Thursday, October 31, 2019

Psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 17

Psychology - Essay Example First the results indicate that attribution style across cultures differed significantly between western and eastern culture. People who belonged to more western and individualistic cultures indicated to be more dispositional and less situational orientated than people from more collectivistic and eastern cultures, signifying that culture does influence how people are initially inclined to elucidate a given situation. The culture differences in attribution style is not unexpected considering the widespread research showing that attributions in Western cultures tend to be more dispositional, whereas attribution in Eastern cultures tend to be more situational (Shweder & Bourne, 1984). Secondly, the present study also extended the existing cross-cultural research by exploring and examining, if there were any significant relations between attribution style and racism attitudes, predicting that people, who are more dispositional orientated and more prone in making the fundamental attribution error, would indicate more racism attitudes. However, the study failed to replicate and find significant results in this domain, as there was found no significant correlation between attribution style and racism attitude across dispositional and situational orientation. This failure perhaps originates from the fundamental method and approach of the research. While earlier empirical studies have based their results on controlled experiments, this research has emphasized on random responses and reactions from the participants. The participants have been recruited from various ethnic groups, diversified in religious beliefs, age group, and gender. This is clearly evident from the diversity in sample population which comprise of the majority Muslim participants, a significant group of Christians and a small group of minorities. As a result the only controlled element in the sampling, the equal distribution of

Tuesday, October 29, 2019

Dream of the Red Chamber Essay Example for Free

Dream of the Red Chamber Essay In the first chapter, the author first writes about the origin of the stone. Then it comes to the very end of the story and writes a conversation between the stone and the Taoist called Vanitas. Next, it starts to talk about the story which first starts with the decline of Shi-yin Zhen`s family. When reading the origin of the stone, I find the description of the stone provides me with a great sense of mystery, which keeps me reading forward. Maybe it is because the stone is of magic power which makes it unreal from the reality. However, the story happens in the real world. As a result, it forces me to read and explore what will happen if the unreal meets with the real. Then it continues to write about the conversation between the stone and Taoist after â€Å"countless aeons†. The conversation suggests a lot of clues about the whole book. According to the self description of the stone, the story`s main theme is love, and purpose of this story is to record the real events and make those who indulge in the eroticism aware of their wrongdoing. Although it gives some clues to the story, but it never gives the detail to readers. Thus, it is just like it gives you soul of the book, but it never gives the appearance or skin of the book, which makes the reader know something about the book but not everything about it. Consequently, as one of the readers, there is no doubt that I want to get to know more about the book. It is very surprising that the whole story starts with the tragedy of Shi-yin Zhen`s family. Personally, I myself very compassionate him. Before I read the book, I thought the book should be very light and happy since it was a book about love among young boys and girls. It is widely acknowledged that the first impression about one thing will keep affecting your view for a long time. Maybe the author wants to suggest something about the later story, so he writes such a tragedy and makes the atmosphere sad and dark. Shi-yin is a good man who helped Yu-cun. He does not deserve such misfortune. Maybe it is the â€Å"Fate† that the author wants to focus on. Another feature that I find in the first chapter is that Taoist and monk frequently appear in the context. In my impression towards Taoist, such kind of people, who are totally different with the ordinary ones, have higher-level thoughts towards the world. They always have deeper thoughts towards everything. I am quite confused by the frequently appearance of Taoist. Is it very common at that time to have Taoist or is there any other reason? What does the author want to express with the use of Taoist? According to my point of view, maybe he wants to compare the Taoist and the ordinary people to emphasis what ordinary people do are always secular and profane, which is because they lack of the understanding of the true life and indulge in the real material world. The first chapter tells us much and also leaves many unsolved questions which force us to explore the answer by reading the rest of the book. I will keep on reading and figure out the answer myself.

