Lifes rocky start essays

Life's rocky start essays Lifes Rocky Start is an intriguing piece about the role that rocks played in the beginning of life on a once uninhabited earth. The article was written by Robert Hazen and was featured in the April 2001 edition of Scientific American. He has been a part of a highly trained team of specialists at Carnegie Institution of Washingtons Geophysical Laboratory in Washington, D.C. since 1976. This institution is a private, nonprofit organization involved in basic research and advanced education in the earth sciences. It is a world-renowned laboratory that has led the way in petrology and research for earth science. Over the years, Robert Hazen and his team of experts have conducted many experiments regarding the relationship between the start of life on this planet and rocks. Most of their knowledge can be attributed to the findings of earlier scientists such as Stanley L. Miller. Miller performed many experiments trying to connect minerals with ocean temperatures and the atmosphere. In 1998, with these findings, Hazen and his team started an experiment of their own and took place in the Carnegie laboratory. To help their idea that minerals might have sheltered the ingredients of life, an experiment was conducted in which the amino acid leucine broke down within a matter of minutes in pressurized water at 200 degrees Celsius. But once the iron sulfide was added to the mix, the amino acid stayed together for days. This next experiment conducted in the Spring of 2000 was much more intricate compared to the first one. After they came across the mineral, calcite; a common mineral that forms marble and limestone because it presents brilliant pairs of mirror image faces, they had also discovered that the chemical structure of calcite allowed mollusk shells to strongly bond with amino acids. This set off the need for an experiment regarding these calcite surfaces. Their hypothesis became that calcite surfa...

Architextuality Preservation of the Urban Built Environment

Architextuality Preservation of the Urban Built Environment Material Culture Summary: Architexturality: An Argument in Favor of Creative Preservation of the Urban Built Environment This article was written by Michelle Metro-Rolland. It explores how the various levels of historical structures are preserved in the cities that are struggling with rapid development and modernization (Critical Conservation par. 1). Most cities that have historical structures were analyzed. Moreover, various ways of preserving the structures were identified.Advertising We will write a custom article sample on Architextuality: Preservation of the Urban Built Environment specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The article has been introduced with definition of the term ‘city environment’. Moreover, the importance of history in the development of the cities has been highlighted. The writer identifies the well being in several city landscapes in the United States, Europe, and the Far East. The historical structure s offer an in-depth understanding of the political, economical, and social practices of the people who developed the cities (Rypkema 4). The author argues that while the past should be appreciated, it is also vital to embrace modernity. The article identifies available methods that are used in the preservation of urban structures. Several international bodies that enforce international laws and policies are currently available. They mainly target the preservation of historical sites in the cities (Critical Conservation par. 2). These bodies create awareness on the need of preserving monumental structures located in cities. Some of these organizations include UNESCO, HUL, and ICOMOS. The art of preservation of the monumental structures emerged in the late 19th century. Currently, several countries have et up laws and policies that are aimed at preserving important historical structures in their respective cities (Rypkema 4). The author managed to identify several challenges facing th e preservation of structures that belonged to old cities. The most outstanding challenge is the deplorable status of the old structures. Most of them are inhabitable and thus, pose danger to the city dwellers. The environmental conditions of the houses are also not suitable for settlement. Furthermore, modern lifestyles and living conditions have made most of these structures to be inhabitable. Since such structures cover large city areas in Eastern Europe and the U.S. it becomes quite cumbersome to maintain those structures in their original states. The author is also quite categorical that most of the monumental structures in the cities are privately owned. This poses a significant danger towards the preservation of such structures since governments have limited control on development projects carried out on privately owned properties. However, the author highlights some ways in which privately owned monumental structures have been renovated and utilized in the modern world.Advert ising Looking for article on environmental studies? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As much as the use of the structures is not similar to the original use of the structure during the historical times, it has proved to be an effective way of preserving the monumental structures without undertaking major modifications (Rypkema 5). Some of the structures that are owned by the state are used as museums and tourist attraction centers. As a matter of fact, reusing the structures proves to be a better way of preserving them (Built Environment par. 6). The writer acknowledges the importance of buildings as a form of history preservation since movable historical artifacts can easily be lost, stolen, or destroyed. The author appreciates the modernization of the cities but believes that it can still be done without destroying the historical structures. He also visualizes that any city is a very rich historical landscape that c an offer the story of its settlers and the changes that have taken place in the social-political settings of its environment (Built Environment par. 5). Built Environment. 2013. Web. Critical Conservation. 2013. Web. https://www.gsd.harvard.edu/ Rypkema, Donovan. Celebrating Our Urban Heritage: Globalization, Urban Heritage, and the 21st century Economy. Global Urban Development Magazine 1.1(2005): 1-8. Web. globalurban.org/Issue1PIMag05/Rypkema%20PDF.pdf

