has received the said declaration not more than 12 months earlier than the lifting

Rookie of the Year Essay Example for Free

Rookie of the Year Essay We face racism, prejudice and stereotypes every day in our lives. We may not initially recognize these three acts, but subconsciously we know they exist. At some point in our lives, we have all experienced racial slurs, segregation and grouping of people one way or another. These ignorant feelings are portrayed well in the movie Crash, written and directed by Paul Haggis. The film depicts racial and social tensions in Los Angeles and involves several characters of different races. The plot evolves quite rapidly and shows just how their seemingly different lives intertwine. The movie’s title is not based on a simple car crash; it actually originated from cultures and races â€Å"crashing† or colliding with each other. Crash is the perfect analogy of how the human race deals with the intricacies of life. These intricacies are felt by interacting with the people around us and those experiences shape our views and actions. Experiences can certainly change our racial views. A prime example of this is viewing all Middle Eastern people as terrorists after the 9/11 attacks. This example significantly shows the lack of tolerance of racial differences that are formed based on generalizations and stereotypes. This difference is displayed throughout the movie Crash. Officer Tommy Hanson, a white rookie cop played by actor Ryan Phillipe, is originally the partner of veteran Officer John Ryan, played by Matt Dillon. As a policeman serving and protecting all of the people of Los Angeles, Officer Ryan is a white â€Å"racist prick† and this bothers Officer Hanson. In their first scene together, the two policemen were off on their evening patrol when they came upon a black Lincoln Navigator. The interesting part was that a Navigator had been reported stolen earlier. Despite discrepancies in both the descriptions of the carjackers and the license plate numbers, Officer Ryan shone his bright lights on the car. As a result, they observe an African American women jump up suspiciously. Ignoring Officer Hanson’s plead to refrain from pulling them over, Officer Ryan proceeds anyway. The driver, TV producer Cameron Thayer, was cooperative but his wife, Christine, had a few drinks earlier and became argumentative with Officer Ryan. Christine exclaims that she and her husband were merely pulled over by the color of their skin. Thus, Christine continues to fight with Officer Ryan. This frustrates Ryan so as the situation escalates, he purposefully makes Christine uncomfortable in a routine pat down. Ryan touches her inappropriately and put his hands inside her dress. Cameron, completely embarrassed, does nothing to defend his wife. After this incident, Officer Hanson becomes disgusted with Officer Ryan. Officer Hanson becomes so appalled that he visits his Lieutenant, Dixon, and requests a new partner. Dixon fearful of losing his job over a rookie cop informs Hanson the only way to get away from Officer Ryan is to use a medical excuse that will allow him to drive his own patrol car. After Officer Hanson and Lieutenant Dixon come to an agreement, Hanson runs into his old partner Officer Ryan in the parking lot. Officer Ryan emotionally tells him, â€Å"Wait till you’ve been doing it a little longer. You think you know who you are. You have no idea! † This foreshadowing farewell hints that the rookie’s untarnished views may soon change with more experience and time in the police force. After Officer Hanson is on his own patrol, he receives a police scanner â€Å"call† about a black Navigator. Officer Hanson arrives at the scene and quickly realizes it is Cameron again. Unlike the first time, Cameron becomes uncooperative with the police and begins threatening them. As a result, police threaten to shoot the TV producer but Officer Hanson steps up to radically defend Cameron. Officer Hanson asks for a minute to talk with Cameron saying he is an old friend. It seems Officer Hanson felt bad from the first time he stopped Cameron, and he tries to make it up to the producer. Officer Hanson tries to calm Cameron down and guides him back to his car. In this encounter, Cameron acted like a completely different person than Hanson had met the first time. Officer Hanson could not understand why Cameron was acting this way towards the officers. The only idea Hanson could think of was that Cameron was acting out to the policemen because Officer Ryan had acted inappropriately with his wife Christine. Officer Hanson saved Cameron’s life since the other officers were threatening to shoot him but Cameron was let go with another warning thanks to Officer Hanson. In the final scene, Officer Hanson finds a man hitchhiking on the side of the road. The man’s name is Peter and Hanson stops and offers him a ride. The two begin having a normal conversation until Peter sees Hanson’s St. Christopher figurine on the dashboard. Peter instantly starts giggling and starts reaching into his pocket; Hanson does not understand this reaction and demands Peter to explain. Peter, however, continues to giggle and puts his hand in his pocket. Consequently, Officer Hanson feels threatened by the movement and shoots Peter. This fear may in fact emanate from a stereotypical view. Officer Hanson may not feel he is racist, but he has developed stereotypes during the course of his career. These stereotypes and conflicting views are obviously what Officer Ryan was referring to in their final meeting. It turns out that Peter was only reaching in his pocket for his own St. Christopher figurine and wanted to show Hanson that they had the same one. Unfortunately, Officer Hanson panics and dumps Peter on the side of the road, then sets his own car on fire and escapes from the scene. Although Officer Hanson may not have been as racist as his ex-partner Officer Ryan, he developed a certain prejudice or stereotypical attitude towards African Americans and obviously random hitchhikers. Racism is not tolerated in our society; in fact it is severely looked down upon, yet people are unable to change their feelings and judgments of people. Even though we are all â€Å"God’s children,† we are distinguished by certain characteristics like the color of our skin. Every race and culture can be viewed differently in society and this certainly applies in Los Angeles. The movie Crash depicted many of these racial views and relayed a resounding message about the negatives of society. Racism and segregation should be eliminated from the real world because all people are created equally. Crash was an influential wake up call to viewers that all people are in fact not treated equally, especially here in America. As shown by Officer Hanson’s negative character progression, even good people can change for the worse depending on their environment and situations. Hopefully in the future this progression is instead positive, and the attitudes toward people of different race, culture, or gender are both improved and accepted with a more open mind.

