Parental Perspectives Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 19000 words

Parental Perspectives - Dissertation Example This study has broadened my thought process, my zeal, inner strength, passion, knowledge, and focus on how I can help our youth discover what it takes to reach their educational goals. I also dedicate this dissertation to all those that are close to my heart: my husband, children, parents, family, and friends that supported me through this process. Their support has allowed me to climb to the mountaintop in accomplishing my goals and to continue fulfilling the desires of my heart. I owe a special thanks to my wonderful children, Jermaay and Cladorian, who are my pride and joy. Thank you for sacrificing your wants and needs and for being patient with mommy. To Floyd, my loving husband, who listened, supported and made many sacrifices for me during this difficult process; I deeply thank you. Acknowledgments This dissertation took more commitment and devotion than I ever imagined and I could not have done it by myself. So many people helped me through this challenging time of my educational journey. I am truly thankful for the grace that God bestowed upon me over these past three years. I am very grateful and honored to have such a supporting family, friends, church and cohort who provided constant encouragement. I must acknowledge my wonderful mentor, Dr. April Flanagan, who came to my rescue in the midst of my uncertainties in my research plan. I started research for my dissertation in Atlanta, Georgia, with a solid foundation and then my husband received military orders to transfer to Okinawa, Japan for three years. As a result, my research topic had to change, and I was forced to switch my focus and start over. Dr. Flanagan was a true asset in the writing of my dissertation, due to her extensive experience... This phenomenological study investigates how parents perceive their involvement in student learning. Kohls, Stafford, and Miller (2003) assert that public dissatisfaction, international comparisons and the skills needed for the 21st-century workforce â€Å"by policy makers, parents, the business community and the public have resulted in demands that schools be held accountable for learning† (p. 1). In Okinawa, Japan, the language barrier restricts military and government civilian parents of non-Japanese speaking children from entering the more challenging domestic school systems (O. Lee, August 11, 2005, personal communication). The expense of registration and monthly tuition fees for private and Japanese public schools is another issue that military and government civilian families encounter if they choose not to use the provided school system available (Military Resources & Benefits, n.d.). Parents’ expectations about their role in their children's education are essential to student learning and academic success. When parents believe their children are not receiving the best education possible, the reason is often that they feel powerless to do anything about it other than basic home intervention (Bloom, 1992). For example, parents are establishing goals and possibilities for their children to become academically successful, such as seeking technical support through computerized tutorials when questions occur on schoolwork or allowing the child to call a fellow classmate or searching the text for guidance.

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Ernst Ludwig Kirchner - Essay Example Expressionism took many forms including theatre, cinema and art (www.artmovements.co.uk). Other movements including Fauvism, Post- Impressionism and Impressionism heavily influenced the art itself. However Expressionism evolved beyond all those, incorporating many of the elements of each type but also imparting extreme violence and exaggeration of brushstrokes, as well as harsh and intense colour to the canvas in order to convey their personal emotional response to the scene. In 1880 two events took place that led to the rise of Expressionism. The first was the unification of Germany and all its controlled states into a single federation or empire by the German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck (www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk). This resulted in the appointment of Wilhelm II, the King of Prussia, (Germany's biggest state) to the position of Emperor of Germany. Wilhelm's governance and his policies led to social and political unrest in the empire and eventually led to World War I. Kirchner was born in Aschaffenburg, the son of a chemist in the paper industry. Though his parents encouraged his artistic tendencies they did not consider it a profession and after his schooling, his parents sent him to an architecture course in a Technical College in Dresden (http://tigtail.org). While there he formed an artists group with two other students, Heckel and Schmidt- Rotluff. They called themselves Die Brucke, literally, The Bridge. They considered themselves to be a bridge from the old set ways into the future of art and society in Germany. Kirchner was the driving force of this group and his work endures as a striking commentary on German society at the time. His most famous works as his art developed were those belonging to his "Streetwalker" series. Two of those paintings, Potsdamer Platz (1914) and The Street (1913) will be discussed as an example of how the period in which he lived influenced him. In order to fully comprehend the import of his work it is also necessary to understand the time in which he lived. Germany from 1880 to the time of the Great War was undergoing great turmoil on several fronts. Firstly it was a time of immense expansion on an industrial and technological front (Myers and Praeger, p11). Artists all over Europe were invigorated by this infusion of modernity. However Germanys unified empire was beginning to crack. After the appointment of Wilhelm as Kaiser there was a growing rift between the Emperor and his Chancellor Bismarck on various issues of social policy and he finally forced Bismarck to resign in 1890. With the dismissal of the Chancellor Wilhelm forced the passing of several policies that were completely unsuitable for a technologically developing nation (www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures). He also adopted political stands that led to the development of World War I. On the social front things were not much better in Germany during this period. Women's rights were virtually unheard of; women were unable to vote until quite late, they had very few legal financial rights and job opportunities and marriage and children were the only way for a respectable woman

Influence of face-to-face communication on customer satisfaction Dissertation

