Composition of acid rain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Composition of acid rain - Essay Example Acid rain is the "atmospheric deposition of acidified rain, snow, sleet, hail, acidifying gases and particles, as well as acidified fog and cloud water".It also refers to precipitation that is much more acidic than natural, unpolluted rain."The pH scale is used to measure the acidity or alkalinity of an aqueous solution and is determined by the hydrogen ion (H+) content" ("Measuring Acid Rain"). This scale ranges from 0 to 14, moving from strongly acid to strongly alkaline, respectively, with the point 7 representing neutral."The pH scale is logarithmic rather than linear". Hence, there is a tenfold increase in acidity with each pH point. Natural rain is mildly acidic because of the presence of carbon dioxide present in atmospheric moisture, which react together to form weak carbonic acid (H2CO3):H2CO3 is a weak acid and so it partially dissociates to release H+ (aq), resulting in the reduction of pH of the system. This partial ionization occurs in equilibrium, since carbonic acid on ly ionizes 1.7% ("Sources of Acid Rain"):The two dominant acids found in acid rain are sulfuric acid (H2SO4) and nitric acid (HNO3). These acids are created from the primary pollutants sulfur dioxide SO2 and nitrogen oxides such as NO2. These pollutants are usually carried over long distances from their primary source, where they finally result in acid rain. The chemistry of both these pollutants from this source to the creation of acid rain is shown below:Sulfur dioxide is mainly released into the atmosphere through combustion of fossil fuels. The world over, sulfur dioxide is also released by volcanoes and also by the oxidation of sulfur gases released by the decomposition of plants. This natural sulfur dioxide is released very high into the atmosphere, and hence the concentration of the gas is very minimal in unpolluted air. But the sulfur dioxide produced from the combustion of fossil fuels, for example in electric power plants and mined coal containing 1 to 5% sulfur, is releas ed into the ground level air. The concentration of sulfur dioxide in the ground level air is, thus, quite high in certain areas, particularly in the northern hemisphere. This contributes to acid rain over large areas. 2. Nitrogen monoxide is produced as a byproduct of the burning of gasoline in car engines using air as the source of oxygen. The nitrogen present in air, when exposed to high temperatures inside car engines, is converted into the pollutant nitrogen monoxide (NO). A series of secondary reactions in the presence of sunlight produces nitrogen dioxide oxide and ground level ozone, which further precipitate acid rain reactions. NO2 (g) + O3 (g) NO3 (g) + O2 (g) The gaseous NO3 then combines with any reactive hydrogen donor (X) in the atmosphere, producing aqueous nitric acid (HNO3):

Will the dental college survive or collapse Essay

Will the dental college survive or collapse - Essay Example In one part of the book, when the alpha dog stands in a forest surrounded by tall pine trees, it comes to a moment of truth. His primitive instincts beckon it to the wild. In a similar way, human beings are facing their moment of truth. Standing on the very land that sustains them, they are being faced by a call from earth (McFadden, 2011). In his book, Jared Diamond talks about how the earth is showing signs and warning of a catastrophe in the making. Diamond is of the perspective that environmental degradation is one of the major reasons for the collapse of societies. The annals of history are rife with such examples. They show that successful societies were able to effectively address environmental concerns. Diamond believes that environmental concerns hold equal importance, if not more, than other factors that contribute to the success of a society. Taking care of the environment before it is too late makes the difference between a failed and a successful society. Diamond devised a formula for explaining how societies collapsed: environmental crisis + failure of a society to address = collapse of society (McFadden, 2011). Taking these factors into consideration, this essay will analyze the various attributes of the corporation that I work in- a dental college. The various aspects of the dental college will be evaluated and it will be discusses whether they are contributing to its success or collapse. Profile The dental college under consideration is a proprietary vocational college. A vocational college is defined as an institution where individuals are taught the skills necessary to become a professional in a certain job. Vocational colleges can operate on non-profit basis or can be proprietary. Since the dental college is proprietary, it does not have key affiliations with any of the popular universities of the country. Since it is private, it has a commercial nature and operates for the benefits of the people who own it. Students are charged fees, which is used to run the college. It was established in 1961. Starting from 42 students and with a faculty of 11 teachers, the building was located in the heart of the city. Over the time the college has expanded the education being offered, with programs being provided for postgraduates now. Training is offered to both students who are pursuing doctoral programs and who have completed their doctoral degree. In the past, the college has produced influential dentists that are practicing in various parts of the country. Along with the education being provided to the students, the college also invests in research (Dim & Cricco, 2001). Analyzing the dental college: failing or succeeding? Daniel Wren is of the perspective that management extends beyond military and politics- a concept that was appreciated by the Greeks hundreds of years ago. The Greeks increasingly considered the importance of management in social reform and patterns of social relations (Chiu, 2010). This entails that manageme nt plays an important role in the routine working of businesses. Most, if not all, of the successful organizations in the US are admired and their wide-ranging managerial skills imitated by businesses all over the world. According to Normand (2004), there are two main traits that distinguish these organizations from other struggling businesses in the world. These two traits are the eagerness for the future and the ability to change. Successful corporations look forward to the future and aim to improve things. They also are willing and keen to change in order to achieve their aims. A general rule that guarantees the success of a business is management. Successful corporations have been associated with the use of effective management skills. Management entails the effective supervision and regulation of the