The Aircraft Structural Layout Engineering Essay

The Aircraft Structural Layout Engineering Essay Introduction The A380, when first produced was one of the newest and most technologically advanced civil airliners in the world, hosting the use of new materials, new manufacturing techniques and overcoming many engineering problems that the sheer size of the aircraft procured. The requirement for an ultra high capacity aircraft, UHCA , came about at the conclusion of the cold war; international conflict and tensions were dissipating and international travel became more viable. Airports were becoming more and more congested and Boeing was monopolising the civil air transport market Airbus needed something to new and preferably big to combat these issues. The A3XX was conceived in 1988 and developed over the years until what we know now as the largest passenger airliner in the world; the A380. The eight was chosen to reflect the structure of the airframe, the two floor arrangement and the fact that in many Asian countries the number eight is considered as a lucky number. At the time, the aircraft was the latest feat of engineering for the aviation industry; if not for engineering in general. Its technological advances are something to admire but there were several problems to face this pioneering project. Many new manufacturing practices and techniques had to be developed; along with the logistical problems of combining over one hundred international partners contributing parts. Then the huge task of transporting the various oversized parts to the assembly line in Toulouse, France. Designers were confronted with countless questions, how to transfer the immense loads the aircraft would come under? How will the undercarriage distribute the weight of such and still be manoeuvre efficiently in existing airports? How much power would an aircraft of such size require? Noise levels to comply with newly implemented restrictions? The 3Es were imposed during the design process; environment, economy and energy. This report will discuss the options and solutions that were chosen to overcome the many problems mentioned above. DESCRIPTION OF THE STRUCTURE OF THE AIRFRAME The complex number of airframe components were all put together as one part and were analysed and optimised using very advanced computational fluid dynamics. The A380 is quite a blunt aircraft and this helps by cutting drag by 2% as opposed to other desings. The designer enhanced many aspects of the A380 such as the wing body fairing and the wing. This enabled weight to be saved without creating drag consequences. The airframe of the A380 was built to last 25 years. On Page 5 of Appendix F a detailed cutaway can be seen of the A380. Also in Appendix A Figure 3 an overview of the components of the A380 can be seen. Full specifications of the A380 can be seen in Appendix E. Nose Section The nose section was difficult to engineer as the double deck design created a deep profile requirement. There is a large pressure bulkhead which is above and behind the nose gear bay. It is made from a double curved panel stiffened by longitudinal stringers which are locally welded. This bulkhead panel is unique as it is designed to form part of the cock pit floor. The unpressurized nose gear bay is in the forward lower part. Fuselage The fuselage of the A380 is the biggest in the world and the most complex ever made by Airbus. For example, just taking the middle section of the fuselage, there is a large amount of components. There are three doors, the belly fairing, main landing gear bay, centre wing box, two wing gears and the body gears. Although the structure of the A380 is relatively traditional new materials were used. This will be discussed in more detail later in the report, here is a summary; the semi monocoque structure of the fuselage is formed from very advanced aluminium alloy. There are plastic frames in the tail cone section reinforced with CFRP, carbon fibre reinforced polymer. The skins of the upper and lateral fuselage, forward and aft, are made from GLARE, glass fibre reinforced aluminium laminate. The centre fuselage however is made from aluminium alloys and glass fibres with imbedded adhesive. This is a very advanced way to save weight. This was not the only reason advanced composites were used; they also have better damage tolerance and fatigue. The fuselage is 230ft long and has two main types of cross section. It is spherical until frame 31 then aft of this it becomes ovoid. This can be seen in figure 3 of appendix B where four possible cross sections for the A380 are compared. For interest only there is a sketch in Appendix C which shows what the A380 could have looked like with the horizontal double bubble fuselage cross section. Also in Appendix A Figure 2 a comparison can be seen of the A380 (marked A3xx) and the Boeing 747 cross section. The rear section is unpressurized. The tail section and the forward unit section form this. The tail section is separated from the rest of the fuselage by a CFRP reinforced plastic rear pressure bulkhead. The rear section is attached to aft section of the fuselage. This runs from frame 74 to 95. The rear fuselage section is a very complex set up. This is because it has to support the fin and horizontal tailplane. The substructure is reinforced with highly loaded aluminium frames as well as resin frames. The panels that attach to the substructure are chemically milled CFRP skins. Welded stringer panels are used in the lower fuselage. They are machined with integrated stringers in tandem. This creates stronger panels. The upper shell is strengthened by GLARE. There are areas of high stress within the fuselage such as around the wing root area and the frames that run the length of the fuselage. These areas are machined. Areas which are less loaded are extruded, for example the upper shell. The upper deck and the main deck are constructed in a similar manner, a floor grid supported by cross beams and frames in turn supported by vertical struts, but use different materials. The upper deck uses CFRP crossbeams which connect to the frames by a shear joint. The main decks cross beam is made from advanced aluminium lithium alloy. There are two stairways within the fuselage. By door one is the double width stairway for in flight activity. In the curvature of the rear pressure bulkhead is another stairway made wide enough for service equipment and a stretcher. The belly fairing has an aluminium substructure which supports panels made of a nomex honeycomb and hybrid epoxy skin sandwich. Deformation occurs between the fuselage structure and the belly fairing and this means loads from the fuselage are transferred to the fairing. Also there is a metallic strip in the rear section of the fairing it allows bending loads to be absorbed as it enables the composite shell to flex. Wings Due to the above wings of the A380 are the biggest ever made. They cover 9104sqft with a chord of 13ft and a 261ft6inch span and have an aspect ratio of 7.52. The sweep angle is 33.5 degrees at the 25% chord mark. The dihedral is 5.6 degrees at the tip. The wings are very complex. The leading edge has six slat sections and two droop noses. The trailing edge has three single slotted fowler flaps. The ailerons, outer flaps and spoilers are made from composites. The inner flap is metallic. The wing itself has three ailerons and eight spoilers. Also the wing supports two engine pylons and the wing landing gear. A kruger flap would have been on the inboard leading edge but because of the huge depth of the A380 wing a droop nose device was included. It is completely sealed which means it makes the wing stall inboard and it pivots around a fixed point. The wings frame is made from a CFRP and aluminium alloy hybrid centre box and a metallic outer part. The centre box consists of a root rib, rear, front and centre spars with skins above and below. The centre box is joined to the fuselage by frame fittings. Diagonally orientated struts support the floor structure above. The wing frame can be split into two parts the inboard frame, from ribs 1 to 17, and outboard frame, from ribs 17 to 49.They are differentiated by the fact that the outboard from has no centre spar, only front and rear. The spar material changes from aluminium at the middle point between the engines as a weight saving device. Twenty three of the forty nine ribs are made partly from CFRP. The winglets take aerodynamic loads in roll. The A380 winglets have a 13ft chord, are at a length of 119ft away from the fuselage and are an optional item in the specification. Tail The tailplane in totality is a height of 79ft5inches and has a 99ft span. To put this into perspective this is almost the span of an A320 wing and the same chord as the A340. The tailplanes support from the fuselage has been spoken about previously. The tailplane is attached to the fuselage using two rows of lug and shear bolts. This is a similar concept the A340 design of this area. The frame that supports the tailplane is before the first row of lug bolts at frame 108. There is also double curvature of the skin at the root of the tailplane. This is because the airflow locally around the stabilizer will be greater than mach 1. The double curvature enables any drag rise to be dispersed. Between frames 99 and 100 is the single trim screw. Rear of the tail cone is the rear fairing made up of titanium firewalls and is home to the APU (Auxillary Processing Unit) exhaust. The APU itself sits just forward of this within the tailcones CFRP frame and stringers. A revolutionary design that utilises a single torsion box with a lower and upper rudder has been used for both the fin and rudder. The fin box for example consists of a rear and front spar that span the whole fin with a framework of ribs made from CFRP and resin. The end fittings are made from aluminium alloy. The vertical stabiliser is 48ft high and has a chord of 39ft6inches with a taper ratio of 0.39 and an aspect ratio of 1.74. The horizontal stabilizer has an integral fuel tank. The lateral loads of this stabilizer are taken by a heavily reinforced structure. The landing gear bays surround the cargo compartment between the aft cargo section and the centre wing box. The walls (inner and upper) are made from self stiffened panels. DISCUSSION OF THE PRODUCTION AND ASSEMBLY PROCESS With an aircraft of such size choosing the final assembly site was going to cause problems. The decision would have to involve a political and logistical discussion as to decide the options that were going to be best for the whole process. A collaboration between many companies throughout the airbus group and some other specialist companies was going to be vital to getting the highest quality for the aircraft. . The five largest contributors to A380, by value, are Rolls-Royce, SAFRAN, United Technologies, General Electric, and Goodrich. Airbus sized the production facilities and supply chain for a production rate of four A380s. Many newly created and some most advanced manufacturing techniques were used in the production of the A380 to allow this rate to be achieved. Production Companies across Europe built the major structural sections in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom; other components came from across the world. JAMCO made the upper deck floor carbon cross beams and the stiffners and stringers for the fin centre box. Shin Maywa was contracted for the main wing root fillet fairing and the wing ramp surfaces. Yokohama made the water and waste tanks. Korean Aerospace Industries constructed the lower outer wing skin panels. Australian company Hawker de Havilland built the large wingtip fences. Chinese company AVIC make the panels of the landing gear bay. Hamilton Sundstrand produced the air generation system. Canadian Pratt and Whitney make the Auxillary Power Unit. Honeywell made the flight management system. American company Eaton provided the high pressure hydraulic system and the high pressure hoses. Parkers Aerospaces Electronic Systems Division provides the fuel management systems. Rockwell Collins supplies the avionics full duplex AFDX Ethernet switch. A final example of the multi-corporate build is Goodrich developing the evacuation slides. The construction of such an aircraft required huge amounts of money to be spent in order to design and build the sites that could cater for the A380 components. For example Airbus UKs build site at Broughton received a brand new  £35million building to contain the wing construction. Each manufacture site was delegated different areas of manufacture; these were split into or aircraft component management teams (ACMTs) then further split into combined design build teams (CDBTs). carrying on from above the wing construction was in Broughton but the Wing assembly was delegated to Filton. ACMTs were created for wing nose, centre fuselage, forward and aft fuselage, propulsion, empennage, landing gear, systems, interior and final assembly. The use of breaking down the ACMTs into CDBT allowed for responsibility if components had issues, late deadlines etc. As stated earlier, new production techniques were introduced. Laser beam welding; involves a highly accurate automated laser beam, typically carbon dioxide or solid state YAG (yttrium-aluminium-garnet) laser, which was introduced into manufacture in 2001. It has a built in inspection unit leading to much quicker and quality welds. This technique was used to attach the stringers of the lower fuselage shell skins, reducing dramatically the weight, need for fasteners and time taken of previous technique (reaching a production speed of 26ft a minute when welding the stringers it). This manufacturing process was also used for the curved bulkhead panel and lower fuselage skin. Another manufacturing technique which revolutionised the A380 manufacture was an advanced robotic milling machine. It had a fixed axis and spun up to 24000 rpm and operated under a shower of lubricant. This was utilised in the manufacture of the aluminium alloy cockpit window frames. Assembly Assembly of such an aircraft was going to be an epic logistical journey. Getting the parts to the final assembly hall in Toulouse was going to be the hardest part as a new technique for spatial alignment had been created. This groundbreaking feature of the assembly was vital; the positioning system aided by lasers (41/40 single station unit) aligned jigs to subassemblies with high tech optics to attach the fuselage and the wings together. It was very advanced as it calculates exact dimensions of sections and is interfaced with a CAD system which could derive structural qualities and average tolerances. Techniques adopted by previous Airbus models used the A300-600ST Beluga aircraft to transport large parts; however this was not going to be as much use for the A380. This meant another option of travel was going to be used. Land and water was going to have to be used to get all components to Toulouse. The decision as to where the final assembly should be located caused friction within the airbus family at first. The German airbus section had to be appeased by using its Ville de Bordeaux, Roll-on Roll-off sea vessel (RORO) as seen in Figure 5, to allow the choice of Toulouse as Final Assembly. Parts from across the world where transported to Europe to respective manufacturing areas and eventually moved to France. Two main transport systems were utilised in the assembly of the A380. Air transport used of a number of guppy aircraft, devised by Felix Kracht, to manufacturing sites. By sea the RORO vessel travels to four different countries in Europe collecting parts; then transfers them to Paupac. From there it is transported by canal and road to Toulouse. The front and rear sections of the fuselage are loaded on to RORO in Hamburg, northern Germany, whence they are shipped to the United Kingdom. The wings; transported by barge to Mostyn from Filton in Bristol and Broughton in North Wales, where the ship adds them to its cargo. In Saint-Nazaire in western France, the ship trades the fuselage sections from Hamburg for larger, assembled sections, some of which include the nose. The ship unloads in Bordeaux. Afterwards, the ship picks up the belly and tail sections by Construcciones Aeronà ¡uticas SA in Cadiz in southern Spain, and delivers them to Bordeaux. From there, the A380 parts are transported by barge to Langon, and by oversize road convoys to the assembly hall in Toulouse. The original pathways that were going to be used for transportation were simply not sufficient enough; therefore new wider roads, canal systems and barges were developed to deliver the A380 parts. After assembly, the aircraft are flown to Hamburg to be furnished and painted. It takes 3,600 litres of paint to cover the 3,100 m ² exterior of an A380. DISCUSSION OF THE CHOSEN MATERIALS USED IN THE STRUCTURE The A380 was very progressive in its design. Forty percent of its structure consisted of carbon composites and advanced metal alloys. The wing structure for example was constructed with a carbon fibre wing box. They used monolithic CFRP as it was found to be one and a half tonnes lighter than using aluminium alloys. The fin also created in this manner with a solid laminate CFRP fin box cured in an autoclave. This was also utilised in the rudder, horizontal stabilizer and elevators. CFRP was employed in other areas of the plane too not just external components. Pressure bulkheads and upper deck floor beams were also made of this material. The vertical tail is made of a CFRP truss structure. The wing skin was changed from aluminium alloys to composites in the design process. Thermoplastics were used for lots of components. For example the ribs in the fixed leading edges of the vertical and horizontal stabilisers. Also for the secondary support holding the interior furnishing and the cabin trim. Impact resistant thermoplastics were used on the wing leading edges. The A380 as an engineering feat used revolutionary materials. For example GLARE. The acronym stands for glass fibre reinforced aluminium laminate. It was used for the upper fuselage shell. The material was tested in 1990 and consists of alternation layers of 0.015inch aluminium sheet and glass fibre reinforced bond film. This material is revolutionary because it has better corrosion, fatigue and damage resistance properties than aluminium. It is also less dense with a weight saving of between fifteen and thirty percent. The weight saving was about 500kg in construction. This material is exceptional as the glass fibre layers between the aluminium stop cracks propagating and even operate as a load path. Aluminium alloy was utilised massively within the production of the A380. One area where it was exploited was the windows in the cockpit. The frames were made from AL7040 aluminium alloy. A strengthened variant of the alloy was used as the bird impact shield. The windshield fairing was also redesigned to use aluminium. It consists of aluminium skins, which were chemically milled, covering machined ribs and extruded stringers. Aluminium alloy was used as a substructure for the massive belly fairing. It supported panels which utilised modern materials. The panel core is a nomex honeycomb core which is covered in a hybrid carbon glass fibre epoxy skin. Titanium was utilised in the fairing also with a corrosion resistant variant being used for stringers and frame roots. The intuitive designers saved weight and increased performance wherever they could. The engines pylons where mostly made from titanium, however they had a secondary structure made from thermoplastic carbon and aluminium. An epoxy CFRP was used for the nacelle cowl and fan cowl skin. These advanced materials were used as they reduced the weight of the structural form, made it more aerodynamic and improved the performance of the aircraft. Take the centre wing box as a case study. 2,200 pounds of weight was saved by using composites, mainly carbon fibre, for 50% of the 23ft by 20ft by 7ft structure. Component weight reductions also reduce stresses on the planes structure. However the designers did not always go for the composite option. They considered the benefits and disadvantages carefully. For example the wing. There were many drawbacks to having a fully composite wing which were not balanced by being 1500 pounds lighter. For example the huge structural join now required would weigh more than the composite weight loss. This additional weight then required the wing to be strengthened as it had lost the bending relief moment. A more obvious drawback is the greater manufacturing costs of using composites. DISCUSSION OF THE WEIGHT GROWTH WITH SERIES DEVELOPMENT Throughout out the design phase the aircraft had been considered as passenger aircraft, with a freighter option considered as a sustainable use for the aircraft as well. However this was put on hold being postponed in March 2006 after both launch customers cancelled their orders. With an aircraft this size small component changes were going to have huge effects on weight. An example of this is when the engines had to comply with the QC/2 noise regulations many changes occurred to the engine. This had a knock on effect with the wings, fuel volume, control surfaces and the structure that holds the wing; greatly affecting the weight of the aircraft. The passenger variants of this aircraft are very versatile, but having the ability to carry up to 555 passengers and luggage, as is the case with the main A380-800 model, into an aircraft is going to significantly increase the weight. Other variants of the passenger are an extended range model with a shorter fuselage and only 481 passengers is the A380-700. Also a VIP aircraft has been ordered by HRH Prince Alaweed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Alsaud which is known as the A380-Flying Palace. Also the United States Air Force is looking at the A380 as a replacement for the Presidential Air Force One aircraft; which is a Boeing 747 at present. A proposed stretch version the A380-900 has been proposed; it would be 12 frames longer be able to carry 656 passengers (three class layout) and would have an increase MTOW. The A380-800C11 a passenger/cargo plane is an in between variant which can carry 11 cargo pallets as well as passengers. The other main variant is the A380-800F dedicated freighter, a shelled out A380-800 model, with a capacity of 25 pallets on the upper deck, 33 pallets on the main deck, and 13 pallets on the lower deck. With a total available volume of 948.m3 it allows for a payload up to 150,000kg over 10,371km; this is almost double the capability of the Boeing 747-400F. The large range means no need for stopovers when crossing large oceans meaning quicker delivery times.But this required some of the composites to be replaced by aluminium-lithium alloys to allow for this greater loading; inevitably increasing the weight of the aircraft. More structural strengthening was undertaken fortified frames, more substantial skins and stronger landing gear. Figure 9 shows a comparison between the weights of the two main variants mentioned above. CONCLUSION The A380 is a world leading aircraft in not only in the ability to carry more passengers than any other aircraft it the market but because of the ground breaking technologies, new manufacturing techniques and the use many new materials. It is a very unique aircraft. The airframe structure is an engineering feat; the high loads and stresses due to the sheer size of the A380 were dealt with by an innovative airframe made viable by the use of advanced computational fluid dynamics. These allowed for big decreases in weight due to the design and helped reduce the effects of drag. The production and assembly process was a fairly political global project which involved the coordination of more than 100 companies. New techniques such as 41/40 single station unit used in assembly along with the laser beam welding. Collaboration of all the companies brought together by the Ville de Bordeaux the RORO ship, overland road convoys and fleet of guppy aircraft. Mad from 40% composite materials with a host of new materials being utilized across all areas of the aircraft. They reduced the weight dramatically and aided in aerodynamic properties. These are the main reasons that allow the A380 to be such a mammoth. The undercarriage design consists of a two wheel forward retracting nose bogie a six wheel rear retracting body bogie and two four wheel sideways retracting wing bogies. Extremely clever in design creating highly ground maneuverable aircraft. At the moment only the A380-800 model is in production and being used to travel to many worldwide destinations. The A380-800F model is still on hold due to companies cancelling. In this report I have discussed the structure of the airframe. I have also considered the influences of the production and assembly process, the structural materials used and the reasons behind them, the undercarriage design in terms of position and retraction and the weight growth with series development. Figure bank Figure 1: Airbus A380 Cutaway Figure 2: A380 Cutaway (Flight Global)