Influence of face-to-face communication on customer satisfaction - Dissertation Example The main challenge of this study is the target audience (from the Middle East). There is a constant cultural conflict between Western and Eastern worlds and the sphere of business is not an exception. A high-cultural context of the Middle East countries should be the foremost triggers for the development of service marketing campaigns by the Western partners. There is a strong influence of historical and cultural traditions on business in the Middle East (Smith, Peterson & Thomas, 2008). Patience, loyalty and the conservative nature of the businessmen or customers from the Middle East implies that the Western businessmen should be of high cultural proficiency. For example, face-to-face communication supposes the communication of two individuals from different cultural contexts (a western manager and an eastern service customer). Such issues, as the principle of seniority, respect to the elder people, and low risk-taking behavior of the Easterners should be taken into account while pr oviding them with certain services. This challenge is not facilitated in case telephone or electronic communication means is used. Electronic communication would take less time to deal with the customers, but it does not discard the importance of cultural markers in the process of getting services. Moreover, there is a need to make some changes in the style of communication, when face-to-face communication is an opportunity for single activities (e.g. talking), telephone communication doubles up activities (talking and searching in the Internet). Electronic communication as well as telephone communication consumes less time and is more focused on factual tasks completion (Elving, 2005). The gap in the literature In spite of the fact that cross-cultural communication and means of communication between the companies and customers have been widely discussed, there is a lack of studies focused on an integrative discussion of these issues. Solomon et al. (1985, p.99) propose, that  "the dyadic interaction between a firm and a customer is an important determinant of the customer’s satisfaction†. Further on, the researchers were focused on the growing role of the modern technologies and the Internet (Aron, 2006; Kasper, Helsdingen & Vries, 1999; Little & Little, 2009). The communication between customers and service providers is more effective when they use modern technologies, but at the same time it is also very important to develop face-to-face communication. The advantages of Internet communications is outlined in the following manner: â€Å"Consumers have bargaining power, and they are beginning to  exercise it. They begin to  exercise the right to  know what the price should be† (Steinbock, 2000). On the other hand, Internet communications was considered as inefficient two decades ago. Currently, an important role of virtual communities cannot be denied. Therefore, modern companies should integrate dyadic approach to communication with the customers and business partners, such as personal and virtual communication. Communication in the service marketing Moreover, the specific nature of services  marketing  implies more tricky strategies than in strategies used in product marketing. Thus, for successful operation of the Western service marketing

Conservation of biological Diversity Essay Example for Free

Conservation of biological Diversity Essay Conservation of biological diversity is the most important aspect on the globe since all demands of human existence are entirely dependent on it. Domestic, industrial, and leisure considerations of human existence are derived from nature. Recently, the focus on biodiversity conservation has increased owing to the greater levels of understanding on the local and international significance of conservation. Since the first United Nations Convention on Human Environment held in Stockholm 1972, the disparities between conservation and development have come to the lime light with great emphasis (Clifford Clifford, 61-62). However, conservation analysts have continued to differ over the overall effects of the international conservation rules in enhancing harmony that inculcates human being as a subcomponent of the ecosystem in which they exist. Whereas misunderstanding and misinterpretation of the term conservation has recurred for a long time, UNEP points out that it is the overall use of biological resources while enhancing their resilience to enhance inter and intra generational equity. The term conservation has been used interchangeably with preservation a notion which is totally wrong. The later denotes taking care of the biological diversity without exploiting them or their proceeds. Biological diversity (biodiversity) is a term used to indicate variations of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome or the whole earth. It also encompasses the variability of living organisms from all sources, that include inter alia, terrestrial, marine, and other aquatic and ecological complexes that they are part. This includes diversity within species, between them, and ecosystems (James Kim et al, 193-195). 2. Overview of the paper This paper explores conservation of biological diversity with an aim of establishing the existing conservation strategies present on a global scale and assessing their effectiveness. Tracing the origin of the concerns for conservation, the paper uses statistics to indicate the current situation of biodiversity conservation and threats globally. To add to that, it explores the policy and legislative framework to address the threats on a global scale and their domestication by various states. Using examples, the paper seeks to establish the future of conservation and the factors that will determine effective conservation of the biological diversity. 3. Background and statistics Conservation of biological diversity has existed since historic times where most of the communities lived and co-existed with the natural flora and fauna without posing any threat to it. Notably, after the settling of the Red Indians in Northwest Coast and Southwestern regions of North America, they totally relied on the wild without causing any threat to them. However, the modern conservation ideals are mostly linked to the first United Nations Convention on Human Environment which was held in Stockholm Sweden in 1972 (Clifford Clifford, 102-105). It was this meeting that resolved to form the United Nations Environment Program to act as the main body responsible for environment and conservation globally. Conservation biologists have indicated that the world is threatened with extinction than any other period in history. Global extinction is estimated to be 10, 000 higher than the natural background extinction rate. 32% of all the global surviving amphibians are threatened with extinction. Over the last 50 years, it is estimated that two-thirds of all the mammal genera weighing about 44 Kg (97lb) have become extinct. To add to that, 12% of all birds in the globe and 23% of all mammals are listed in the IUCN Red Data Book. By the year 2000, about 27% of the entire world coral reefs had collapsed and by 2050 extinction rates will range from 15% to 37% for all the planet species (IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, 60-65). Of greater concern is that about 70% of all the studied plants have been designated as threatened or endangered. 