The Environmental Impact of Renewable Energy Essay -- Energy Resources

The amazing thing about renewable energy resources is that they do not deplete. These energy resources include energies such as hydroelectric energy, solar energy, wind energy, and geothermal energy. The major advantage of using these resources is that the environmental impact is extremely low when compared to the use of fossil fuels and other energy processes. One of the most used renewable energy sources is hydroelectric power. When you look at all the environmental impacts of dams, etc., they seem to be a lot less devastating than those effects due to the use of coal and oil for producing energy. Some of the environmental impacts include major flooding due to the gigantic reservoirs that are formed by dams, which in turn makes certain areas of useful land worthless (Baird). Another impact is that the flow and quality of the water may be affected in ways that the dissolved oxygen content of the water will decrease, but this problem can be minimized with proper flow control (US Dept. of Energy). On the other hand, hydroelectric plants do not release any emissions such as carbon dioxide or sulfur dioxide, both of which increase to global warming and climate change. This is a tremendous advantage over fossil fuel use. Also, there isn't any need to worry about nuclear disasters like there is with the use of nuclear energy. Another renewable energy resource that has a lower amount of environmental impact is solar energy. Solar energy is created and used through the use of photovoltaic cells that collect the suns energy and then convert that energy into a useful form like electricity. As one would think when first asked about solar energy and photovoltaic cells, there aren't many environmental impacts associated with it. The o... ...there isn't any negative impact on the environment due to renewable energy resources, but based on all the evidence, it seems that non-renewable resources such as coal, natural gas, and petroleum, all have a much more negative influence on the world around them. Works Cited AWEA. Wind Energy and the Environment. 2014. http://www.awea.org/faq/tutorial/wwt_environment.html#Bird%20and%20bat%20kills%20and%20other%20effects. Baird, Stuart. Geothermal Energy. 2013. http://www.iclei.org/EFACTS/GEOTHERM.HTM Baird, Stuart. Hydroelectric Power. 2014. http://www.iclei.org/EFACTS/HYDROELE.HTM Baird, Stuart. Photovoltaic Cells. 2013. http://www.iclei.org/EFACTS/PHOTOVOL.HTM Baird, Stuart. Wind Energy. 2012. http://www.iclei.org/EFACTS/WIND.HTM US Dept. of Energy. Environmental Issues and Mitigation. 4/27/2014. http://www.eere.energy.gov/RE/hydro_enviro.html

