International experiences for Utilization of Solar Energy For Thermal Research Paper

International experiences for Utilization of Solar Energy For Thermal Desalination - Research Paper Example Therefore, there has been a considerable interest in the use of renewable or alternative energy sources to meet the demands of the industry (Eltawil, Zhengming, and Yuan 2009: 2245), since the supply of these renewable forms is potentially unlimited and the generation of energy is almost completely clean. That, and given their low cost of maintenance (Eltawil, Zhengming, and Yuan 2009: 2245), such energy sources, especially the harvesting of solar energy, has been getting much attention lately. The ultimate use of solar energy is for the desalination of brackish water in order to produce and supply WHO approved drinkable water to areas that are almost deprived of fresh water resources (Eltawil, Zhengming, and Yuan 2009: 2246). Water is the fundamental need of humanity, and a fundamental requirement for the functioning of industry and society. However, the overwhelming ratio of water is in the form of seawater or other forms of brackish water; it is estimated that only 3% if water is available as fresh water, and out of that, less than 1% is accessible (Eltawil, Zhengming, and Yuan 2009: 2246). ... Already, over a billion of the world’s population has no access to fresh water, and the demand is likely to increase by 40% of the present amount (Eltawil, Zhengming, and Yuan 2009: 2246). In light of these statistics, it has become imperative that new avenues be explored that should provide with an easy, cheap and clean method of fresh water production. To that end, the utilisation of solar energy is the most effective. This paper analyses three methods of harbouring this technology, namely Multi-effect distillation or MED, Multistage Flash Distillation or MSF, and Reverse Osmosis, the distribution for which is given below. Fig. 1: â€Å"Distribution of renewable energy powered desalination technologies† (Eltawil, Zhengming, and Yuan 2009: 2248). It explores which of these methods is the most efficient and cost-effective. It will start with a discussion of each of these methods, as follows, followed by a study of advantages of MED over the other methods. Multi-effect d istillation, or MED, is the most common and the oldest of all the techniques used for freshwater desalination (Bruggen 2003: 7). It harnesses the concept of evaporation-condensation, in that steam obtained from brackish water by evaporation is allowed to condense at a low temperature and pressure, and the heat thus given off is utilised to evaporate more water from the brine (Bruggen 2003: 7). The water produced upon condensation of steam is collected as non-saline fresh water; the ultimate goal of the set up. It is obvious that initially some energy from an external source would be needed in order to produce steam and start the cycle; the rest of the steps in the cycle are

Depression and Amputees Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Depression and Amputees - Research Paper Example 4): Persistent sadness, anxiousness, or feeling of â€Å"emptiness† Sense of hopelessness and/or pessimism Perception of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness Irritability and restlessness Absence of interest in activities and hobbies (including sex) Problems in concentration, remembering, and in making decisions Insomnia, wakefulness, or excessive sleeping Overeating or loss of appetite Suicidal tendencies and thoughts Pains, aches, cramps, headaches, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment The National Institute of Mental Health emphasized that not all people with depression experience all the symptoms of depression. Further, depression can be major depressive disorder, dysthymia, psychotic, or seasonal (p. 3). The World Health Organization classified depression as â€Å"among the most disabling clinical diagnoses in the world, estimated to affect nearly 340 million people worldwide, and 18 million people in the United States at any one time† (Grede n, 2001, p. 5). Taking self-concept as a possible determinant of depression among the handicapped, Akram and Naseem (2010) investigated the level of self-concept among handicapped persons. The researchers used sample sizes derived through stratified sampling to limit possible error at 5%. They found that self concept â€Å"depends upon age, gender, occupation, and education level† (Akram and Naseem, 2010, p. 84). The researchers reached the conclusion based on their interpretation of one and two-sample t-tests, Chi-square tests, and test of significance of the correlation coefficients. In contrast, Mozumdar et al. (2010) investigated whether depression among persons with lower extremity amputation (LEA) is really higher than the general population. The investigators found that â€Å"the depression levels of the LEA also were not associated to most of the physical health factor† (Mozumdar et al., 2010, p. 887). The Mozumdar et al. (2010) conclusion was based on a sample of 85 amputees out of an original target of 1,000 amputees. A low sample was realized because only a few agreed to give their informed consent. Using a sample of 56 Jordanian patients with â€Å"unilateral lower limb amputation† with mean duration of 8.4+/-5.75 years, Hawamdeh et al. (2008) assessed the prevalence of anxiety and depression among them and found that 63% (N=35) were normal while 37.5% (N=21) were â€Å"abnormal† (p. 629). Originally, 92 amputees were recruited for their study but the investigators reduced the respondents to 56 because failed to contact 25, 6 amputees did not consent to participate in the study, and 5 amputees were excluded because they did not respond to some parts of the questionnaire (Hawamdeh et al., 2008, p. 628). Hawamdeh et al. used a questionnaire that included clinical data that can indicate produce anxiety and depression scores and the participants â€Å"were fully informed about the nature of the study procedure and consent w as obtained from each subject before participating in the study† (p. 628). The study of Nachitz and Lenger (2008) is important because it clarifies that traumatic leg amputees are at greater risk for cardiovascular disease other than depression. Bhuvaneswar et al. (2007, p. 304) revealed that â€Å"posttraumatic appears to be more common in amputees following combat or accidental injury, whereas general rates of PTSD are 20 to 22% in

