The Challenges Of Domestic Violence Essay - 909 Words

MILLERSBURG — Every other year, the gardens of Holmes County become inspirations for novice growers, while helping to raise funds to aide victims of domestic abuse. The Holmes County Friends and Neighbors of OneEighty — Supporting Victims of Domestic Violence will continue its effort to provide crisis intervention, treatment, counseling, prevention and support for those affected by domestic violence, when it raises money by presenting its biennial Garden Tour on July 9. The gardens selected this year are located in south central Holmes County, at the homes of Ruston Baker and Claudia Rozuk, 1769 County Road 150, Millersburg and 1665 County Road 150, Millersburg; David and Leona Hershberger, 2143 Township Road 112, Millersburg; and Gayle Patterson, 2527 State Route 83 Millersburg. The tour also will feature a stop at the Holmes County Open Air Art Museum at The Inn at Honey Run, 6920 County Road 203 Millersburg. Money generated by the tour helps to support operations in Wayne and Holmes counties. A full-time advocate staffs an office in Millersburg, where counselors also meet with men, woman and children. It’s the seventh year for the biennial garden tour in Holmes County, according to event chairwoman Eleanor Runyon, noting, after so many years â€Å"one or two gardeners volunteer to be on the garden tour, which makes organizing the tour easier.† The amount of work the gardeners do to get ready is â€Å"staggering,† but well worth the effort considering the outcomes, she said,Show MoreRelatedAnalyzing a Major Issue, Domestic Violence as an Whole Essay1728 Words   |  7 PagesMajor Issue, Domestic Violence as an Whole Jessica Coleman Professor Jacquot PSY 110 6/1/2013 Although there are now laws against domestic violence, the issue still seems to be present in the 21st century. Once given an blind eye to is existence for decades people are now forced to face the fact that domestic violence is an major issue no matter when and where it may occur. In this essay I will be addressing the issues of: What is has been done to try and stop this violence and help theRead More`` Ray Rice And His Rage `` By Charles M. Blow900 Words   |  4 PagesOn the article â€Å"Ray Rice and His Rage,† Charles M. Blow. The author discusses the violences against women. The author points out that the criminal justice is indifferent to the battered women; money can shield one’s guilty from the domestic violence as in the case of Ray Rice, an expert football player who has been charged on the third degree aggravated assault due to an exposed video indicated that he battered his wife in the elevator of Atlantic City casino; he conceded his guilt and accepted intoRead MoreOffice : Victim Services Program Director1587 Words   |  7 PagesGeneral s Office: Victim Services Program Director 1. How do you define, talk about, and understand domestic violence (DV) /interpersonal violence (IPV)? Ms. Latimore defines domestic violence as a pattern of physical, sexual, and/or psychological abuse or the threat of abuse used to get and maintain control over another person in a domestic setting. She says intimate partner violence (IPV) is violence in an intimate relationship by one spouse or a partner onto another spouse or partner. She says thatRead MoreThe Entrapment Model Of An Abusive Relationship1189 Words   |  5 Pagestime devoted to the relationship (Strube, 1988). The investment model challenges that the more time, effort, money, emotion, etc. invested into a relationship the longer one devotes to staying in the relationship even when intimate partner violence is frequent. The hypotheses were that women more subjectively invested in baseline data would be especially likely to engage in relationship sacrifices following Intimate Partner Violence. These findings were n ot supported by the results. The second hypothesesRead MoreDomestic Violence : A Hidden Problem Essay969 Words   |  4 Pages Domestic violence is a hidden problem in today s society. I will why domestic violence is important to be educated on. A lot of us do not know about domestic violence, and it is important that we educate ourselves on it. I think it is very important because no should endure any type of violence. I think if you know more about domestic violence, then you might be more likely to prevent yourself from getting in that situation. The statistics of domestic abuse against women has been estimated as highRead MoreAnalysis Of Allstate s Purple Purse Foundation Target Market Essay1748 Words   |  7 Pagesmarket was women 18+. 1 in 4 women will become victims of domestic violence within their lives. 98 percent of the domestic violence cases deal with financial abuse. There is average of 10,000 requests a day for help from abuse survivors that were unmet due to lack of financial funding. They conducted a national survey called â€Å"Silent Weapon: Domestic Violence and Financial Abuse.† The survey showed that two- thirds believe that domestic violence is a serious problem. The survey also found that womenRead MoreThe Cost Of Domestic Violence1662 Words   |  7 PagesCenteria Cooley Sociology 101 Professor Nelms 20 November 2015 The Cost of Domestic Violence in America â€Å"Just because the scare have healed, doesn’t mean the pain has.† –healthyplace.com Domestic violence is a pattern of behavior used to exhibit control over another person through fear and intimidation by threat, force, or use of violence in intimate relationships. This issue has been an overlooked problem in American society for ages however as it becomes mainstream time and time again and theRead More Domestic Violence in Society Essay1058 Words   |  5 Pages The Womens Aid federation defines domestic violence as the physical, psychological, sexual or financial violence that takes place within a family type or an intimate relationship, and forms a pattern of coercive and controlling behaviour. It may involve partners, ex-partners or other relatives. Though the more common view of domestic violence is that it is the behaviour of some disturbed sick individuals. However sociologists have questioned this, saying thatRead MoreFinal Program Summary Hsm 2701701 Words   |  7 PagesPEACE Domestic Violence Agency. We will also look at the technical and political aspects of program planning and evaluation that might encounter in the PEACE Domestic Violence Agency scenario, and how these aspects are affect to planning and evaluation process. PEACE’s mission is to reduce victim trauma, empower survivors, and promote recovery through direct services. PEACE is committed to reducing the incidence of sexual assault and domestic violence through education and strives to challenge societalRead MoreEven If Women Are To Take Action, Konovalova I. (2004:73)1070 Words   |  5 PagesI. (2004:73) suggests, there is a belief among Russian women that their actions would not lead to any profound effect. That is why, the agenda for current feminists in Russia should include the recruiting of men, as when united, both genders can challenge the state and reach a gender equality. The suppression of the information about their native feminist traditions has contributed to a widespread perception in Russian society that feminism is an alien import, an ideology produced by women without

Lack Of External Funding And Personnel - 995 Words

Lack of external funding and personnel to focus on advancement and development remains the most important threat they are facing for long time. Lack of these factors are affecting their advancement and development to attract more students, registration and top notch faculty. Tenuous state of the nation’s and Georgia’s economies is also affecting KSU`s programs and University College`s place within the university. Their marketing efforts not giving the results as they wanted to, and hence there is limited knowledge about their efforts in the external environment. The low level of state funding on a per student basis compared to other universities in Georgia is leaving them with a disadvantage in expansion efforts. Their lack of brand recognition, and lack of public awareness is a threat. There are inaccurate perceptions of the university in the external environment about the quality. Another threat is related to the high-quality job markets in which KSU competes. Their graduates have to compete in the job market around where the college is located. The area is a resource pool of high quality job candidates and there are some other top ranked universities in the Atlanta downtown which is near to Kennesaw. Hence, the KSU graduates are facing increased competition when searching job, and in getting firms for campus recruitment. This will make students to try for other universities that KSU. In addition, KSU has been facing difficulties in the recruitment, hiring of faculty andShow MoreRelatedProject Risk Management 420 Week 61105 Words   |  5 Pagessupplied a recommendation for that risk: 1. Deficiency of Skills –Lack of knowledge on proper usage of equipment. * Recommendation: Training staff on the proper way to utilize and maximize the usage of all equipment. 2. Changes – Employees retiring and fired might impact schedules * Recommendation: Better planning in order to incorporate the flow of personnel within the company. 3. Funding – County might cut funding to all departments. * Recommendation: Discuss any possible changesRead MoreThe Air Test And Evaluation Squadron One Military Organization Essay1471 Words   |  6 Pagesauthorized by Congress and the budget division ensures financial resources are spent wisely during each fiscal year (October 1 through September 30) or operating period (Hicks, 2010). The travel division monitors spending on 23 funding lines totaling $1.17 million where each funding line, referred to as different colors of money, is obligated for a specific travel appropriation or purpose. To manage these costs, the travel division is responsible for arranging travel accommodations, processing travelRead MoreEmanuel Medical Center1415 Words   |  6 Pages(EMC) president and CEO, was experiencing a number of challenges in 2002. The medical center faced numerous challenges in its external and internal environment. First, EMC garnered an onslaught of negative attention for the â€Å"Haley Eckman incident† in which a young m an, who happened to be a gang member, died within view of EMC’s Emergency Department (ED) medical personnel rendered no care and watched. The emergency department at EMC was also experiencing greater pressure to deliver services in anRead MoreAssignment 11247 Words   |  5 Pagesgeographically dispersed environment. The USPTO is a geographically dispersed agency with a work force of around 15 thousand personnel, of which 80% telework full time, the CIO is 700-million-dollar organization with over 1000 federal and contract-supporting personnel. I currently serve as the Directory of Infrastructure services supervising a staff of around 200 personnel and a budget of around 120 million. In 2014, the USPTO CIO directed the office to embrace DevOps, Agile and SCRUM. To supportRead MoreNo Correlation Between Rising Crime Rates And Strength Of Police Force964 Words   |  4 Pagesbudget allotment lacks any additional funds with which to hire new staff. My challenge is to pr ovide a sense of safety and security to a large, diverse population residents have expressed concern that the police force has not met its mandate for public safety. The public’s questions and pressure applies to the mayor and the City Council are in turn levied on me (Rai, 2015). My best course of action is to find new ways of protection the residents employing existing personnel. I must find new methodsRead MoreAnalysis : Earned Value Analysis904 Words   |  4 Pagesrisk, cost data and projections, performance metrics, and personnel resources are all pertinent mechanisms that have to be considered in order to track and successfully execute a project (CSU-Global, 2015). After a period of meticulous planning, project managers anticipate that their projects will be executed on schedule and within the proposed budget; nevertheless, according to Maheshwari and Credle (2010), there are internal and external factors that can impede a project’s progress. Therefore,Read MoreThe Goals Of A Recruitment Process Within A School District946 Words   |  4 Pagespsychological impairments (mental health, substance abuse). Policies should be formulated with both the internal and external factors that may impact the recruitment plan in mind. Relevant labor market is one external factor that should be considered. The relevant labor market is defined as the distance that an applicant could be reasonably expected to travel to their employment. Another external factor to consider would be that the educational workforce composition may differ from that of the student compositionRead MoreEmory University Health Care System1707 Words   |  7 Pagesevaluates major internal and external factors affecting Emory using an analytical technique. Based on Emory’s’ Services in Georgia, it identifies strategies that have been beneficial for Emory Hospital. Emory gives high-quality care using innovative techniques, with caring personnel, a variety of healing options, and a selection of first-class skilled professionals primarily at all of their many Hospital-operated clinics. This report aims to evaluate major internal and external factors affecting EmoryRead MoreEssay On National Health1128 Words   |  5 Pagessuggested by Paul Spiegel, I would try to integrate the affected persons into the national health-care systems by addressing the humanitarian-development nexus. Humanitarian crises are hallmarked by presence of violent conflicts and ensuing internal and external displacement. Thus, the humanitarian and health needs arising from these complex emergencies are vast and overwhelming. Organizations responding to crises face difficult circumstances. Constrained resources and underfunding could hamper the abilityRead MoreThe United States1436 Words   |  6 Pagesform of bureaucracy and lack of funding. Government rules and regulations continue to slow progress of the Department. Unfortunately, when external sources of energy or funding are not sufficient to sustain the all of the duties and responsibilities obligated to the organization, other areas of the system are also compromised. For example, when there is a substantial amount of funding lost, the steady state of dynamic homeostasis is unbalanced and the internal and external environments are both affected