Melatonin And The Pineal Gland :: essays research papers fc

Melatonin And The Pineal Gland Set deep in our brains is a tiny gland called the pineal gland. This tiny gland is in charge of the endocrine system, the glandular system that controls most of our bodily functions. The pineal runs our Å’body clocks', and it produces melatonin; the hormone that may prove to be the biggest medical discovery since penicilin, and the key to controlling the aging process. The pineal gland controls such functions as our sleeping cycle and the change of body temperature that we undergo with the changing seasons. It tells animals when to migrate north and south, and when to grow or shed heavy coats. By slowing down and speeding up their metabolisms, it tells them when to fatten up for hibernation, and when to wake up from hibernation in the spring. Melatonin is the hormone that controls not only when we feel sleepy, but the rate at which we age, when we go through puberty, and how well our immune systems fend off diseases. Being set in the middle of our brains, the pineal gland has no direct access to sunlight. Our eyes send it a message of how much sunlight they see, and when it's dark. The sunlight prohibits the gland from producing melatonin, so at night, when there's no sun, the sleep-inducing hormone is released into our bodies. Because of the pineal gland and melatonin, humans have known to sleep at night and wake during the day since long before the age of alarm clocks. Humans don't produce melatotin right from birth; it is transfered in utero to babies through the placenta. For their first few days of life, babies still have to receive it from breast milk. Our levels of melatonin peak during childhood, then decrease at the beginning of puberty, so that other hormones can take control of our bodies. As we get older, the amount of melatonin we produce continues to decrease until at age 60, we produce about half as much as we did at age 20. With the rapid decrease from about age 50 on, the effects of old age quickly become more visible and physically evident. With what scientists have recently discovered, we may very soon be able to harness melatonin to slow down aging, fend off disease, and keep us feeling generally healthy and energetic; not to mention the things melatonin can do for us right now like curing insomnia and regulating sleeping patterns, eliminating the effects of jet-lag, and relieving every day stress. Melatonin is known as the "regulator of regulators", because it sends out Melatonin And The Pineal Gland :: essays research papers fc Melatonin And The Pineal Gland Set deep in our brains is a tiny gland called the pineal gland. This tiny gland is in charge of the endocrine system, the glandular system that controls most of our bodily functions. The pineal runs our Å’body clocks', and it produces melatonin; the hormone that may prove to be the biggest medical discovery since penicilin, and the key to controlling the aging process. The pineal gland controls such functions as our sleeping cycle and the change of body temperature that we undergo with the changing seasons. It tells animals when to migrate north and south, and when to grow or shed heavy coats. By slowing down and speeding up their metabolisms, it tells them when to fatten up for hibernation, and when to wake up from hibernation in the spring. Melatonin is the hormone that controls not only when we feel sleepy, but the rate at which we age, when we go through puberty, and how well our immune systems fend off diseases. Being set in the middle of our brains, the pineal gland has no direct access to sunlight. Our eyes send it a message of how much sunlight they see, and when it's dark. The sunlight prohibits the gland from producing melatonin, so at night, when there's no sun, the sleep-inducing hormone is released into our bodies. Because of the pineal gland and melatonin, humans have known to sleep at night and wake during the day since long before the age of alarm clocks. Humans don't produce melatotin right from birth; it is transfered in utero to babies through the placenta. For their first few days of life, babies still have to receive it from breast milk. Our levels of melatonin peak during childhood, then decrease at the beginning of puberty, so that other hormones can take control of our bodies. As we get older, the amount of melatonin we produce continues to decrease until at age 60, we produce about half as much as we did at age 20. With the rapid decrease from about age 50 on, the effects of old age quickly become more visible and physically evident. With what scientists have recently discovered, we may very soon be able to harness melatonin to slow down aging, fend off disease, and keep us feeling generally healthy and energetic; not to mention the things melatonin can do for us right now like curing insomnia and regulating sleeping patterns, eliminating the effects of jet-lag, and relieving every day stress. Melatonin is known as the "regulator of regulators", because it sends out

