Wastewater Management Essay Example for Free

Wastewater Management Essay In this age of rising costs and depletion of natural resources due to over use by the ever growing population on our planet, it is absolutely essential that we find ways to recycle and conserve wherever possible. One way of doing this is by managing wastewater. The first step in the process replicates what occurs in nature; the only difference is that it is faster. In this initial step, called primary treatment, water is collected in huge tanks and the solid particles are allowed to settle by force of gravity while the remaining mixture is allowed to run off. This process removes about 60 percent of the suspended particles and is only suitable for irrigation of trees or other non consumable crops in remote areas. The secondary treatment is significantly different from the primary in that it involves the biological removal of the organic materials contained in the wastewater. The most common form is called activated sludge method, where the wastewater is placed in tanks which are aerated with oxygen to encourage the growth of microbes found in the waste. The microbes eat the organic matter and the solids are allowed to settle to the bottom. Trickling method is another option in the secondary treatment method. In this process tanks of coarse material are filled with rocks three to ten feet in depth. The rocks are used as surface area on which bacteria called biomass is allowed to grow. Next, a long arm-like distributor sprays the waste water in the air over the biomass, which feeds on the organic waste and allows the remaining liquid to trickle through the rocks. Here water is collected and then sedimentation is allowed to take place. The final method is known as Lagoons. In this method large ponds are used. Algae grows in the ponds and with the use of sunlight produces oxygen. The oxygen then is used by the microbes in wastewater to breakdown the organic material and the solids then settle at the bottom of the pond. After applying the primary and secondary methods the water then is treated with chlorine or other disinfectants. The tertiary treatment goes beyond what is done in the secondary treatment and can involve chemical, physical or biological processes to further remove contaminants, Tertiary processes include filtration, lagooning, nutrient removal and disinfection. Filtration is a common tertiary treatment method. Water is allowed to pass through sand or activated carbon, which allows the particles in water to stick to the filer material used and water to pass through. In some cases the excessive levels of nitrogen and phosphorous must be removed before releasing the water to the environment. If water is released into the environment without removal of these compounds, they can cause over growth of algae and other water plants which in turn can throw the ecosystem out of balance. Some wastewater treatment plants use one tertiary method others a combination of methods. There are many uses of reclaimed water, for example it can be used for irrigation, power generation, decorative fountains, fire control, aquifer recharge, cooling or other industrial processes. Reclaimed water contains nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and oxygen which help fertilize plants. The use of reclaimed water reduces pollution in areas which are sensitive. It cannot be used in swimming pools, or other places where it comes in contact with the body, cooking, drinking, or irrigation of herbs and vegetables. Recent studies show there may be a possible public health effect when using reclaimed water. It has been known for some time that treated wastewater effluent, or reclaimed water, contains pathogens that could be transferred to people through contact and some parasites are not killed by chlorination A water treatment plant in Lake Tahoe, California has been producing drinking quality water from wastewater and astronauts reclaim all their wastewater and use it for drinking. Using wastewater to recharge the water basin and using that for drinking is not an issue provided WHO guidelines for the quality of drinking water are maintained. This means that tertiary wastewater treatments will have to be used before the wastewater can be used to recharge the basin. Since this process is more expensive than secondary treatments, it may not be feasible in the long run.Using secondary wastewater treatments to recharge basins and using that for drinking poses health issues and is not advisable. REFENCES Primary Treatment. (2010). In Encyclop? dia Britannica. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/476238/primary-treatment An Introduction and Comparison of Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Wastewater Treatment Methods. (2003-2010). Conjecture Corporation. Retrieved May 24, 2010, from http://www. brighthub. com/environment/science-environmental/articles/68537. aspx Using Wastewater as a resource. By Mark Shwartz. Woods Institute for the Environment Stanford University. Retrieved May 24, 2010 from http://woods. stanford. edu/cgi-bin/index. php. Asano T, Wassermann KL (1980). Groundwater recharge operations in California. Journal of the American Water Works Association, 72(7):380–385. Cotruvo JA (1988). Drinking water standards and risk assessment. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology, 8:288–299.