Descartes’ Dualistic Conception of Human Nature Free Essays

Descartes’ Dualistic Conception of Human Nature Descartes’ dualistic concept of human nature looks at two different aspects of all humankind: our mind and our body. These aspects are the exact opposite of one another. Our mind allows us to think the thoughts we have every day, and our body allows us to do the physical things within our day to day lives. We will write a custom essay sample on Descartes’ Dualistic Conception of Human Nature or any similar topic only for you Order Now Descartes came to this dualistic concept by using his theory of methodological doubt. The theory involved thinking about anything and everything he was ever taught. By thinking these things, he came to realize that many things he was told have been false, so he went back to the beginning. He did this by doubting everything he ever thought was true, to find at least one thing he could not doubt. When finally reaching that one truth, he was able to use it to be the foundation when furthering his search to find more things he could not possibly doubt. The first truth he was able to come to was something he referred to as â€Å"cogito ergo sum†(I think therefore I am). The cogito basically states that we are existing to the point in which we can think; however, when looking at the body (physical substance) we cannot be entirely certain that this is real in the sense that the physical things around us can all be imagined with the use of our minds. The thinking aspect of our dualistic selves can be making us believe the things we see or feel; therefore, we can doubt the physical. At the same, time we know we are thinking, so we cannot doubt the mind. This leads to Descartes’ concept of how these two aspects are totally different. When looking at the physical and mental substances, one can see where Descartes is coming from. The mind can play tricks on us and make us believe that something is real and/or there when it really is not. There can be some sort of â€Å"puppet master† making us believe the physical things around us are real; however, when looking at the mind, we can argue that the mind, itself, is made up physical substance. Since the mind is in fact made up of physical substance, can it not be doubted as well? Can the â€Å"puppet master† not also be making us believe what we think is actually real? With the questions of doubting our mind, I come to my conclusion that Descartes’ theory of methodological doubt in the sense of the mind and the body being two distinct characteristics of mankind, is in fact right; however, I do not think the part stating that we can doubt the physical substance (the body) is correct. If we were going to doubt all the physical substances in our life, we would also have to doubt our mind, which in turn would lead us to doubting almost every thought we have within our lifetime. Doubting some thoughts may lead us to great discoveries to help us figure out human nature; however, I do believe doubting every thought we have will only do us harm by causing us to push everything and everyone out of our lives. When this happens, we will not be happy–happiness is after all, what separates man from every other living thing in the world. How to cite Descartes’ Dualistic Conception of Human Nature, Essay examples

An Overlooked Essential Nutrient free essay sample

Welcome, I am a registered dietician. I have invited you to lunch and learn about, what you will select for a yearlong beverage contract from these three choices water, Gatorade, and Powerade. The role of water in our body are giving cell life, where water is a carrier, distributing essential nutrients to cells as minerals, vitamins, and glucose. It also has chemical and metabolic reactions as it removes waste products including toxins that the organ cells reject and removes through urine and feces. Water is a transport of nutrients in the biochemical break down of what we eat. H2O regulates body temperature, it has a large heat capacity which helps limit changes in body temperature in a warm or cold environment. The elimination of water is an effective lubricant around joints and acts as a shock absorber for eyes, brain, and spinal cord. The goal of drinking fluids during exercise is to prevent dehydration and maintain performance. We will write a custom essay sample on An Overlooked Essential Nutrient or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Fluids preferably with carbohydrates and electrolytes, should be consumed in small amounts every 15 to 20 minutes during exercise. Water and electrolytes serve very important roles in the functioning of the body and sweating can lead to excessive losses of both critical nutrients if not properly replaced. Dehydration and electrolyte imbalances can adversely impact health and exercise performance. The magnitude of fluid and sweat losses during exercise depends on the intensity of the exercise, environment conditions, and the type of clothing worn during the exercise. To avoid excessive fluid and electrolyte losses, a person should begin exercising in a well-hydrated state. About two hours prior to strenuous exercise, drink approximately 20floz of liquid to ensure proper hydration at the onset of exercise. The daily recommendation for water is actually none. Many of us grew up thinking that we need to drink eight glasses a day plus other beverages throughout the day. As a study found out there was no scientific evidence for the 64-ounce daily recommendations for water. Instead, to use thirst to determine their fluid needs. Sports drinks don’t necessarily have a daily recommendation. If you’re not exercising at least for an hour then you don’t need to drink any sports at all. Sports beverages are for people, that do some type of physical activity for more than an hour. Sports drinks enhance fluid absorption in the small intestine due to the glucose and sodium content. It also helps maintain stamina in events through providing a small amount of carbohydrates to the working muscles. The nutritional facts found in a Aquafina bottled water of 8oz are calories, total fat (g), sodium (mg), total carbs (g), sugars (g), and protein (g) are all 0! (PepsiCo, 2014) The benefits of drinking water are it makes you avoid skin disorders, removes toxins, increases metabolic rate, and much more. The nutritional facts in a Powerade Fruit Punch of a 8oz bottle are calories 50, total fat, saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, monounsaturated fat, trans fat, and cholesterol all equal out to 0. The sodium is 100(mg), potassium 25(mg), total carbohydrate 14(g), dietary fiber 0(g), sugars 14(g), and protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron are all 0. Powerade is a sports drink with 50 calories, which is about the average for all sports drinks, 14(g) of carbohydrates, which again is about the average for all sports drinks, and 100(g) of sodium, which is less than the average for all sports drinks. (FindtheBest, 2014) The nutritional facts about a Gatorade Fruit Punch of a 12oz bottle are calories 80, total fat 0(g), sodium 160(mg), potassium 45(mg), total carbs 21(g), sugars 21 (g), and protein 0(g). (PepsiCo, 2014)The sodium found in Gatorade helps your body retain the fluids that are lost through sweating. It’s also high in calories and it can replace the energy that is lost while playing sports. The many different varieties of water include tap water, where in a metropolitan areas contain fluoride that helps protect your teeth against decay. Rain water can be ingested, but must be boiled because of the possibility of bacteria, and contamination. Spring water contains no fluoride and should be boiled to remove impurities. Tap filters take out the large particles from water, but filters cannot protect you from getting an infection. Pure water is water that has undergone additional treatment methods to remove even more impurities than those found in common tap or municipal water. Groundwater, which is water that lies under the surface of the land. It exists almost everywhere in the world, although a person would have to dig quite deep to access it. The different varieties of sports beverages are isotonic, that quickly replaces fluids lost by sweating and supplies a boost of carbohydrates. Some of these beverages include Gatorade Cool Blue, Gatorade Limon, Powerade Cherry ION4, Powerade Orange ION4, and much more. Hypotonic beverages quickly replace s fluid lost and is best for low-respiration. These hypotonic beverages are watered down sports drinks like Gatorade G2 and Powerade Zero. Hypertonic beverages are supplements daily carbohydrate intake after exercise to top current glycogen stores. These beverages usually are high carbs, high energy, high calorie, endurance, or performance. (Chambers, 2012) Drinking water cost varies between each person in prefer ability. Buying bottled water for the year can set you back around $346, but if you were to refill a 16. 9 ounce bottle with city tap every day for a year, you’d pay 48 cents. Yet, if you would like to invest in bottled water, a 24 pack at average costs $4. 99 $9. 99 and a 35 pack costs at average $5. 99 $12. 99. If you’re an athlete and need to gain some of those electrons back then a Powerade or Gatorade is just for you. An average cost of a Gatorade bottle is $1. 00 $5. 00. An average cost of a 24 pack is between $12. 99 $17. 99 and a 35 pack at an average cost $20. 99 -$30. 99. Powerade at an average of a 12-32oz bottle cost $1. 00 $5. 00 and a 24 pack at an average $18. 99 $40. 00. So, if you don’t exercise on a daily basis then stepping away from sports beverages will financially help you in the long run. Drinking water has many advantages compared to sports drinks. Water is the most healthful option because it provides no calories. Sports drinks contain sugar and contribute to weight gain if not physically active. Water is cheaper than sports beverages if you get your water from tap. If you’re performing sports bursts of exercise, you don’t need to restore your electrolytes with sports drinks because our sweat is 99% water and less than 1% electrolytes. The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has said, â€Å"The truth is this: drink when you are thirsty and don’t waste your money or calories on sports drinks-choose water instead. † (Skerrett, 2012) Sports drinks are better than water because there designed to rapidly replace fluids and to increase the sugar circulating in your blood. If your activity lasts an hour or more, either fruit juice diluted with water or sports drinks will provide carbohydrates for energy plus minerals to replace lost electrolytes in your sweat. Sports drinks provide around 14 (g) of carbohydrates, 28(mg) of potassium, and 100(mg) of sodium per 8-ounce serving. â€Å"Sports drinks really do triple duty whenever you exercise for longer periods of time,† says Girard Eberle, sports dietician and author of â€Å"Endurance Sports Nutrition. † (Boston, 2012) So, what sports drink is better Powerade or Gatorade. The sodium content of Gatorade is about 450(mg/L) and Powerade is 225(mg/L). Gatorade does a better job of replacing the sodium lost in sweat. Gatorade is 0% sugar. Since both all fall within the generally recommended 4 – 8% range, either drink is acceptable. Gatorade asserts a 6% carbohydrate solution is ideal for absorption and energy production and that sports drinks with lower or higher concentrations. Yet. Powerade contains vitamins B6 and B12, both of which are active in the production of energy. â€Å"The differences between Gatorade and Powerade are small will neither beverage appearing clearly superior to the other,† says the formerly British Medical Journal. (Crowther, 2012) The safety levels of drinking water within our body start with a disease called hyponatremia. A condition that occurs when the level of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. In humans, the kidneys control the amount of water, salts and other solutes leaving the body by salving blood through their millions of twisted tubules. When someone drinks too much water at a time, the kidneys cannot flush it out fast enough and the blood becomes waterlogged. Where the concentration of salt and other dissolved substance is higher, excess water leaves the blood and ultimately enters the cells. Thus, brain edema or swelling can be disastrous, which can manifest to seizures, coma, respiratory arrest, brain stem herniation and ultimately death. The safety level of Gatorade can have serious health consequences as weight gain if someone is burning fewer calories, the excess will be stored as fat. Vitamin toxicity like fat-soluble vitamin and vitamin A. Fat-soluble vitamins cannot be excreted from the body when consumed in large amounts. Vitamin A can lead to hypervitaminosis A, a toxic effects from ingesting too much of vitamin A. Symptoms include visual changes, bone pain, and skin changes. You could also develop high blood pressure and high blood sugar. High blood pressure because one bottle of Gatorade can contain 800(mg) of sodium, which is 33% of your normal daily recommended intake. High blood sugar because a bottle of Gatorade contains 56(g) of sugar, where symptoms include being very thirsty, having blurry vision, dry skin, feeling weak, and needing to urinate frequently. The safety levels of Powerade are hypernatremia, a condition caused by too much sodium in the body. Excessive salt intake can lead to dehydration, lethargy, weakness, and affect nerve impulses. Also, hyperkalemia a condition of in taking too much potassium where neuromuscular and cardiac functions are involved symptoms include fatigue, lethargy, weakness, and abdominal cramps and in severe cases cardiac arrest. Excessive levels of magnesium in the body called hypermagnesmia. Too much magnesium results in decreased respiration, muscle weakness, lethargy and in severe cases can cause cardiac arrest. Hypercalcemia is too much calcium in the human body, which can cause lethargy, fatigue, nausea, constipation, hypertension, and bone pain. There’s also hypophosphatemia, which is high levels of phosphorus in the body. Symptoms are lethargy, fatigue, seizures, and can reduce the amount of calcium. That can lead to tremors, cramps, muscle spasms, convulsions and bone/joint pain. One of the last causes of drinking too much Powerade is acidosis, which are decreased levels of ph. It’s caused by high levels of chloride and can result in cellular damage and can lead to death. All of these beverages water, Gatorade, and Powerade can only be taken in moderation because it can lead to severe diseases and climatically lead to death. (Aufiero, 2011) The advantages of drinking water over sports drinks is water can help control calories. It works with weight loss if you choose water over a caloric beverage or eat a diet higher in water-rich foods that are healthier, more filling, and help you trim calorie intake. Also, another advantage to drinking water is it helps energize muscles, when cells don’t have enough fluids they don’t maintain their balance of fluids and electrolytes shrivel, that can result in muscle fatigue. Water also helps your kidneys by transporting waste products in and out of cells. A water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine. â€Å"Giving children sports drinks is as bad as making them smoke,† says Dr. Donal O’Shea of the University of California at Berkeley. (TCD, 2011) The advantages of drinking a sports beverage over water are they maintain fluid balance in physically active people. A sports beverage can enhance voluntary fluid consumption by replenishing fluid loss and proper hydration. Sodium is an important nutrient because it helps maintain electrolyte balance and provides the urge to drink. The extra sodium formulates for people who are prone to muscle cramps. Also, potassium is another advantage to drinking sports beverages over water because it’s a faster recovery and a better workout for tomorrow. Using sports drink means it takes less time for your body to rehydrate, replace muscle glycogen stores, repair muscle damage and bring the immune system up to full strength. Professor John Brewer, head of sports science at the University of Bedfordshire, said that while those who exercised to keep fit may find water is enough to quench their thirst, â€Å"those who compete intensively for long durations have been shown by numerous studies to improve their performance through the sensible consumption of sports drinks. † (Campbell, 2012) The advantages of sports beverages like Gatorade over Powerade are that Gatorade provides more sodium for less calories and sugar so it may be the better choice to replenish your body and prevent muscle cramping. Powerade has added vitamin supplements that Gatorade does not, but for most serious athletes consuming a healthy diet. The U. S. market Gatorade still dominates with over 80% of the market share, while Powerade has captured almost 15%. â€Å"Research shows that your body digests and uses carbohydrates from high fructose corn syrup the same way it digests other sweeteners like table sugar,† says the American Medical Association. (Reagan, 2009) From all the information that I have researched and given, my recommendation would be water. The one reason, why I chose water over Powerade and Gatorade is because water is an essential component required for the effective working of our body since body parts including our brain and the various tissues are mostly composed of water. Another couple of reasons of why water is an overall better choice is it makes you look younger. It moisturizes your skin and keeps it fresh and glistening thereby enhancing its overall appeal. Water removes toxins and most of the waste products from our body contributing to a healthy quality of life. Also, drinking substantial amounts of water is likely to reduce the risks of bladder and colon cancer. Water has the ability to dilute the concentration of cancer-causing agents in the urine and reduce the time they take to come in contact with the bladder lining. So, you see from the information that I have provided you about the benefits of drinking water, the diseases it can prevent, and the improvements it could do for a person’s physical activity. With just naming a few of these health saving benefits of just drinking a glass of water, it would be a perfect fit for your contract and increase your revenues.

