NIMBY phenomenon + Home Rule + flexible zoning Research Paper

NIMBY phenomenon + Home Rule + flexible zoning - Research Paper Example Their point of argument is that such projects ruin the image of that particular place. They are also concerned that this would lead immense pollution of their environment. Pollution in this case refers to the noise, dust, fumes and odor that would come with these projects. This phenomenon has applied in many cases since time in memorial. For instance, in 1970, a proposal to build a mega railway connecting five cities in Texas was terminated due to residents’ defiance against it. The people near the tracks had a preformed mentality that building the rail would affect their tranquility due to noise. Despite the explanation by the proponent that good technology would be applied to ensure minimal noise, the residents were not ready to change their minds. Another example is the proposal to construct a metro system In Washington. This was in 1960s, whereby the Georgetown victoriously defeated this proposal. As much as many people would like to support the NIMBY phenomena, it is important to note that this phenomenon does not hold water. In most cases, the residents fail to be open minded, and are under the influence of their peers. The developments come along with their own benefits. Failure to embrace that opportunity leads to an immense loss. A good example is the two towns we have mentioned above. While Georgetown lost an opportunity for better transport system and metro stops, Texas lost an opportunity for drawing investors into their city. In my opinion, the NIMBY groups were better of supporting the projects rather than defying them. Home rule has its roots in Missouri, where it was authorized in their constitution. This was back in the year 1875. Is a scheme that deals with the relation of the municipal and the state? It gives the city dwellers a mandate to generate a charter for their particular government. Before the introduction of this

Construction Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Construction Engineering - Assignment Example Following are the steps involved in designing new hospitals in Canada(Martin). First and foremost step is designing the patient care areas which may either be for a single patient or for multiple patients. These areas are designed for proper HVAC conditions so that least energy is consumed to maintain required environmental parameters. These areas are usually provided with a window or wall that is directly exposed to harsh weather conditions. Therefore, proper supply and exhaust outlets are provided in order to provide isolation from air borne infections. Rooms being designed for patients with burns, aids or other diseases in which rate of infection is much higher, are provided with protective environment. In this case air pressure within the room is controlled by venture valve. After designing patient care rooms, waiting rooms and examination rooms are designed. These are designed to provide better sitting and waiting conditions to the patients. Usually square plaque diffusers are u sed in these areas in order to provide rapid mix supply of air within the room. Operating rooms within the hospitals are not only provided with good HVAC condition but also with good lightning strategies. Operating rooms are usually provided with laminar flow systems for the diffusion and mixing of air, where surgical areas are provided with air curtain systems. Laboratories in the hospitals are provided with square plaque diffusers. While designing state of the art hospitals in Canada, engineering firms are concerned in designing each part of the HVAC system in the integrated form so that it can be easily modified to updated system when needed. If an engineering firm wants to get gold certification for the design of a hospital then the design must satisfy given LEED parameters with rating of 60 to 79 units(Engineering). Sustainable sites Water efficiency Indoor environment quality Material resources Energy and atmosphere Innovative Design Question 2 Explain the different roles that an architect and an engineer fulfill on a design project where they have to collaborate. Consider that they are both assigned to the hospital project in question 1. What would be the relationship between the engineer and architect? Draw a diagram to illustrate. Architects and engineers collaborate while implementing engineering principles to the construction design and planning of a building. While designing hospitals, collaboration between architects and engineers is highly recommended. Both work side by side for proper placement and working of biomedical as well as other electrical systems. Architects are good at implementing design techniques to solve any problem whereas engineers are good at mathematical work. While designing a hospital, engineers are to decide the size of HVAC unit including compressors and boilers and architects are then to plan for the right space for the placements of instruments. Not only this, but engineers are also good at calculating the right amount of flow that should reach each room as required, they go for calculating the number of units of lights required in the operation theatre and proper positioning and distance of light from operation table. Engineers are also good at handling heavy machinery like CT-scans and MRI machines during installation. Whereas, architects are specialized in developing a hospital structure and map of the building. Figure 1: Engineer – Architect Relation Question 3 A consulting engineering firm that is

- Radiographic Technique Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

- Radiographic Technique - Essay Example This paper seeks to discuss how do techniques are changed for a given part of the body while keeping the same density on a film, and the tips for remembering this type of information. X-rays are techniques of radiography used in controlled radiation rays in recording an image of the inside of the body on film. A radiographic technique has varying effect on different parts of the body. This is because different parts of the body appear differently since density affects how images appear on an x-ray. When a bone is targeted, the radiation must be adjusted because bones absorb most of the radiation, this is because a bone is white and much or the radiation is absorbed. On the other hand, for a soft tissue like a muscle, organs or fat, the technique is changed again by minimizing radiation from the x-ray. This is because soft tissues allow more of the x-rays since they appear gray. When this is done, the density on the film remains the same. In summary, radiographic technicians have also employed radiographic tenets that ensure safety for patients. For example the ALARA, an acronym, for As Low As Reasonably Achievable. This principle is used to minimize the doses of radiation on various parts of the body by employing reasonable radiation methods. The technicians have also applied the 3C’s principle which denotes, Correct patient, Correct site, and Correct procedure for any part of the