Much Ado About Nothing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Much Ado About Nothing - Assignment Example As Boggs and Dennis (46) said â€Å"Much Ado about Nothing† is an interesting film that mirrors Shakespeare’s poetic and an all-encompassing entertaining prowess. I would recommend the film to any individual who wants to have a view of the 16th century literature redone with modern aesthetics and presented as film. As Landrum (751) said, Dogberry  is the constable manning the Watch. The chief law enforcement officer of Messina is relatively honest and demonstrates a high level of seriousness in executing his policing tasks. However, his habit of employing incorrect terms to communicate is what differentiates his portrayal in the script and in the film. In the text his actions are not well defined, but with Nathan Fillion acting as Dogberry, viewers are effectively treated to a great drama surrounding the character’s â€Å"wrongful† choice of words. The film actor is known for turning his rather distracting approach (in the text) to an elaborate sense of parody in the film. In Act II, Scene III, the garden scene features the practice of a new ploy that can only be captured in film and not any other forms of art. Don Pedro, Leonato and Claudio persuade Benedick that Beatrice loves him. The romanticist trickery seems to be bearing a fruit when Benedick buys the idea. The character is of the opinion that he is spying on his comrades, but, because his presence is no longer a secret, they intentionally raise their voices to be heard. The romanticist drama created by Leonato, Don Pedro, and Claudio as they attempt to suppress their laughter about the possibility of Beatrice breaking down under the weight of her emotional attachment to Benedick depicts blind romance between the two characters, which unlike other forms of art, filmic trickery helps to connect (Landrum 785). In the subsequent Act III, scene I, Hero and Ursula pull a trick upon Beatrice, which surprisingly blinds her just the same way as Claudio and Don

Environment Management at Yamama Cement Company Assignment

Environment Management at Yamama Cement Company - Assignment Example Such techniques include proper handling of environmental issues, effective marketing strategies and up to date human resource and employee relationship techniques. However, this paper will mainly discuss various characteristics of Environment Management programmes at Yamama Cement Company. The issues of environmental impact that must be considered in an Environmental Impact Assessment for Yamama Cement are six-fold: climate protection, fuels and raw materials, health and safety, emissions reduction, local impacts and concrete recycling. (Yamama Cement Website, 2010) This issue matrix is adopted from the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†. (â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)†) 3. Health and safety: In this field, the World Business Council for Sustainable Developments (WBCS), â€Å"Cement Sustainability Initiative (CSI)† motto is Aiming for Zero. The objective is no employee injuries or fatalities. 5. Local impacts: This aspect of environmental stewardship involves reduction of airborne particulate matter discharge and noise, â€Å"disturbance to landscape, local watershed and local biodiversity caused by limestone quarrying† and involvement of all relevant local stakeholders. Presence of world’s hottest deserts makes the Middle East one amongst hottest countries of the world with extremely hot and dry weather. Hence, all kinds of traders and manufacturers keep in mind its exceptionally harsh climatic conditions and use construction materials which can provide an effective resistance to heat and dryness. (Sinton, 2005, 450) For example, builders need to use waterproof foundation for buildings in order to avoid water infiltration due to a corrosive characteristic of salt present in the underground water within the Middle East.

Poem Imagery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Poem Imagery - Essay Example By personifying nature as a "crowd" the poet is escaping his solitude. The poet goes on to give human characteristics to the daffodils by describing them as "dancing in the breeze". The following lines give the reader the sense that the poet is going even further into his curing of loneliness by personifying nature as he assimilates the daffodils with stars"continuous as the stars that shine". He was just comparing himself to a cloud and a few lines later, the poet compares the daffodils to stars, also a celestial object. He is identifying with the daffodils. His personification of the daffodils continues in the line "tossing their heads in sprightly dance". By giving the daffodils human characteristics, he is able to find comfort in their presence thus emphasizing his loneliness from the beginning, even more so. In hindsight, he is claiming to not have realized the beauty or the importance of this moment in time as he goes on to say"I gazed- and gazed but -little thought, What wealth the show to me had brought". He continues with this tense of remembering by saying "for off when on my couch I lie, in vacant or in pensive mood, they flash upon that inward eye, that is the bliss of solitude".