Transformational Leadership in Teaching

Transformational Leadership in Teaching This paper is a discussion of possible data collection and analysis methods that could be used to address an inquiry into the effectiveness of novice teachers who use transformational leadership style to manage their classrooms. It is arranged in the following order. Possible abstract, introductory statement, research aims methodology and techniques, researcher position, theoretical framework, research questions, research design data collection, data analysis and states the significance of the study before finally concluding. Abstract The proposed study is an investigation of the effectiveness of beginner teachers in the area of classroom management using transformational leadership style in Zambia. It will adopt a qualitative method and a narrative inquiry approach premised on the fact that the researchers intention is to gain is to gain understanding, give a description and analysis of the stories/narratives of novice teachers (participants).Qualitative data collection methods will take the form of surveys, observations and in-depth interviews while the analysis will comprise data reduction, data display and drawing conclusions (Miles and Huberman,1994). The proposed study intends to use a sample of ten(10) novice teachers in three (3) in three (5) public high schools in Lusaka province during a two (2) months period. It is expected that variability in participants will be maximized by this sample in terms of work area and backgrounds thereby bringing out rich in-depth understanding of beginner teachers experiences in classroom management. The proposed study will contribute to knowledge in the area of effective ways of managing classrooms not only among novice teachers but in the entire education fraternity by illuminating best practices. Introduction That classroom management is a fundamental concern among pre-service, beginner and practicing teachers, and is a topical issue in professional practice literature, school staff rooms including in the media is undisputed (Mc Cormick, 1997).It is an essential ingredient in the attainment of maximum instructional time which has potential to positively impact the outcomes of learning. The effectiveness of instruction is contingent upon teachers abilities to manage and organize the behavior of students. Substantial research suggest that one of the key challenges encountered by novice teachers in achieving the teaching objectives in the classroom is managing order (Cothrane et al.,..) Novice teachers experience struggles with classroom management that negatively impacts student learning (Buckman, 2009, p.5) owing to the detachment between what they learn during training and what they actually experience in practice in line with maintaining order in the classroom. Koki (2000) states that be ginning teachers particularly face difficulties in managing their classrooms and often struggle to apportion adequate instructional time as most of their attention is channeled at handling disruptive tendencies and behavior. It becomes necessary for teachers to work towards consciously organizing and maintaining an enabling learning atmosphere for all learners. Buckman (2009) argues that the process of managing the classroom should be altered and evaluated depending on the need. As such, the importance of teachers having forceful classroom management skills to enhance nurturing and successfully excel in their professions cannot be over emphasized, a minimal number of teachers are proficient in this domain. The persistence of beginner teachers in the teaching career is influenced and determined by their ability to effectively manage their classrooms (Ingersoll and Smith,2003).Unfortunately, many novice teachers struggle to control and maintain discipline among their learners (Koki,2000) which often culminates into developing stress and decreased energy or burn out in the early years of teaching. Hafock (2006) claims that many new teachers quit teaching during the first five years owing to frustrations with classroom and behavior management challenges. Accordingly, Kariuki (2009) observed that teachers require sustainable effective and efficient procedures, regulations and routines carefully planned and managed if instruction time is to be maximized and a reduction on time spent on behavior management. The proposed study will explore the practices, experiences and beliefs of 18 beginner teachers meeting the criteria (defined by the researcher) for being effective and successful classroom managers. Research Aims The proposed study aims to develop theory about the effectiveness of novice high school teachers. The questions that will guide the research are transformational leadership style. Methodology and data collection techniques Qualitative data collection methods will take the form of surveys, observations and in-depth interviews while the analysis will comprise data reduction (text analysis and coding), data display (identification and coding of emerging themes) and verification and drawing (Interpretation). In order to truly gauge the success of an inquiry based on human experience, it is appropriate for me to utilize the traits listed as qualitative research working directly with teachers to unearth their beliefs, practices and experiences .According to Hatch (2002)good qualitative researchers understand the world from the perspectives of those living in it (P.2).Qualitative research going by Merriam et al.,(2000) is premised on the idea that meaning is constructed socially by individuals through interactions in their social world and the meaning it has for them is considered an interpretive qualitative approach(pp.3-4) which is applicable for this proposed study. A qualitative inductive framework will enable explore the participants world in their naturalistic setting.