4. Threats to conservation of biological diversity a) Industrial and Agricultural activities Since industrial revolution, advancement in technology has heightened the rate of natural resources exploitation from the natural system. This increase in exploitation has directly or indirectly affected the flora, fauna, or their habitat with a great extent. Currently, massive whaling industries in the pacific have resulted to the great decline of the species. After the discovery of â€Å"new lands† (currently North America), the British industrialists embarked on large scale harvesting of the forest products that threatened vast species of flora and fauna in the region. Of greater concern, is the wildlife products sale and use that have endangered biodiversity like the Tragelaphus speke, Myotis leibii, Lamptetra bifrenatus, Ambystoma opacum, Crotalus horridus, and Sterna dougalii among others. In addition species like Gavia, immer, Martes americana, Notropis bifrenatus, and Clemmys guttata have become threatened with time (Mark, 280-300). Agricultural activities on the other hand have encroached into most of the biodiversitys habitats due to the demand from the rising population to be fed. At this point, agriculturalists have shallowly argued that it is more important to feed the people as opposed to conservation. To add to that, modern agricultural activities have resulted to use of inorganic and toxic agro-chemicals that poison the flora and fauna. Pesticides and fertilizer remnants are easily swept to the aquatic ecosystems during the rainy seasons killing or inducing mutations in the biological systems. b) Pollution As indicated earlier, industrial productions most negative effect is probably pollution emitted to the natural systems. Notably, production of goods is operated on a totally capitalistic note where reduction of production costs is strongly emphasized. As a result, pollution control and waste management has taken a back hand in most of these industries and urban establishment. Therefore, they release most of their wastes directly into the ecosystems where massive poisoning of flora and fauna takes place. During the United Nations Convention on Environment and Development in 1992 at Rio-de-Janeiro, agenda 21 indicated the great need to control pollution by the member states. Of greater concerns was the direct emission of heavy metals that undergo bio-magnification and bio-accumulation to the environment. These toxicants have long tern effects and shift upwards to affect all level of food chain in an ecosystem. Glenn et al (540-545), emphasis the earlier connotation of the Silent springs on the trans-boundary nature of pollutants which results to extended impacts on a global scale. Rachael Carson found out that even after chemicals are used, they are transported via environmental dynamics to far places like the Polar Regions where she noted extensive death of penguins. c) Monopolistic application of conservation policies Notably, conservation of biodiversity has become a hard nut to crack due to lack of harmony in the overall design and application of conservation consideration between states. Though diplomacy has recently taken an upper hand in ensuring amicable resolution of conflicts, conservation of biodiversity still lags behind. This has been prompted by the varying priorities by different administrations and countries authorities’ consideration. This has especially been noted with the migratory birds in the world where they shift to various regions during different seasons. According to David (254-257) about 50% of the birds found in the Northern Hemisphere migrate towards the tropics during winter and back in springs. David continues to say that the Bar Tailed Godwit and the Sooty Shearwater have especially been under great threat from massive wetlands destruction. To add to that, Mara and Serengeti ecosystems (seventh wonder of the world) is under threat due to extensive destruction of forests that supply water to the fragile downstream ecosystem. 5. International laws, regulations and policy framework a) UNEP (United Nations Environmental Program) As indicated earlier, the United Nations Conference on Human Environment which resulted to formation of UNEP was the main beginning for conservation concerns. The body was established with the overall mandate of coordinating all environmentally related issues globally. It was especially charged with the responsibility of ensuring that conservation of biodiversity was strictly enhanced. As a result, it organized the Convention on Biological Diversity that was held in Rio-De-Janeiro in the year 1992. The latter is considered to be the most comprehensive meeting in the history of conservation as it formed the main guidelines for conservation of biodiversity in the member states which it broke into three main considerations: (1) Conservation of biological diversity by the member states with short and long term considerations (2) Sustainable use of its components (3) Fair and equitable sharing of the proceed resulting from consideration (2) It formed the main platform for the later conservation initiatives like Cartagena protocol and played a key role in establishment of Kyoto protocol. Holistically, the Convention on Biological Diversity is envisaged on precautionary principle which calls for greater concern and study of all impacts that would result to the biodiversity destruction upon establishment of various projects (European Union, 9-12). b) Ramser Convention (The Convention on Wetlands of International Importance) This convention was established to assist in conservation of wetlands that have international importance. Notably, most of the wetlands have usefulness that goes beyond their territorial jurisdictions either culturally, economically, scientifically, and have extensive recreational values. The convention came to force in 1975 and by the year 2000, about 1, 630, 000 square kilometers in 1, 021 sites had been designated. Canada has the greatest area of designated wetlands of 130, 000 square kilometers. Notably, this convention has particularly assisted the migratory bird species that occasionally uses these wetlands (William James et al, 495-500).