Saturday, October 26, 2019

Healthcare Architecture Origin and Development

Healthcare Architecture Origin and Development Chapter 1: Healthcare Architecture History that Time Forgot To trace back the history of healthcare and hospitals were unknown as there were many evidences of origination for earliest hospitals across different continent, and all historical healthcare serve under as religious influenced. Physicians back than consists of religious figure from gods and witch doctor to monks and priest. Around 430BC, temples in Athens were dedicated to healing gods, Asclepius for treating the sick spread throughout Greece. These holy temples were known as the very first hospitals in the history of western civilization. Dream interpretations was the process of healing where priests would interpret the dreams visited by the god, is also known as incubation. Priest would take a holistic approach to treatment which include, mud, herbal remedies, psychotherapy massage, bathing treatments, set dislocated bones and opium to calm agony of patient which were prescribed according to the dreams they experience. One of the oldest architecture evidence of a healthcare centre which dated back to the 9th century AD at Mihintale, Sri Lanka were Buddhist monasteries. There is evidence of patient ward which measured 4m x 4m. These evidence Medicinal trough roughly 7 feet long and 30 inches wide have been found by archaeologist. It was suggested that it was used with mineral water and medicinal oil for hydrotherapy. Healthcare influenced by social environment Roman Warfare Era Many of mankinds greatest discoveries have been made within the frame of warfare. The Roman Empire was built upon the success of its legions, and the foundation of that success lies in the innovations and discoveries of Roman medicine in the battlefield. In the first century AD, the Roman Empire was in constant warfare with neighbouring country but the Roman legions did not have any organized medical units. It was only when the Roman Empire expanded to Greece that many Greek physicians came to Italy and Rome, because it was only during warfare that physician are able to practice and flourish their medical skill by performing surgeries and treating wounded soldiers. He who desires to practice surgery must go to war. Hippocrates (c. 460-377 B.C.) a famous Greek physician During the first and second century AD, Emperor Trajan established the Roman Military Hospitals, or valetudinarium after recognizing the importance of medical treatment to reduce wounded and sick soldiers during long military campaigns. Trained Roman medical officer would travel together soldiers To the battlefield and set up temporary groups of small tents and fortresses. Over time, the Roman ethic of military improvement reform temporary Military Hospital into permanent facilities. Roman military hospitals were originally built near river for the access of clean water and adequate sewerage for sanitation purposes. Later in order to have an effective army, the military hospital was incorporated into part of Roman fort architecture and were put near the other wall, so that soldiers could get treated and be back into the battlefield. The architecture of a standard Roman Military Hospitals is similar to most healthcare centre today, rectangular in shape and consist of four corridors connected by an entrance hall. Each corridors consists of number of small ward with ante room and large ward that holds three bed off the end. Other spaces in the valetudinarium include a reception ward, staff quarters, kitchen, dispensary, large hall and medicine facilities. Religion Influence Era But unlike modern hospitals, these military hospitals were only reserve for sick and wounded Roman soldiers as Roman soldiers were usually treated with respect and honour in daily life. Unfortunately, the poor receive no sort of medical care which raises the issue social stigma. Even slaves and gladiator receive medical care. After 310 AD, the concept of healthcare available to only soldiers and the rich changes when the Romans adopted Christianity as religion, which promoted a caring and social community, revolutionizing morality and social behaviour. Christianity contributed an immense role in expanding healthcare provisions for the public. Many churches and monastery were built not only as place for spiritual worship, but to cater for travellers, the poor and the sick. St. Basil of Caesarea founded the first large-scale hospital in 369 AD. The hospital consists of 300 bed to care for victims of the plague. It was during the late 8th centuries in the Dark Ages, which Emperor Charlemagne that a hospital must be built attached each cathedral and monastery. Benedictine Abbey of Cluny was founded in 910 became a dominant factor in hospital work. To help them as would Christ was the principle founded by the monastic hospitals. Patients ward would be placed near the altar The Cluny order had an enormous influence on the culture and Romanesque architecture during the time. The monastery was form by cloister of buildings to form an open central space. The cross shaped plan in the abbey was where patient ward were place, where light and fresh is