Leadership Strategy Of KFC

Leadership Strategy Of KFC KFC was first introduced by Colonel Sanders. His first franchise was in year 1952. Under new management, the first sale was for $2 Million. In 1980, there were more profit and expansion of KFC was carried out. Within 50 years, the profit went up to $ 7 Billion. In 1952, Col. Sanders started franchising his recipe door to door financed by his $105.00. Col Sanders had more than 600 franchised outlets in the US and Canada by year 1964. He sold his interest in his company for $2 million to a group of investors. In 1966, KFC went public. KFC was listed on the NYSE in 1969. Current Market Cap value on the NYSE is 7.2 Billion. A competitive marketing strategy in the international market focused on the Latin American countries is the reason why KFC can maintain a market leadership in the global fast-food industry. Key to continued growth was to find, motivate, and retain hard-working and entrepreneurial managers and franchisees around the globe .In addition to short term profits, store managers were also responsible for building local public relations, maintaining employee morale, developing customer good-will, keeping tab on the competing chains and creating a legacy of special chicken cooking recipe. KFC had a refocused international strategy to grow its company and franchise restaurant base all over the world. Their Competitive marketing strategy: was to developed three types of chicken, original recipe (pressure cooked) ,extra crispy (fried)and also tender roast (roasted) .Sweeping changes into the culture was initiated by the new management- this brings about demoralization to old KFC employees and even franchisees. Several restructurings led to layoffs throughout KFC, replacement of KFC managers with PepsiCo managers .Conflicts between KFC and PepsiCo cultures- this is manifested with PepsiCos stronger emphasis on performance rather than loyalty expressed by Col. Sanders to KFC employees over the years. According to SWOT ANALYSIS, the weaknesses of KFC are as follows.KFC finds difficulty in entering the German market (culture incompatibility) .KFC sales stagnated. There was widespread discontent among the franchisees, some of whom felt the new owners did not understand the chicken business and were not providing leadership expected from a franchisor. Company stores floundered and become underperforming the franchised operations, further convincing franchisees that the company did not know its own business. (KFC HQ acquired them to company-owned) .Overseas expansion with the rapid economic growth and trend toward two-income families that had fuelled the growth of fast-food industry in the 1950s and 1960s were appearing in the late 1960s in the other country.  [1]   Primary objective is to take advantage of the potential growth in other countries, to establish a strong position and to develop their image. Key Success Factors are ever continuing cost savings through RD, innovations and use of new technology to work efficiently. These success techniques will lower costs and increase profits in the industry. KFC uses an integrated low cost/differentiation leadership, since it can count on its brand name and original taste and recipes to be unique while at the same time compete on price using the benefits of cost savings from economies of scale. Based on the analysis, we can conclude that they should start by solving their internal issues such as management and restaurant menu before thinking about expanding. They should work on the management issues to create a good atmosphere where employees are happy to work in. I certainly do not believe that by treating employees poorly, a company can be successful. They also need to make sure that their restaurants offer a diversified menu, provide their customers with quality food, excellent service and restaurant cleanliness. KFC should always listen to their customers and try to follow the new trends on the market in order to fully satisfy their customers. Otherwise, competitors will satisfy them and will eventually outperform you as Boston did with its grilled chicken. Even though, KFC seems to have an emotional attachment to their original recipe that made their success, they definitely need to move on and develop new products that customers want in order to increase their financial performance and value. We have seen that Boston and Popeyes are stealing customers away from KFC because they understood what customers wanted and started offering healthier items. KFC should certainly do the same and enhance their menu.  [2]   On the other hand, it is time to talk about another local business success story and how can we talk about successful organizations without talking about Al-Baik. It is next to impossible that you are living in Jeddah or ever visited it without being to Al-Baik. The local fast food chain has been around since 1974. After 35 years by now, the restaurant is mainly operating in Jeddah with minimum number of branches in Makkah, Madinah, Yanbu and Taif. Arguably, Al-Baik possesses the highest market share and customer loyalty amongst its competitors especially in Jeddah; noting that when I say competitors, I mean international multibillion brands like McDonalds, KFC, Pizza Hut etc. For those of you familiar with the debate surrounding Porters Generic strategies, Al-Baik is a living proof that you could follow a strategy that combines both differentiation and cost leadership. Although there are a lot of restaurants serving fried chicken, the quality and taste of Al-Baik are certainly unique and its prices are way below the average. Al-Baik has very strong brand equity whether we are measuring it by evaluating the restaurants products or by studying its brand impact on customers. Al-Baik brand communicates strong messages of quality, fast service, trust, affordability, convenience, and social responsibility. Its management has been very smart emphasizing these values into the brand using different methods of advertisements, public relations, or even by spreading stories about the brand. The entrepreneurial story of its founder and how he struggled to raise his community awareness about eating outside the home which was strange back then and how he has been working alone in the restaurant preparing the food, serving it, and then cleaning the small shop are all meant to build some kind of connection with its customers. Also, some suspense and mystery would not hurt either; the secret chicken formula that is only known by few individuals is one of the most preferred stories amongst such food and beverages organizat ions. Whether we are talking about fast service, servicescape design, or cleanness of the restaurants environment; Al-Baik is providing exemplary services in all of that. Even more, Al-Baik is one of the few restaurants that introduced items to the menu based solely on customers suggestions. Al-Baik marketers are masters in choosing locations for their restaurants. One has never seen a branch of Al-Baik without it being packed with customers. The huge expansions they carried out in Jeddah have been built on population distribution analysis. That is why wherever you live in Jeddah now; there must be Al-Baik branch within your easy reach. Al-Baik has always been known for its socially related campaigns. They have a regular presence in Hajj seasons providing free meals to pilgrims and they are periodically campaigning for environmentally related causes like banning smoking in their restaurants or preserving the city clean image. Furthermore, their active participation in the aftermath of Jeddah floods by providing free meals to those devastated by the catastrophe is one shiny example of how organizations could be interacting with its society. Nevertheless, staying on the top is not an easy job. Al-Baik management has to deal with many issues to facilitate its growth. One of these important issues is on the mind of every fan who happen to live outside Jeddah; how much should they expand? Should they consider opening new branches in other cities at the Kingdom? What about being multinational or even global? Moreover, how Al-Baik should respond to the growing concerns raised by healthy and organic foods advocates. And most importantly, how its managers are going to maintain its competitive advantages and how are they going to nurture its sustainability strategy.  [3]   As conclusion, the best selling food in my view is KFC. People nowadays has less time to eat since they are busy working. Therefore, they would choose fast food restaurants as their choice. Thus, the managers of these restaurants need o ensure on cost leadership and make sure they can get the best way to keep the price reduced. This is a marketing strategy in a way to attract customers. More customers make the business more powerful and expand fast. (1505 WORDS)