sam Essays - Love, Emotions, Philosophy Of Love, Romance

What is a successful relationship? Too many people constantly search and strive to attain that bond with some without fully understanding the component involved in making it happen. According to Dr. Phil there are ten relationship myths that everyone should be aware of so that they might think their relationship is a failure simply because they aren?t following or meeting the ground set ?rules?. Here is a list of the ten relationship myths: A great relationship depends on a great meeting of the minds. A great relationship requires a great romance. A great relationship requires great problem-solving. A great relationship requires common interests that bond you together forever. A great relationship is a peaceful one. A great relationship lets you vent all your feelings. A great relationship has nothing to do with sex. A great relationship cannot survive a flawed partner. There is a right way and a wrong way to make the relationship great. Your relationship can become great only when y ou straighter your partner out. In Dr. Phil?s article about the ten relationship myths I think that his approach and suggestions to how one should view and base their relationships is real and applicable. Myth number one states that ?A great relationship depends on a great meeting of the minds?. Personally I don?t believe that statement simply because there are major differences between a male and female. According to Dr. Phil men and women are differently wired. Because of the fundamental differences in males and females it is highly unlikely to come across partner that would share common goals and values. Throughout this article Dr. Phil continues to talk about the relationship myths that most people abide by. Surprisingly most of the arguments that he makes against these myths I come to agree on. Although I don?t rely much on outside sources for relationship help, I find the works of Dr. Phil to be true and benefiting to my relationship. I think that books and references such as Dr. Phil?s help me understand why some things turn out the way they do. Being a guy, I never relied on my friends or family for relationship solutions. My philosophy is buying and believing everything that values who I am. Overall I think that Dr. Phil and his views on relationships tie into the very things that I live by. I would recommend his works to anyone who is looking for relationship guidance.

How To Calculate the Margin of Error

How To Calculate the Margin of Error Many times political polls and other applications of statistics state their results with a margin of error. It is not uncommon to see that an opinion poll states that there is support for an issue or candidate at a certain percentage of respondents, plus and minus a certain percentage. It is this plus and minus term that is the margin of error. But how is the margin of error calculated? For a simple random sample of a sufficiently large population, the margin or error is really just a restatement of the size of the sample and the level of confidence being used. The Formula for the Margin of Error In what follows we will utilize the formula for the margin of error. We will plan for the worst case possible, in which we have no idea what the true level of support is the issues in our poll. If we did have some idea about this number, possibly through previous polling data, we would end up with a smaller margin of error. The formula we will use is: E zÃŽ ±/2/(2√ n) The Level of Confidence The first piece of information we need to calculate the margin of error is to determine what level of confidence we desire. This number can be any percentage less than 100%, but the most common levels of confidence are 90%, 95%, and 99%. Of these three the 95% level is used most frequently. If we subtract the level of confidence from one, then we will obtain the value of alpha, written as ÃŽ ±, needed for the formula. The Critical Value The next step in calculating the margin or error is to find the appropriate critical value. This is indicated by the term zÃŽ ±/2 in the above formula. Since we have assumed a simple random sample of a large population, we can use the standard normal distribution of z-scores. Suppose that we are working with a 95% level of confidence. We want to look up the z-score z*for which the area between -z* and z* is 0.95. From the table, we see that this critical value is 1.96. We could have also found the critical value in the following way. If we think in terms of ÃŽ ±/2, since ÃŽ ± 1 - 0.95 0.05, we see that ÃŽ ±/2 0.025. We now search the table to find the z-score with an area of 0.025 to its right. We would end up with the same critical value of 1.96. Other levels of confidence will give us different critical values. The greater the level of confidence, the higher the critical value will be. The critical value for a 90% level of confidence, with a corresponding ÃŽ ± value of 0.10, is 1.64. The critical value for a 99% level of confidence, with a corresponding ÃŽ ± value of 0.01, is 2.54. Sample Size The only other number that we need to use the formula to calculate the margin of error is the sample size, denoted by n in the formula. We then take the square root of this number. Due to the location of this number in the above formula, the larger the sample size that we use, the smaller the margin of error will be. Large samples are therefore preferable to smaller ones. However, since statistical sampling requires resources of time and money, there are constraints to how much we can increase the sample size. The presence of the square root in the formula means that quadrupling the sample size will only half the margin of error. A Few Examples To make sense of the formula, let’s look at a couple of examples. What is the margin of error for a simple random sample of 900 people at a 95% ​level of confidence?By use of the table we have a critical value of 1.96, and so the margin of error is 1.96/(2 √ 900 0.03267, or about 3.3%.What is the margin of error for a simple random sample of 1600 people at a 95% level of confidence?At the same level of confidence as the first example, increasing the sample size to 1600 gives us a margin of error of 0.0245 or about 2.5%.

Discussion Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Discussion - Assignment Example The benefits of maximizing health and safety for the workforce as well as the organization include improved productivity of workers, improved psychological and emotional well-being of workers, and their increased motivation. The beneficial effects of maximizing the health and safety of the workforce become evident in terms of achievement of organizational goals, expansion and growth of business, and increased profitability for all. Organizations can promote the health, fitness, and psychological adaptation of their employees in a variety of ways. For example, the organization should disallow smoking in the office. This would not only keep other employees safe, but would also discourage the smokers from smoking which might drive them out of this habit. The organizations should provide the workforce with only healthy meals as snacks and for lunch. Workers would only drink soft-drinks if they would be available at the cafeteria. Organizations can substantially control their workers’ eating and drinking habits by carefully deciding the menu. The psychological adaptation of workers can be increased with thoughtful design of jobs, leadership approaches, organizational culture, and organizational policies. Generally, organizations should try to develop and foster a culture wherein employees think of the organization as their second home, and where they live and work together like a family, where seniors should be respected and juniors should be loved, and where leaders work in close collaboration with the followers rather than maintaining distance from them. Major sources of stress for me at work include but are not limited to overburden of work, lack of sufficient resources, unrealistic expectations of the boss, lack of a cooperative team, and racism and bullying. I have observed that many people feel stressed on jobs because of these or

System Analysis and Design Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

System Analysis and Design - Essay Example Due to the dificulties that the company has experienced, the manager has decided to hire a team that will implement an enterprise information system that will improve the comapanys revenue by autotamtic all the business processes.The new system primarily targets the processing of prescriptions since the process is still paperwork. This report gives details of the analysis and preliminary findings of the existing system. It covers the analysis of different business operations which requires automation. All the activities and task mentioned in the case study are captured in the report. These include prescription processing and generation of reports. The details of how the daily processing of the order is given. The report tries to identify and analyze the business problems that SC Company faces. Fundamental causes of these business problems are deliberated on. The report also gives a blueprint of each and every aspect of the business that requires to be automated. The analysis of whether the problems identified in the system can be solved throught the implementation of new information system (Yang 2010). The report will also gives details of the intial finding and recommend other relevant sources where the information about the system can be found. The preliminary finding covers all the sections that need to be automated. The finding involves analyzing how the current business processes are carried out. The company has issues with customer-delivery billing system. The system has become cumbersome to manage because the work load is becoming too much and complex. The medicare and nursing home reimbursement procedures and care providers contracts. The people who used the system have been forced to pay for the cost incurred due to inefficient system. There is also an issue with the billing software. The company which used to carry out routine maintenance has closed the business and hence the maintenance is done by the company’s employees, who lack

Marketing Cultures Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Marketing Cultures - Essay Example Subway India unlike USA offers various veg and non-veg stations specialized in fast food services. These stations give fast food service ranges from: This is a crunchy, crispy, and delicious Veggie Delite sandwich. It is a tasty combination of tomatoes, garden fresh lettuce, green peppers, olives, onions and pickles sandwiched on freshly baked bread Most vegetarian who loves this subway fast food livened up! It is a light, golden brown patty that combines the flavors of high-quality carrots, beans, bell peppers, and other assorted ingredients. As Indians say, the spice of life is variety! All these varieties emerge from the various veg and non-veg stations in Subway India but one may not necessarily get them in Subway USA due to the fact that there is only one veg and non-veg station in Subway USA. The Subway sandwich chain intended to team up with Softcard in an effort to offer customers a means of buying food via their own mobile phones (Gong, 2013:28). Indeed, Subway lived to its words and kicked off the NFC-based mobile payments using Softcard, a payments venture engineered by T-Mobile USA, AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless. Previously known as Isis Wallet, Softcard provided an app which supported mobile payments in at least 80 mobile devices sold by T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon and was preloaded on at least 30 different devices. Consumers were now able to utilize their NFC-enabled mobile devices to access payment terminal at their regional Subway restaurant in USA when paying for their food. This pilot program was only launched in Subway USA in 2013 and not in Subway India. The intention of payment service from the NFC-enabled mobile device was to reach at least 26,000 Subway locations within the US. The question as to whether iPhone 6 users will tap into Apple Pay to take advantage of these new systems was still valid by late 2013. However, Softcard and