easily penetrate into the whole plan. Patients is able to gain spiritual healing in assisting with their recovery in front of the altar. Danger of bad design Healthcare Architecture Hotel-Dieu was the oldest hospital in Paris founded in the 7th century situated next to the Seine river and serve originally as a refuge for the homeless and sick. It was during the 17th century, Hotel-Dieu became hospices where the poor and sick is treated. With 1,200 beds in total and over 100 beds in some ward, Hotel-Dieu was the largest hospital ever built at the time. Although being the largest hospital, the hospital was designed poorly. Most of the wards in Hotel-Dieu does not have adequate ventilation, it was also maintained poorly and unsanitary. During plague epidemics, it was the only place that provided healthcare facilities for the sick. The hospital was faced with problem of overcrowding when it requires to house 3500 patients at the same time during the period, which the hospital was inadequately able to provide. Up to six patients were force to share a single hospital bed and infectious airborne diseases were able to spread easily across the hospital. Poor architecture design combined with uncontrollable spread of disease resulted in a high mortality rate of one death in four patients. In 1785 numerous discussion, design modifications and reformation to the Paris hospital system were made when a large part of the Hotel-Dieu was burned down by fire in 1772. Dr Jacques Tenon was appointed with drawing up proposals for improving the hospitals of Paris. He visited forty hospitals during his time in England to detailed spatial, sanitary and administrative elements of it. During his visit in Greenwich, it was when Jacques Tenon paid unusual attention on the functions and service arrangement. Documenting every architectural element detail from dining rooms, cabins bed, woollen mattress, feather pillow, the distance between the corridors, fire precautions, iron doors, alarm bells and many more. Jacques Tenons published the book Memoirs on the hospitals of Paris based on his records. Jacques Tenon and Bernard Poyet (architect) came up for the design for the new Hotel-Dieu in 1785 next to Notre Dame Cathedral after the approval of scheme by the Academy of Sciences. The hospital introduces a circular design with wards radiating from the centre point. The design was prioritized on improving the ventilation and hygiene of the building. Although the radial design for the new Hotel-Dieu receive complimentary for its effort. The death rate remained unchanged in the hospital due to most of the citys serious accidents were admitted to the new Hotel-Dieu. There are still several issues regarding to the design of it. Radial design provides insufficient space to cater for all patient; ventilation and sun light is unable to penetrate efficiently into most of the wards room. The Turning Point of Hospital The modernization of hospital design began to flourish during the age of enlightenments. In the mid-18th century, hospitals were introduced to the pavilion design. With the improvement of medical facilities and knowledge, isolation and containing airborne infections has been the main focus in reducing mortality rate. taking the quest for the separation of pathologies and the desire to prevent contagion effects to the extreme The first Pavilion type hospital in England was the Royal Herbert Hospital designed by Sir Douglas Galton which was recommended by Florence Nightingale in 1865. Sidney Herbert which was the leader of War Office wishes to reduce military mortality rate of British veterans of the Crimean War. The main intention of the pavilion design was to improved sanitation, cleanliness and fire prevention. Semi- detached building separates the hospital into isolated complex. Each complex contains ward connected by a central corridor to all other parts of the hospital. All wards are raised from the ground to maximise cross ventilation (fresh air) and natural lighting (daylight penetration). The central complex is where the administration and services located. The pavilion plan spatial layout is an excellence respond to the lack natural ventilation and separation of contagious diseases. During an epidemic outbreak in the hospital, it is able to quickly shut down the infected block, isolating it from the rest of the building. The rectangular form of the Royal Herbert Hospital provides better efficiency in plate ratio maximizing number of wards in the hospital. The sharp decline in hospital mortality rates and rise in public health make the pavilion principle a trend for modern hospital design. Political Influence Healthcare Buildings In 1938 the Finsbury Health centre designed by Berthold Lubetkin was opened with his allegation that nothing was too good for ordinary people. The development of the NHS was an essential crossroads in British Social History, and the Finsbury Health Centre was that monument of a socialist idealism. Finsbury was once a thickly stuffed ghetto relieved by green space and filled with epidemic disease. Given the circumstances, local politicians were determined to redeveloped Finsbury into a model of social progress. Things had to