Inserted-Plate Coated of Methanol Steam Reformer

Inserted-Plate Coated of Methanol Steam Reformer High Efficiency Inserted-Plate Coated of Methanol Steam Reformer: PEM Fuel Cell Applications Methanol can be easily stored and transported and converted to H2 using a reforming reactor that makes it an excellent hydrogen and energy source for fuel cell applicationsEasily storage, transporting and converting to H2 by a reforming reactor using makes it an excellent energy source for PEMFC applications [1-3] During the last decades, there has been a growing interest on developing technologies taking advantage of clean energy sources. The reduction of atmospheric pollution and, namely, the emission of greenhouse gases have become imperative and, among the new technologies for mitigating these emissions, fuel cells have the ability to efficiently convert chemical into electrical energy. In particular, PEMFCs are zero-pollutants emission systems because they transform the chemical energy of the electrochemical reaction within hydrogen and oxygen into clean electrical powerTodays, for environmental issues, growing interest on developing technologies including clean energy sources has been focused. Pollution issue and, especially, the emission of greenhouse gases have become crucial and, the new technology for elimination of these emission, can be achieved by PEMFC. [4, 5] Meanwhile, compared to other feedstocks, methanol exploitation shows various advantages as a hydrogen carrier for fuel cell applications and, namely, it can be produced from renewable sources[9], and the reforming reaction occurs at relatively low temperatures, ca. 240–260 1CAmong these, methanol exploitation leads various advantages as a hydrogen carrier and, especially, reforming reaction applying at relatively low temperature (240-260 C) [6] , compared to the methane reforming, normally performed at 800–1000 1C, compared to the methane reforming, normally carry out at 800-1000 C[7] . Methanol steam reforming (MSR) reaction has been seen as a very attractive and promising process for hydrogen production and, according to the scientific literature on the argument, it can be described by the following chemical reactions:Attractive and promising of the methanol steam reforming process cause especial insight to this reaction which according to the scientific references, occurs by the following chemical reactions: Where reactions 1, 2 and 3 represent MSR reaction, water gas shift reaction and methanol decomposition reaction, respectively.Reaction (1), represents MSR reaction, reaction (2) represents water gas shift reaction and reaction (3) represents the methanol decomposition reaction The reactor design has direct impact on the reaction conversion, but owing to higher technical complexity and manufacturing costs of other designs, the reformers and MRs are normally tubular. However, recent efforts in the area of micro-processing made possible and easier to manufacture other reactor designs and namely well-structured à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡at micro-reactors. A micro-reactor is defined as a device that contains micro structured features, with a sub-millimeter dimension, in which chemical reactions are performed in a continuous manner They present advantages compared to conventional ones such as higher surface-to-volume ratio, smaller mean distance of the specific à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uid volume to the reactor walls, better heat and matter transfer properties and à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow patterns that fit with the reaction needs. Furthermore, à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡at reformers are suitable for stack integration with fuel cells. Packed-bed micro-reactors require well-define catalyst particles, wi th regular shape and much smaller than the internal dimensions of the micro-channels, which is a problem for most of commercial catalysts.The reactor design, directly impress reaction conversion but owning to higher complexity and fabrication costs should be considered. Common normally MRs are in tubular shape. However, recent researches show easier to manufacture and possibility of other designs and namely well-structured flat micro-reactors. A reactor containing micro structure features and sub-millimeter dimension through performing in a continues manner representing advantages such as higher surface to volume ratio, smaller mean distance of the specific fluid volume to the reactor walls, improving heat and mass transfer make appropriate situation of stack integration with fuel cells. [8]. Many studies have been developed to explore the advantages of micro/mini-reactors to produce hydrogen through MSR The design of a reactor targets the maximization of the conversion and selectivity at the lowest costs and its performance is inà ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uenced by the à ¯Ã‚ ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡ow pattern, velocity profile, pressure drop and heat transfer, so all these aspects must be consideredTo fabricate an effective micro-reactor having maximum conversion and selectivity at a low cost is impressed by the flow pattern, velocity profile, pressure drop and heat transfer, therefore all these approaches should be considered[9]. For conducting MSR reaction, most of the used reactor designs are rectilinear channels, pin-hole, coil-based and radial (Fig. 2).Coil-based reactor designs allow high conversions, but impose a significant pressure drop penalty, which may be a limitation for compact applications Categorization of the design consist rectilinear channels, pin-hole, coil-based and radial (Fi g. 2). Among these, Coil based leads high conversion and pressure drop preventing compact applications[9]. In the other hand, the rectilinear channel designs exhibit a small-pressure drop, but the conversion