Construction Techniques for Bridges

Construction Techniques for Bridges Structure of report An extensive part of this report was dedicated to the literature review. Though actually the most interesting part is the one which concerns to the results of the vulnerability of bridge of the case study, it is not admissible to neglect all the general considerations based on an extensively research in technical text, through which was possible to determine the specific structure, the method and the phases of construction, the type of analysis to be carried out and in which way the results have to be read. Indeed close attention is needed in interpreting the results due to limitations of the specific case under consideration and at the same time because of the need to generalize the specific results for use on a larger scale of projects. In the literature review section of the report a general study about bridges has been developed. This has been done investigating the history, the evolution, as well as the technologies and trends of bridge design, with particular attention to recent developments in California. Construction techniques have also been analyzed in more details referring to many important projects, based on international literature, scientific journals and technical books. Then the earthquake section was covered. In the section about Codes of practice an overview of the most important aspects has been made and few tables of interested have been attached to justify the choices made in the case study. Type of Analysis of previous papers The second part, elaborated with the support of the software SAP2000 BRIDGE Modeler, follows the development of the project of a common bridge in California according to the local and currents codes of practice. Literature review An extensive literature review was conducted to understand which is the state of the research and the interest of the codes in assured performance behavior of the bridges during phases of construction. Bridges Among all the engineering sciences, bridge engineering is one of the most complex because involves in itself a lot of disciplines, from technical to aesthetic, from environmental to social, from economic to political aspects. Without any doubt the technical and the economic factors are those that strongly influence engineers choices in designing a bridge, but they do not cover all the design process. Using Troitsky words Planning and designing bridges is part art and part compromise (Chen, Lian Duan, 1999). For understanding recent trends in bridge design and construction it is of high importance to consider the development that bridge engineering has undergone during centuries. History illustrates that social and economical changes in a nation have been reflected on bridge engineering development. At different historical moments, various types of bridges have been built for many purposes with the new technologies at each time. From the 19th century, due to the big industrial growth, bridges have been built essentially as part of the transportation system. During the 20th century, bridge engineering has been characterized by big changes in the structural solutions and methods of constructions because of the diffusion of the reinforced concrete. The designers had finally a large possibility of choices between materials, methods of constructions and technologies of analysis. This led to the actual scenario where multiple type of bridges are in operation highlighting the wide creativity of bridge engineers. Designing a bridge, the main important parameters to take in account in choosing the best solution are: location, span, material, type of foundation, scheme of the bridge, type of superstructure, type of supports, method of construction. Regarding materials, nowdays timber is used only for temporary bridges, then for ordinary bridges the choice is between reinforced concrete and steel. Depending on the span of the structure one material is to be preferred to the other. For spans between 65ft and 330ft reinforced concrete gives the best compromise, for spans greater than 330 ft steel is recommended. The span influences also the system of the bridge: for small and medium spans a beam bridge is commonly used, for spans longer than 160 ft an arch system could be adviced and a suspended bridge can be the solution for very long span bridges. These are only indication, and every single case has to be evalued considering limitations due to location, codes, cost and typical bridge of the area . It is a good rule of practice to consider typical projects recent designed in the area in which there is the purpose of insert a new bridge structure, if the medium-span is the one of interest. (Chen, Lian Duan, 1999). Structural Types This paragraph intends to provide a list of the several commonly used types of bridges, highlighting the differences for geometry, analysis, economy. This list is not to be intended complete, as other type of bridges may be design, in which case, specific deep studies have to be done in order to analyse the particular solution. According to Raina it is possible to categorize bridges in six different types of superstructure regarding the material which is made of. Materials commonly used for building the superstructure of permanent bridges are: Reinforced Concrete Prestressed Concrete Masonry Steel Mix of steel and reinforced concrete or mix of reinforced concrete and prestressed concrete Special superstructures with cables For each material there are possibilities of different kinds of sections. 1. Reinforced Concrete Superstructures can be simple span or continuous span; balanced cantilever, arch or frame, tipically utilized for short span bridges. Some parts may be precast. Solid Slab Used for spans between 5 and 14 meters Slab and girder (T-beam bridges) Used for spans between 14 and 25 meters Hollow box girder Used for spans between 25 and 70 meters Characterized by a high torsional resistance, is suitable for curved paths. 2. Prestressed Concrete Superstructures can be simple, balanced or free cantilever, or continuous span. It is possible to have segmental cast in situ or precast solutions. Prestressed Concrete superstructures cover medium spans. Hollow slab Used for spans between 10 and 25 meters Slab and girder (Girder bridges) Hollow box girder 3. Masonry superstructures have been associated with arch bridges in the past centuries. This type of bridges is not of relevant importance for this study, which is relative to new bridges under construction. 4. Steel Superstructure typically consists in a steel truss deck and covers long spans. 5. Composite superstructures can have the following deck types: Longitudinal plate girder and transverse beam girder with concrete slab Longitudinal and transverse beam girder with concrete slab Longitudinal box girder with concrete slab The deck arrangement can be simple span or continuous span, or arch and covers medium and long spans. 5. Special superstructure Cable stayed bridges Suspended bridges These structures are of relatively new conception and in last century have been used for long span solutions. (V.K.Raina, 1994). New trends According to Caltrans informations, in California the majority of bridges have been built with the cast-in-place (CIP) technique (See also fig.x?). This method of construction provides a good compromise between bridge cost and seismic performance of the structure. Commonly CIP system requires big effort in design and preparation at the site; often needs framework to support and long time for casting and finishing. An ever-increasing requests of new way of transportation has been registered due to the rapid growth of population and the high economic standards, added to the aging of infrastructures and the introduction of new seismic design criteria. The transportation planners are searching for new solutions that can accelerate highway and bridge construction in alternative to the traditional ones. Caltrans engineers are looking at precasting to try to achieve the Accelerating Bridge Construction (ABC); they are developing research and studies to understand the effectiveness of precas t solutions in reducing construction time on site and delays in the decongestion of traffic. In the beginning, Caltrans was concerned about the behavior of the precast structures in high seismic zones, because there was not a long tradition in the earthquake prone areas. Precasting has been usually considered having too many points of connection which are weaknesses for seismic performance capabilities. The University of California-San Diego conducted tests on the seismic behavior of precast segmental bridge and the results showed that this kind of method gives desirable performances also for high seismic zones. (Aspire, Spring 2007) In the last 3 years few projects have been completed successfully in California with prefabricated elements, and even if they costed 30% more than it they were built with traditional CIP method, the reduced time-on-site guarantees a overall gain. Economic analysis and Quantity trends In the figure above is graphically shown the trend of the Bridge Construction Cost Index in California over the last 45 years. It is evident how the index cost has been increasing over the decades, although sometimes decrements have been registered. This is possibly due to periods of regressions in the economy of the State or due to improvements in various technical aspects of construction and consequently in the adoption of new, cheaper and better designed solutions. It is very difficult to forecast the cost of bridge engineering works, as they are related to a lot of uncertainty parameters like economic situation, inflation, local environment. By the way an effort in this sense has been done to have some costs of Seismic Codes WHICH SEISMIC CODE AASHTO Standards Specifications give provisions of minimum requirements for conventional bridges with span not exceeding 300ft. There are some general indications about cable-stayed bridges, suspended bridges, arch bridges but these are not fully covered. The fundamental principles on which the Standards are based on are the following points: Structural performance should be ensured without significant damage (elastic range) under small and moderate earthquakes Design has to be carried out applying realistic ground motion accelerations Large earthquake should not cause collapse The Codes are valid for all United States and the seismic risk varies a lot through the Country. Reading the acceleration contours on the hazard map (fig.20?) the acceleration coefficient A, relative to the place of interest, is determined dividing by 100 the value read; the map is based on a return period of 475 years for events with 10% probability of exceedence in 50 years. Four Seismic Performance Categories (SPC) from A to D (AASHTO SDC) or from 1 to 4 (AASHTO LRFD) are defined (fig.20?) on the base of the Acceleration Coefficient (A) and two Importance Classification (IC) parameters categorize every bridge as Essential (I) or Critical (II) regarding its importance (fig. 22?). To take into account the soil conditions a Site Coefficient (S) has to be used in the design process for all type of foundation for approximates the effect of the soil modification on the structural behavior (fig.22?). S coefficient varies from 1 to 2 for soils from rock to soft clays or silts. For those c ases in which is not possible to determine the characterization of the site, a soil Type II with S=1.2 should be assigned. With this specifications the elastic seismic response coefficient Csm has to be calculate for the Tm period of vibration of the structure that corresponds to the mth mode. Csm is defined by the Code (3.10.6.1 AASHTO LRFD) as a function of A, S and Tm. Seismic design forces for substructure and connections have to be determined dividing the elastic forces by the appropriate Response Modification Factor given for each Importance Category of bridge. To consider the variability of the directions in which the earthquake may occur, two combinations of orthogonal seismic forces have to be apply to the superstructure of the bridge with the proportion of 100% and 30% in each direction. The Code (AASHTO LRFD) defines a vertical support as a column if the ratio of the clear high to the maximum dimension of the cross section is not less than 2.5. If the ratio is less than 2 .5, the requirements for piers have to be satisfied. A pier can be analysed as a pier in its strong direction and as a column in the weak one. Analysis Method The objective of seismic design is to define forces which structures are subject to, calculate elastic and inelastic deformations, study the ductile behavior of the structure and verify the ability of the single elements to resist. Different methods of analysis were found in the literature review with different assumptions and for different scopes. Briefly it will be given a list of the methods covered by the codes. Analytical Methods ESA Equivalent Static Analysis EDA Elastic Dynamic Analysis ISA Inelastic Static Analysis Structural System Global Analysis Stand-Alone Local Analysis Transverse Stand-Alone Analysis Longitudinal Stand-Alone analysis Simplified Analysis ESA Equivalent Static Analysis can be used to estimate the displacement demands of those structure with uniform stiffness, responding by the predominant mode of vibration, where dynamic analysis would not give significantly different results. (Cetinkaya, Nakamura,Takahashi,2005) EDA Elastic Dynamic Analysis can be used to estimate the displacement demands of those structures where ESA does not give a good response of the dynamic behavior. The effect of applying design spectral acceleration likely results in stresses exceeding the linear range. This is due to the contribution of the soil, yielding in the structural elements, expansion of the joints. According to recent Caltrans specifications (Caltrans SDC (v.1.5)) an Ordinary Bridge can be analyzed either with Equivalent Static Method or Linear Elastic Dynamic Method for estimating the displacement demands. For establish the displacement capacity of the elements a nonlinear analysis is required to take into account the ductility of the structure. Pushover analysis Case study The case study has been chosen after evaluating the trends in bridge construction in California in the last ten years. The trend shows that the majority of bridges designed in recent past are of medium span, built with the cast in place technique. A very high percentage of these are prestressed box girder built by segments with the balanced cantilever erection method. Since the interest of this study is aimed at predicting the likely behavior of the bridges that will be probably built in the next future in California, the choice was made in that direction. Precast!!!!!NEW TRENDS The main objective of this study is to study the vulnerability of the bridge under the seismic load if the earthquake is going to occur during the construction phases. Before doing this, however, is fundamental to be sure that the bridge (case of study), after work completion and during life time under live loads, will respond satisfying all safety criteria required by the current local codes. We are talking about small earthquakes if the performance behavior of the structure has to stay in the elastic range, because this is a principle that governs the bridge design according to the codes of practice. Structural System The solution adopted consists in a prestressed cast on site concrete box girder constructed with the segmental balanced cantilever method, with a mixed system of prestressing cables in post-tension. Stages of Construction One of the most significant aspect of the bridge under consideration, that affects the all the design phases, is the definition of the bridge behavior during construction in the sequential progression of structural configurations. Therefore, issues relating to structural analysis during construction and those due to the actions in the final phase, have been examined in depth. Modeling The modeling has been conducted The capacity demand of vertical supports is a complex function of a lot of variables including: Ground motion characteristic Required design level Period of vibration of the structure Material behavior Elastic damping coefficient Soil condition and foundation type The geology of the ground and the morphology of the site play a key role in the design stage and govern the choices to be made in terms of foundations, maximum span length and construction type. A subsurface investigation in the vicinity of piles and abutments is necessary to identify a suitable foundation type. The economic aspect is also affected because, depending on the geological situation, in case of high risk of liquefaction or slope stability the cost of foundations can vary greatly and reach very high costs in proportion to the total cost of the structure. In the case study taken into consideration, there was no possibility to determine the required type of the foundations due to the lack in knowledge of the geology of the soil. The feasible foundation options that could be proposed are many and, depending on the particular one chosen, they could significantly change the behaviour of the structure under seismic load. It was therefore preferred to leave the type of foundations as undefined and study the behaviour of the superstructure (piers and abutments) by assigning a good degree of restraint at the base of the substructure. Basically in the analysis model the base of the substructure has been fully restrained neglecting the possibility of deformation. This decision is based on the assumption that a fully fixed restraint (as the one simulated/assigned in the analysis model) will never occur in reality, regardless the type of foundation chosen; this means that the reactions at the base obtained from the model will be higher than the ones expected in reality, guarantying a conservative approach of the study. On the other hand the scope of this study is not the full design of the bridge, but the variation of the seismic vulnerability during the construction process, hence the previous assumptions, constant during the study of all construction stages, do not affect the final results. This means that making sure that the limitations deriving from these assumptions are taken into consideration, it has been possible to interpret the results appropriately as described in the following paragraphs. Analysis procedure The project of the bridge should be feasible in the near future at the location indicated and therefore the completed structure has to be able to withstand to all the loads defined by the codes, including seismic loads. Therefore, the first phase of this study involved the design of the bridge sections by analyzing bending, shear and torsion in superstructure and substructure. Usually, while conducting a push-over analysis, the structure is pushed till collapse is reached. This means that the structure would be allowed to pass the linear state and undergo to the non-linear one with the progressive formation of plastic hinges. Plastic hinges are a exemplification of cracking and initial damages in the structure. Wherever they occur, is not admissible to have cracks in the structure during construction of the bridge. For this reason the capacity of the piers to resist to seismic loads during construction has been evaluated through linear pushover analysis. Therefore the structure behavior has always been considered linear and when plastic hinges started occurring, which means that the structure was dissipating energy while cracking, the pushover has been stopped because the piers were considered damaged. Since the structure was reproduced with a 3-dimensional model, two different pushover analysis were carried on: one in the longitudinal direction and one in the transverse direction. The two chosen directions correspond to the first and the second mode of vibration of the bridge. Longitudinal pushover analysis was performed applying a slowly increasing seismic load on the superstructure of the bridge in the same direction of the span, and transverse pushover analysis similarly in the perpendicular direction. Summary and Conclusion The discussion in this study was carried out looking at a single bridge and making some simplifications (assumptions of fixity supports, two orthogonal directions of seismic forces, no admissible damage, linear behavior) to limit the number of variables that could affect the analysis. The previous push-over results refer to different models for the different construction phases of the same bridge. It would be hazardous coming to the conclusion that these results are representative of all bridge behaviors. Surely this study can be considered a good starting point for further investigation to be carried out on bridges with different characteristics for compare and group them in classes with analogue behavior to reach a generals conclusions about seismic vulnerability during construction.