be improved, housing, education, hygiene and health. The principle of Finsbury Health Centre was to make healthcare available for free at a single point of delivery and the spatial arrangement of the healthcare building was designed to accommodating many different kinds of medical treatment, as opposed to being scattered all through the borough. After six decades of National Health Service, many of Finsbury principle has been adopted which led to the belief of Ber thold Lubetkin that the building serves as an instrument of social improvement. The form of the Healthcare centre is design in a letter H with public spaces located in the ground floor plan. Core public spaces such as the reception, lecture theatre and services are located in the centre section of the building with ramped services provided from the garden entrance. Both wings on the side of the building are flexibly planned clinical accommodation with different healthcare spaces. The floor plates of the building is extended from ground floor to first floor. Emergency patients can access independently to the basement floor from the rear service courtyard. The building is built from reinforced concrete frame with glass block and curtain wall infill, tiled wall surrounds and asphalt roof. Built Environment Human Health The built environment influences health. As a species, humans need structures for physical shelter, as manifestation of social and cultural values, and as embodiments of spiritual and emotional needs. As population growth accelerates, the production of the built environment becomes more resource intensive, stressing indigenous building materials and methodologies beyond their sustainable capacities. Resource depletion, in turn, negatively impacts human health. Clinical medicine and public health do not always define health as the mere absence of disease. As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO) that a person health is define in the state of physical, mental, and social well-being. Architecture and planning can promote this broader conception of human health and well-being. In the nineteenth century, infectious diseases such as smallpox, tuberculosis, typhoid, pneumonia, and rubella were responsible for the majority of deaths. To a large degree, these could be, and eventually were, controlled through environmental and clinical public health interventions. Many of these health improvements were achieve through urban planning and zoning mechanisms, reflecting a close partnership among urban planning, public health, and allopathic medicine. Moving into the twenty-first century, a long-term chronic illness such as cancer, heart disease, and strokes began claiming the most lives. In the last twenty years, chronic respiratory afflictions such as asthma and sick building syndrome have emerged as widespread threats to public health. While we have created a large allopathic medical structure to deal with these issues, growing evidence indicates that a renewed partnership among urban planning, architecture, public health, and medicine will be necessary to prevent these illnesses before they occur. Case Study Gaviotas Hospital If humanity is to survive, we must move out of the cities, and learn to live sustainably in areas where people have not tried to survive before. Paolo Lugari Introduction Colombia as a country surrounded by strife and harsh condition like violence, drug trafficking, sickness, gun wars and poverty exists a functioning utopia of sustainability and peace. Gaviotas, a village founded in 1971 in the remote savannas of eastern Colombia, Llanos region by Professor Paolo Lugari, is a self-sufficient community of about two hundred. The sixteen-bed, 7,266- square foot solar powered hospital was designed and built by community members between 1982 and 1986. Gaviotas Hospital, elegant in its pragmatic functionality manifests a humanistic core value that identify as an oasis of imagination and sustainability Utopia to Reality Gaviotas Hospital started out as an experiment by a group of local engineer, scholars and scientist in attempt to transform an empty and remote plot of land with no arable soil into a rich and self-sustaining productive community. One of the most remarkable process of developing Gaviotas was regenerate the soil (which had a high acidity in the soil, pH4) into growable condition for trees. Scientist found a solution by using Caribbean pine trees, which have a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungus that helps to keep them alive in acidic conditions. The pine tree help provide shade, reducing the ultraviolet rays penetrating the earth and with the increment of rain fall. All these combinations help created a fertile soil with a pH value of around 6.8. The community is now able to grow different rages of agricultural food. Key Disease Treatment Eighty percent of diseases in Colombia are water-related disease which include Hepatitis A, Hepatitis E, Typhoid Fever. All these disease causes the victims to exhibit signs of fever, jaundice, diarrhea, abdominal pain and sometimes death if left untreated. Considering all these diseases, the main causes of suffering for the local population is gastrointestinal