Suguru Ishizakis Improvisational Design: Continuous Responsive Digital

Suguru Ishizaki's Improvisational Design: Continuous Responsive Digital Communication Digital communication is interactive, dynamic and continuous. People working with digital communication (visual designers, human-computer interaction professionals, and software engineers) need a unique set of communicative methods that equal this dynamic flow of digital communication expressions. Ishizaki explores the development of a theoretical framework of an iterative process that meets this need and suggests how designers might use the framework. The concept Ishizaki terms improvisational design is illustrated with five brief case studies in this slim nine-chapter book. Ishizaki, a Senior Staff Engineer at QUALCOMM Incorporated, became interested in this topic over twenty years ago, developed his dissertation on the topic and presents it here in a sleek and easy to read volume. Drawing upon the concept of improvisation in music, theater, and dance, Ishizaki proposes that designers of the systems we use in everyday digital communication might follow the same patterns where multiple age...

Essay --

Airlines all around the world have to look into different types of aircrafts that best fit their needs for their passengers and the distance between destinations. Boeing and Airbus, two of the world’s biggest commercial airplane manufactures in the world have been competing to get airlines attention on when they are looking to expand their airplane fleet. This competition has been characterized as a duopoly in the large airliner market since the early nineties has when a series of mergers in the aerospace manufacture industry merged or ceased operation. Today we have to look at both competitors to see who has best airplanes in the jet airliner market. Both Airbus and Boeing have a wide product spectrum ranging between wide and narrow body aircrafts covering many combinations of capacity and range. These two companies compete head to head with similar airplanes and styles. With the upcoming generation of young pilots coming into the aviation industry, the market needs high tech airplanes for airlines to buy to help this new generation move in to place. When airlines are looking at new planes to buy, they need to look at all the different types of planes that covers range and capacity. Airlines have to make a decision on what best fits their needs when deciding between a Boeing aircraft and an Airbus aircraft. Boeing is a company that dates back almost a century ago in Seattle Washington by William Boeing. Back in 1916 when Boeing was founded, they manufactured sea planes right out of the Seattle bay. Twenty years later, Boeing’s revolutionary plane was introduced. The Boeing 247 was created and is considered to be the first modern airliner to fly around the world. Boeing operated the planes for commercial purposes. Boeing started u... ...Geo) Again, the Boeing 747-8 wins for better price at $300 million when the Airbus A380 is priced at $318 million. For when it comes to the best at this category, Airbus offers the best wide range double decker aircraft in the market (Warwick, 2012) (aviatorjoe.net) (WILLIAMSON, 2013) (Frankfurt, Haria 2013) (James, 2013). In the last 10 years (2003–2012), Airbus has received 7,714 orders while delivering 4,503, and Boeing has received 7,312 orders while delivering 4,091 (Aircraft Compare 2013). Even though competition is intense, each company regularly accuses the other of receiving unfair state aid from their respective governments. But what really matters is what fits the airline’s needs. For longer ranges, Airbus builds perfect aircrafts for that sector. It’s a tossup for the midrange sector, but then it comes to shorter ranges, Boeing seems to have best fit.

Disparities in Health Care

Problems of Disparities in Health Care Insurance The United States leads the world in spending on health care. Yet , other countries spending substantially less than the United States have healthier populations. America’s performance is marred by deep inequalities linked to income, health insurance coverage, race, ethnicity, geography, and – critically – access to care. Employer-based Insurance plans Income The United States is the only wealthy country with no universal health insurance system. Its mix of employer-based private insurance and public coverage has never reached all Americans.All working Americans are categorized based on annual income – top-income (earning on average $210,100 annually), higher-middle-income (earning an average of $84,800 annually), lower-middle-income earning on average $41,500), and bottom-income (earning an average of $14,800 