Essay --

According to our research, our analysis and our experiences, we can assume that the following statements could help us to have a better understanding on how and why there is such a big difference of suicide rate at workplace between two companies competing in the same sector: The following statements are based on Geert Hofstede organizational dimensions model and on Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner’s different researches about organizational culture and management style. Between those two research projects, not all of the statements would be relevant for our research, so we will highlight the ones that can give us some answers about the reason of a higher suicide rate in France Telecom than in Claro even though both are competing in the same sector. 1. Means vs Goal oriented culture This first aspect is directly related to the effectiveness of the organization. Hence, in a means oriented culture, people identify with the â€Å"how†, in other words, how they will carry on a project, while in a goal oriented culture, people identify with the â€Å"what†, that is to say that they need to achieve a specific task or results within the organization. According to our research, we can say that Claro (Colombia) is a means oriented culture while France Telecom (France) is a goal oriented culture, the â€Å"what† and the obsession of achieving goals no matter how, gives stress and pressure to the employee. â€Æ' 2. Internally driven vs externally driven With this aspect, the idea of satisfaction is not about the employee, but about the customer. In an internally driven culture, honesty and business ethics matters, while in an externally culture, the only important thing is to meet the customers’ requirements. In Colombia, the employee feel like that if they r... ...anagement orders, while the solar system tends to have an impersonal bureaucracy and a high individualism within the different management levels. 8. Deal vs relationship management In deal-oriented cultures, managers tend to focus on the task and on the project itself and want to keep the head down to business. At the extreme, some of those managers may even avoid discussions with their employees. France is a good example of deal oriented culture; indeed, managers care more about business than about people. On the other hand, in a relationship oriented culture, as it is in Colombia, managers care more about people and put value on relation with them. It is important for managers to build a trustworthy relationship with their employees and to get to know each of them in order to understand how each of them work and therefore create a nice atmosphere within the team.

The Odyssey as a Classic

Classic literature often provides insight to an ancient society, their values, and their beliefs. Many books that are considered classics today focus on ancient Rome and Greece. Revenge, hubris, and other themes, and the relation of this book to modern life, classifies the poem The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Fitzgerald, as a classic. For this reason, it is still read today. Classic themes of The Odyssey are a reason that it is a timeless tale. The concept of revenge is often shown throughout Odysseus’ journey. The reason Odysseus kills the suitors is to avenge their plunder of his abode. Odysseus kills Antinoos first since he was the leader of the suitors. Not only do mortals believe in revenge, the gods do too. They encourage Odysseus to take revenge, and Zeus even sends a thunderbolt down to signal the right time for Odysseus to strike. Another theme in the Odyssey is hubris. In most classic, the hero or protagonist demonstrates this quality. This was followed up on in The Odyssey, where Odysseus was the character who demonstrated hubris the most. After he blinded Polyphemos and successfully escaped, he screamed out his name to the monster, who did not know his real identity previous to this. This was a mistake caused by his excessive pride, because he wanted the Cyclops to know that he, Odysseus, was powerful enough to blind the son of Poseidon. Polyphemos then prayed to his father that Odysseus would have a long and difficult journey, which of course Poseidon honored. Lastly, the use of the loom in The Odyssey helps to make the poem a timeless classic. The loom is used multiple times by women throughout the story. It often demonstrates hearth and home. Penelope uses it to trick the suitors. She says that she must complete the shroud of Laertes before she chooses a new suitor. This makes the suitors respect Penelope since it displayed her kindness and honor. In reality, Penelope was really avoiding marriage by unweaving the shroud every night. Kirke also used the loom to lure Odysseus’ crew into her house and make it appeal to them. This constant use of the loom is a motif. The use of motifs makes a piece of literature a classic because they create a sense of continuity and security, and they get the reader to react. The themes of revenge and hubris, and the use of motifs allow The Odyssey to be a timeless classic. The relation of The Odyssey to modern life accounts for its continued appeal. The story of Odysseus’ journey can in many ways relate to the typical life of humans today. The story is life, but mythologized. For example, missing a loved one is something that often occurs today. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ mother dies because she misses her son too much. Her story is told while Odysseus sees her in Hades. Second, individuals intervene in the matters of others. Other people provide their input of a problem today, while in the epic poem it was the gods. This intervening of the gods was a large part of the story. For example, if it wasn’t for Athena â€Å"erasing† the memories of the suitor’s deaths to their families, then the families would have attempted to assassinate Telemakhos and his father. Also, Odysseus’ journey would have been incredibly shorter if it weren’t for Poseidon intervening after Polyphemos prayed to him to make Odysseus’ journey longer. One of The Odyssey’s universal qualities is the relation of it to life today. Themes such as revenge, hubris, motifs, and reader-to-text connections are examples of universal qualities included in the poem The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Fitzgerald. These qualities classify this poem as a classic. 3000 years after it was published, it is still thriving. One of the oldest works of literature is still considered a timeless piece of literature today.

Civil Engineering Essays - Building Engineering, Civil Engineer

Civil Engineering Essays - Building Engineering, Civil Engineer Civil Engineering Civil Engineering Why do I want to be a civil engineer? Until recently, I did not know the answer to this question myself. I was lost when choosing a career. Then, I read about civil engineering, an occupation involving the construction of buildings, roads, and bridges. As I looked farther into civil engineering, I liked many of the other aspects involved with the career. Although the education will be difficult, I have determined that civil engineering is the career that I want to pursue. What is civil engineering? This career can not be defined using just a few words. The many obstacles that civil engineers must overcome cover a vast area of responsibilities. Civil engineers conceive, plan, construct, and operate facilities that meet basic human needs and reach out toward the realization of societys most noble goals (Auburn 106). Civil engineers solve real world problems with the combination of applying mathematics and natural sciences (Hagerty and Heer 2-3). Upon deciding to pursue a career in civil engineering, I must have many attributes that help me decide for myself if I am right for this career. Probable civil engineers can be found occupying their childhood time with mechanical toys and structural sets instead of traditional toys. These people will get enjoyment from planning, designing, and constructing works or facilities. They also have the ability to see how intelligent use of nature has made our civilization today possible and have the desire to want to improve it (Golze 41). As a child building blocks filled my toy chest, and erector sets filled my playroom. I loved the challenge of building things and making things work. A young passion for the work of a civil engineer leads me to believe I could succeed in this field. The education of a civil engineer deals mainly with math and natural sciences. The first four semesters of curriculum required, which I will take at Northeast Alabama Community College, are the basics such as Calculus I - IV, differential equations, statistics, English, history, literature, speech, chemistry, and physics (Northeast 40). After completion of the requirements at Northeast Alabama Community College, I plan to attend Auburn University. Auburn Universitys institutional mission is to prepare students for the ethical practice of civil engineering (Auburn 106). When beginning my studies at Auburn University, I will be required to take classes that go even deeper into civil engineering. Classes such as hydraulics, statics, and water treatment, are required to give an engineer a base to help solve problems in real world situations (Auburn 106). By taking classes such as these, I will be more prepared to face any problems encountered on the job. At many schools, students are able to study and gain work experience at the same time through cooperative programs. These programs allow students to get a first-hand look at experiences related to the job while still pursuing their education in that career. The close relationship between the school and the industry is important because both continue to educate the student (Hagerty and Heer 47-50). After completing my requirements at Northeast Alabama Community College, I plan to attend Auburn University and enter its cooperative program and engineering school. I hope that the knowledge I will gain from both institutions will lead me into a successful career as an engineer. Civil engineers use their knowledge of material science, engineering theory, and economics to devise, construct, and maintain our physical surroundings. The work duties depend on many different areas of specialization in engineering. A structural engineer, who is concerned with loads to which the structure is exposed, must calculate the maximum load that the structure can hold. On the other hand, a public works engineer must anticipate and be responsive to social needs. A company will start a young, inexperienced engineer out with few responsibilities. As the engineer gains experience, he or she will also gain additional responsibilities (Hagerty and Heer 89). The practice of civil engineering pays the lowest salary of all engineering fields. However, over the past few years, civil engineering graduates have seen a 2.7 % increase in their starting salaries. The average annual starting salary, according to an article in the Memphis Business Journal, is $30,618 dollars (Scott 4). Those who pursue a career in civil engineering do not make their decision based on salary. Instead, they derive satisfaction from the good done by helping meet the social and economic needs of the people (Hagerty and Heer 88). Aiding the publics most common needs is what interests me

Free sample - A Comparison of Life in the US and Life in the USSR in the 1960s. translation missing

A Comparison of Life in the US and Life in the USSR in the 1960s. A Comparison of Life in the US and Life in the USSR in the 1960sThe Soviet Union also known as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), was a state based on socialism (Martin, 1995). This state existed on what was formerly the Russian Empire. In the 1960’s, this state had one communist Party and a planned economy. Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, led this state with dictatorship leading to economic depression, and political repression (Smitha, 2000). In the 1960’s, the United States of America’s President, Lyndon B. Johnson, led America to large-scale industrialization, egalitarianism and calmed political turbulence as Civil Activism raged. He ensured that the blacks and other minority groups had their civil liberties thus making America a democracy. During this time, America was a capitalist economy and could not tolerate Soviet’s communism. This essay explores how capitalism boosted the economy of America as communism and socialism ruined the economy of the Soviet Union. After World War 1, the capitalist economy of America got a boost from the sale of arms and other military equipment. It used the gains to build its military power and used it as a â€Å"sphere of influence† thus dividing Europe with an Iron Curtain (The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 2003). Eastern Europe embraced capitalism and thus aligned itself with U.S. while Europe’s Western Nations aligned themselves with the USSR and adopted communism and socialism. The U.S economy was market based. The price of products and services was dictated by the supply and demand curve. Economic growth saw the expansion of infrastructure, industries, and urbanization (Frieden, 2006). Suburbs emerged with the middle class transforming in search of better wages. In the education system, students were taught business management, critical thinking, and questioning authority. These educational foundations geared the emergence of successful multinational corporations that changed the business face of the world. In USSR, communism dictated that the people or the citizens should worship the leaders. The state of government was more of a police state where freedom is controlled or curtailed. This limitation to human freedom and basic rights led to decline in production from agriculture to the industry and consequently the economic decline. Socialism ensured that workers were organized to form cooperatives. They produce goods and services, the leaders take them and redistribute them to the people (The Norton Anthology of American Literature, 2003). This is what led to the slowdown of the USSR economy because the worker toils to produce and he or she is not motivated. The USSR economy was a planned economy. Price controls, state owned and controlled industries lost a lot of revenue because there was poor governance and little motivation. The education system was structured along the lines of communism. Students were taught to follow rules without questioning authority. This is what has largely contributed to the unsuccessfulness of Russian corporations because people do not want to question authority even when they see a problem. Because of this, life expectancy dropped, many people lived on less than a dollar a day, poor housing, and lack of good food made them a disillusioned lot (Martin, 1995). The USSR government could not tolerate America’s capitalism. They used socialism and communism as their â€Å"sphere of influence† and thus gained support from Europe’s Western Nations. In the 1960’s the economy of the U.S and that of the Soviet Union grew at almost the same rate-6-7 percent (Smitha, 2000). Both countries made economic gains that made them to be the world’s leading superpowers and producers of manufactured goods. The existence of two equally powerful nations led to strained relations and hostility. The main cause was competition for support from the emerging economies and third world countries. References Frieden, J. (2006). Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century. New York,   W.W. Norton Company. Print. Martin, M. (1995). Soviet Tragedy: A History of Socialism in Russia. New York, Free Press.   Print. Smitha, E. F. (2000). End of the Cold War and the Soviet Union: The Soviet Economy to the mid-1960s. Macrohistory and World Report.