disorders disease, which affect seventy- five percent of the population attributable to unclean drinking water. Lugari shifted his attention from curative to preventative medicine by supplying clean water straight from Gaviotas. The hospitals provision of purified water by using simple solar energy distillation technology to immediately reduced sickness and deaths previously plaguing the villages. Sustainable and Built Environment When a new building is found to show signs of water leakage into the new building, it is immediately seen as a design and construction fault by the architect or contractor and they are force to absorb the cost of repair. On the contrary, if there is excess heat in the building causing thermal discomfort to the user, the user will automatically assume its the weather and complain about it without further investigating on the design. Resulting in installing air conditioning systems for their house. Bioclimatic error is neglected in the end. The Gaviotas Hospital feed solely on clean energy by taking advantage of nature. Functioning as an off-the-grid structure, the hospital relies on solar, wind power, mini-hydraulics and biomass for the buildings modest energy demands, the hospital is able operate without consuming drops of oil or fossil fuel. All this was made possible by integrating passive design strategies for cooling. A series of underground ducts enabled the buildings interior to maintain cool temperatures by creating a convective loop: cooled underground air entered the building, and warmer air escaped through honeycombed shaped air channels in the double layered corrugated roof. Despite frequent 100 percent humidity, a passive dehumidification system inspired by the workings of a termite mound contributed to comfortable indoor conditions. The surgical room maintained 17 percent humidity year-round the lush landscape was replete with organic produce and medicinal herbs. People were kept connected to the outdoors through operable skylights, daylit spaces, and a retractable galvanized metal roof over patient areas which provide view at the night. Looking into Bioclimatic Technologies Underground Ventilation Duct- During the day of dry season, temperature is range between 17ÂÂ °C to 35ÂÂ °C. Ventilated air is circulated through 5 large underground thermal stabilizing ducts by wind and wind extractors at a constant temperature of 25ÂÂ °C. Heat is distributed through the duct within the garden, maintaining the temperature of the soil several degrees below average thermal weight of the region. Double Coolant Cover- The ceiling of the hospital consists of a double coolant layer which allows circulation of air. The upper layer absorbs heat and induces the circulation; the lower layer stays cool, avoiding infrared radiation from the upper layer. Sliding Roofs- The rooms in the hospitalization area have manual operating sliding roofs. These sliding roofs is operated by bicycle mechanism which allows to withdraw 60% of its cover during both the day and night. Utilizing the sliding roofs helps sterilize the room using radiation and also control exposure of sun to the patient. Wind Turbine References http://reps.chelseagreen.com/files/pdf/gaviotas_pr_LowRes.pdf Gaviotas: A Village to Reinvent the World, 2nd Edition http://www.nationalpost.com/sense+sustainability+utopia+made+real+colombia/1302554/story.html Nature and Healing Emotional, physiological, social and cognitive benefits are generated in contact with nature as demonstrated by researches in an assortment of fields over the course of recent years. All the benefits which include improvement of emotional functioning, attention capacity and feelings of self-worth, reduces mental and physical stress that effects people on the individual level. Social benefits are also evident from studies of recreational activities and gardening. Being in a natural setting strengthens group ties and promotes prosocial behaviours. However, the understanding of nature healing is not all equally beneficial. Tall large trees, water features and a variety of shrubs and flowers serves better healing purposes than spaces with only grass. Humans evolved in the a natural rather than artificial or human-constructed world. Biophilia developed as a genetic tendency because of our species long dependence on functionally adapting to the natural environment. Given the evidence of the health and well-being benefits that accrue from contact with nature, it is somewhat surprising that healthcare institutions have slowly incorporating nature into building and site design. Gardens, sunlight, and landscape views have positive effects on both patient and financial outcomes. To enhance connection to nature, healthcare buildings have incorporate more views of nature and sunlight in healthcare setting. Sunlight in patient rooms is also associated with a reduction in pain, stress, and depression and gives out positive moods. Case study Paimio Sanatorium The sanatorium is an establishment for the medical treatment of people who are convalescing or have a chronic illness. The Paimio sanatorium is a former tuberculosis sanatorium in Paimio, Southwest Finland, designed by a Finnish architect Alvar