COM 5 informal report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

COM 5 informal report - Essay Example We all were exceedingly happy and anxious to board the plane to Japan. We woke up early that morning and were well prepared to leave United States to Japan. We boarded the plane, Japanese Airline, at 7oclock in the morning on 2nd August and took 8 hours to Japan. At the plane, the stewards and hostesses were exceptionally courteous and hospitable. We were served with drinks and snacks by the stewards and hostesses. On arrival, we were welcomed by airline staff members and taken to the hotel rooms where we would spend the night. The next morning we visited Mitsubishi Motor Company where we interviewed several employees and observed their conduct. Through my interview with Hiroshima Kumamoto, I noted that Japanese companies appraise upholding harmony and excellent reputation with customers and the community in general. Culturally Japan values patience, politeness, hard work, honesty, affiliation and team work. Different cultural settings have different ways of communicating. In reference to Locker and Kiensler (2010), Japanese treasure sitting in silence and calmness (p. 132). They regard United States propensity to squirm and shift as a signal of spiritual and mental balance deficiency. Audiences and interviewers react negatively to restlessness. Japanese use body language to indicate attributes such as respect, confidence, agreement, interest and emotional participation. Moreover, I established that Japanese employees take pleasure in a paternalistic association with their employers and work for one company for all their life. This opposes the Western Companies who try to motivate their workers to maintain the same job. The next day we visited Toyota Motor Company where we established that, In Japan, employee promotion is not based on merit (Locker & Kiensler, 2010, p. 135). This is in contrast to the western primary basis of promoting workers. An employee’s age is the most essential

The Untouchables on Wall Street Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Untouchables on Wall Street - Essay Example ated by a different sense of what constitutes legitimate profitable transactions and so they try to game or con the whole financial system operating on Wall Street. Any hints of possible wrongdoing can ruin the investment climate with serious consequences for employees and the whole economy. I consider these two aspects as extremely important because America was founded and grew on its democratic institutions including a free-market capitalist economy based on investor confidence. Question 2: The two most important things about government today are its failures to regulate Wall Street and the financial industry in particular, and secondly, government regulatory agencies were caught sleeping on the job and even now with plenty of evidence of fraud, is still very reluctant to bring cases and charges against those who caused the financial crisis of 2008. It is clear that the U.S. government is beholden to the titans of Wall Street as many politicians owe a lot of campaign contributions from these same Wall Street executives and so the DOJ is to handle these cases with kid gloves or even worse, delay filing the cases altogether which is why up to now, there is no big fish or top Wall Street executive who has been sent to jail. What is now important is that justice is elusive for many burnt investors who lost their shirts and savings. On another note, the video shows government makes compromises that renders justice to be

Buyer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Buyer behaviour - Essay Example iour can be individualized or associated with a group in which friends or even families possess the power to influence the buying and consumption patterns of an individual. A brand is an important aspect of marketing and promotion for any good or service produced. Companies and organizations develop brands that they present to the potential customers and clients around the globe. A brand is a symbol, sign, name or a combination of all of the above used to identify a good or service in the market. Branding enables the customer identifies the product as the only available solution to their problems as compared to other products in the market (Wang, et al. 2014). Understanding consumer behaviours has a number of psychological relevance to marketers or even advertising firms who take upon themselves to design a product advert for a company. Knowledge of consumer behaviour is important in making marketing strategies and decisions such branding, which can enhance the performance of a company within the market (Williams, 2014). Branding is done for particular objectives chief among them helping in the delivery of the message to the potential clients with clarity and precision. A great brand also confirms the viability of a product and the company that presents the brand and connects the target market with the product emotionally. A good brand also motivates buyers and gives them more reasons to identify with the product has made specifically for them. Wanting cannot be done in isolation without understanding the needs and desires of the customers. A brand should therefore integrate the emotions and desires of potential clients with the identity of the product to increase the magnitude of the product (Schiffman et al. 2011). Consumer behavior is defined as a set of human characteristics that can be identified in a product, good or service that is available in the market. Brand personality is a feature that customers and potential clients can easily relate with due to