is low due to uneven mass distribution and is affected by the Reynolds number while, the first exhibit a small pressure drop, uneven mass distribution cause lower conversion which impressed by Reynolds number[9]. Yet, by adjusting the channels width [69] or by imposing a pressure drop at the channels entrance even distributions on rectilinear channel designs can be obtained, improving the methanol conversion[10]. Conventional packed-bed reactor has disadvantages, such as hot spots, delays in start-up, and mass and heat transfer limitations. For micro-scale reactor, the pressure drop is somewhat higher due to space constraints of channels being blocked with catalysts. A micro-pump used in portable applications may not be capable of overcoming a high pressure drop. On the other hand, microchannel reactor offers advantages, such as fast heating and cooling, large surface-area-to volume ratios, and less energy input The packed-bed reactors as a classic system, have disadvantages, such as hot spot, slow start-up, and heat and mass transfer limitations. Micro-structure scale of this group utilizing a micro pump is necessary, due to high pressure and channel blockage [10]. Some research has shown that wall-coated reactor performs better than packed bed reactor for SRM reaction various researches has proofed better performance of the wall-coated than packed bed reactor for SRM reaction[11, 12]. Experimental Catalyst preparation Firstly, 200 ml deionized water was heated to 80ËÅ ¡C and then metal nitrates of Cu, Zn and Fe (to prepare CuZnFe) were dissolved into the water until get the 0.2M solution. This solution was added to the heated water (80ËÅ ¡C) over stirrer under 350 rpm. To control and adjust pH around 7, the precipitation agent of 0.5M Na2CO3 was used. The obtained precipitates were aged at 60 ËÅ ¡C for 2 h under vigorous stirring. Afterward, the solids were filtered and washed with warm deionized water for several times and dried at 110 ËÅ ¡C for 12 h. then, the dried powder was calcined in a furnace at 350 ËÅ ¡C for 4h. Catalyst slurry preparation PVA (87-90% hydrolyzed, average mol wt 30,000-70,000,SIGMA-ALDRICH) was added to deionized water first, and stirred at 70 C until totally dissolved, then cooled at room temperature. As-synthesized, high-performance CuZnFe catalyst (10 wt.% catalyst) was added into the PVA solution (0.5 wt.%, 1 wt.%, 2 wt.% PVA) as-prepared. The catalyst slurry was kept in the ultrasonic bath for 1 h. Catalyst coating by electrophoretic deposition on stainless steel plates To prepare a regular, controlled catalytic layer, a well-stable suspensions of the catalyst powder are necessary which depend on the particle size, solvent characteristics and additional agents. To do this, the powder were milled to get a uniformity of particle size distribution below 40 micron, at least. Isopropanol was selected as solvent due to lower conductivity limiting solvent transportation than of the aqueous ones. Moreover, presence of aqueous base cause water electrolysis following poor coverage of catalyst. Electrophoretic deposition was performed at constant voltage (140 V) using a power supply unit (SPS-900NP-Navasanpardaz). The stainless steel (AISI-304) palates (7.04 cm2) were used as electrodes in the EPD bath. To cover both sides of the plate, a system including three electrodes was selected which, were mounted at a distance of 15 mm in a cell with a total volume of 120 ml. slurry of 72 g/L of catalyst in isopropanol and 1 g/L of PEI as binder was prepared through 15 min strongly stirring and then, 15 min signification in an ultrasonic bath (1200M-Soltec). The time of 4 min as coating time was fixed for all samples. After coating, the plates were dried in room temperature and then calcination at 350 C for 2 h. Method and materials According to the procedure in fig. 1, a series of CuZnFe slurries and samples were prepared. The synthesized powder was milled at 250 rpm for 10 min (due to initial fine powder structure short milling time was chosen) by a milling apparatus. It make a stable behavior of the slurry and homogenous final layer deposited. Results and Discussion After the coating procedure, the changing structure of the CuZnFe catalyst, the operating parameters and micro-channel characterization affect the efficiency of hydrogen in the output. In this study, explored a number of vital parameters characterization, including channeling arrangement and shape, coating methods and the efficiency of hydrogen production. Micro-Channeling Theory Design and micro-channel arrangement optimization cause select an appropriate structure limited by performance efficiency, constant cost like startup, Fabrication, and variable costs (Catalyst stability, coated layer quality, appropriate life time). Regardless of the constant costs, overall state and changing catalytic plates while the plates have been channelized, replacement and re-channelizing, coating procedure should be more difficult. Although, chein et. Al. [13] adopt three types reformer including the microchannel, the plain channel and the inserted catalyst layer while utilizing channeling over cover plate is different. All proposed structure of a square microchannel have been shown below†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. In this research, flexibility and replacing of an aged micro-reformer has been emphasized, an appropriate configuration with the minimum of fabrication cost through a recoverable coating procedure, minimum catalyst consuming and high efficiency has been adopted. A treated stainless steel as active layer was coated by the high efficiency CuZnFe catalyst which coated in an electrophoretic bath under a high controlling ability condition. The EPD producer will be discussed elsewhere, in detail. According to the optimum condition of a constant parameters, type of micro-channels, length and stability have been investigated. Reactor design The reactors were designed as flat-plate composed of stainless steel 304 plates. The microstructures were introduced by CNC technology. The both cover plate were machined to cover the active catalytic layer and increasing area to volume concept. The active layers were coated by home-made synthesized high efficiency steam reforming catalyst. Subsequently, the housing sealed by graphite gasket and bolts. The size and number of channels are summarized in table 1. Table 1.  