Aalto. Prior completion in 1932, the building served exclusively as a tuberculosis sanatorium till 1960s, and then converted into a general hospital. The building was soon nominated to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its importance. Alvar Aaltos starting point for the design of the sanatorium was to make the building itself a benefactor to the healing process, which he referred the building as a medical instrument. Alvar Aalto utilized what was naturally available which was sunlight due to lack of medical advancement. Sunlight balconies was design on each floor of the building to improve lives of the tuberculosis patients in Paimio Sanatorium. Weak patients were able to pulled out of their bed to rest in an environment to be exposed to sunshine and clean air. Furthermore, the sun balconies are also a platform for patient to take pleasure in the generous views to the woodlands surrounding the place. Effectively incorporating these biophilic design elements in constructed buildings and landscapes to varying degrees and in various combinations can enhance human health and well-being. Biophilic design elements can guide healthcare designers and hospital developers in addressing the inherent human affinity for nature. Purified Air, Clean Air? Good Air, good Health There have been many developments in the science and practical application of improved indoor air quality. Most recently, these developments have been in the area of source control for which the industry has developed effective guidelines and best practices. Efforts began in the 1980s with the indoor air quality guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Using these guidelines appropriately, we can inform building owners and operators about the quality of the air in their facilities. Indoor air samples taken in a building pre- and post occupancy and during its functional life as part of an ongoing commissioning program, can be analysed for chemical concentrations. The goal is to design, construct, and operate healthcare facilities so that the indoor concentrations of chemicals of concern (carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, and chemicals with chronic or long-term health effects) are low enough to minimize their harmful effects and not impact the occupant health negatively. Four Design Principles for Healthy Indoor Air Quality Source control: minimize the indoor chemical concentrations by reducing or eliminating pollutant sources. For healthcare facilities, this involves two separate strategies: The building: Select and install building materials and finishes that minimize or eliminate indoor pollutant sources The buildings contents: substitute low-emitting furnishings, medical products, materials, and cleaning agents for the previously used, more toxic materials. Examples of this are the use of PVC-free furniture and window shades and the use of nonlatex gloves. Ventilation control: Provide adequate ventilation to dissipate and purge indoor air pollutants. Building and IAQ commissioning: This is a process used during design and construction to verify that a building is constructed as designed and operates as intended. Recommissioning should occur regularly to ensure that the building continues to perform as intended. Operations and maintenance: Perform regular inspection, maintenance, and cleaning of the building and its contents. Case Study University of California-San Francisco Osher Center for Integrative Medicine Numerous building products, including floor materials, wall panels and ceiling tiles in the Osher Centre for Intergrative Medicine have been reformulated chemically of building material to reduce chemical emissions based on these specifications. Many institution trade groups have begun developing or have already developed the same level of compliance certification. Breathing Easier Over the last twenty-five years, much attention has been paid to improving indoor air quality as a result of the practical application of scientific research with a new consciousness about occupant health, architects and engineers are producing new building designs, system, and specifications. The manufacturing industry is responding with both reformulated and brand new green products. Giving material specifiers more confidence in selecting healthy materials, and construction industry is responding by incorporating green construction methods. Scientific test proves and qualitative feedback from occupants of these enhanced IAQ buildings confirms that improved indoor air quality improves every breath staff, visitors, and especially patients take and how they feel. A larger healthcare infrastructure will mean more energy, more materials, more development. Without the transformation of the building sector in healthcare, continued system expansion will increase the ecological resource burdens within communities. The transformation of the materials marketplace in the service of indoor air quality will be challenging. Without the limitation from organisation limiting on the budget and purchasing power of healthcare industry, greener cleaning products, and improved indoor air quality can have a major impact on moving toward cleaner building.