The film Solaris Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The film Solaris - Essay Example The film unsettles the audience in very many ways. The first instant where it does this is the part where Kelvin gets to the station and discovers that Gibarian has committed suicide (Solaris, 2002). This is unsettling because death or the visualization of a body is very uncomfortable. Moreover, it is unsettling as it signs to show that the film would have many such scary scenes and thus they become uncomfortable due to uncertainty. The next unsettling is seen not long after this as Kelvin goes around the station and sees many bodies. This is bound to make the audience even more uncomfortable to the site. The techniques used to achieve this unsettling is through the use of visual effects. In such a site where there are many bodies, dim light is used with several flashes of maximum light to show the large amount of bodies in the station. The lights dim again and this is used to instill some form of rush on the viewer because a dim light in an area with many bodies is bound to scare the ordinary human. Another element included in order to enhance such an uneasy scene is by zooming. As the movie progresses, parts where there are bodies present are zoomed in and this is quite uncomfortable for the site of a body is not appealing. This zooming is also used to frighten young children watching the movie for children fear death. Sound is the vastly used technique in the achievement of unsettling the audience. There are parts of the film that are calm, and even some soft music is played in the background. However, other sections of the film there exists suspense and the audience is anxious to understand what will happen next. During such times, the type of music played is quite high toned and fast. Combination of the two makes the section even scarier. At the scene Kelvin and Gordon found the stashed away body of Snow, they are surprised and shocked. Prior to finding the body, the sound produced is quite calm as a signaling of

E-Learning, the Possibilities of Replacing Traditional Learning Essay

E-Learning, the Possibilities of Replacing Traditional Learning - Essay Example This type of learning is also delivered via multimedia programmes that use text, graphics, video conferencing, and animations to better engage the learner, beneficial for auditory and visual learners as well (Takiya, Archbold & Berge, 2005). Traditional learning generally involves one or more instructors in an environment that promotes physical or auditory interaction with an instructor in the pursuit of knowledge sharing. E-learning, theoretically, provides this same function allowing for students in multiple environments to glean important knowledge using technology as the medium and replacing the physical interactivity between instructor and learner. As technology continues to improve, more and more colleges, businesses and universities are promoting new e-learning possibilities as a means to save on costs and improve the learning process. However, it is unclear as to whether e-learning maintains the same quality outcomes of traditional learning as the research evidence conflicts in relation to results of this type of learning. ... red it a vital tool for staff training, whilst 54 percent already had an e-learning programme in place or were considering developing and launching e-learning in the next year (isoph.com). This is a high volume of real-time environments that believe in the quality and integrity of these systems to achieve their learning goals. One benefit of e-learning is the self-paced functionality of the educational materials. Students or employees who learn via technology rather than in traditional format are able to schedule their own working times so as not to conflict with lifestyle needs. What this produces is more flexibility and also improves the level to which slower learners impede the progress of other students in a typical classroom environment. â€Å"Advanced learners are allowed to speed through or bypass instruction that is redundant while novices slow their own progress through content† (Kruse, 2009, p.1). What this theoretically produces is much less disruption to other stud ents and eliminates frustration with fellow learners (Kruse). In a typical environment, more gifted students often feel this frustration when content and progress is slowed by redundant learning efforts. In the United States, the state of Maine established e-learning in middle schools that reached over 42,000 students and included 5,000 instructors. When surveyed, more than 80 percent of educators believed it created more engaged students who produced higher quality learning outcomes (Intel, 2009). In Malaysia, e-learning programmes measured in 10 primary and secondary schools reported 85 percent of teachers believed it created a more collaborative and innovative learning environment when implemented in the classroom (Intel). According to Lowes (2005) students demand certain criteria when learning

Design a factory Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Design a factory - Dissertation Example The report reflects a very significant aspect of industrial engineering advancement. The research is tied around dyeing and molding methods used by industries to reduce production and change over time between productions of different parts. The parts under consideration over here are car bumpers of two cars, namely Toyota and Nissan UK. A hypothetical factory will be explained which works on the Just-In-Time principle to produce and deliver car bumpers to production line of the said companies in the UK. MOLDING AND DYEING First, let us start with the building block of this review paper. Mould or molding is the initial way or increasing production rate in factory. This is not the sole reason but a part of the reason. The process of molding can be defined as the process of shaping raw material using different means, which have been developed over the years in industrial revolutions and beyond by experimentation and innovation. The caste is the second term which has to be explained. Com ing towards the role of the mould or the caste. It is, in simple terms, a hollow shape of the actual part, which has to be produced or manufactured. The raw material, with proper heating and other scientific methods, is poured into the caste, which in terms forms the desired part. The earlier part of the report explains molding as a very simple form of technique, but now it has evolved into a complete science, rather modern art. Injection molding is a industrial process for producing similar parts from thermoplastic and thermosetting plastic material. Heated material is poured into a mold cavity to produce the exact part. The caste is then engineered to perfection for running production. This technique is used vastly now in industries and production houses to produce variety of parts, from the smallest of parts to the very panels on the car, Douglas (1996, pp. 43). The part under discussion in this report is a car bumper that will be produced for two companies, on being Nissan and t he other being Toyota. An Injection molding machine is simply a mechanical device invented to take the human factor out of the process of injection molding to as far an extent as possible and in this case, it is related to the bumper of the two car companies. A basic assumption has to be made for the hypothesis about the number of parts manufactured in this factory. The number of parts that this factory produces is four. Two being the front bumpers and two rear for both Toyota and Nissan respectively. EQUIPMNT REQUIRED The machines that would be required to fulfill the demand of two companies with two bumpers (front and rear) respectively will need a minimum of 4 machines to bring about a constant production. As the factory works on just-in-time principle, the raw material will be forecasted and put on demand just when it is needed, hence reducing the cost of storage and constant manning of the resources. The best machine that will be used for fast processing and manufacture of simi lar parts will be plastic injection molding machine, with the die constructed on order from the owner. As the bumper designs will be provided by Nissan and Toyota, hence a machine is needed which is software operated and the design can be changed according to the demand. The machine that is going to be installed in the factory will be Fangheng, model FH-AB06 produced by Taizhou Huangyan Fangheng Plastic Moulds Co., Ltd. The machine has been chosen after a lot of

Can Religious and Political Groups Combine Essay Example for Free

Can Religious and Political Groups Combine Essay Can Religious and Political Groups Combine? page 1 Denise Rodriguez Can Religious and Political Groups Combine? Eng 122 Composition II Instructor Schmidt 5/6/2013 page2 Outline I. The balance of politics and spiritual groups i. Can Spiritual groups and politics be combined? ii. Can politics and spiritual groups balance together? II. The combination of political and religious groups. i. How politics can affect a congregation? ii. Politician and pastor relationship. III. Affects of politics against religion iii. Law passing religions are against. iv. Politics advocates don’t have the same meaning as religious groups. IV. Conclusion i. Reason for political and religious groups can combine. Running Head: Can Religious and Political GroupsCombine? page3 CAN RELIGIOUS AND POLITICAL GROUPS COMBINE? Organized religious groups can be political advocates as well as tend to spiritual needs of people. There is a possibility that they will strike a balance. Religion is a way of life, a cultural behavior. People work in their churches and live through the laws of the practice. Political advocate is the act of  pleading  or arguing a case or a position; forceful persuasion The Fee Dictionary, Farlex, 2013). Politics and religion are equally influential. It will be possible for the two to strike a balance and cannot be combined. Christian Cultural Center (CCC) on several Sunday’s there has been several visits from different political parties. Mayor Bloomberg has visited the church on many occasions. CCC is a spiritual environment where people go to learn the word of God. Pastor A. R Bernard stated in the daily news blog. â€Å"I’m not driven by political ambitions. It would be motivated by my love and concern for this city. I have 35,000 members who will be impacted by whatever happens,† The effects of his candidacy in the running for Mayor in the U. S. may have had an effect on his congregation. If Pastor Bernard were to lose, it may not have an impact on the church. If he were to win the church would no longer have him as a religious leader. To become a Mayor requires the person to be available for to work with the government, to better New York A. R. Bernard backs up Mayor Bloomberg along with several other pastors. Such as Rev. Timothy Birkett, â€Å"We have to come to his foundation sooner or later,† said the Rev. Timothy Birkett, pastor of the Church Alive Community Church in the Bronx, who is backing the mayor this year. â€Å"We hope that he will be receptive. † There are so many different types of religious practices that it would be difficult to incorporate them all. If politicians were to include one of many, that religious group would have an advantage over all the rest. The complications of political and religious groups combining, is the passing of laws that religions are against. Two of the most sensitive subjects are same sex marriage and abortion. Currently there are several states that allow same sex marriage while religions like Christianity are against them, as explained in the Holy Bible. The government states that a fetus is not considered a baby until it has been born. There are issues that have been raised from abortion. Under Colorado law, a fetus is not a person and plaintiffs claims for wrongful death must therefore be dismissed, the hospital argued. A 7 month pregnant mother and her Running Head: Can Religious and Political GroupsCombine? Page4 twins died at a catholic hospital in Nashville, Tenn. The doctors did not perform an emergency cesarean and ended in death of the mother and her two unborn children. The hospital would not speak publicly about the case that went in front of a judge. A hospital may not be a political or a spiritual facility, the issue of the hospital being a catholic hospital that abides by the bible and refused to perform an abortion on the mother to be. Simply because of what the BIBBLE says about it being a sin. Deuteronomy 5:17   Thou shalt not kill. Numbers 12:12   Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flesh is half consumed when he cometh out of his mothers womb. Political and religious groups are balanced in the way people follow what they believe in. Every group has a leader and rules to follow, whether it’s for the whole country or for people who share the same beliefs. If all religions had the same laws as politics, maybe they can be combined. CCC church is a church of political advocates. There are political parties from all over, which are involved in the church or even just with A. R. Bernard. Several other pastors around the world all commend Mayor Bloomberg for his involvement in the churches as well as how much money he has donated to the churches. Even after poster Bernard decided not to run for Mayor. He still continues to keep in communication with politicians. Known for its institutions of politics, finance, fashion and media, it is also one of the most religiously diverse cites in the world. Without that diversity, from small storefronts to large mega ministries, over 7600 churches in Christian ministry throughout the five boroughs. Religious groups can be political advocates, just like Christian Cultural Center. Both groups may have different values when it comes to law decisions. They are both groups with a great deal of influence on the public and religious groups vote for political parties to run New York. It is important for religious groups to keep involvement in politics, because it is what makes the state what it is. There are laws to abide by and reasons to continue to reach out to others as one. Resources Bible Verses about Abortion from the King James Version (KJV) by Relevance http://www. kingjamesbibleonline. org/Bible-Verses-About-Abortion/ Christian Cultural Center http://cccinfo. org/ Daily News http://www. nydailynews. com/news/rev-bernard-christian-cultural-center-set-endo se-mayor-bloomberg-3rd-term-article-. 370774 http://www. nytimes. com/2009/10/29/nyregion/29ministers. html? pagewanted=allamp;_r=1amp; HighBeam Research http://www. highbeam. com/doc/1G1-293418641. html Stassen, G. (2008, Senator obama: Add healing to your message. Tikkun,  23, 44-46. Retrieved from http://search. proquest. com/docview/212256663? accountid=32521 The Fee D ictionary, Farlex, 2013 http://legal-dictionary. thefreedictionary. com/Political+advocacy USA Today http://www. usatoday. com/story/news/nation/2013/01/24/fetuses-not-people-catholic-hospital-says-in-court-case/1863013/