War & Medicine and Neuroscience & War (This is not a official title, Essay

War & Medicine and Neuroscience & War (This is not a official title, you can make one) - Essay Example First, it is apparent that the combat mortality rates of the American military have remained constant at 20% as at the Vietnam War. This is despite improvements in antibiotics, hospital facilities in theater, the advent of blood transfusions and preventative health methods such as improved nutrition. The one exception evident in the war has been the reduction in death in military combatants due to infectious illnesses and diseases. The reduction has been because of the introduction of the prophylactic use of antibiotics, improvement in sanitary conditions and hygiene (Wiesmann et al, 227). The high rate of development in weapons posses an equal challenge to come up with life-saving skills in the battlefield. Research, on the other hand, has proved that battlefield medical care of the future will evolve rapidly to obtain the capability to quickly diagnose the severity and nature of the battle injury. The American military has gone a step ahead in implementing a R&D investment in medicine. The R&D investment involves preventative vaccine development, infectious disease research, protective gear and the point-of-care devises. It is apparent that military medical requirements lead to the development of practical medical devices that support military missions. The advances end up being applied in the civilian healthcare in the cases of civilian trauma incidence. Military has been proven to be the first in the use of healthcare technology. Statistics has shown that 3 to 5 percent of the mainstream medicine is derived from warfare (Wiesmann et al, 230). Military has improved healthcare in various ways. One is from the American Revolution where the first command ordered immunization program for the inoculation of smallpox. Also, a three-tiered evacuation system was developed due to the increasing number of the wounded in the battlefield. First was an Aid station that was located next to the battlefield.

Short Stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Short Stories - Essay Example Louise Mallard is portrayed as a delicate individual as a result of her heart condition who seems to be in a happy marriage with her husband. Her ability to accept the bad news concerning her husband’s death and her need to be alone in order to deal with it shows that she is not only a strong woman, but also one who prefers her independence. The thoughts that she has about her husband are based on their good times that they had together and the love that he openly showed her. Her memories of these events lead her to sob over his death because she realizes that her life is never going to be the same. As she is weeping for her husband, Louise looks at the sky and sees it covered with clouds that have patches of blue showing through. The clouds symbolize the grief through which she is undergoing and the patches of blue in the sky are used to show the hope that she will be able to move on and come to enjoy her life than she had before. However, Louise also starts thinking of the potential freedom that she is going to have as a result of her husband’s death. She comes to realize that she no longer has to live according to the whims of her husband but in her own terms; a realization that allows her to het over her grief swiftly. Louise comes to have hope in her life and this is through her belief that because she is still young, she has a long time in which to live the way she wants. This belief in her new found freedom is a reflection of her possibly having been in a marriage that did not make her happy even though her husband loved her. This is exemplified through the statement â€Å"And yet she had loved him—sometimes†, one that shows that she might not have married for love but out of convenience. This story ends up being ironical because despite Louise’s expectation to live the rest of her life in her new found freedom, she is not able to accomplish her dreams. This is because in her husband ends up being alive and well and when she sees

Homeland Security Essay Example for Free

Homeland Security Essay Homeland Security is a cabinet level agency in the federal government. Its birth came after the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. Its main goals were to deter terrorism on U. S. soil and the safety of the American infrastructure. It has been reported many times the trouble this department is having getting off the ground. â€Å"Hardly a day goes by without some fresh report on a contract gone bad, a new technology that does not work, a new Coast Guard cutter that is not seaworthy, or more cargo that slips through port without inspection† (Light, 2007). Every year new assessments of the department including Congress, the 9/11 Commission and the departments own inspector general gives it low grades for job satisfaction, management, and leadership. Just some of the problems it is having are high turnover, internal bureaucratic struggles and structural problems. So with all that said it is having problems reaching many of its outlined goals. It still needs funding, authority, better strategy for protecting American soil, personnel, better screening at airports for passengers and employees, and better technology to find weapons such as explosives. Improved intelligence capabilities are probably the most important. Border security issues were the founding fathers main focus when he was with the agency and I am in agreement. Securing our countries boarders on a daily basis is the Homeland security’s main concern. The military that has done that job up until now but with the world being global we need to separate the two and give each their own set of ground rules to operate at an optimum level. The merging of immigration and customs enforcement can only help in making this department function at a level the American public can be proud of with the goals of this office being completed (Magleby, O’Brien, Light, Peltason, Cronin, 2006). Even with all its imperfections I still believe that it is a needed department in our government. A somewhat more rigid department to handle military type action on homeland soil was needed and was realized on 9/11. We had been living in a glass house and it was just a matter of time. The partnership it is creating with state and local governments especially with intelligence from federal sources will build a safer America. After the disaster of Katrina in 2005 it was more obvious that this newly formed department would need some redesign in its structure. But I think with having Homeland Security it will help to build a better military. This would allow more forces to be deployed outside our borders when needed. I think now if Homeland Security had been up to par, would we still be in Iraq or would the troops the Republicans so desperately want to send be there and back by now? Reference: Light, P. (2007, Spring). The homeland security hash. Wilson Quarterly, 31(2). Magleby, D. B. , O’Brien, D. , Light, P. , Peltason, J. W. , Cronin, T. E. (2006). Government by the People: National, State, and Local 21st. Ed. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Flow Of Charge And Electric Current