First Impressions

First impressions In this essay we will examine how our eye contact, and body language can have a dramatic effect on the way that people see us. More often than not it's what we say, or the fact that we don't fully engage that leaves people with a lasting Impression about the kind of person we are. These pre-concelved notions that people make about us are sometimes difficult, or even Impossible to overcome. we will discuss how an unconscious behavior on our part can manifest itself into what can quickly become a very effective repellant to anyone, and everyone we come into contact with.In our society we all must behave in a certain way, a list of unwritten rules is always in play about the way we â€Å"should† act, falling outside of the acceptable norm and we are labeled as weird or even rude. Also we will review a short story from two different angles that is about the same man but stand In stark contrast to one another. The protagonist in this story Is a man named John. As the day went on at work and it became necessary John went to the store to buy stationary.Just the simple act ot getting up and going out demonstrates that John had an interest in his job and anted to get it done, Along the way John took every opportunity to enjoy the day. and interact with people he knew. John made sure that he was walking on the sunny side of the street and any passerby could see that John was a very content and self- assured Individual. Even as John made his way into store he kept a positive and friendly attitude, so much so that when he saw a familiar face he made time to stop and say hello.Immediately leaving the store he met another acquaintance and didn't miss the chance to exchange pleasantries, and after this he returned to work. John as exuding such a positive vibration that people who knew him couldnt help but want to be around a person like him, John was displaying an Incredible attitude, and everything was pointing towards John being completely â€Å"no rmal†. Even in the Bible it's Paul phrasing of â€Å"putting on the armor of God† that tells us it's a choice.It's a decision that we make at any given time about how we must act on our own situation, because If we don't act then all we have left to do Is react and when that Is the only option we are truly powerless. As said before, the first impression that people torm f us Is most of the time the one that sticks to us, and none of us get a second chance to make that lasting impression again. On the other side of the spectrum, in the other short story we see John in a very different light.First of all he decided to wait until after work to go and get what he needed, a very good example of a person who isnt very involved with his work. If he Is Involved In his work Its only the bare minimum. While walking to the store John made every attempt to stay where he couldn't be seen, and when he nouced someone he knew he made the decision to cross the street and stay away from any ind of contact whatsoever. After a little bit more antisocial bravado John decided to go home and hide until tomorrow.These are stories about the same man, trying to accomplish the same task and the two stories don't sound like the same man at all. In the second telling of the same story John seemed like a scared child or some other ‘ Of2 equally vulneraDle llttle vlctlm. Now people tnat saw nlm were looking at a completely different individual, one that could only re-act to his life instead of acting on the world. This is a perfect example of how important first impressions are, and hy it's so important to leave people with a lasting impression of the kind of person we really are.IVe been told that you never know what kind of person someone is until after you see them when they think no one is looking. After the first story I felt like John had the world by the horns, and knew what he needed to do so he could excel and lead any pack he was in. After reading the second sto ry John's image to me was that of a complete coward, and the kind of person who went through his life dealing with what was given to him. The kind of person that is so used to being told what to do and with absolutely no back bone. The second John was a man that had some kind of vested interest in being the weaker of the species.If I were to reverse the stories and read the second one first, I don't think that things would look any better for John. My mind would have been made up, I would have Just thought â€Å"he's still a wuss†. Like I said, first impressions. No do overs. His stock was already low and that's why I feel it's very important to instill in people when theyre young that they have self-worth. Because once you have it you don't look for reassurance in anyone else, and no one can take it from you because you earned it for yourself from yourself. First Impressions In this essay we will examine how our eye contact, and body language can have a dramatic effect on the way that people see us. More often than not it’s what we say, or the fact that we don’t fully engage that leaves people with a lasting impression about the kind of person we are. These pre-conceived notions that people make about us are sometimes difficult, or even impossible to overcome. We will discuss how an unconscious behavior on our part can manifest itself into what can quickly become a very effective repellant to anyone, and everyone we come into contact with.In our society we all must behave in a certain way, a list of unwritten rules is always in play about the way we â€Å"should† act, falling outside of the acceptable norm and we are labeled as weird or even rude. Also we will review a short story from two different angles that is about the same man but stand in stark contrast to one another. The protagonist in this story is a man named John. As the day went on at work and it became necessary John went to the store to buy stationary. Just the simple act of getting up and going out demonstrates that John had an interest in his job and wanted to get it done.Along the way John took every opportunity to enjoy the day, and interact with people he knew. John made sure that he was walking on the sunny side of the street and any passerby could see that John was a very content and self-assured individual. Even as John made his way into store he kept a positive and friendly attitude, so much so that when he saw a familiar face he made time to stop and say hello. Immediately leaving the store he met another acquaintance and didn’t miss the chance to exchange pleasantries, and after this he returned to work.John was exuding such a positive vibration that people who knew him couldn’t help but want to be around a person like him. John was displaying an incredible attitude, and everything was pointing towards John being complete ly â€Å"normal†. Even in the Bible it’s Paul phrasing of â€Å"putting on the armor of God† that tells us it’s a choice. It’s a decision that we make at any given time about how we must act on our own situation, because if we don’t act then all we have left to do is re-act and when that is the only option we are truly powerless.As I said before, the first impression that people form of us is most of the time the one that sticks to us, and none of us get a second chance to make that lasting impression again. On the other side of the spectrum, in the other short story we see John in a very different light. First of all he decided to wait until after work to go and get what he needed, a very good example of a person who isn’t very involved with his work. If he is involved in his work it’s only the bare minimum.While walking to the store John made every attempt to stay where he couldn’t be seen, and when he noticed someone he knew he made the decision to cross the street and stay away from any kind of contact whatsoever. After a little bit more antisocial bravado John decided to go home and hide until tomorrow. These are stories about the same man, trying to accomplish the same task and the two stories don’t sound like the same man at all. In the second telling of the same story John seemed like a scared child or some other equally vulnerable little victim.Now people that saw him were looking at a completely different individual, one that could only re-act to his life instead of acting on the world. This is a perfect example of how important first impressions are, and why it’s so important to leave people with a lasting impression of the kind of person we really are. I’ve been told that you never know what kind of person someone is until after you see them when they think no one is looking.After the first story I felt like John had the world by the horns, and knew what he needed t o do so he could excel and lead any pack he was in. After reading the second story John’s image to me was that of a complete coward, and the kind of person who went through his life dealing with what was given to him. The kind of person that is so used to being told what to do and with absolutely no back bone. The second John was a man that had some kind of vested interest in being the weaker of the species.If I were to reverse the stories and read the second one first, I don’t think that things would look any better for John. My mind would have been made up, I would have just thought â€Å"he’s still a wuss†. Like I said, first impressions. No do overs. His stock was already low and that’s why I feel it’s very important to instill in people when they’re young that they have self-worth. Because once you have it you don’t look for reassurance in anyone else, and no one can take it from you because you earned it for yourself from yourself.