Bio-mechanical Differences Between Male and Female Runners

Bio-mechanical Differences Between Male and Female Runners BUILT TO RUN:  BIOMECHANICAL DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE MARATHON RUNNERS Acknowledgements Special thanks are accorded to the following people whose work contributed significantly in developing this essay: Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman whose recent findings established running as an essential factor in the evolution of humans, findings that added an extra measure of interest to, and a context for, the essay; Jolie Holschen for doing such an excellent job of pulling together so much valuable information on the anatomical differences between male and female athletes; and Stephen Seiler for his exploration of gender differences in endurance performance and training. In addition, there were numerous other sources used and for which appreciation is due. Attributions are made to all sources in the References section at the end of the essay. Table of Contents INTRODUCTION 1 Anatomical Differences between Men and Women with Specific Reference to Running 2 Definition of the Term Marathon with Comparison to Other Types of Running 7 Definitions of the Term Biomechanics 8 Application of Biomechanics to Running with Reference to Marathon Runners 10 OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE 12 REVIEW OF EXISTING RESEARCH ON METHODS AND FINDINGS 12 DISCUSSION 19 CONCLUSIONS 22 FURTHER OPPORTUNITIES FOR RESEARCH 22 REFERENCES 24 BUILT TO RUN:  BIOMECHANICAL DIFFERENCES  BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE MARATHON RUNNERS â€Å"More than by brain size or tool-making ability, the human species was set apart from its ancestors by the ability to jog mile after lung-stabbing mile with greater endurance than any other primate.† INTRODUCTION The introductory quotation (Hotz, 2004) simply, yet vividly, expresses the results of a recent study completed by two American scientists, Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman, and released in the journal Nature (2004). Bramble and Lieberman contend that â€Å"the ability to run long distances was the driving force shaping the modern human anatomy.† Hotz’s characterization of early humans as â€Å"marathon men and women from the tips of their distinctively short toes and long Achilles tendons to the tops of their biomechanically balanced heads† (emphasis added) sets the backdrop for this essay—an exploration of the biomechanical differences between male and female marathon runners. After a few additional historical comments, this essay opens with a presentation of anatomical differences between men and women with specific reference to running then continues with definitions and descriptions of the term marathon, as a form of organized running sport, and definitions for the term biomechanics in preparation for a discussion of how the field of biomechanics is applied to running. With this information as a foundation, the objective and scope will be articulated followed by presentation of previous methods and findings revealed from a search of the literature on the topic of biomechanical differences between male and female marathon runners and closely-related topics. These findings will be discussed and conclusions drawn. Finally, recommendations for further research will be presented. To return briefly to the research findings of Bramble, a paleontologist and biomechanics expert, and Lieberman, a physical anthropologist, to continue setting the backdrop for the essay, Bramble states: â€Å"Running made us human, at least in an anatomical sense. We think running is one of the most transforming events in human history† (Chui, 2004). Endurance running is an activity that is reserved for humans in the primate world and not common in other mammals with the exception of dogs, horses and a few others. Bramble and Lieberman contend that running permitted humans to scavenge and hunt for food over significant distances and that the high protein food they secured was instrumental in developing larger brains (Wilford, 2004). To facilitate running, humans developed several traits including large buttocks with strong muscles which connect the femur to the trunk of the body preventing the body from â€Å"over-balancing with each step.† In addition, â€Å"humans have a lengthy arm-swinging stride† and â€Å"[l]ong ligaments and tendons—including the Achilles tendon—[which] serve as springs that store and release mechanical energy during running.† (Hotz, 2004). Bramble’s reference to today’s running in the evolutionary context he and Lieberman established provides an appropriate introduction to the exploration of the biomechanical differences between male and female marathon runners (Wilford, 2004): â€Å"Today, endurance running is primarily a form of exercise and recreation, but its roots may be as ancient as the origin of the human genus.† Anatomical Differences between Men and Women with Specific Reference to Running The description of anatomical differences between men and women, which is focused on anatomical features that are involved in running, begins with a gender-neutral discussion to establish a foundation for the more gender-specific information. Rossi (2003) emphasizes the complexity of walking, a precursor to running. He writes that half of the 650 muscles and tendons in the human body are involved in what most people consider to be the simple act of walking. He suggests that, in the evolution of the human body, there were â€Å"hundreds of adaptations† that had to take place, adaptations that required â€Å"repositioning of everything in the body† over several million years. Rossi writes: â€Å"The arms, no longer needed for branch swinging, became shorter, the legs longer, the pelvis wider, the shoulders narrower, the neck longer and more slender, the spine changed from C-shape to S-shape. Major changes were required in the hip, knee and ankle joints. Hundreds of muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints gradually shifted in position, size and function. And of course, the new posture and gait required important changes in the size and position of all the organs of the chest and abdomen. Rossi suggests that some of these changes were extremely significant from a biomechanical perspective. For instance, he calls attention to the blood pumping requirement of the upright human form: Daily in each individual, approximately 74,000 quarts of blood must travel through 100,000 miles of blood vessels from the brain to the feet and legs in a circular pattern. Rossi emphasizes the human â€Å"engineering† challenge that was required to design a system that would counteract the effects of gravity in moving blood vertically in this manner. Rossi’s comments are particularly important in the context of the current discourse because they provide some insight into the current state of relevant anatomical features of today’s runners and how those features were derived. The anatomy of humans, unlike that of other living creatures, provides for speed and endurance. The unique characteristics related to running include (Science in Africa, 2005, citing University of Utah Public Relations, 2004): Skull features. These features, which include sweating from the scalp and face, cool the blood. A balanced head. This shape of head with a relatively flat face, small teeth, and short snout moves the center of the mass backward which helps to counter the effects of moving upward and downward during running. A ligament running from the rear of the skill and neck downward to the thoracic vertebrae. This feature serves as a shock absorber that aids the arms and shoulders in counterbalancing the head during running activity. Shoulders â€Å"decoupled† from the head and neck. This feature allows rotation of the body while the head faces forward during running. A tall body. This feature, which includes a narrow trunk, waist and pelvis, provides for increased skin surface allowing for enhanced body cooling and permits the upper and lower body segments to move independently. Short forearms. This feature permits the upper body to act as a counterbalance to the lower body during running activity while reducing the muscle power required for maintaining flexed arms. Large vertebrae and disks. This feature permits the human back to accepted heavier loads when runners impact the ground. Large, strong connection between the pelvis and the spine. This feature supports more stability and shock absorbing capacity during running activity. Large buttocks. This feature, and the muscles that form it, stabilize the body during running activity. The connection of these muscles to the femur prevents the body from pitching forward. Long legs. This feature allows humans to take large strides during running activity. The tendons and ligaments permit the legs to be lighter and less muscular thereby requiring a smaller amount of energy to propel them while running. Large hip, knee, and ankle joint surface areas. These features provide enhanced shock absorption by reducing the impact in any one specific area. Arrangement of bones in the foot. This feature provides for a more rigid foot by creating a stable arch, allowing runners to push off in a more efficient manner and to use ligaments located on the bottom of the feet as springs. Large heel bone, short toes, and a big toe. These features provide for enhanced shock absorption and increased capacity to push off during running activity. With the running-related anatomical features applicable to all humans as a foundation, the focus now turns to the differences in anatomical features between men and women, specifically those features that are involved in running activity. Holschen (2004) writes that, until puberty, males and females are equal in terms of strength, aerobic power, heart size, and weight; they also have similar amounts of body fat. Starting at puberty, according to Holschen (2004), male and female sex hormones begin affecting bone and lean body mass, circulation, and metabolism in different ways. A female typically has a wider pelvis, femoral anteversion (inward twisting of the femur), genu valgum (knees touch but ankles are separated), and external tibial torsion (feet do not line up in a straight manner because of out-toeing from outward rotation of the large calf bone). Center of gravity differences between men and women are minimal, correlating more by body type and height than with gender. (Atwater, 1985, cited in Holschen, 2004). When compared with males, females typically have smaller bones accompanied by smaller articular surfaces. They also have proportionately shorter legs with resulting decreased potential force in certain maneuvers. (Holschen, 2004). At puberty, girls gain both fat and lean muscle mass due to the influence of female hormones; boys lose body fat and add muscle mass due to the influence of male hormones (Holschen, 2004). Women in adulthood have about ten percent more body fat than do their male counterparts (Greydanus, D. and Patel, D., 2002, cited in Holschen, 2004). The basal metabolic rate is approximately ten percent lower in women than in men. The presence of female hormones mandates that women rely more on fat metabolism at any given exercise level when compared to men. In addition, glycogen uptake, storage, and use are increased. (Holschen, 2004, citing Bonekat, H. W. et al., 1987; Dombovy, M. L. et al., 1987; Frankovich, R. J. and Lebrun, C. M., 2000; Nicklas, B. J. et al., 1989; Tarnopolsky, L. J., 1990) Cureton and associates (1988, cited in Holschen, 2004) attribute the differences in muscle strength between men and woman to skeletal and cardiac muscular hypertrophy and muscle mass percentage; they conte nd that muscle mass in men is forty percent compared to twenty-three percent in women. Changes in body composition and circulatory capacity beginning at puberty result in approximately twenty percent higher cardio-respiratory capacity in men. Men also have comparatively higher oxygen-carrying capacity, larger heart and lung mass, a higher stroke volume, and higher maximal cardiac output which result in greater effectiveness in aerobic and anaerobic activities, although training can overcome the inherent differences (Williford, H. N. et al., 1993, cited in Holschen, 2004). The results of the current research point to fundamental anatomical differences between men and woman, differences that largely begin to appear during puberty and which have some bearing on running capability. Definition of the Term Marathon with Comparison to Other Types of Running The term running can be defined as â€Å"[moving] swiftly on foot so that both feet leave the ground during each stride† (American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000). The research by Bramble and Lieberman (2004, cited in Nature, 2004), which was presented earlier, seems to indicate that running has been part of human existence since its beginnings and, in fact, contributed significantly to development of human life today. Humans no longer require running for survival, at least in their normal affairs; that is, typically, humans do not have to run from danger or run in pursuit of animals to kill for food. In modern times, running has taken on a new form—competition foot racing. This competition racing can be against oneself to achieve one’s own â€Å"personal best† or with others. Racing against others can take many forms ranging from informal competitions between two young friends racing against one another on a playground to very formal co mpetitions such as those in the quadrennial Olympics. The more formal running competitions are typically classified by the length of the run: 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500, 5000, and 10000 meters as well as marathons (Dollman, 2003). There are many terms that refer to specific forms of foot racing: run, dash, sprint, relay, meet, competitive trial of speed, footrace, and marathon (Webster’s New World Thesaurus, 1997). Of these, the terms dash and sprint are typically used interchangeably to describe â€Å"a short, fast run or race† (Webster’s New World Dictionary, 1988) or â€Å"a short, swift movement† (Webster’s New World Thesaurus, 1997). Organized dashes and sprints are commonly of 50 meters, 100 meters, 200 meters, 50 yards, 100 yards, and 200 yards in length (Webster’s New World Thesaurus, 1997). Marathons are a form of long-distance running, which are on- and off-the-track competitions of more than 3000 meters (Hlus, 1997). Specifically, a marathon is â€Å"a footrace of 42 kilometers, 195 meters (26 miles, 385 yards) run over an open course,† or â€Å"any long-distance or endurance contest† People who compete in marathons are called marathoners (Webs ter’s New World Dictionary, 1998). Physiologically, there is a fundamental difference between a sprint or dash and a marathon. According to Pritchard (1994), â€Å"A sprinter can exert maximum force throughout the run, but this is not possible for longer runs, where propulsive force must be reduced to match energy availability.