annually) (Auguste, Laboissiere, & Mendonca, 2009). As the general population knows that those are in the both top-income category and higher-middle-income category can afford any expenses that are incurred in facilities, doctor visits, ER visits, etc. ithout any hindrance (Auguste et al. , 2009). The lower-middle-income and bottom-income population have much harder time in paying for services because it puts them in a tight budget. Paying for out-of-pocket costs can be detrimental to one's credit and often those patients are sent to collections if they can't pay. As reported in the 2011 study done in Arizona by Herman, Rissi, and Walsh, it also confirmed that individuals who have higher incomes were able to pay for medical expenses without going through financial hardships. CostIts been reported that immigrants have less access to care due to having no insurance plans and the cost of services when they are sick than the general population born in the United States (Pandey, 2010). In Herman et al. ‘s study (2011), out-of-pocket medical expenses caused financial hardships an d that top-income individuals were able to cover cost of medical services without hardships. It has been made known by many employers are making employees be responsible for a portion of health care costs by raising premiums or deductibles (Auguste et al. , 2009).Because of rising costs of deductibles (out-of-pocket costs) and the rising cost of premiums, employees are opting-out of enrolling into employer-based health insurance plan saying that to get the coinsurance amount, the deductible amount that they have to meet is out of their financial budget (Quinn, 2011). Race/Ethnicity and Environment Evidence of racial and ethnic disparities in health-care is, with few exceptions, remarkably consistent across a range of illnesses and health-care services. These disparities are associated with socioeconomic differences.Its been reported that immigrants are less likely to use the health care system yet alone have no health insurance coverage (Pandey, 2010). Its not only immigrants who ha ve trouble getting care, but different nationalities in the United States population have trouble as well – just to name a few – American Indians, Asian Americans, Hispanics, populations that live in rural and urban areas, and the general population ranging from infants to senior citizens (Copeland, 2005). Especially the Hispanic or Latino population were less likely to seek care (Herman, et al. , 2011).African American populations are the most researched when it comes to health care issues. For example, a study was done on racial disparities in exposure, susceptibility, and access to health care in the United States H1N1 Influenza pandemic which reported that Hispanics were at greater risk of exposure, however Blacks were a lot more susceptible in contracting H1N1 (Quinn, 2011). Access to Care Unequal access to health care has clear links to health outcomes. The uninsured are less likely to have regular outpatient care, so they are more likely to be hospitalized for a voidable health problems.The lack of transportation, health insurance, providers, appointment access, and inconvenient location of doctors offices caused many people to have poor health (Copeland, 2005). In 2011, a study in Arizona was performed to see is access to care was an issue among the residents. The study found that people who were uninsured had problems paying bills which prevented the ability to seek care and receive treatment (Herman, et al. , 2011). Individuals with higher incomes were able to seek care as well as ace/ethnicity background were indicators that individuals were less likely to seek care (Herman, et al. , 2011). Conclusion Income level and race/ethnicity in relation to environment, cost of medical services, access to care, play big roles as to why there are disparities in health care insurance. References Auguste, B. G. , Laboissiere, M. , & Mendonca, L. T. (2009). How health care costs contribute to income disparity in the United States. Mckinsey Quarterly, (2), 50-51. Copeland, V. (2005). African Americans: Disparities in Health Care Access and Utilization. Health &Social Work, 30(3), 265. Herman, P. E. (2011). Health Insurance Status, Medical Debt, and Their Impact on Access to Care in Arizona. American Journal Of Public Health, 101(8), 1437. doi:10. 2105/AJPH. 2010. 300080 Quinn, S. (2011). Racial Disparities in Exposure, Susceptibility, and Access to Health Care in the US H1N1 Influenza Pandemic. American Journal Of Public Health, 101(2), 285. doi:10. 2105/AJPH. 2009. 188029 Pandey, S. (2010). Health Insurance Disparities among Immigrants: Are Some Legal Immigrants More Vulnerable Than Others?. Health & Social Work, 35(4), 267.