Flow Of Charge And Electric Current Man has always been curious about the works of electricity; why a shock occurred at times, why something clung to something else. There were once many theories of why what we now understand as electricity was created   one of the ancient theories being magic. Moving forward in time, it is now understood that the building blocks of electricity are the proton, neutron, and electron. A proton has a positive charge, the neutron has no charge, and the electron carries a negative charge. Now, everything around us is made of matter, which in turn is filled with atoms , and the atom is where the protons, neutrons, and the electrons thrive. The protons are trapped in the center of the atom, also known as the nucleus, and because of this, the electrons moving outside the nucleus along their orbital are one reason why electric current occurs. However, there are special types of electrons called free electrons. These come off of their atoms and zoom around, which makes electricity easy to flo w through certain materials, such as metals. These free electrons are referred to being electrical conductors, because they conduct electricity   simple. Electricity not only works miraculously in the world around us, but also deep within our human bodys. Electricity flows through our nervous system and directs to our neurons the building blocks of the nervous system; thus, giving our brain and body power to function properly. Flow Of Charge And Electric Current Even though electricity is based upon the negatively charges electrons, many people assume the electric current is also always negative. Actually, in most cases, electricity is a flow of positive charges, but it can be a flow of negative charges, or a mix of positive and negative charges flowing in opposing directions. However, the direction of the flow depends upon the type of conductor being used. The conductors have atoms in them, and as said before, the atoms have the protons, neutrons, and electrons embedded in them, which in turn creates electricity. In terms of our everyday electrical devices, only the proton with its positive charge and the electron with its negative charge are being used. Some sources, such as a text book, state that electricity is made up of electrons, and only electrons. In reality, electrons and protons alike make up electricity, and they carry an equal strength of charge. Now, protons embedded in solid metal, such as in a copper wire, do not flow. An exa mple of an electrical charge that is based on the protons instead of the electrons would be the everyday battery. While the battery is, lets say, powering a flashlight, the flow of electricity is moving through the inside of the battery. The flashlights electrical current seems to be a flow of both positive and negative atoms, and there is no doubt an electrical charge of some sort flowing through the battery to power the flashlight. Yet, no single electron streams through. The real flow of the charge is in both directions within the battery, part of the charge is from positive atoms, and the rest is of negative atoms moving in the opposing direction. Now, do not confuse current with flow. Electric current is the rate of the charge flow past a specified spot in an electric circuitand is measured in amperes. The atoms in a battery can have an absence of electrons, causing a positive charge. Reversing it, if the atoms have more electrons, then it carries a negative charge. A charge fl ows from one end to the other, and it only flows when there is a potential difference, which is a difference in the voltage (potential), between the ends of a conductor. The charge will flow until the potential levels out, then there is no longer a flow through the conductor. So, in order to keep the electricity flowing, the difference in potential need to remain different. Another term for the flow of electric charge is electric current, and it is measured in amperes. An ampere is simply the flow of 1 coulomb (the standard unit of charge) per second. Alternating Current And Direct Current An electric current could be either an alternating current (AC) or a direct current (DC). The main purpose of electric current, AC or DC, is to transfer energy from one place to another without a sound, without a hassle, and without inconvenience, which is exactly what we have achieved. Digging deeper, an alternating current does just that alternates. The electrons in a circuit move in one direction first and then in the opposing direction and repeats this process over and over; thus, alternating back and forth. Alternating directions of charge is caused by alternating voltages. Many AC circuits have voltages and currents that alternate back and forth 60 times per second, also known as 60-hertz current. Different frequencies are used for different things, and although frequency systems vary by country, most electric power is produced at either 50 or 60 Hz (hertz). However, a low frequency is used for low speed electric motors, such as traction motors for railways, and higher frequen cies are used for higher motor speed. Airplanes and space shuttles, for example, use a higher frequency to transmit a larger amount of power to their motors. An advantage of alternating current is its ability to change the voltage of the power, using a device called a transformer, which transfers energy from one circuit to another. This saves companies money by using high voltages to transmit power over long distances. Now, direct current is a bit different and is not used as much as it used to because alternating current is more efficient with high power applications. DC