Mac Os X Essay Example for Free

Mac Os X Essay The Mac OS X Panther operation system has met with both technical and commercial success. Since the debut of Mac OS X in 2001, its features have continued to improve. The initial system Mac OS X 10. 1 was originally shipped in September 2001 and was referred to as Puma; Jaguar, version 10. 2, was shipped in August 2002, and Panther, the current version, was shipped in October 2003. The focus of this paper is on the key technologies that have made Mac OS X Panther a technical success such as CPU scheduling, symmetric multiprocessing, memory protection, and virtual memory; we begin with an overview of the MAC OS X operating system. Overview of Mac OS X Panther Mac OS, from Apple Computer, can be considered two families of operating systems: the older and now unsupported classic Mac OS (the system that shipped with the first Mac in 1984 and its descendants, culminating with Mac OS 9), and the newer Mac OS X. Mac OS X Panther is a UNIX-based Operating System with the intuitive user interface called Aqua. The modern core UNIX-based Operating System brings benefits such as protected memory and preemptive multitasking to Macintosh computing. Mac OS X Panther also has a sparkling user interface capable of visual effects such as translucence and drop shadows. The central characteristic of the Mac OS X architecture is the layering of system software, with one layer having dependencies on, and interfaces with, the layer beneath it (see Figure 1-1). Mac OS X has four distinct layers of system software (in order of dependency): Application Environments consists of the frameworks, libraries, and services necessary for the runtime execution of programs developed with those API. Mac OS X currently provides five application (or execution) environments: Carbon, Cocoa, Java, Classic, and BSD Commands. Application Services incorporates the system services available to all application environments that have some impact on the graphical user interface. It includes Quartz, QuickDraw, and OpenGL as well as essential system managers. Core Services incorporates those system services that have no effect on the graphical user interface. It includes Core Foundation, Open Transport, and certain core portions of Carbon. Kernel Environment provides the foundation layer of Mac OS X. Its primary components are Mach 3. 0 and FreeBSD, but it also includes networking protocol stacks and services, file systems, and device drivers. The kernel environment offers facilities for developing device drivers (the I/O Kit) and loadable kernel extensions, including Network Kernel Extensions (NKEs). This integrated kernel environment is called Darwin and it is an Open Source technology available from www. apple. com/darwin. The following is the components that Mach 3. 0 and FreeBSD provide: Mach †¢ support for SMP †¢ untyped IPC and RPC memory management †¢ support for real-time services †¢ external pager †¢ modular architecture †¢ improved performance BSD †¢ file systems †¢ networking †¢ basic security policies such as user IDs and permissions †¢ the system framework a mechanism for exporting APIs to the application layers †¢ the BSD process model, including process IDs and signals †¢ FreeBSD kernel APIs †¢ Pthre ads (POSIX threads implementation) [pic] Figure 1-1 System Layer CPU Scheduling The kernel environment of Mac OS X, specifically Mach, provides the fundamental thread support. Mach maintains the register state of its threads and schedules them preemptively in relation to one another. In general, multitasking may be either cooperative or preemptive. Classic Mac OS implements cooperative multitasking which was not very intelligent. In cooperative CPU scheduling the OS requires that each task voluntarily give up control so that other tasks can execute, so unimportant but CPU-intensive background events might take up so much for a processor’s time that more important activities in the foreground would become sluggish and unresponsive. On the other hand, preemptive multitasking allows an external authority to delegate execution time to the available tasks. Mac OS X’s Mach supports preemptive multitasking in which it processes several different tasks simultaneously. To affect the structure of the address space, or to reference any resource other than the address space, the thread must execute a special trap instruction which causes the kernel to perform operations on behalf of the thread, or to send a message to some agent on behalf of the thread. In general, these traps manipulate resources associated with the task containing the thread. Mach provides a flexible framework for thread scheduling policies. Mac OS X supports both the multilevel feedback queue scheduling and round-robin (RR) scheduling algorithm. The multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm partitions the ready queue into several separate queues and allows a process to move between queues. In the multilevel feedback queue scheduling algorithm, each run queue has various priorities that are handled in different ways. A multilevel feedback queue scheduling thread’s priority is raised and lowered to balance its resource consumption against other threads. Round-robin threads execute for a certain time quantum (time slice), and then are put at the end of the queue of threads of equal priority. Setting a round robin thread’s quantum to infinity effectively makes the thread run-till-block within its priority. Mac OS X internally has 128 priority levels, ranging from 0 (lowest priority) to 127 (highest priority).