† Historically, marathons are not new events. According to legend, the name marathon is derived from the Greek city, Marathon, to commemorate Pheidippides’s run from that city to Athens to announce Greek victory over the Persians. The marathon was introduced to the Olympics in 1896 and today’s official distance was established in 1908. (Hlus, 1997; The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) Today, in addition to marathon races in the Olympics, many cities throughout the world serve as sites for annual or other periodic marathons (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005). A new form of marathon race has recently taken form—the ultramarathon, which is â€Å"any organized footrace extending beyond the standard marathon running distance of 42 kilometers, 195 meters†¦[they] typically begin at 50 kilometers and extend to enormous distances† (Blaikie, n. d.). Standard distances for ultramarathons are 50 and 100 kilometers and 50 and 100 miles (Meyers, 2002) with the longest certified race being the Sri Chinmoy, a 2092 kilometer race held annually in New York (Blaikie, n. d.). Definition of the Term Biomechanics The research produced numerous and varied definitions for the term biomechanics. The following are representative of the findings: â€Å"The study of the mechanics of a living body, especially of the forces exerted by muscles and gravity on the skeletal structure.† (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000). [The] application of mechanical engineering principles and techniques in the field of medicine and surgery, studying natural structures to improve those produced by humans† (The Hutchinson Encyclopedia, 2003). â€Å"[A] science examining the forces acting upon and within a biological structure, and the effects produced by those forces† (The University of Calgary, n. d.). â€Å"[T]he science that deals with forces and their effects, applied to biological systems† (Freivalds, 2004). â€Å"[T]he application of the principles and techniques of mechanics to the human body in motion† (Snowden, 2001). â€Å"Biomechanics is a specific field which evaluates the motion of a living organism†¦and the actions of forces on that organism†¦a combination of several different areas of study [including] anatomy and physiology, kinematics (the study of motion without regard to its causes), kinesiology (the study of human movement) and kinetics (the study of forces acting on a system)† (National Endurance Sports Trainers Association, 2005). In furnishing a definition for biomechanics, the Quintic Consultancy Ltd. (2005) provides some additional insight into the origin and details of the term, stating that the name â€Å"is derived from the Greek bios meaning life and mekhaniki meaning mechanics,† adding that these individual terms are combined to mean â€Å"the mechanics of life forms.† The biomechanics discipline includes research into various life forms including plants, insects, reptiles, birds, fish, humans, and others. Within the human specialty, topics include mechanics â€Å"of bone, tooth, muscle, tendon, ligament, cartilage, skin, prostheses, blood flow, air flow, eye movement, joint movement [and] whole body movement† (The Quintic Consultancy Ltd., 2005). Historically, according to Knudson (2003), the study of human biomechanics has alternated between emphasizing each of its two components—the biological and the mechanical. Atwater (1980, cited in Knudson, 2003) claims that, during the first half of the twentieth century, scholars emphasized medicine and anatomy under the term kinesiology. The distinct field of biomechanics was born from the work of biomechanists in the 1960s and 1970s. From that point the field began to emphasize mechanics over biology. Today, the competing forces to move the discipline either toward a biological emphasis or toward a mechanical emphasis continue (Knudson, 2003). Application of Biomechanics to Running with Reference to Marathon Runners The field of biomechanics, already narrowed in a previous section from consideration of all life forms to only humans for the purpose of this essay, can be focused even further to a sub-field called sports biomechanics (The Quintic Consultancy Ltd., 2005): â€Å"Sports biomechanics uses the scientific methods of mechanics to study the effects of various forces on the sports performer. It is concerned, in particular, with the forces that act on the human neuromusculoskeletal system, velocities, accelerations, torque, momentum, and inertia. It also considers aspects of the behavior of sports implements, footwear and surfaces where these affect athletic performance or injury prevention. Sports biomechanics can be divided up into two sections: performance improvement [and] injury prevention.† The Australian Sports Commission (n. d.) furnishes additional descriptive information on the application of biomechanics to sports, using a term the Commission calls applied sports biomechanics which â€Å"incorporates techniques from physics, human anatomy, mathematics, computing and engineering to analyse technique to prevent injury and improve performance.† The Commission’s division of sports biomechanics into two categories—performance improvement and injury prevention—echoes the classifications offered by The Quintic Consultancy Ltd. Williams (2003) describes how biomechanics can help runner performance, specifically that of the marathoner. Leading into his recommendations, he describes how marathon runners use a simple biomechanical strategy known as â€Å"drafting off another runner† when running into the wind to reduce the adverse effects of air resistance and reduce oxygen consumption for the latter part of the race. He writes: â€Å"The goal of the sport biomechanist is to improve movement efficiency, mainly by maximizing propulsive forces and minimizing resistive forces, and thus provide the athlete with a mechanical edge. Using high-speed cinematography, the biomechanist can analyze a runner’s form and detect problems in running form that may be inefficient, such as overstriding, and that may waste energy. Although most elite and experienced marathoners have developed efficient running styles, even a small improvement in running efficiency may make a significant difference over the duration of a marathon.† In addition to the strategy of â€Å"drafting off another runner,† Williams offers several other â€Å"biomechanical strategies† including selecting the proper sportswear (i.e. uniform and shoes) and optimizing body weight and composition. Thus far the topics of anatomical differences between men and women with specific reference to running; definitions and descriptions of the terms marathon (as an organized, competitive form of running) and biomechanics; and the application of biomechanics to running have been presented and discussed. With this as a foundation, the focus of the discourse now turns to the topic of biomechanical differences between male and female marathon runners and closely-related topics. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE The objective of this portion of the essay will be to explore the biomechanical differences between male and female marathon runners through a review and analysis of selected literature on the topic and related issues. The scope of the literature review will include marathon running with specific reference to available information on the differences between males and females. Although running of shorter distances (e.g. sprints and dashes) and longer distances (e.g. ultramarathons) as well as other sports activities are excluded from the specific scope of this essay, references will be made to these activities when they related to marathon running. Performance improvement and injury prevention were mentioned as the two primary areas addressed by applied sports biomechanics. Gender-specific issues in each of these areas will be explored briefly as well. REVIEW OF EXISTING RESEARCH ON METHODS AND FINDINGS One researcher who has studied gender differences in endurance performance, including marathon running, is Stephen Seiler (1996) of The Institute for Sport, Agder College in Kristianstad, Norway. He writes: â€Å"Some years ago it was proposed by some that women would actually perform better [than men] at ultra-endurance type activities. This theory has been disproved in the laboratory and in practice.† â€Å"As long as women are women, I don’t think they will surpass men,† states Norways perennial marathon winner Grete Waitz (quoted in Holden, 2004). The anatomical differences between females and their male counterparts, specifically those that affect running, were presented in the introduction. Now an attempt will be made to show that the general anatomical differences between men and women extend to biomechanical differences that affect marathon running performance and injury. Holschen (2004) writes that â€Å"[T]he female athlete remains less well understood and less well studied compared with male athletes, especially in the areas of performance factors, repetitive stress, and acute injuries.† She continues: â€Å"Logical reasons for this include: (a) a limited two-generation span of the high-profile elite female; (b) fewer females involved in coaching, research, and sports medicine; and (c) limited areas of female youth sports historically (gymnastics, swimming, dance).† The reality of Holschen’s findings proved to be true in the current research activity. There were remarkably few available sources on the biomechanics involved in women’s marathon running. Most of the research either applied to males or did not identify the gender. Results from a review of selected research literature will be presented in this section beginning with gender-differentiated research results on running performance. Following this, results of rese arch into the two applied sports biomechanics specialties will be presented with a focus on studies concerning footwear and injuries. Holden (2004) writes about performance in running with special attention to female runners. She quotes physiologist Henrik Larsen of the Copenhagen Muscle Research Centre in explaining women’s marathon performance vis-à  -vis men: â€Å"Women had not developed long distance; that’s why the improvement is much greater on the marathon.† Larsen, who seems to attribute the performance improvements of female marathoners to focused training instead of anatomic factors, claims that â€Å"[w]e don’t see any higher oxidative capacity in women.† Holden also offers comments by exercise physiologist Timothy Noakes of the University of Cape Town, South Africa who agrees with Larsen’s assessment: â€Å"A smaller body frame gives women an edge on endurance†¦but men can run 10% faster even when the difference in body size is controlled for.† Stephen Seiler (1996), who was quoted at the start of this section stating that the proposal that women could perform better in ultra-endurance activities has been disproved, confirms that â€Å"there are some physiological differences between the sexes that impact performance in females independent of age.† He notes that there is a ten percent difference in marathon times between men and women, adding that this difference is the same â€Å"across the distance running performance spectrum.† He attributes this difference, not to a difference in training, but to physiological differences. He studied maximal oxygen consumption, the lactate threshold, and efficiency to analyze the differences between men and women as these factors might affect long-distance running performance: Maximal Oxygen Consumption. There is a 43 percent difference between men and women with men possessing a VO2 max (oxygen-delivering capacity measure) of 3.5 liters per minute and women with a capacity of 2.0 liters per minute. Seiler attributes this in part to male size; men are larger. But, even when size is factored in, male oxygen consumption capacity is still fifteen to twenty percent higher. Males have a greater capacity to deliver oxygen to their muscles and organs. The Lactate Threshold. This is the point at which lactic acid begins to accumulate at higher than normal levels in the blood stream indicating an exercise intensity boundary at which the level of intensity can be maintained over a long period and that which will result in quick fatigue. Seiler does not believe that lactate thresholds are different for men and women as a percentage of their VO2 max. Efficiency. After finding conflicting information comparing the efficiency of males and females—revealing that females are less efficient, more efficient, or the same as males in terms of efficiency—Seiler believes that differences in efficiency do not account for the differences in endurance performance. Seiler concludes with his determination that the ten percent performance difference between men and women in endurance running can be attributed to the first of the three physiological factors he studied—maximal oxygen consumption. Another researcher who explored gender differences in athletics, and especially in endurance events, is Dollman (2003). Citing Shepard (2000), Dollman writes that there is consistent evidence, based on observations, that males possess â€Å"larger measures† of the following (quoted): Heart volume, even when corrected for stature. Haematocrit, which gives males a 13 percent greater oxygen-carrying capacity than females. Plasma volume. Total muscle mass, which means that females perform the same absolute task at a higher percentage of maximum voluntary contraction, with concomitant vascular impedance limiting cardiac ejection and peak cardiac output. In addition, male skeletal muscles may have a higher succinate dehydrogenase (an integral membrane protein) concentration (Dollman, 2003, citing Costill, et al., 1987). Males may produce better mechanical efficiency during running (Dollman, 2003, citing Miura, 1997) although this is arguable as it may be rooted in cultural origins (Dollman, 2003, citing Shepard, 2000). Now attention will turn briefly to a review of selected research into the two primary application areas addressed by applied sports biomechanics: running performance and injuries. Regarding performance, footwear will be discussed followed by a presentation of selected findings on research into injuries. Gender issues will be introduced. Lipsky (2001, citing Hennig, 2001) presented research findings on gender-specific requirements for athletic footwear designed for running. The research experiment involved fifteen women and seventeen men of the same body weights, heights, and ages. Each subject wore the same shoe size and each tested five types of shoes which included three styles of men’s shoes and two styles for women. Using â€Å"Kistler† force platforms at a set velocity, ground force reactions, tibial acceleration, angular foot motion, and plantar pressures at eight strategic locations on the foot were measured. Accordin