Investigating the effect of pH on the activity of phosphatase enzymes

My aim in this experiment is to see how well an enzyme (phosphatase in this case) reacts under a controlled temperature but a varying pH. Enzymes are known to be effected by pH and temperature. Both of these change how quickly the enzyme can process a substrate, so perfect matches must be found for each enzyme. At a low temperature, the enzymes reaction is so slow that any product is hardly noticeable. At a high temperature, or an extreme pH, the active site of the enzyme is damaged, so the substrate cannot be processed. I predict that the optimal pH for the reaction to take place will be more acidic when the temperature is set at 25o c and the length of incubation is 10 minutes. A suitable pH would be between 3 – 5oc. I conducted preliminary experiments and chose to incubate at 25o c instead of the higher temperatures for the simple reason that I knew that at a higher temperature (around 35o c), the reaction would go at its fastest, and I ran the risk of high magenta values (I wanted to keep them all under 1 so they could be easily compared). I therefore wanted to see what would happen at lower than 35o c as far as reactions were concerned, so I chose 25o c. My method was adapted from a worksheet on varying the temperature in the same reaction, keeping pH constant. 1. Label a microfuge tube with your initials. 2. Place two mung beans into the labeled tube. 3. Add 0.5ml distilled water into the tube containing the beans. 4. Crush and macerate the beans with a small glass/plastic rod. 5. Take a second microfuge tube and add water to the same level as the one containing the mung beans. (TO BALANCE THE CENTRIFUGE RACK) 6. Place the tubes into opposite holes of the centrifuge rack and spin for 5 minutes at maximum speed 7. After spinning, draw off as much of the clear supernatant above the pellet as possible and place into a clean microfuge tube. This solution now contains the enzymes for the experiment. 8. Using a graduated pipettor, add 100?l of sodium carbonate (the buffer solution in this experiment). 9. Then add 20?l PPP substrate to each of the eight microfuge tubes. Wash the pippettor thoroughly. 10. Finally, add 20?l enzyme solution into it. 11. Repeat steps 8 through 10 as quickly as possible, to collect all the microfuge tubes. Now insert them into a Styrofoam float and place this on the surface of the water bath for 10 minutes, timed with a stop clock. 12. Now add 100?l Sodium Carbonate to stop the reactions. 13. Estimate the colour of the magenta using the magenta filters provided. The possible variables in this method are the volumes of substrate, enzyme and sodium carbonate along with the time in the water bath and the temperature of the water bath. The volumes will be measured as closely as possible with a micropippettor. Results: The number in the test tube column is the magenta filter that corresponded to the colour of the completed reaction. The higher numbers mean more reaction, lower means less reaction. Every time that I added the sodium carbonate to cancel the reaction, the colour change to magenta was sudden and with a small amount of shaking, the whole liquid was tinted purple. I managed to take 2 readings for each pH, and therefore average them. Without doing the preliminary experiment, I would have never known what temperature to try. This graph shows clearly how good my results were. They fit with my prediction that the optimum pH for a Phosphate enzyme is around pH 3-5, and therefore we can say that it requires a more acidic pH than an alkaline one. My conclusion, using this graph as evidence, is that a Phosphate enzyme works at its maximum speed at a lower pH, in this experiment pH 4, taking into account the other variables in the experiment. For instance, at a different water temperature, the pH required may vary. As mentioned before, as the temperature raises, so does the probability of denaturation. From the results, I assume this is beginning to happen before pH 5. But these results are not precise. I have no way of knowing which side of pH 4 the reaction is faster, i.e. if pH 3.9 is faster than pH 4, or pH 4.1. The pH4 that I got as being the fastest speed may not be the pinnacle of the reaction curve. Huge accuracy errors could have been made, for instance: * Was the precise equal amount of liquid put in each of the tubes? Probably not, the micropipette was hard to use and had very small scales. * Some reactions began before others when preparing to put the microfuge tubes into the water bath. You had to work incredibly quickly to prepare all of the tubes in as fast a time as possible. However, seeing how precise my results were, either I made the same mistakes over and over, therefore giving a whole set of incorrect results, or I did them all very well. This is the risk in using this method. If I were to change the method, I would get far more precise pipettes and find a way of adding the enzyme into the solution as quickly as possible, like getting 8 micropipettes filled and ready, then using one for each microfuge tube in quick succession. If this experiment was to be taken further, I would get people to work together and double check their accuracy as they go, so that they can do the final step before incubation in half the time or less. Instead of changing the pH, they could change the variable concerning the temperature of the water bath to be incubated in. Another possibility is that the different volumes could be changed to see how the results vary, of course only one at a time. For example, change the amount of enzyme to be put into the mixture, continue the experiment with other set variables and see what type of results you get.