Stem Cell Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Stem Cell - Essay Example This study stresses that  ethical issues arise in every step comprised in stem cell research. These steps range from permission or authority to give stem cells to be used in research, experimentation stage, and in supervisory stage necessary in the process of stem cell research. In terms of giving the stem cells for research, ethical issues arise relating to informed consent.As the discussiondeclares that  stem cells may be developed in the laboratory or originate from foetuses from legal abortions. It is important to note that individual hold diverse viewpoints or opinions on whether stem cells ought to be used in research and treatment. Conversely, there are people who donate their foetuses, for instance those involved in miscarriages, to be used for research. However, they may hold reservations on how stems cells from the foetus ought to be used. It is therefore imperative for scientists to ensure they obtain informed consent from these donors. Concerns have arisen that most o f those who sign the consent form rarely understand the content of the forms.  There are ethical issues relating to destruction of embryos and their creation in the laboratory for use in research. There are concerns among groups of people all over the world that developing embryos in the laboratory with the main objective of using them in research is infringement into the rights of the foetus or embryo.  Many people also believe that a child ought to be the product of both man and woman.

Strategic grouping, competition, and consumer behavior Essay

Strategic grouping, competition, and consumer behavior - Essay Example The paper will analyze five sectors that are denoted as follows (with their corresponding NAICS codes): 44812 (women’s clothing), 448310 (jewelry stores), 45391 (pet stores and supplies), 722330 (mobile food services), and 72111 (hotels and motels). Furthermore, the discussion between these five industries will analyze class, category, forms, and brands that exist within each; helping the reader to gain a further level of interpretive understanding that relates to the way in which these entities compete and exist within the current environment. Through an analysis of these metrics, the author will be able to provide the reader with a more in-depth analysis of the way in which the following markets work and the levels of consumer choice, substitutability, and competition that exists within each one of these.   Though it might be understood that competition is guaranteed, the reality of the fact is that differing levels of competition create unique opportunities and help to de fine markets that would otherwise be incorrectly categorized.   The first industry that will be analyzed is that of the NAICs code of 44812, or women’s clothing – listed under the retail trade 44- NAICs category.   Naturally, the class and category of this particular industry are that of consumer goods relating to fashion.   Yet, extreme diversification exists with respect to the forms and brands of actual industries that compete within this sector.   For instance, Forever21 competes alongside the likes of Versace and Prada.

The Financial Crisis and its effects on the world economy Essay

The Financial Crisis and its effects on the world economy - Essay Example Subprime Lending Subprime involves the credit status of the borrowers of subprime loans and does not correspond to the interest rates of such loans. Any type of loans offered to the subprime borrowers which do not satisfy the prime guidelines of a loan are termed as subprime loans. It is a process of lending money to a group of borrowers who are classified as subprime borrowers and they do not qualify for obtaining loans at market interest rates because of the fact that their credit ratings are too low (Duhigg â€Å"Pressured to Take More Risk, Fannie Reached Tipping Point.†). However, the underwriting standards were relaxed by the mortgage lenders because during the phase of strong competition, the availability of the creditworthy borrowers was limited. So the mortgage became risky because they were allowed to less creditworthy borrowers. A crisis situation created in the subprime mortgage market of United States intensified during 2007 and led to global recession (Labaton â €Å"Agency’s ’04 Rule Let Banks Pile up New Debt†). Housing Bubble It has been noticed that from 1997-2006, the housing price in USA has increased by 124 percent. In 2006 the housing prices in USA was very high, which started declining considerably in the year of 2006 and continued in 2007 too. In 2008, the Case-Shiller home price index revealed that the highest drop in the housing prices was seen in 2008 (Schmuecker). This resulted in the subprime crisis due to the obligation created by the Alt-A collateralized debt, Hedge funds, credit, and other mortgages. It heavily affected the new construction, as about 1,283,000 American families sold off their houses, in comparison to 609,000 during 1990-1995. Mortgage finance is one of the most important components in the property debt market. In the year 2008 the US government did offer special loans of about $900 million to rescue the country from housing bubble, but the amount of loss was already far beyond this amou nt (Barker 3). Weak Underwriting Practices The failure of the mortgage underwriting principles was prevalent in USA, as stated by Tichard M. Bowen III, the chief underwriter of Citigroup. He himself stated that among 1600 mortgages by Citi, about 60 percent of the mortgage loans were defective in nature (Morgenson â€Å"Raters Ignored Proof of Unsafe Loans, Panel is told†). This means that the underwriters did not perform their duties based on the policies. Apart from this, the Financial Crisis Enquiry Commission also scrutinized about 900,000 mortgages that were issued from 2006-2007. They found that barely 54 percent of the mortgage loans met the required underwriting standards. Among them about 28 percent mortgage loans even did not met the minimum standards of borrowing (Olin). Collapse and Boom of the Banking System There are various evidences that the risky mortgages were financed by the banking systems. The superfluous pressure from the showed banking system also led t he financial institutions lower their underwriting standards and support the initiation of risky loans. The CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank directly blamed the parallel banking or shadowed banking system for freezing the credit market. During 2007, the securitization market which was supported by the parallel banking system started to collapse and shut down by 2008. In this situation, the private credit market was not available to