Graduation Speech: Our Next Big Climb :: Graduation Speech, Commencement Address

Class of 2012, we've finally made it, but not without the help of our parents, teachers and mentors along the way. Maybe what they did for us was that they were a good rudder and we're the ship, and they got us to the sea where we remember who we are. Because we all get in that fog, where we forget who we are or what we're about, we get overwhelmed. I mean I've been there plenty of times in my life. But we're not going to remember most of our lives until the end. But we will remember certain moments. Maybe it's our first 4.0 report card, maybe it's our first 100 percent biology test, maybe it's our first homerun, our first touchdown. Whatever it may be, it will stay with us forever. Many of us have been together through elementary, middle and high school, and we have all had to work hard and remain focused to be where we are today. All change happens in a minute. Your life changes in a moment. Something triggers you and you finally make a decision and it all shifts. As years go by, y our body is going to change, your relationships are going to change, your attitude is going to change. Change is automatic, but progress is not. Our progress has brought us here tonight, and tonight will become one of those moments that we will cherish forever. I have been in the martial arts for about 12 years now, and I remembered my martial arts instructor, Mr. Charles Pearson, sitting everybody down during a black belt testing and telling us, "Earning a black belt is very much like climbing a mountain. You work hard, and eventually you'll work your way up to the top. But once you're there, your journey is not over; it simply has just begun. And you realize that there are other mountains for you to climb." As I now reflect back, I realize that school is very much the same. Our first mountain was a long, yet a fun, 12-year climb. Like all of the other unforgettable moments, this climb, in about 90 minutes or so will come to an end. We have finally reached our high school mountain top, and for a lot of us our next big climb may be to go to college. And for some of us, our next big climb may be to get a job, to travel around the world, start a new business, or even a career.