John Dalton and Atomic Theory Outline and Sources

John Dalton and Atomic Theory John Dalton was a British scientist who made important contributions to science and to the atomic model specifically. I. Experiences in his life that led to his interest in science and the study of the atom A. Education and teaching career brought him in contact with amateur meteorologists B. Mentors and meteorology directed his interest toward air pressure and properties of gaseous elements C. Study of elements led to interest in components of elements and his atomic theory. D.This is the general path to his discoveries. However, no one knows specifically how he reached most of his conclusions about atoms. II. Work on the atom and its contribution to the modern atomic model A. Lavoisier’s Law influenced Dalton’s assertion that atoms cannot be created, destroyed, or subdivided. B. Proust’s Law of Definite Proportions led Dalton to his Law of Multiple Proportions C. He was trying to explain why water absorbs different gases in differe nt proportions. D. Contributions 1. All matter consists of tiny particles, atoms. 2.Atoms cannot be created, destroyed, separated into smaller parts or transformed into another element. 3. All atoms of the same element have identical weights, while atoms of different elements have different weights. 4. When elements react, their atoms combine in simple, whole-number ratios. 5. When elements react, their atoms sometimes combine in more than one simple, whole-number ratio. 6. When atoms combine in only one ratio, they are combining in a 1:1 ratio. III. Contributions which were eventually disproven and thus are not part of the modern model A.The idea that atoms that combine in only one ratio do so in a 1:1 ratio not only led him to wrong conclusions, but also caused his theory to be rejected for many years. B. Another mistaken idea was that atoms cannot be separated into smaller parts or transformed into another element. C. The assertion that all atoms of the same element have identica l weights, while atoms of different elements have different weights is inaccurate. IV. Conclusion A. His work was important and foundational to modern atomic model. Sources [1] â€Å"John Dalton (British Scientist): Atomic Theory. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n. d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. . [2] Lefers, Mark, and Holmgren Lab. â€Å"Northwestern University/Morimoto Laboratory-Definitions. † Online Posting. Morimoto Laboratory. Northwestern University, 26 July 2004. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. . [3] â€Å"John Dalton Biography. † Bio. com. A&E Networks Television, n. d. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. . [4] Senese, Fred. â€Å"Foundations of Dalton's Atomic Theory. † General Chemistry Online: Companion Notes: Atoms & Ions: Dalton's Atomic Theory: Dalton's Postulates. N. p. , 25 July 2005. Web. 5 Feb. 2013. .