Hume-Faith and Reason Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Hume-Faith and Reason - Essay Example Faith is necessarily an internal asset, which lies beyond the comprehension of the sensory organs. In his book â€Å"An enquiry concerning human understanding,† David Hume observes, â€Å"Our most holy religion is founded on faith not on reason; and it is a sure method of exposing it to put to such a trial as it is, by no means fitted to endure.†(Hume 1999, p.98) Instead of beating about the bush, Hume expresses his views clearly when he explains, â€Å"Divinity of theology, is it proves the existence of a Deity, and the immortality of souls, is composed partly of reasoning concerning particular, partly concerning general facts. It has a foundation in reason, so far as it is supported by experience. But its best and most solid foundation is faith and divine revelation.†(Hume 1999, p.122) Howsoever brilliant may be the rational justification for beliefs and disbeliefs, they open the door to more questions. This is the problem with the revealed knowledge that leans heavily on faith. But even for the scientist, the starting rules of the game, and the initial syllabus, are based on faith. â€Å"Each solution still gives rise to a new question as difficult as the foregoing, and leads us on to farther enquiries. When it is asked, what is the nature of all our reasoning concerning matter of fact? The proper answer seems to be, that they are founded on the relation of cause and effect. When again it is asked, what is the foundation of all our reasoning and conclusions concerning that relation? It may be replied in one word, Experience.† (Hume, 1910) Human mind accepts nothing beyond the evidence of one’s senses. It works on the foundation of reason. But again the problem is, who is to judge, or where are the resources available that one’s way of thinking is accurate representation of the operation of the external world? As many minds, so many opinions and options! The detailed analysis of this issue made by Hume and its

Critically Assess the Uses and Limitations of Financial Statements Essay Example for Free

Critically Assess the Uses and Limitations of Financial Statements Essay Critically assess the uses and limitations of financial statements The definition for a financial statement is a written report which quantitatively describes the financial health of a company. (www. investorwords. com) It consists of a balance sheet, income statements and a cash flow statement. This essay will critically asses the uses and limitations of each of these types of financial statements for a business. A balance sheet shows the financial condition of a business at a specific date (Langemeier Klinefelter 2008). It shows what is owned by the business, what is owed and the owner’s share (net worth) of the business. The balance sheet has three main uses. Firstly, it is used for reporting purposes as part of a limited company’s annual accounts. These must be shown to Companies House, HM Revenue and Customs and any shareholders unless agreed otherwise. It is also used to let potential investor’s or lenders asses the worth of a business at any given time. This way they can judge whether they think they should be investing money into the business according to how solvent the business is, how liquid its assets are, how the business is financed and how much capital is being used. Finally they can be used by the business itself to analyse how to improve its management. There are a few limitations of a balance sheet as some values of current assets are estimated (www. businesslink. gov. uk); therefore the balance sheet does not reflect a 100% accurate financial position of a business. Also, the fixed assets in the balance sheet have taken the depreciation of the asset into consideration and so the true value is not shown. Finally, intangible assets such as goodwill cannot be measured and are therefore estimated figures too and may be very inaccurate thus causing the whole balance sheet to be incorrect. Therefore a balance sheet is useful in many ways as long as whoever is interpreting the figures takes into consideration that a few of the figures are not accurate. An income statement, also known as a profit and loss account, measures the profits or losses a business has made over a certain period of time (money-zine. com). If a business wishes to expand and needs a bank loan they will need to produce their profit and loss accounts for the previous three years so the bank can see whether they will be able to repay the loan. These must be accurate records or it will be taken into account as fraud. There are many advantages of keeping accurate and up to date records. Firstly, it gives a business the information it needs to be managed and help it grow. If a business can see where its strong or weak points are then it can find ways to improve for example by cutting down on expenses. It also enables a business to produce their income statement quickly if required and filling in their tax return easier and quicker which in turn reduces the risk of interest for late tax payments. These financial statements are usually available to the public which means competitors can see how each other are doing, however very few people understand them when all transactions are recorded in larger companies. There are also some limitations of income statements one being that its data does not tell the user anything about what may happen in the future or factors that may affect future growth of the company. It is simply limited to accounting data. The second limitation is that not all businesses use an acceptable accounting method. An example from www. money-zine. com states that â€Å"if a business decides to accelerate depreciation then they hurt short-term net income and earnings (depreciation expense is larger). If they use straight line depreciation, net income in earlier years will be higher but it will be lower in the future (all things being equal)†. The final type of financial statement is a cash flow statement. It records the inflow and outflow of cash over a period of time. The cash flow statement allows investors to understand how a companys operations are running, where its money is coming from, and how it is being spent. According Hertenstein Article 26 there are three main people that want to see a business’s cash flow statements. Firstly stockholders want to know if the business is generating enough cash to pay dividends. Secondly suppliers want to know if their customers will be able to pay if offered credit. Thirdly investors want to evaluate future growth potential. These types of financial accounts are cheap to maintain because you do not have to be a trained accountant to produce them as they are not a complicated as the other types of financial accounts. Though the cash flow statement is a very useful tool of financial analysis, it has its own limitations which must be kept in mind at the time of its use. The main limitation is that the cash flow statement only records cash transactions and so ignores the basic accounting concept of accruals and tems bought on credit and therefore are not suitable for judging the profitability of a business. Also cash flow statements are prepared using historical information which is in the past. Therefore it does not asses what may happen in the future to a business’s accounts. In conclusion, there are many uses for financial statements as they provide a solid picture of a business’s performance when compared to each other, and the users can easily spot flaws in the entity’s financial position and manage these accordingly. However their limitations must be considered when analysing the data as they only supply the reader with past and present quantitative data and do not address any of the qualitative economic variables such as the morale of the employees or the quality of the management team. There is currently no way of measuring these intangible assets, even though a business’s human resources are some of its most valuable assets.