Summary of the dimensions of the reactor: the channel dimensions are only provided for the reformate side of the plates Parallel channel Zig-zag channel Length(mm) Wide(mm) Depth(mm) Length(mm) Wide(mm) Depth(mm) The test plates and reformer design details are shown in fig. 1. On the top side of the cover plate, as shown in fig. 1(a), microchannel were patterned zig-zag path to reduce pressure drop along the path, holding high activity of the catalyst through the contact time increasing.(ref) the feed methanol-water mixture is sent to the vaporizer section including an inert alumina granule packed developing the heat transfer, and then, collected in an triangle manifold in the reformer inlet to obtain a more uniformly distributed flow. The design of the reformer channel (as shown in fig) leads splitting-jointing in an alternatively manner. In order to identify the reactant flow pattern effect on the reforming performance, the reformer channels shown in fig.1 were investigated. Catalyst coating The results of coating procedure, have been shown in fig 2. For all the plates, the same catalyst loading of 25mg was coated. Experimental setup A schematic diagram of the experimental setup is shown in fig. 3. The main components of the system are reactants, micro-reformer and products. To provide the heat of the reaction an electrical furnace was used controlled by a TIC. The feedstock system including methanol-water in liquid phase was sent by a syringe pump (model nnn) in a designed feed composition and determined S/C= 1.3 in all the tests. The reformed gas stream was then sent to a cold trap to eliminate the unreacted liquid phase. In continues, the rest of the gases was conducted to a gas chromatography equipped via two columns of carboxen and hysep Q (model shimadzu GC-8A). Based on the achieved fractions and compositions, the methanol conversion, CO selectivity, hydrogen yield and stability of the active layer cab be achieved. A K-type thermocouple connected at the end of the holes which designed to measure temperature of determined spots along the axis, default of the measurement is based on the central point of the reformer for all the tests. Results and Discussion 50 mm parallel microchannel Fig. 4 and fig. 5 display the performance of the microchannels according to the length. The investigation was performed under different temperature and micro channel types. It can be observed that the methanol conversion rates with various lengths is no different although the magnitude of this depends on the micro channel arrangement and for the direct parallel channels is more obvious. In the experiments, the effect of reaction temperature could overcome length and full conversion of methanol was achieved, finally. For the zig zag type, by variation in length in a range of 20 to 50 mm, no difference was observed. The arrangement cause more efficiency in reduction of surface to volume ratio. Actually the need of a sufficient contact time of the reactants on the catalytic active sites is necessary for a satisfying conversion. In the zag-zag type the contact time will increased and the at least of the sufficient length of full conversion is about 25mm. other lengths below those was not possible due to the limitation of the mass flow controller. On the other hand, being endothermic of MSR, the least requirement heat of reaction can be supplied by increasing of the contact time on the cover plate which is contacted to the heating source, consequently following the micro channel length. About the CO content, however, due to being full conversion in considered lengths, there is no significant different among the cases. Higher conversion can cause producing some more CO in the outlet. On the other hand, sufficient existing catalyst affect the CO production due to being active rWGS in lower loading of the catalyst. (ref). Zig-Zag microchannel Felani et al. [ ] proposed that a novel channel arrangement with a certain sizing could guarantee better flow distribution, higher contact time being accessible of reaction and heating, and lower pressure drop than those of conventional ones. The proposed model can increase the methanol conversion. Fig. 6 shows the illustration of the micro-reactor with such zig-zag microchannel. The performances of parallel microchannels and that of zig-zag microchannels are compared by the present experiment. The micro-reactor in this study is different from that of chein et al. [13]. In chein’s paper, the reactor only has simple inserted plate without channelizing. It is noticed that in this experiment novel catalyst of CuZnFe has been used and the goal of this experiment is not the comparison of the cases. Advantages of easily replacing, lower costs of recoating and flexibility managing of the fuel processor. Fig. 7 shows the variation of the methanol conversion with the temperatures. It c an be found that with the increase of the temperature, the methanol conversion decrease. The conversion in zig-zag microchannels were higher than those in parallel microchannels. When the temperature is high, methanol conversion in zig-zag microchannels could be 20% higher than that in parallel microchannels. As mentioned before, zig-zag microchannels induce potential of providing more contact time to react under the help of catalysts, thereby enhancing the methanol conversion. Conclusions In this paper, the experiment of methanol steam reforming were performed in a micro-reformer coated with novel CuZnFe catalyst. The following conclusion can be achieved. 