Television: the Downfall of American Society

Sean Conway Professor Stevens WRT 102 Essay #2 Television: The Downfall of American Society Televisions have only been around since their debut in the middle of the 20th century and have since become a huge part of everyday life here in America. Originally having good intentions, the television and watching of television in the last couple of decades has changed greatly. The amount of time people spend watching their televisions has also changed in the sense that people spend much more time in front of the television than they used to.Some argue that television has had a huge negative effect on American families. In her essay, â€Å"Television: The Plug-In-Drug,† Marie Winn explores the ways in which television has lowered the quality of family life, rituals, and values. She recognizes that there is a problem with our society and the way in which it is consistently influenced by television. She shows this when she says, â€Å"Television’s contribution to family life ha s been an equivocal one,† (Winn 353).Winn is true in saying this because television has caused children across America to have undeveloped intelligence, creativity, and imagination. TV is also detrimental to family life, family relationships, and outside relationships as well. When the television made its first debut in the early to mid 20th century it came with good intentions. This idea of good intention however did not last long with the critics. As early as 1961 the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission referred to television as a â€Å"Vast Wasteland,† (351).Many other critics would come to share in his beliefs about television. There have been numerous books, articles, essays, and research done on the subject of television and its negative effects on children in particular. Marie Winn’s article is just one of many. The amount of time America’s youth spends watching television can be correlated to a decrease in the quality of the lives of children across this nation. As a result of watching too much television, children lack the proper development of intelligence, creativity, and imagination. Parents re so used to the idea of television that they do not think to link it to their family’s problems or issues. Winn mentions a few examples of this issue in her text, one of which being a family of two boys, ages three and seven. The boy’s entire evening after school revolves around their television shows. This same situation appears countless times in households across America. The reason that this is so bad is because when young children are spending all of their free time watching television they do not develop certain characteristics that they should be developing at this age.The children who spend more time in front of the television do not gain the experience that comes from playing sports, being part of a team/club, or getting to have a large group of friends to play and explore new things with. This i s why they do not develop certain characteristics which are all important traits to develop, especially at this young age. I know that when I was young, and still to this day, I always loved being outside and playing sports or other activities.I am so thankful for this because I now realize that by spending less time in front of the television I was able to learn so many more useful traits for life. Another aspect of life that television has a negative effect on in this country is family rituals. Family rituals are defined as â€Å"The part of family life that the families like about itself, is proud of, and wants formally to continue,† (354). Family rituals are extremely important because they are unique for the family and in most cases are what keeps a family together and close throughout years and generations.Somehow television has affected these rituals in many households. Winn uses an example of a young woman from Chicago in her article to show this effect. The young wom an tells how she comes from a large family that loved getting together over holidays and had many lasting rituals that never failed to appear. Except one year when her family got a television set in their house. This particular year, instead of the usual conversations and game playing the whole family crammed in front of the television to watch a football game.This is a perfect example of family rituals going down the drain due to television. Instead of interacting and having face-to-face conversations, everyone just stared at e screen without conversing at all. This validates Winn’s argument of television having a negative effect across the nation. Television also has a huge effect on not only family relationships but others outside relationships as well. Watching television causes people to get a false sense of reality and when presented with a real world situation do not know what to do or how to act.Winn states that, â€Å"The hours children spend in a one way relationsh ip with television people, an involvement that allows with no communication or interaction, must have some effect with their relationship with real-life people,† (Winn 355). Winn is correct in saying this and in fact she proves it when she supports it with examples. She writes about a teacher who says she has trouble interacting with people after watching television for a few hours. The teacher says that because there was no necessary effort while watching, it was hard to deal with real people who require effort to talk to.Also, â€Å"Studies have been done to show the importance of eye- to-eye contact in real-life relationships,† (355) says Winn, something not required while watching television. This is more evidence to further validate Winn’s argument against television. I was lucky enough to be very involved in sports and other activities to steer me away from television. I noticed from an early age that the children in school who were not athletic and had pro blems interacting with the other children were also the ones who spent many hours a day watching television or playing games on the television.Thankfully my group of friends were always active and outdoors. Swimming also took up a lot of my time. I still swim today at the collegiate level and I still do not have time for much television. People need to learn that although television is entertaining, there is almost always something better they could be doing. Most of the people living in this nation today were born into television and watching television has been irreplaceably drilled into the minds of Americans and some people would not know how to live a life without it.The reality of television is that it has severely negative effects on people, especially America’s youth who tend to spend way too much time sitting in front of television sets. Marie Winn was able to see the significance in this and writes about it in her article, â€Å"Television: The Plug-In-Drug. † The title speaks for itself; she believes that television has a huge negative effect on quality of life including family life, real-world relationships, character development and many other things as well.She proves her believes true throughout her work and shows the reader just how important it is to limit television viewing, especially for children who are watching more and more television each year. Without these limitations and more face-to-face interactions, this nation’s future may not be a bright one.Work Cited Winn, Marie. â€Å"Television: The Plug in Drug. † Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide. 10th edition. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. New York: Bedford, 2007.