Friday, October 25, 2019

Physics of Hydraulics :: physics hydraulics

Missing Figures/Equations History The type of physics that I will be presenting is a branch of Fluid Mechanics. Fluid mechanics studies the physics of gases and liquids. Hydraulics is defined as: "a branch of science that deals with practical applications of liquid in motion." Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, via www.dictionary.com The science started over thousands of years ago with Aristotle (384-322 B.C.) and Archimedes (287-212 B.C.). Many European scientists also contributed to hydraulics, including da Vinci, Mariotte and Boyle. The scientist who discovered the main principle I will be talking about is Pascal. A French scientist who studied math and physics. His work included studying atmospheric pressure, conic sections and the principles of hydrostatics. After Pascal there is Bernoilli, Franklin and Froud, who all also contributed to the science of hydraulics. How it works (the physics part) The basic rule of using hydraulic power is Pascal's Principle. Pascal's Principle: pressure exerted on a fluid is distributed equally throughout the fluid. Hydraulics uses incompresible liquids so the applied pressure from one end (small arrow) is equal to the desired pressure on the other end (big arrow). The big arrow is pointing toward a piston that is free to move, and is sometimes connected to a rod. When the force is applied, the piston moves up or down. The equations are: equations Of course, as Prof. Newman says, "there is no free lunch," In order to move the larger area, the smaller area has to move a lot in order to move the larger area a little. The larger area is nine times greater than the smaller area. In order to move the larger piston one inch, the smaller piston has to move nine inches. The Uses of Hydraulics Hydraulics are used in many ways. Most of them are used everyday and not even thought about. Here are some examples of how hydraulics are used. They are all machines (I'm a mechanical engineer!) Car Brakes Car brakes work when you push the brake pedal, it pushes the small piston. The piston applies pressure on the brake fluid, which press the brake pads on the large pistons. The brake pads come into contact with the brake drum and slows the car down, eventually stopping the car. Airplanes Airplanes and jet planes use hydraulics in many places. * Adjusting wings * Putting out/bringing in landing gear * opening/closing doors Real Life Hydraulics Unfortunately applying hydraulics in real life isn't so simple. There are a few things to consider if you are planning on designing and building hydraulic equipment.