1. The impacts of reaction temperature, gas hourly space velocity, H2O-to-CH3OH molar ratio and catalyst stability were also investigated in this stainless micro-reformer. Condition selection of optimum operation can be achieved by these useful guidance. 2. Micro-reactor with two types microchannel arrangement, including zig-zag path and parallel microchannels, different lengths of 15, 30 and 60 mm were evaluated. It is found that methanol conversion in microchannels with zig-zag path are much higher than that of parallel path. In addition, since zig-zag path cause more contact time of the reactants on active sites of catalyst, there is no different of methanol conversion with length variation, while in the parallel path, it was obvious that higher length leads to more methanol conversion. References [1] D.R. Palo, R.A. Dagle, J.D. Holladay, Chemical Reviews 107 (2007) 3992-4021. [2] L. F Brown, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 26 (2001) 381-397. [3] C. Liao, P.A. Erickson, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 33 (2008) 1652-1660. [4] J.-H. Wee, Renewable and sustainable energy reviews 11 (2007) 1720-1738. [5] S. Bose, T. Kuila, T.X.H. Nguyen, N.H. Kim, K.-t. Lau, J.H. Lee, Progress in Polymer Science 36 (2011) 813-843. [6] R.Y. Chein, Y.C. Chen, Y.S. Lin, J. Chung, International Journal of Energy Research 36 (2012) 466-476. [7] A. Basile, A. Iulianelli, T. Longo, S. Liguori, M. De Falco, Membrane Reactors for Hydrogen Production Processes, Springer, 2011, pp. 21-55. [8] V. Hessel, S. Hardt, H. Là ¶we, Chemical micro process engineering: fundamentals, modelling and reactions, John Wiley Sons, 2006. [9] H. An, A. Li, A.P. Sasmito, J.C. Kurnia, S.V. Jangam, A.S. Mujumdar, Chemical Engineering Science 75 (2012) 85-95. [10] X. Ouyang, L. Bednarova, R. Besser, P. Ho, AIChE journal 51 (2005) 1758-1772. [11] A. Karim, J. Bravo, D. Gorm, T. Conant, A. Datye, Catalysis today 110 (2005) 86-91. [12] J. Bravo, A. Karim, T. Conant, G.P. Lopez, A. Datye, Chemical Engineering Journal 101 (2004) 113-121. [13] R.-Y. Chein, Y.-C. Chen, Y.-S. Lin, J. Chung, International Journal of Thermal Sciences 50 (2011) 1253-1262.

Catastrophes in William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet :: Romeo and Juliet Essays

Catastrophes in Romeo and Juliet      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many characters in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet invite the catastrophes they experience.   These characters are Mercutio, Romeo, and Friar Laurence.   Mercutio because he never thinks before he acts.   He has a very big mouth and will say anything to create a joke.   Romeo because of this fight with Tybalt.   If this fight never occurred then the outcome of the story could have been better for Romeo and Juliet.   Maybe there families could have set aside their differences for there children and live the rest of there lives in harmony.   Friar Lawrence because I do not think he thought about the plan to unite Romeo and Juliet long enough.   He should have gotten a reliable messenger to inform Romeo of the situation.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Romeo's friend Mercutio was a very witty energetic man.   If he held his tongue and thought about what he said before acting on them he would not have gotten into so many fights.   His jokes were probably taken lightly be his friends Romeo and Benvolio because they were accustomed to hearing Mercutio's voice constantly.   Mercutio should not have tried to tease Tybalt because of the rivalry between Tybalt's family and Romeo's family.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   While avenging Mercutio, Romeo should have thought about the consequences of slaying Tybalt.   On one hand he filled the urge to kill the man who had killed his friend. On the other hand he killed his wife's cousin.   How can one justify killing a member of their wife's family?   Another consequence he should have taken into consideration was the punishment he was going to receive from Price Escalus.   In act one scene one Prince Escalus already warned everyone in Verona that if anyone was caught fighting again the would pay for it with there lives.   If Romeo had not gotten into the duel with Tybalt Romeo would not have been banished from Verona.   When Prince Escalus exiled Romeo, that was the point in the play which was the biggest catastrophe.   This is because once Romeo was exiled he could not see Juliet ever again and Juliet could never see Romeo again.   Friar Lawrence would have never had to devise a plan to put Juliet into

9-11 Essay

The horrific after math of the tragedy event of 9-11 still impacts the United States government and the life of the citizens living in the United States today. There are still many concerns and question about what can the United States do to help prevent a terror event from taking place again. The United States has made some massive changes in it’s security since 9-11. However, even with all the new laws and regulations some believe that there is still a need for more laws. More laws and regulations that would allow law enforcement and the government to maintain or increase the liberties they have enjoyed prior to 9-11. Today the Unites States has made an enormous improvement in technology to make it safer. With all the new technology improvements since 9-11 the United States is safer, but not as safe as it could be. Citizens living in this county know that in order to make more improvement in our homeland security, counterterrorism, or any other aspect it will require new technology. But new technology doesn’t come cheap; there is a price to pay that isn’t of monetary value, less privacy for citizens. Is the invasion of some of your privacy worth giving up for protection? What can be more important than the