The Importance Of Teachers In Todays Society Education Essay

The Importance Of Teachers In Todays Society Education Essay The words of the General Teaching Council (GTC) statement that teachers inspire and lead young people, helping them achieve their potential as fulfilled individuals and productive members of society (GTC, 2004) highlight the importance of teachers in todays society and emphasize that teaching is a demanding profession. This mission statement is reinforced by the Professional Standards for Teachers which outline attributes, knowledge, understanding and skills required of teachers at each career stage (TDA, 2010). Both understanding of theory and practical experience are required to enhance a teachers development. Different theories and philosophies have been used to explain the progression to becoming a good teacher and I aim to analyse the manner in which these theories have contributed towards my own professional development whilst critically analysing different philosophies. In my view, a teacher requires both self-confidence and humility, the former to plan and implement projects whilst being undeterred by difficulties and the latter to prevent self-confidence from becoming arrogance. Similarly, Hoyle (1995) has suggested that professionalism can be defined through a persons knowledge, autonomy, and responsibility. In other words, a profession should base its practice on specialist knowledge which is beyond the reach of lay people. This knowledge should be both theoretical in the form of examinations and practical in the form of experience. Autonomy correspondingly follows the principle that every class is different, as is every child, and the teacher should be empowered to use their better judgement to act in the best interests of their pupils. Responsibility is the reciprocal of autonomy. The freedom of autonomy must be expressed responsibly. Nevertheless, a more in-depth analysis considers the key attributes which are associated with professionalism by Hoyle. Hoyle (1980) distinguished between restricted professionals and extended professionals. Restricted professionals have their focus in the classroom with the priorities being teaching methods, their own didactic behaviours, and subject matter. The extended professionals, however, are concerned with professional collaboration and locate their classroom teaching in a broader educational context whilst functioning as a dynamic team. Although employing professionalism is vital, a teacher should also be one who at regular intervals, examine and monitor the work they have done. They should take into consideration the improvements that could be made by reflecting on the work that has been done and the problems encountered in the course of doing it. According to Donald Schon (1996), the concept of reflective practice can be described as a critical process of enhancing ones field or discipline. Reflective practice is a way for beginners to recognise the link between their own individual practice and those of successful practitioners (Ferraro, 2000, p.1). This concept allows for thoughtful consideration into ones own experiences and the application of knowledge to practice whilst being guided by professionals. Hopkins and Antes (1990) and Lawrence Stenhouse (1975) demonstrate a similar view that reflective practice can be classified in terms of action research and the concept of a teacher as a researcher respectively. It encourages teachers to put theories they have learnt into practice in their classroom. This has re-constructed my beliefs of what constitutes as a teacher of mathematics, as research is an imperative factor in education. A parallel approach indicates that portfolio development has become a preferred tool used in pre-service teacher education (Antonek, et al, 1997; Hurst et al, 1998). Portfolios are significant in the development of inexperienced teachers, as it allows for resources and materials that worked well to be collated. This can then be modified during a teachers career as their style of teaching adapts and their knowledge enhances. The above theories are similar in that they focus on either pre-service or beginners in a discipline and outline the reflection which is used to gain knowledge and to overcome weaknesses. These approaches are summarised by educational theorist and psychologist Jerome Bruner (1987) when he stated that self is a perpetually rewritten story (Bruner, 1987, p.54). I feel this is an accurate representation of a teachers career as development of a professional reflective practitioner is an ongoing process. In the broadest sense, a teacher can be defined as someone who not only imparts knowledge but also gives them skills that they can apply to everyday life. The