Divorce Research Paper

Divorce Crystal Perez Divorce is a big scary word for many. To some, it is a word that represents failure and a reason for them to raise the white flag in defeat. Trials and tribulations seemed to take their toll and cause reason for a significant change in lifestyle, routines, and marital status. To others, divorce is a reason to escape from a difficult and harmful relationship. Divorce is the final straw and the symbol of courage to leave when they had had enough. For whatever the reason, divorce has become extremely prevalent not just in the United States, but across the Earth. It is also a large reason for debate.Many feel as though divorce is looked at as a â€Å"get out of jail free card† and that people use it when they have decided that they want to move on. Many also see divorce as a harmful tool to tear a family to pieces. Regardless of how divorce is perceived, the fact is that it creates a very powerful change in families. The exact cause of a divorce is interchang eable from case to case. The cause and effect dynamic may display a pattern as to why many marriages fail. Factors and warning signs that may contribute to a failed marriage include factors before the marriage, and during a marriage.Such factors before a marriage include; his or her parents divorcing, either partner is under the age of 21, family is opposed to the marriage, cohabitation before marriage, a previous divorce of either partner, or a large discrepancy in age, background, interests, and values. (Berger 2009) While one may say that catching these warning signs early could prevent a couple from immaturely embarking on the trip down the aisle, many signs are simply ignored by pre-marital bliss. The warning signs for divorce while in the marriage may be more detectable.Such signs include; divergent plans and practices regarding childbearing and child rearing, financial stress/unemployment, substance abuse, communication difficulties, lack of time together, emotional or physic al abuse, and relatives who do not support the relationship. (Berger 2009) It has been said â€Å"many distressed marriages are happier after divorce, while those in merely distant marriages are less happy than they though they would be. † (Berger 2009) Many go into a relationship ignoring the faults of others; completely blind to potential risk factors or warning signs of a failing relationship. Why would they?To constantly look for fault in others and to always search for the problem could lead to a potentially lonely life. The saying that no one is perfect, while completely true, can ring in the ears of a man or woman looking for love. This statement can cause one to experience the common â€Å"overlooking the flaws† syndrome, and therefore send such star-crossed lovers down the aisle; never stopping to take a breath and consider the impossible†¦what if they are not truly compatible? The good news is that more so now than ever, individuals are deciding to exami ne their partners and themselves a little bit more carefully before tying the knot.The United States was the first nation to see the divorce rate rise significantly years ago. However, the divorce rate has remained steady for the past 15 years. (Berger 2009) To more closely examine the reasoning behind the steady rate, you have to consider where society was fifteen years ago. Fifteen years ago it was 1997; the year where the average income was $37,006. 00. (PeopleHistory. com 2004) Whether you consider it low or high today, the fact is that that $37,000 dollars was now being shared more frequently between powerful men and women. These women were executives, lawyers, professors, and collegiate professionals.One may say that these women had an unwavering sense of feminism and the mentality of being a strong, career-driven individual. It is at the age where women are not defined by their husband’s careers, but by their own accomplishments. With women taking their place in the wo rkplace, it may be safe to say that many found that a career was her top priority. Being a businesswoman and climbing the corporate ladder may have been reason enough for women to shy away from marriage until later in life; or quite possibly altogether. Whatever the case, women were allowed to be choosier in who they married, causing a lull in the divorce rate.Maybe women were realizing that they did not need marriage to feel fulfilled. Or maybe for the lucky ones, they really could have it all; maintain corporate executive status†¦and find and keep love. Although the divorce rate in the United States has kept steady for the past 15 years, the rates are still considerably high. Current divorce rates state that almost one out of two marriages end in divorce. This number is without considering that half of all adults do not get divorced. In fact, a large number of people never marry or many marry multiple times. Berger 2009) This brings up a great point as to why divorce rates ar e so high. We all know the tragic stories of those who have married multiple times on their desperate hunt to find happiness and true love. It evokes the question; while women and men can be wildly successful, why are they always looking for the fairytale? Why do we insist that somewhere, out there, our knight in shining armor will canter down the beaten path into our front yard and ask to be ours? Why do men proclaim that they will only settle down for the right woman; who coincidentally mirrors the only perfect woman in their life†¦ their mom?We have been told since we were young that we should never settle. We prepare ourselves for our futures, demand our friends to tell us the truth about â€Å"what’s wrong with us†, and have our hearts broken a million times because in the end, we are destined to find the one†¦right As a little girl, I remember my mom telling me to never settle for just anyone. â€Å"You have a lot to give and a big heart. Make sure the one who gets it really deserves it. † I have spent my life carrying around a heart that is locked up tight until I find that one perfect person who holds the key to it.It sounds like a fairy tale doesn’t it? For someone preaching about the idea that many marriages end because women expect a fairy tale, I still hold that fantasy in my own heart. We are told to not let just anyone in, but how do we know if they are that right person. In our favorite fairy tales, there is always a sign. For Snow White, it was true love’s kiss. If it were the wrong prince and not her true love, his kiss would not have woken her up. In which case, Snow White would experience her own trial and error process without ever having to go through the heartache of a breakup.For Sleeping Beauty, her Prince Charming would have never walked into her life without an arranged marriage. Luckily for her, true love’s kiss also woke her from her slumber. Apparently her betrothed just happened to be the right man for her. Watching these fairy tales growing up reinforces the idea that everyone has a true love. Everyone, no matter how difficult the situation, will eventually find the person that they belong to. Unfortunately for us, there is no sleeping spell that can wake us up with true love’s kiss. We have to continue searching for the perfect man; kissing any frog that comes our direction.So the question is, do we believe the fairytales too much? Do many marriages end in divorce because the man we marry just doesn’t turn out to be Prince Charming? Many go into a relationship giving the benefit of the doubt and hoping that just this one time; he or she will be perfect. Could it be possible that many marriages end because of disappointment? Another theory as to why divorces do occur so frequently is the fact that we watch men and women in the media divorcing their spouse like it is a right of passage; like after the 3rd one, you get a discount on your next w edding. Take Elizabeth Taylor for example.The glamorously successful film star earned her star status by acting in films since the age of ten. She was considered to be one of the last great movie stars of her time. While she is known for her films, she is better known for her precocious love life. With all of her star success, one would think that she would be content; but like any other human being, she longed for love. When she didn’t find it the first time, she continued to search for and marry anyone who made her happy for the time being. Taylor married eight times. This leaves one to question whether her marriages were a matter of love, or acts which filled a void in her heart.A more recent star that has followed the same path is Jennifer Lopez. Wildly successful and envied by many, one may say that she has it all. Lopez has also been on the search for love. She has married and divorced three times. This draws a fine line between when it is morally right for a divorce to take place. One may say that a couple must divorce when one or both parties are unhappy. This being said, how unhappy is unhappy enough? Couples fight, argue over petty things, and question their compatibility, but when is it right to call it quits? Fighting for a marriage may be as important as preparing for one in the first place.Celebrities such as Jennifer Lopez who get out of a relationship do not set the best example for those fighting for their relationship. The divorce factors that make divorces likely during a divorce; such as emotional and physical abuse, financial stress/unemployment, etc. are rarely present in celebrity divorces. If celebrities such as Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, and Russell Brand can divorce for â€Å"irreconcilable differences,† why shouldn’t the general public? Divorce may be something that many tend to do on a whim when they have simply had enough, but in many to most cases, it is not just themselves that hey have to worry about. Most traditional families that experience a divorce have children who are involved as much as their parents. In certain cases, a divorce may be helpful for those in an abusive environment or those who experience more arguments than dinner conversations. Divorces from harmful relationships can teach children that when you are hurting, sometimes you need to get out. However, divorces that are granted because of â€Å"irreconcilable differences† may teach children that when the going gets tough, it’s best to just get going. Divorce can also hurt bonds between a specific parent if that parent and the child were close.The child could experience a feeling of loss and be subject to the grieving process, which will help them to move on through the loss. If both parents do not assist with this grieving process, problems within the process may be created. Many think that the grieving process is only experienced after a death. It in fact can and should be followe d after any situation that creates great trauma to one’s usual state. The process can be quite helpful in maintaining a stable state of being after a loss. There are times that the process may be complicated.For example, absent grief is a situation in which overly private people cut themselves off from the community and customs that allow and expect grief. (Berger 2009) Another situation of complicated grief is disenfranchised grief. This is â€Å"a situation in which certain people, although they are bereaved, are prevented from mourning publicly by cultural customs or social restrictions. † (Berger 2009) This would be a situation where a child is told not to cry about a situation or to â€Å"suck it up† and not be bothered by the current situation. These aspects of complicated grief may affect the child later on in his or her adult life.If both adults in the marriage decide that divorce is the best option for all members of the family, it is important for the child to be informed and to be allowed to grieve in his or her own way. Open communication can be very helpful in getting through a complicated time. With this open communication, the couple must understand that each child, at each age level, will respond differently. An example given by The University of New Hampshire: Cooperative Extension was that a child of preschool age may think that if he/she had done his/her chores or eaten dinner when they were told, their father or mother would not have gone away.Elementary-aged children may have the most difficult time accepting divorce. (UNH) The children are old enough to recognize that they are hurting, but have no idea how or if they can fix the pain. (UNH) Adolescents generally take a different approach to fixing the problem at hand. He/she may assume the responsibilities of a parent in order to take less stress off of a specific parent. They are old enough to understand that his/her parents are not only adults, but they are also act ual people dealing with a crisis. He/she may take stress on themselves because they feel responsible for fixing a problem that they have no control of.According to the University of New Hampshire, â€Å"studies have shown that boys raised by fathers and girls raised by mothers may do better than children raised by the parent of the opposite sex. † This is also a very important aspect to consider when divorcing, who lives with whom. The divorce is not just the dividing of the assets; it is also the dividing of the children. Schedules dictating which holidays are with a given parent, or who has them on the weekends can be stressful for not only the parents, but the children as well.This relates to the idea that â€Å"the children’s adjustment following a divorce has more to do with the quality of the parent-child relationship than with the gender and age of the child. † (UNH) If the child has working relationships with his/her parent on each of their visits, the c hild should not struggle to find a way to adjust. Regardless of the quantity of time between parent and child, the quality of the time should be enough for the child to feel as though he/she is not missing a source of comfort. The relationship between child and parent is quite possibly one of the most difficult aspects of divorce.As an individual, it is easy to put yourself first. For many, it’s what they have done for his or her entire life. In the beginning, you have an entire world of opportunity in front of you. The stresses of a part-time job and school seem like the most intense and terrifying aspect of your entire life; because it’s not just school, it’s everything else. Love lives, career choices, moves to different places near and far away; our minds are constantly churning out new ideas for our futures. Then once you decide on a place to live and a career, you focus on how to move to the top of the ladder and become all that you can be; after ll, that is what your college experience has prepped you for, right? Then you meet someone that you decide to settle down with. So now you’re balancing a career, marriage, and of course the idea that you still have a long life to live. Then as the song goes, first comes love, then comes marriage†¦then of course comes children. I’ve been told that children may quite possibly be the biggest blessing in one’s life; but then your days of dreaming for one are over. Your dreams and life changes have now become the life source for someone else who means more than your desire to cross items off of your bucket list.A divorce is one of those changes that affect many relationships. These other relationships may be more important than the relationship that you have with yourself. In my opinion, this should be the question everyone contemplating a divorce must ask themselves†¦does this decision affect anyone else? If so, will this decision improve the lives of everyone invo lved? It is hard to say if a divorce helps or hurts family. Each case is different and each case is full of reasons for a couple to stay or to leave. It is easy to listen to a best friend tell you how much you deserve better, or a mother saying that she wants more for you.However, in the end the choice is yours. It is human nature to gravitate towards people who make you happy. You would never befriend someone who gave you the cold shoulder and told you how much they disliked you. Just as someone going into a relationship never sets out to find someone who makes him or her unhappy. Even in the case of celebrities looking for love of their own, they never go out searching for disaster. Whether it is the fairy tale image, the feeling of needing someone in your life, or the initial feeling that you are perfect for each other, no one goes into a relationship hoping for failure.We are given one shot at life and are constantly told to go out and live passionately; live the life we’ ve always wanted! Why else would our role models tell us that we could have anything we want if we just pursue it? It is my honest belief that we go through life trying to find and hold onto the things that make us ridiculously happy. You could tell the divorcing couple who were once madly in love that you told them so, but it would not change the fact that at one time they were in love. They took a chance and believed that their love could withstand anything.The reality is that while this couple’s marriage failed does not mean that all will. Despite current statistics, the truth is that while one out of two marriages ends in divorce, one half of them work. One can be a cinicist, look at a statistic and look for failure. Or one can look at the statistic and hold onto the belief that they are the fortunate half. Divorce is tragic no matter how one looks at it, however no one can predict the future. If a couple is aware of themselves and their chances for success, their happine ss has no expiration date.Despite the statistics, the prior judgments, and the expectations of others, a marriage has every chance to defy odds and last forever. Stories like that are those that give this girl every reason to believe that I really can have my own fairy tale. Resources Berger, Kathleen Stassen. Invitation to the Life Span. New York: Worth, 2010. Print. Temke, Mary. â€Å"The Effects of Divorce on Children. † University of New Hampshire: Cooperative Extension. University of New Hampshire, May 2006. Web. 13 May 2012. . â€Å"The Year 1997 From The People History. † What Happened in 1997 Inc. Pop Culture, Prices and Events. Web. 14 May 2012. .