safety of your life? One of the marvelous improvements of technology that took place preceding the event of 9-11 was airport security. These improvements were made for the better and have yield good result. With this being said, there is still controversy surrounding the changes made, like the invasion of privacy. Transportation Security Administration performs frisk and pat downs at airports, which do not violate an individual’s constitutional rights, but, there is controversy about how far Transportation Security Administration should be able to go. Today people are told to do things like take their shoes off at airports, (add another thing security does and then put a comma with etc. after it to end the sentence) These still do not violate your constitutional rights. Would you rather have someone take off their shoes or bring a bomb or weapon onto a plane? Airport security raises a lot of concern about, â€Å"how far is too far.† There was an incident with a 90 year old lady at an airport that was ask to take off her diaper. The reason that she was asked was because it was wet and it prevented her from being search properly. Once again the thing that we are overlooking is that the matter of safety overrides everything else. Or what about in 2009, when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was found with plastic explosives hidden in his underwear at an airport. Without the new searches and frisk and pad down procedures, the plastic bomb would have been overlooked. It’s obvious that new enforcement of laws have slowed down some of the terrorism acts but there is still much more that still needs to be done. These are just some of the reasons why our government has invested 100s of millions of dollars to speed up technology machines and equipment. One of the types of data that the government gathers about citizens are cell phone records. The National Security Agency collected the phone records of millions of Verizon customers. They ordered that, â€Å"Verizon must provide the phone numbers of both parties on a call, location data, unique identifiers and the time and duration of calls. This applies to calls both within the United States and placed to an international number,† (Welsh, 2013). This is still not an invasion of privacy or constitutional rights. Let’s take some time out to think here, what could our government be doing with this information? If anything, it’s something positive; why won’t the citizens of this country trust their government? The collection of phone numbers is for our safety. We as people should have a right to know if our neighbor is plotting a terrorist attack. If you have nothing to hide, then why would you mind giving up that information to the government? What harm coul d come from phone records. The United States government is something that every citizen in this country should put his or her trust into. With the trust and support of the people we as a whole could worry less about things like bomb threats at races, shootings in school, or shootings at movie theaters. Another type of data that is collected by our government is the gathering of online data of person’s computers records. â€Å"The Internet Surveillance Program collects data from online providers including e-mail, chat services, videos, photos, stored data, file transfers, video conferencing and  log-ins,† (Savage, 2013). Even with our government monitoring these events, which take place every day in every person’s life living in America, it still remains an issue of violating privacy. Once again its comes down to that phase if you have nothing to hide let us in†¦.if you’re a good American. I’m pretty sure the government is not listening or concerned about the foolish meaningless stuff. They can less about who individuals are dating or hanging out with. The Internet Surveillance Program was establishes to catch bad guys and prevent faulty events from taking place. The information like emails, chat service, photos, etc. is private information and should remain confidential. Which the information will, our government is not going to expose this information to the public unless there is some type of suspicion or probable cause. But, even before the situation escalates to that point there would probably be an intensive investigation. We have either seen on the news or read somewhere in a paper about the Federal Bureau Investigation, National Security Agency, or one of the many other organizations being abusive to citizens. We are human, sometimes we are going to make mistakes, but nobody wants to be accused of a crime. When the government holds someone in custody then later finds out that they are innocent, the government should find some way to compensate them for their cooperation and our mistake of false accusations. I believe that we have not left the door open to wide, in my opinion, we should welcome the government into our homes. We should show our government that we are law abiding citizens and that we appreciate what they do to help maintain peace, allowing everyone to feel safer. As far as our liberty goes, we must allow some of it to erode in order to live a safer life. Our founding fathers wrote our rights, such as liberty, many years ago. But since those times, look at how things have evolved over th e past years, such as social media, cell phones, Facebook, etc. So we must also allow our laws to evolve in order to prevent conflicts, such as 9-11. When the next big incident occurs the point of views made in this argument are some issues that will once again be evaluated. Who knows when our government will take action and do what is needed in order to maintain safety and peace. As a citizen of the United States, I am willing to give up  some of my individual rights to ensure that tragic events such as 9-11 do not occur again. The top priority should be the protection and safety of every individual living in the Unites States.