Rotation of Auditors Improving Quality of Audits Essay

Rotation of Auditors Improving Quality of Audits - Essay Example Being faced by many of the threats the financial statements are deemed to provide true and fair view and audit of the financial statements depicts that whether the information provided in the financial statements are up to the standards upon which the financial statements are to be presented and issued. The quality of the audit is crucial for the integrity and reliability of the information provided and disclosed in the financial statements. With the continuous increase upon the integrity of the financial statements there are efforts made and put in to practice in order to provide high quality audit. Many of the legislations and regulations are formed to excel the quality of the audit so that the quality audit can enhance the integrity of the financial statements. There are many factors, which contributed towards the quality of the audit and their relation with the quality of financial statements, one of which is the rotation of the auditors. The independence of the auditors is one o f the major factor which reflects the quality of audit. The impact of the rotation of auditors upon the quality of audit ensuring auditor independence and how the factors affecting the auditors’ independence are tackled with rotation of audit is discussed. Importance of Audit Quality The quality of the audit is crucial for every user as the financial statements fulfilling the information requirement, which is different in every case. The importance of the transparency of information is critical as the users are dependent upon the provided information and that information is needed to be completely free of bias and should present the true and fair view of the company (Zabihollah, et al., 2003). The quality of the audit of the financial statements is decisive for every user as it is the quality of audit that depicts the dependency and reliability of the information provided in the financial statement. Regulations and Principals The importance of the audit is of utmost important as it elaborates the transparency and quality of the information that the company provides in its financial and non-financial statements (Anna & James, 2009). The information that is scrutinized in the audit process depicts the quality of the audit. The quality of audit is measured upon various techniques where the relation of the auditor is one of the major factors that result in the rotation of the auditors. The ethical implication of the audit and the principals provided by the international auditing and assurance standard board are issued in order to guide through the quality of audit. There are various legislations imposed in various countries where the rotation of the auditors is set as compulsory for the company. The importance of the audit is realized and various regulations were made and implemented. The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board has implemented laws that are mandatory to be followed where the rotation of the auditors are set to be followed by the companies . Corporate governance failure caused many of the scandals that gave rise to many of the regulations (Francine, 2011). In the corporate governance the best practice principals denotes the quality of audit to be enhanced when the rotation of the auditor is made after every three years. The corporate governance best practice is dedicated towards the operations of the company, which depicts the

Security and Loss Prevention Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Security and Loss Prevention - Essay Example The risks and dangers involved, both on-the-job and off-the job determine job selection. The time of exposure to the risk, safety and precaution measures in place to enhance personal safety serve as an enticement to the job (McKay, 2007). In the case of an Executive Protection Officer, the minimization of risk exposure by the availability and allowed use of bulletproof vests gives an assurance of safety. The carrying of a concealed automatic weapon would further ensure both on and off the job security, just in case the security situation gets out of hand. The main aim of working constitutes the need and desire to get spending money (McKay, 2007). The salary and allowance package attached to the job need to reflect the commitment, dedication and risk involved. Further, in cases of loss prevention jobs, the remuneration needs to take into consideration the involved goods, services or property. In cases of Executive Protection, the extra training, putting life on the line for the execut ive and the extra hours spent with the executive, at the expense of family, require consideration to ensure a pleasurable package. The doing of perfect and satisfactory jobs relies much with the satisfaction of the workers involved (McKay, 2007). Job satisfaction drives workers to enjoy the job and its surroundings and make them to forward to another day at the workplace. Personal satisfaction, and not fate or lack of any other occupation, goes a long way in determining on-the-job performance.