Music Composition: Pirate’s Dinner Adventure

Music has a way of adding life and energy to any performance, many musicals, commercials, films, live shows, and concerts sweeping people off of their feet by the colorful compositions of the musicians. In adding depth and dimension to characters, music has a way of bringing emotions to surface through the use of sound, meaningful beats and rhythms pulsing audible story tales into the ears and souls of the performers and audience members. Louder and more intense sounds, like deep booming, have the effect of grounding the music, while softer and often higher pitched compositions, like gentle piping, have the effect of lifting the music. Feelings such as anticipation, anger, joy, sorrow, peace, and frustration can be communicated through sound, and people are in tune with the ways in which music arouses them. These various types of sounds are produced by a wide range of unique instruments, including horns, drums, and strings. Each distinct instrument and sound has a part to play in the overall composition of the music, every element bringing a certain kind of meaning and emotionality to the overall performance. In experiencing the performance of the Pirate’s Dinner Adventure, one is thrust into a historical world of swashbuckling action, pirates taking to the stage, in boats and though water, in the battle for the ship of treasures and the princess. Each part of the musical composition has meaning and purpose, the deeper horns and drums creating a sense of anticipation and fear, a mixture of expectation and dread. This booming introduction is followed by the appearance of pirates on the stage, creeping through the water and floating in on their small boats, each one determined to fight to the finish and win the battle for riches and the lovely woman. This slow beating of the drums is threaded through with low to medium pitched horns, such as tubas, leading the skulking pirates closer to their final goal, the wealthy ship full of gold and the fine girl. Some pirates pop up above the water with knives in their mouths, surprising the audience, as the drums beat out in almost perfect synchronicity with their small splashes, and the leisurely gliding boats fill the viewers with dread as the music pipes out the horns, their stealthy movements and whispers carried by each rich tune. When the pirates raid the ship, the music explodes and quickens, higher pitched horns, such as trumpets, pound out the action of the climbing men, rope swinging pirates, firing canons, and sword fighting bandits. The soldiers lose control of their ship, and the music floods with horns, the shrill cries of the instruments sounding out the struggles and screams of a waterborne battlefield. The knives flying through the air and the pieces of the ship falling down onto the deck and into the water are pierced with drumming, and the pushing and falling people, the fighters, are suspended in a torrent of drumming and horns, each instrument pulsing out a rhythm which is busied yet integrated, hectic but blended to suit the frantic interweaving of battle. The music calms and the strings enter into the composition when the soldiers finally take control of their ship once again, having banished the pirates from the area, and having reclaimed their treasure and their princess. With the brash and brazen pirates effectively cast out, the peaceful and gliding sounds of the violins, flutes, and chimes bringing the culmination of the show to a soft and quiet ending. These higher pitched instruments are most effective when played lightly, the soothing tinkling of these sweet instruments resembling the gentle nature of the female, and symbolizing the safety of the princess and the treasure. This performance was extremely rich in musical emotionality, each instrument and sound bringing a certain and unique element of beauty and meaning to the piece. Initiating into the slow, deep beginning of anticipation, moving through the wild and loud rhythmic racket of battle, and culminating with the soft and gentle high sounds of peace was a poignant experience rich with significance. The magnificence of the deep drumbeat and shallow tubas was followed by the excited piping of trumpeters and quicker beats, finally cascading into the chiming flow of the violins and flutes. A story can be effective without the use of music, but telling a tale interwoven with melodies can capture elements of the heart and soul through the use of a comprehensive and engaging harmony of sounds.