skills that have been taught can then be enhanced throughout their time in schools and taken with them to university and finally used in their career. A good teacher possessing superior interpersonal skills has the potential to shape a pupils life to ensure they can take with them the skills and knowledge to exceed the pupils expectations. An effective teacher of mathematics continues to investigate new mathematical knowledge and explore effective teaching strategies. An effective mathematics teacher wants to eradicate the fear and anxiety that mathematics may represent to many students. As stated in the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM) Curriculum and Evaluation Standards for school mathematics, an effective mathematics teacher will be able to motivate all students to learn mathematics (NCTM, 1989). My philosophy about what constitutes an effective mathematics teacher may best be illustrated by an example which came to my attention observing a newly qualified mathematics teacher. The mathematics teacher was portraying fractions in a fashion easily comprehensible by the majority of the class, with various assessment techniques used to ensure the pupils understood. However, one pupil failed to grasp the topic and not surprisingly struggled to answer the questions. As the teachers attention was occupied by the rest of the class, this one pupil was unable to proceed with the questions. At the end of the lesson as the teacher had not watched over the class for any pupils that struggled, the pupil left the class still uncomprehending and uninterested in the topic. Therefore, the teacher was unable to help the child as he had omitted to watch for pupils in difficulty and this runs counter to the philosophy that every child is important. In this particular instance the teacher lacked th e experience to observe the difficulties that the pupil was facing. The dimensions of reflective practice (Zwozdiak-Myers, 2009) have shaped my thinking as to the concepts of reflection especially when assessing my course experiences. The dimensions of reflective practice relate to the ideas in which teachers reflect, improve and try out new ideas. This allows for teachers to be able to see the types of techniques which are successful and unsuccessful in the classroom. The nine dimensions each have a fundamental aspect in which to approach reflection and this proves to be a fundamental theory in constructing my philosophy about the role of a teacher. John Dewey (1933) observed that reflective thinking is called for when people recognize that some problems cannot be solved with certainty. Drawing from this observation, King and Kitchener (1994) chose the term reflective judgment to describe the kind of epistemic cognition that includes the recognition that real uncertainty exists about some issues. These theories have re-constructed my philosophy, that the profession of teaching is not black and white. There are problems which have no perfect solution; however it is up to the judgement of the teacher on how to respond, in the primary interest of the students. Effective teaching has been constantly debated over the last two decades linking reflection to professional growth (Harris, 1998). Reflective practice is a significant and beneficial form of professional development, as it allows for errors to be noticed and improvements to be made. This can enhance teaching styles and methods, which leads to better performance and more self-awareness of ones strengths and weaknesses in the classroom. The teachers role has now changed, from the traditional picture of a didactic lecturer dictating an indigestible quantity of facts, to a classroom of pupils who solemnly inscribe the words and subsequently learn them by heart to regurgitate them in the form of an essay in response to a question on a termly or yearly examination paper. These changes are due to a new view being taken on curricula, pedagogy and the organization of teaching and learning, as well as changes caused by broad socio-political trends in the society (Hoyle, 1974). The teachers autonomy, control and professionalism (Hoyle, 1974, Pollard et.al.1994) are no longer beyond dispute both in the classroom and in society as a whole. As a result, the teachers responsibilities are no longer limited to the classroom but range more widely than hitherto. A modern teacher must now acquire a wide range of knowledge and skills to cope with the new demands of their challenging responsibilities. A teacher must therefore develop professionally so that enhanced knowledge and skills from the process of development can be put into practice, both in the classroom and outside, to benefit their pupils. This constitutes as an extended professional.