Impact of Media Technology on Learning Behavior Essay Example

Impact of Media Technology on Learning Behavior Essay Example Impact of Media Technology on Learning Behavior Essay Impact of Media Technology on Learning Behavior Essay Reviewed literature Behavior modification focuses on behaviors and behavior changes. Behaviors are what a person does or says. The purpose of behavior modification is to help change behaviors that have a social impact on ones life while improving a specific aspect of that persons life (Miltenberger, 2008). According to Mather and Goldstein (2001 ), All behavior follows a set of consistent rules.Methods can be developed for defining, observing, and measuring behaviors, as well as designing effective interventions (p. 96). Behaviors have one or more dimensions that can be measured. These dimensions include the frequency or number of times a behavior occurs, the duration or how long a behavior occurs, and the intensity or physical force involved in a behavior (Miltenberger, 2008). Behavior modification is a field of psychology that analyzes and modifies human behaviors (Miltenberger, 2008).It is the consistent application of positive or negative consequences to reinforce the occurrence of a desirable behavior and/or to reduce the occurrence of an undesirable behavior. As stated by Miltenberger (2008), analyzing a behavior means to 7 determine the relationship between the environment and that behavior to better understand why a person behaved the way he or she did, and modifying a behavior means to create and put into place procedures to help people change that behavior.Four major figures in psychology were influential in the development of the scientific principles on which behavior modification, a theory of psychology that has been around since the early 1900s, is based. The first major contribution of behavior modification was Edward Thorndikes development of the law of effect, in 1911, which states behaviors that generate a positive effect on the environment are more likely to occur in the future (lvfiltenberger, 2008). An example of the law of effect pertaining to education is students receiving credit for doing their homework.This theory implies that students who consistently earn credit for completing their homework are more likely to continue this behavior. In 1913, John Watson started a movement called behaviorism. Watson believed that observable behaviors were an appropriate subject matter of psychology and that all behaviors were controlled by outside events (Miltenberger, 2008). Behaviorism can be witnessed in schools when students who live in abusive and/or unstructured environments misbehave because 8 they have not been exposed to or taught socially acceptable behaviors by their parents.These students undesirable behaviors are often a result of negative, unhealthy events that take place in their homes. In the mid-1920s, Ivan Pavlovs experiments discovered the basic process of respondent conditioning (Miltenberger, 2008). Respondent conditioning, also known as classical conditioning, pairs a stimulus and response that occurs naturally with another stimulus to elicit a response that does not occur naturally. This theory is demonst rated in the classroom when teachers use the statement, give me five.This specific behavior management technique is used to quickly and quietly cue students to stop what they are doing. Students are expected to give the teacher their undivided attention while he or she speaks to the class. Teachers who implement this technique have conditioned their students to behave in a specific manner which is unrelated to the usual meaning of the statement. B. F. Skinner is considered to be one of the most influential figures in the development of behavior modification (Labrador, 2004).During the 1930s, Skinner expanded the field of behaviorism first developed by Watson by laying out the principles of operant condition which claims that the 9 consequence of a behavior controls the future occurrence of that behavior (~v1iltenberger, 2008). Skinners work has influenced the field of education, as well as the field of psychology. He believed that positive reinforcement was more effective than punis hment when trying to change and establish behaviors. Through his work, Skinner identified five main obstacles to learning.These obstacles are a fear of failure, the task is too long and complicated, the task lacks directions, clarity in the directions is lacking, and there is little or no positive reinforcement (Frisoli, 2008). Skinner also recognized that people can be taught age-appropriate skills using the following techniques. These techniques are giving the learner immediate feedback, breaking tasks down into small steps, repeating the directions as many times as possible, working from the most simple to the most complex tasks, and giving positive reinforcement (Frisoli, 2008).Behavior modification is used in many areas to assist in changing peoples problematic behaviors. These behaviors are considered to be socially unacceptable and inappropriate for ones age and/or ability. Additionally, these behaviors are often disruptive to ones life. Miltenberger (2008) noted that, A weal th of research in behavior modification demonstrates that these 10 behaviors often can be controlled or eliminated with behavioral intervention One field that consistently uses behavior modification is education, especially in the areas of classroom management and teaching students with special needs.The field of developmental disabilities has received more behavior modification research than any other area (Miltenberger, 2008), as individuals with disabilities often have behavioral deficits that are able to be overcome with the use of behavior modification. Behavior modification continues to play a major role in special education. It is used to create effective teaching methods and to control problematic behaviors such as not cot plying with school and/or class rules. It is also used to improve inappropriate social behaviors including temper tantrums, interrupting, and difficulty sharing.Furthermore, behavior modification is used to improve functional skills deficits pertaining to personal hygiene and toileting, promoting self-management, and training teachers (Miltenberger, 2008). Statement of the Problem The purpose of my paper was to explore behavior modification by using rewards to encourage positive, observable behavior changes in my students. Teachers have an opportunity to positively impact their students behavior, in addition to their education. I wanted to see if the idea of behavior modification was an effective method for teaching and encouraging students’ age-appropriate behaviors and social skills.I researched the use of rewards and positive reinforcement with regards to behavior modification by creating a classroom more interacting and participation on the classroom. One aspect of teaching is educators abilities to effectively manage their students behaviors. Many teacher education programs expose preserve teachers to numerous strategies for managing students behaviors because the most challenging aspect of teaching continues to be classr oom management and discipline (Yost amp; Muscat, 2002).According to Wetzel and Mercer (2003), â€Å"The area of behavior interventions in classrooms receives more attention than many other aspects of schooling (p. 89). This is not surprising as teachers are expected to deal with discipline problems that were once a cause for suspension or expulsion from school since more and more students are being included in public school settings, in part due to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Quinn et al. , 2001). Another area teachers struggle with is whether or not students should be rewarded for behaviors that are expected of them.Some educators believe that it is not their responsibility to provide incentives for students; they feel that this is the job of parents. However, research in the area of behavioral skills training claims that feedback in the form of positive reinforcement is essential to teaching individuals appropriate behaviors and expectations (Miltenberger, 20 08). Wetzel and Mercer (2003) note that, The most controversial issues in behavior management have been the use of rewards to n-motivate and teach students to follow classroom rules and routines and to complete academic assignments (p. 8). The appropriate use of positive reinforcement and behavior modification are important for success in the classroom, as frequent reprimands, low expectations, and infrequent praise often result in students who exhibit challenging behaviors (Morgan, 2006). Educators can use strong classroom management skills to end, or at the very least avoid, an increase in problematic behaviors. Significant of the study This study focused on the impact of positive reinforcement on their studies will motivate them to study hard.It is used to create effective teaching methods and to control problematic behaviors such as not cot plying with school and/or class rules. It is also used to improve inappropriate social behaviors including temper tantrums, interrupting, an d difficulty sharing. All of only students were classified as having special needs and were placed in my learning resource classroom due to cognitive and/or behavioral deficits that required specialized support from a special education teacher. Many of my students had a difficult time appropriately interacting with adults and peers, especially in the area of manners.These students often required numerous verbal prompts and reminders from adults working with them to use manners. Unfortunately, the previous approach of verbally prompting my students to use appropriate manners did not have the intended positive effect of improving their social interactions. Scope and limitation This study considered the effect of positive reinforcement on the classroom setting whom we wanted to see if the idea of behavior modification was an effective method for teaching and encouraging students’ age-appropriate behaviors and social skills on the particular setting on classroom.Definition of Ter ms Behavior What a person says or does. Cooperative Learning. Cooperative Learning is a systematic pedagogical strategy that encourages small groups of students to work together for the achievement of a common goal. Classroom management- A set of skills needed by a teacher to plan, implement, and maintain a learning environment in which students learn decision-making skills needed to be responsible for their own learning and conduct. Discussion. -There are a variety of ways to stimulate discussion.Motivation- A driving force that encourages an action or behavior to occur Positive reinforcement- positive reinforcement involves the addition of a reinforcing stimulus following a behavior that makes it more likely that the behavior will occur again in the future. Reward- Something that is given in return for doing something else. Skills- An ability and capacity acquired through deliberate, systematic, and sustained effort to smoothly and adaptively carryout complex activities or job f unctions involving ideas (cognitive skills), things (technical skills), and/or people (interpersonal skills).Teaching strategy- are the methods you use to allow learners to access the information you are teaching. This action research project explored the theory of behavior modification through the use of rewards to promote positive behavioral changes in students with special needs. A classroom behavior management plan was created to observe the effectiveness of positive reinforcement on influencing students behaviors. CHAPTER 2 METHODOLOGY This chapter presents the research methodologies used in the study.This includes the research design, sources of data, data gathering procedure and the statistical treatment of data. Research Design The researchers employed the one group must be experimental without reinforcement while the other group is a controlled group that if there is a motivation using positive reinforcement. By using this design, the researchers were able to determine effe cts of positive reinforcement regarding on their participation in class. The experimental and controlled group was used as a basis of comparison of reinforcement. Materials This will be conducted in a classroom setting