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

A Critique of Tess Onwueme’s Tell It to Women Essay

To Women, we travel back to a Nigerian village in postcolonial Africa. The story enlightens the audience about the dichotomy of traditionalism versus modernism and the ways in which different cultures interact. It ends by revealing the true meaning of culture; the real quality in a society that arises from a passion for what is excellent in arts, manners, and customs. Overall, the play discusses the role of women within this Nigerian village and largely examines the conflict of whether it is better to advance with the rest of the world, or to hold on to the traditions that truly make a society independent and beautiful. The play begins with Yemoja, the most important woman in the village, in a house with Daisy and Ruth, two feminist western-educated scholars. They are the primary antagonists in the play. At this early stage, we see that Daisy and Ruth are not fond of Yemoja. Daisy and Ruth are leaders of the â€Å"Better Life for Rural Women† campaign, which inspires women to believe that they are not only equal to men in many ways, but are even superior in others. The two of them select Yemoja as the mediator between the village and the western world that they are so desperate to force upon the women. The movement causes a great disturbance in the village between the men and women, and especially with Yemoja’s husband and father. Back in Daisy’s home, she has been getting into many disagreements with her family. Her husband Okei, disagrees with her passion about the feminist movement and they frequently fight about it. Her mother-in-law, Sherifat, still encourages Yemoja to participate in the village’s traditional tribal rituals. Sherifat expresses that it would a terrible fate if Yemoja attempts to assimilate to the modern culture and loses her roots. As the story goes on, Daisy becomes estranged from her daughter Bose, as Bose is beginning to understand more and more the culture of the village and becomes closer to Yemoja and Sherifat. Towards the end of the play, the villagers organize a march, for which Daisy gives Yemoja steps to teach to the rest of the women. It becomes clear to Yemoja at that point that western culture is not for them. Daisy and Ruth’s superior arrives to enlighten the women about her ideas of feminism. She is the one that will decide whether or not the movement has succeeded or not. When it is time for Yemoja to perform the dance, however, she and Sherifat perform one of the Idu rituals instead. Bose even joins in the dancing. Ruth falls and becomes extremely injured while Daisy is thrust into the middle of the action. The play ends here in a beautifully tragic scene as Ruth chokes to death while the rest of the villagers celebrate having revitalized their culture. Tess Onwueme’s play was delightfully written and captivating to any audience. The story was intriguing and definitely matched it’s title. Now I see that, Tell It To Women, is a statement on how the women of the village are always being told to do or be something. Whether it is by Daisy and Ruth or by their husbands, the women never really find their own voice until the very end. We see in the first movement, Sherifat telling the chorus of women that being a wife is â€Å"meaning that a wife deserves to be treated like a daughter and not something that you possess. † Yet, throughout much of the story, we see the women being treated like servants and as subhuman to Daisy and Ruth, the village men, and western civilization as a whole. However, I believe that even as a woman, the author was at times, very objective in her portrayal of feminism. She was able to write a play that showed both the positives and negatives of modernism, while advancing the ideals of traditionalism. She does all this without losing sight of what is most important to women of a small village like that. At one part she even has Ruth say â€Å"these rural women are very gullible, you know. All you need to do is make them feel they are important†¦ we need them anyway, maybe even more than they need us. † The author is commenting here on the passive-aggressive attempts of Daisy and Ruth but also shows that the village women do not actually need to be modernized. Perhaps here, the author is a little biased because she is making Daisy and Ruth out to be selfish and slightly cruel. To a western reader, the play was not very easy to read. The names of the villagers were at times tongue tying and I found myself changing opinions about a character because I in fact, thought they were another. Onwueme also does not really explain the native African dialect and proverbial expressions that are used, which was slightly confusing as well. Many play-writes include footnotes at the bottom of the page to explain vernacular that is not known to the reader and that would have been very helpful here. That being said, the true meaning of the play was present the entire time. The clash of cultures and the lingering pains of colonialism in Africa come through wonderfully in the author’s interpretation. In one eloquent line we see that colonialism left its mark of the villagers. Sherifat says to Daisy that â€Å"it’s easier for those who inflict the pain on others to forget. † Tell It To Women, while at times was hard to follow, beautifully captured the struggle of traditionalism versus modernism and is a true mark of feminism. Overall, I thought that the play was well written and captivating. Even as a man, when sometimes it is hard to understand the desires of women, let alone women of another culture, I was able to grasp the true value of this play. It enlightened me about African culture and the roles of men and women in society. I believe Onwueme did a tremendous job in exposing the struggles of postcolonial Africa in an artful representation.

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Genetics3 essays

Genetics3 essays Why is AIDS so difficult to cure? How does the AIDS virus attack the body? In 1979, the first reported AIDS case occurred in New York, and by mid-June 1981, unusual immune system failure among gay men was surfacing in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) initially name the disease GRID, or gay-related immune deficiency, because it was prominently found among homosexuals. It appeared to be a lifestyle-associated illness, linked to excessive stress to the immune system. Researchers believed that a highly infectious agent, which depleted T cells and could be transmitted through intercourse, blood, or blood products from mother to fetus, caused GRID. In July of 1982, the disease was renamed AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Since then, the diseases origins, the factors affecting it, the causes behind it, the symptoms arising from it, the groups at risk from it, and the practices leading to it have been widely and comprehensively researched. Despite painstaking efforts and billions of dollars spent on research, despite the nume rous drugs created to control and relieve its various symptoms, there is still no cure for it. We ask the question, Why?. AIDS is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. HIVs coat of protein fits the receptors in certain types of white blood cells (T cells) in the human immune system. When the virus is taken into these cells, it reproduces and destroys the immune system cell in the process. It attacks the body by attacking the immune system, making the person susceptible to and defenseless against many infections that he or she would normally be able to fight off easily. In many cases, HIV infection leads to AIDS, which ultimately leads to death. HIV is a retrovirus that is transmitted by the exchange of bodily fluids usually through sexual acts and the sharing of drug needles, mother to infant transmission, and sometimes by the con...