Knowledge Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 1

Knowledge Management - Essay Example Keywords: knowledge management, organizations, Siemens, organizational culture. Knowledge Management Knowledge management is one of the most popular objects of scholarly and empirical analysis. Much has been written and said about the principles of effective knowledge management in organizations and factors affecting it. Despite the growing body of literature, many organizations fail to implement KM practices properly. â€Å"The major problems that occur in KM usually result because companies ignore people and cultural issues† (Geisler & Wickramasinghe, 2009, p.12). For organizations that seek to establish themselves as repositories of knowledge, creating a culture that rewards individuals for knowledge sharing and recognized the value of tacit knowledge is crucial (Geisler & Wickramasnighe, 2009). This paper presents an analysis of the human and cultural issues involved in knowledge management in Siemens and, actually, many other organizations. In this paper, the examples of Texaco, Semantech, Xerox, Hewlett Packard, General Motors, BP Amoco and others are used to substantiate the argument. Knowledge Management as Human Resource Management Randall Sellers stated that â€Å"the challenge is managing the people who manage the knowledge†. In other words, the human dimension is believed to be an essential ingredient of knowledge management practices in organizations. ... ity is logical and reflects an ongoing tension between the growing role of knowledge and increasingly distributed structure of modern organizations (Swan et al., 1999). KM had to reduce this tension and enhance organizations’ capacity to generate and share knowledge. Unfortunately, failure to understand the basics of KM creates a situation, when organizations hide behind technologies and do not notice human resources which, in the meantime, are primarily responsible for creating this knowledge. Many organizations rely on the systems and tools that codify and commodify knowledge (Swan et al., 1999). Managers in these firms adopt an information-based perspective on KM, which interprets knowledge management in terms of information, not people, and emphasizes the importance of accessibility, availability, and real-time changes of information (Alavi & Leidner, 1999). In reality, the main challenge of knowledge management is in managing people who produce this knowledge, and there a re several reasons for this. First, knowledge is a human act (McDermott, 1999). Therefore, no knowledge management is possible without people. The essence of knowledge management is in generating knowledge, piecing information together, reflecting on individual and collective experiences, generating insights, and using the results to solve acute organizational problems (McDermott, 1999). â€Å"From the point of view of the person who knows, knowledge is a kind of sticky residue of insight about using information and experience to think† (McDermott, 1999, p.106). Yet, many organizations make one and the same mistake, when they limit their knowledge management solutions to IT systems and networks. The real challenge of KM is to manage people, who generate and possess this knowledge. Well-known is

Nestle Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Nestle - Essay Example Nestle’s Nescafe, the leading coffee brand, is drank in almost every country and the company owns scores of other household names, including confectionery such as Kit Kat, Smarties, Yorkie and Aero along with Perrier water, in the UK. Hot Pockets in the US, Baeren Marke in Germany, Mucilon in Brazil, Orion chocolate in Czechoslovakia and Slovakia and Maggi seasoning in Asia are among its well-known brand names. (Johnston) The past two years has seen Nestle’s Maggi ready-mix seasoning targeting Asian ethnic cuisine with mixes for sautees, broths and others. The new Cranberry Raisenets was launched in March last year as an addition to the Nestle Raisinets family. To take care of distribution Nestle has 406 subsidiaries and offices in 104 countries and joint ventures with Coca-Cola, General Mills, L'Oreal and Fonterra, not to include several other corporations not as large (â€Å"Nestle SA: Who, Where, How Much?†) Nestle aggressively promotes its products and is hig hly visible in energy drinks and supplements for athletes. In developing countries where it sources some of its raw materials, Nestle is highly visible in events which build up the goodwill and image it has established over the decades of doing its businesses. Nestle’s Milo in Asia has built a solid image as an energy drink indispensable in the growth of young aspiring athletes.