The War Against Iraq essays

The War Against Iraq essays Many say that the Bush Administration is justified in its attempts to wage war against Iraq. Citizens that believe in this course of action should stop and examine some of the finer details. After the conflict in Afghanistan our government shifted its attention to Iraq in its search for weapons of mass destruction. Simply because Iraq has the capability to one-day produce nuclear arms is not justification for a preemptive attack from the U.S. Countries across the globe and the majority of the U.N. opposes the U.S.s proposal of a preemptive attack on Iraq simply because the country could one day threaten freedom. Iraq has shown no signs of aggression towards the U.S. that merits military actions. Another point that was brought up a former U.N. weapons inspector was that Iraq no longer poses a threat to the U.S. in any way. If our government proceeds with its plans to invade Iraq our efforts to eliminate terrorist threats in other countries would be useless due to the overwhelming w orld-wide disapproval of our governments actions involving Iraq. Also our already-troubled economy would suffer due to the amount of resources needed for a war against Saddam. A preemptive strike against a non-aggressive country is not only immoral but is illegal. The Bush Administration claims that they are enforcing the will of the security council by attacking Iraq, but also state that they are willing to defy the council to attack Saddam. The few remaining government officials that have experience in war almost all agree that out nations method of handling this situation is not taking into account the bigger picture. One major flaw in the plan for an attack on Iraq is that Saddam has not threatened the U.S. in any way. This alone is enough reason for us to rethink our plans. Other countries like North Korea who actually possess nuclear arms and have shown signs of willingness to use them seem a much more ...

A Shift Of Reality Essay Research Paper

A Shift Of Reality Essay, Research Paper A Shift of World The new telecasting genre of world shows is going so popular because they offer an alternate sense of world. What is world and is there merely one reading or many different 1s? There is no 1 world because world displacements. The dictionary definition of world is the followers: World is the province of things as they are instead than as they are imagined to be. Worlds are facts. Just like world, facts besides shift. There could be a newspaper article about an temblor in Los Angeles and it would depict the harm and deceases, which are facts. Another edition of the newspaper may come out a few yearss subsequently with new information and more deceases to account for which would so do the facts to switch. Virtual world is the set of images and sounds produced by a computing machine which seem to stand for a topographic point or state of affairs in which a individual sing it can take portion but is this truly world? There can non be merely one world that is cosmopolitan to everyone becau se along with the always-changing context, people s perceptual experience besides changes on a regular footing. To assist exemplify this, world telecasting plans have been created. Of class the manufacturers of these telecasting shows do non desire the viewing audiences to hold on such differentiations between world and the shows they are bring forthing because it might endanger the merchandise they are seeking to sell. Unfortunately, the people who buy into these world shows far out-weigh the 1s who don T. Ten old ages ago, manufacturers recognized there was a whole new genre of programming out at that place. Today, the world fad is now under manner in full force. New shows are being introduced one right after another. Manufacturers have created shows like Big Brother, Survivor, Real World, Blind Date and Temptation Island because of the popularity of this new genre of world shows. But why are these shows so popular and how existent are they or in what sense are they existent? Why have these world shows taken over and have somewhat replaced Television situation comedies and films? Aren t there similarities between the two? These shows are so popular because they deal with existent life issues and jobs that happen in every twenty-four hours lives of people in our society. Of class in existent life, you might non travel to Belize to rip off on a important other but the bang of it excited the viewing audiences. They deal with constructs that could go on to you and we, as people are funny about how to respond to these same state of affairss without really holding to be in them at the present minute. We continue to watch these shows because we associate to a character that is similar to ourselves and we concentrate on that character s interactions and relationships with others. But how existent are these character s reactions. Of class they don Ts have a book but they know that they were picked because they could full-fill some imitation and they play up to this function they were given. We get pulled in and go funny to what is traveling to go on next. We want to see our character and what they do next or what is in shop for them. You could about state that we become addicted to the telecasting shows. Not merely do we watch these shows for existent life comparings but we besides watch them because they are merely entertaining and merriment to watch. Sometimes the material that happens is so far fetched that you merely have to express joy at the idea of it really go on ing. Peoples like these shows because they can express joy at the state of affairss being portrayed and know that they don Ts have to cover with them themselves and because it isn t go oning to them. These shows offer an alternate sense of world where at that place seems to be no effects or the effects seem bogus or staged because it is a telecasting show. How existent are these telecasting shows and can you truly compare them to existent life world? Take Real World and Temptation Island. Real World is about six aliens who go through an full showing procedure and are picked to populate in a house someplace and have their lives taped and so broadcasted to the full universe. The public viewing audiences raise many inquiries. How much of their lives and interactions are really shown? There is no manner that the manufacturers can suit all of the things that happen into a half-hour or hr block. So what do they make? They edit and edit and edit. They create the struggles and play off people s insecurities and emotions. They develop the chief narrative line and secret plan with all the hours of fresh taping. Real World is now in its seventh or 8th episode. Make you truly think that the 7th episode is traveling to be as existent at the first 1 was? The reactions are supposed to be believed to be existent but in fact, many argue that they are s taged. They have no book but the manufacturers can make the character with the engineering of redacting. They can pretty much make about anything with this engineering. There is no written book that is really touchable but it seems as though there is an mute book that these alleged existent people follow. Temptation Island on the other manus is about four twosomes who go to an island in Baja off the seashore of Belize and are so separated from their important other. They so are surrounded by individual aliens of the opposite sex and tempted to rip off. The manufacturers tape the twosomes as the y travel on assorted day of the months with different work forces and adult females. These tapes so acquire shown to the important others with the worst parts of class being shown to change and falsify world and do it look like something bad happened. The people on Temptation Island have most likely seen other world based Television shows. They know that there are 1000000s of viewing audiences watching them on telecasting so they are traveling to make things to seek and stand out. Their reactions most probably will non be 100 % existent because they know they have a function to full-fill or an image to maintain. How can you be 100 % existent when you have 100s of cameras on you all the clip? This leads to the point about bad material. It is the bad material that sells. Anyone with even a small spot of sense should be able to see that these shows are altered and offer a different sense of world. But why so does this material sell and does it go on to go more and more popular? What do people believe of when they hear the word normal? What is normal? Are the people on Temptation Island and Real World normal people or do they full-fill some function that the manufacturers want portrayed? Normal as depicted in the dictionary says that it is conforming with an recognized criterion or norm ; natural ; usual. How so, do you find what is the recognized criterion? Is it being scraggy and a size two or is it a size eight? Is normal holding tonss of money and being celebrated and being driven around in a limousine or holding a house in the suburbs and having your ain concern and driving a mini new wave? You can construe something to be normal legion ways. I think that the world shows take what they think is normal and broadcast their position all across the state. Temptation Island for illustration does non hold any corpulent work forces or adult females. They all have nice, muscular organic structures and respectable callings. What does this do the younger viewing audiences that these shows have been targeted at feel about how they should look? Is this what world is all about? These people in these new shows are people like the remainder of us but they change the minute they get behind a camera. We might be looked at as tiring but they could be merely like us, merely non perceived as drilling because they are on this world telecasting show. Are these shows so popular because it is stressed upon us that the persons in these shows are normal so we are supposed to be able to associate to them better because they are more like us instead than a alleged famous person? Berger makes a claim on page 105 in the Way of Reading text. He says that the manner we see things if affected by what we know or what we believe. This helps to explicate why there is non one world and the differentiations between the varying degrees of world. If an person is brought up in an environment where his/her parents don t get along and there is dishonesty in the household, so they might turn up to see rip offing as non so bad. They would see Temptation Island as a show similar to their childhood and might promote the twosomes to rip off or wouldn t look down upon it whereas a kid who was brought up in a different type of environment where dishonesty is looked down upon enormously. This kid might see the show as disgusting and abhorrent and might non understand why any twosome would hold to take part. There are many other cultural issues in our society that one could reason are ambivalent. The issue of abortion, criminal conversation i.e. Monica Lewinsky, the monetary value of gas, child labour Torahs or speeding ordinances. The experiences in our lives and our beliefs shape the manner that we see world. It all relates to Berger s claim about the manner that we see things are affected by what we know and believe. I think that a large portion of this popularity with the world telecasting shows is credited to people s captivation with phantasy universes and desiring to populate the perfect life where everything happens merely as it should. How can one specify the perfect life? Is it holding a batch of money and being able to make everything you want or is it holding an tremendous household with tonss of love? It is difficult to state what the perfect life is. These new telecasting shows challenge that perceptual experience on what people think world is and offers a different degree of world. This is why I believe that there can be no one world. Everyone has a different position of what they think world is to them, what is normal to them, what is a perfect life and what is of import to them that they get out of life. They compare their lives to those people on these telecasting shows because it is the cupboard to existent that they can associate to without really being straight involved. They do n Ts compare their lives to films and Television situation comedies as much because they know that they both have books that the histrions have to follow and they are seen as farther from the true world than a show like Real World or Survivor. By watching these shows people can populate their lives about through the characters and that manner there are no effects. The characters do things that us as persons would neer believe of making or opportunities we could or neer would take. These new world telecasting shows offer an alternate sense of world and many different degrees of it. There is non one world because it is everlastingly altering and germinating and our society has taken this new genre of telecasting shows to portray this.

INTERNATIONAL LAW Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

INTERNATIONAL LAW - Essay Example Article 51 of the UN Charter of 1945 recognizes that members of the UN have â€Å"inherent rights† to â€Å"individual and collective defence† during an armed attack but measures taken by member nations in the exercise of self-defence are required to be immediately reported to the UN Security Council. At the same time, Article 51 of the UN Charter clearly says that the measure taken by member states of the United Nations will not in any way affect the â€Å"authority and responsibility† of the UN Security Council provided for under the UN Charter to take action to maintain or restore international peace and security. Article 51 of the UN Charter, however, bestow authority to the UN Security Council to take action for maintaining or restoring international peace and security, as the UN Security Council deems necessary and at any time. Thus, while nations and collectives of nations have inherent right to self-defence, Article 24 of the UN Charter clearly assigns to the UN Security Council the â€Å"primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security†. In other words, while member nations may have the right to individual defense, it can be viably argued that under the UN Charter, the primary responsibility for â€Å"international peace and security† remains with the UN through the UN Security Council. It follows that the extent to which a nation can exercise action based on self-defence can be effectively constrained by the UN Security Council. Similarly, it can be credibly and viably be asserted that the preamble of the UN charter requires that all nations observe the rule that â€Å"armed force shall not be used, save in the common interest†. Under Article 39 of the UN Charter, however, other than the UN Security Council, the UN granted no other party the right to â€Å"determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression and shall make recommendations, or decide

Focusing on Long term care for the elderly, how have internal markets Essay

Focusing on Long term care for the elderly, how have internal markets changed the organisation and delivery of public services - Essay Example This has in turn led to emergence of new management tactics in the public sector. Public services differ from other services provided by private sector in various ways. Private organizations produce goods and services for sale with an aim of making profit and hence are not available to people who cannot afford them. On the other hand, the aim of the government is to provide the essential services to all citizens especially those who can’t afford. It does not aim at making profit by providing the services (Flynn, 2007). The public services also help the other members of society indirectly due to trickling effect of benefits from those who consume the services such as education. As opposed to private services which are acquired individually depending on affordability, public services are paid collectively through taxes and some can’t be offered in isolation. Some public services though are subject to charges such as leisure facilities, care for the elderly, and some drugs . The people accountable for ensuring the citizens get the services are the politicians who represent the needs of the electorate. The facilities used to provide the services are publicly owned although the government can rent private facilities to be able to provide the services. The government through public sector reforms has been engaging the services of private organizations in order to offer efficient services. There has also been need to provide high quality services and minimise costs therefore, the government employs the management tactics of the private sector to achieve the reforms needed (Hoggett, 1991). The organization and delivery of public services has therefore changed tremendously over time. One of the services affected by these changes is the provision of long term care for the elderly which will be discussed throughout the paper. Public Administration to New Public Management Traditionally, public administration dominated the public sector management. Organizatio n and delivery of services was controlled by the central government through public service employees. The services were funded by revenue collected from taxation, in essence citizens pay for the services indirectly but the provision of the services does not depend on how much individuals contribute as tax; services are offered equally to all. Bureaucratic controls were evident in administration and provision of services. The politicians elected by the people determine what is to be offered to the electorates through the budgetary process. They also determine the bureaux to supply the services as they are selected to lead ministries and make legislations for local authorities on services to carry out (Flynn, 2007). The organization and delivery of care services for the elderly were controlled centrally by the Department of Health through the regional health authorities. The department organized purchasing and provision of care for the elderly and the disabled (Brereton & Vasoodaven, 2010). The public enterprises followed strict procedures regulated by law. The work of the managers of these enterprises was to implement national policies. The management policies were geared towards ensuring trusted workers and development teams who in turn would promote public service values. Customer (citizens) satisfaction would

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5500 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example The paper tells that business organizations themselves realize that they owe a commitment towards the society which gives them an opportunity to establish themselves, expand their operations and finally generate profits out of their activities. In the opinion of Dahl, business enterprises are formed and sustained only as a form of a favored privilege of the Government and the society. Therefore, the social citizens will never consider the business firm as an enterprise which survives only for the purpose of making profits. The citizens through the State Government provide special rights, authorities, allowances and protections to the organizations and in return expect that the firms would undertake some activities to contribute to their well-being. Dahl emphatically declares that the existence of the business corporations is significantly dependent on the cooperation of the social citizens and therefore, enterprises have an obligation to make a positive contribution towards their liv ing conditions. Thus, firms implement various CSR functions to fulfill their commitment towards the society at large. From the definitions, it is evident that CSR refers to the relationship which the business corporations develop with the society within which they function. Authors Werther and Chandler have highlighted a unique aspect of the issue: CSR encompasses the commitment of the firms towards the society as well as the obligations of the social citizens towards the business corporations. In this context, society has been defined as an entity which encompasses all stakeholders and comprising groups that are involved in some way in the firm’s operations.... In the opinion of Dahl (1973), business enterprises are formed and sustained only as a form of a favored privilege of the Government and the society. Therefore, the social citizens will never consider the business firm as an enterprise which survives only for the purpose of making profits. The citizens through the State Government provide special rights, authorities, allowances and protections to the organizations and in return expect that the firms would undertake some activities to contribute to their well-being. Dahl emphatically declares that the existence of the business corporations is significantly dependent on the cooperation of the social citizens and therefore, enterprises have an obligation to make a positive contribution towards their living conditions. Thus, firms implement various CSR functions to fulfill their commitment towards the society at large (Banerjee, 2008 p.12). How does a firm decide on its CSR From the definitions, it is evident that CSR refers to the relat ionship which the business corporations develop with the society within which they function. Authors Werther and Chandler have highlighted a unique aspect of the issue: CSR encompasses the commitment of the firms towards the society as well as the obligations of the social citizens towards the business corporations. In this context, society has been defined as an entity which encompasses all stakeholders and comprising groups that are involved in some way in the firm’s operations. The stakeholders of a corporate organization include the â€Å"consumers, employees, suppliers, creditors and supervising authorities. The local community citizens and the environment agents are also considered as the

BIM in Construction and Knowledge Management within Dubai Dissertation

BIM in Construction and Knowledge Management within Dubai - Dissertation Example Any uses made within it of the works of other authors in any form (e.g. ideas, equations, figures, text, tables, programmes) are properly acknowledged at the point of their use. A full list of the references employed has been included. ... on 10 Objectives 10 Aim 11 Research Questions 11 Chapter Two: Research Methodology 12 Research 12 Objectives of Research 13 Motivation in Research 14 Types of Research 15 Research Approaches 18 Significance of Research 18 Research Methodology 18 Importance of Knowing How is Research Done 19 Secondary Data Collection 20 Primary Data Collection 20 Method of Data Analysis 21 Chapter Three: Literature Review: BIM 22 What is BIM? 22 How do construction companies use BIM? To what extent? 24 Uses of BIM in Construction Industry 28 Cost Estimating 28 Visualizing 29 Learning 30 Accessibility to Information 30 Interoperability 33 Simulation 34 Facility Management 34 Scheduling 35 Strategies for implementing BIM 35 Socio-technical and socio-cultural view 38 Building Object Behavior (BOB) 39 Impact of using BIM in the industry - Six KPIs of construction and BIM’s impact 39 Summary 42 Chapter Four: Literature Review: Knowledge Management 44 Knowledge creation and transfer 44 Definition of Knowledge Management 48 Knowledge management in construction industry 48 Status of KM in Construction Industry 54 Knowledge management systems/ models/ processes 58 Relevance of BIM in KM 64 BIM using KM in UAE- what it means? 66 Summary 67 Chapter Five: Survey/ Questionnaire Findings 68 Chapter Six: Conclusions and Recommendations 88 References 90 APPENDICES 94 APPENDIX 1- Survey questionnaire 94 APPENDIX 2- Responses of Survey Questionnaire 98 LIST OF TABLES AND DIAGRAMS Figure 1: BIM Framework. 24 Figure 2: BIM use through the lifecycle of building construction 25 Figure 3: A parametric object design process 27 Figure 4: Cost influence during project lifecycle 29 Figure 5: Cost influence during project lifecycle 32 Figure 6: Relationships and enablers of the information value-chain in NBIMS