produces a constant flow of charge that only goes in one direction. In order for a direct current generator to produce a constant voltage, there are many different sets of coils making irregular intervals that stop and start (intermittent) contact with the brushes. And once again, the battery proves itself a good example, except this time with direct current. The ends of the battery, or the terminals, have an uncha nging positive and negative charge. Since the electrons constantly flow through the circuit in the same direction, from the negative terminal to the positive terminal, it is considered a direct current. Converting AC To DC Converting an alternating current to a direct current might be hard to perform yourself, but the concept of how it works is not difficult to grasp. The conversion process from alternating current to direct current begins with inserting a diode , which is a mini electronic device that allows electrons to flow through it in only one direction. The goal is to make the back and forth current flowing through something to only flow in a single direction; thus, converting it to direct current. Lets take a wire that has an alternating current flowing through it, and cut it in half. If a diode is inserted correctly to connect the two wire pieces together, the diode will stop the current from moving in both directions by completely ridding of one direction and only allowing the other. For example, the function of a diode is comparable to a two lane street, cars on one lane flowing south and the cars on the other lane flowing north. A car then gets into a car crash (representing one function of the diode, which is stopping the flow of electric current   in this case, the cars) on the lane flowing south, blocking the entire road. Assuming that the lanes go north and south forever, with no turn offs, the cars flowing south would have to slowly squeeze their way into the lane flowing north. This is where an officer (representing the second function of the diode, which stops the current, then allows it to flow again. Stops, lets flow, stops, lets flow, etc.) comes in and directs how many cars on the lane flowing south can turn into the lane flowing north to begin moving again. Lets assume the officer lets two cars from the south move into the north lane at a time, then stops the next two before letting them go again. Furthermore, a rectifier is a device used to convert AC to DC through a process called rectification. A rectifier can be made up of a series of things, such as a vacuum tube; however, we will be focusing on the diode makeup. Now, dont confuse a rectifier with a diode   a rectifier describes a diode that is being used to convert alternating current to direct current. Of course, in order for anything to work efficiently, a multitude of that product is needed. In this case, what is needed to convert AC to DC is the diode, and a single diode works, but not nearly as well as multiple diodes in one circuit working together. There is something called a half-wave rectification (see Figure 2), and this only requires the use of a single diode in order to work, but can also use up to three. During the half wave rectification process, only the positive or negative half of the sine wave is approved to go through at a time, so the diode will only permit the current to flow only during either the positive or negative part of the alternating current sine wave; commonly used with radios. Another form is the full-wave rectification (see Figure 4), which is more powerful than the half-wave rectification process and uses two or more diodes. During this pro cess, the whole wave is made either a continuous positive or negative output. Ohms Law One day a man named Georg Ohm discovered that the current in a circuit is equal to the voltage passed across the circuit divided by the resistance in the same circuit. In other words, current = voltageresistance, more commonly seen as I=V/R. It is up to resistance to say how much current can rush through an object. The objects that create resistance are called resistors, which simply control the voltage and current in the circuit so if the resistance is high, then the current will be reduced. The nice thing about resistors is that they keep a circuit from blowing up because the resistors keep the circuits from overheating. Furthermore, if the resistance stays the same, then the current and voltage are equal. When the voltage goes up, the current goes up as well. The unit of measurement used for current, voltage, and resistance is called an ampere   one ampere is equal to one volt divided by one ohm (1 ampere = 1volt/1ohm). So four amperes would be four volts divided by one ohm, an d so on. Now lets get to the fun part and start calculating values! If you have an imaginary light bulb that is connected to a 120 volt circuit and brings in 12 amperes of current, how many ohms would that produce? Taking resistance = voltage/current, resistance would = 120 volts/12amperes which = 10 ohms. So what happens when you are trying to calculate the current instead of the resistance? You simply re-arrange the formula to suite your needs. You take the regular resistance = voltage/current and multiply each side by current over one. By doing this, you will get resistance x current = voltage, and you want current on one side by itself, so divide resistance through both sides, making the equation exactly what you need   current = voltage/resistance. Given this formula, how much current is drawn by an imaginary microwave that has a resistance of 100 ohms when 50 volts are passing through it? Current would equal 50 volts/100 ohms, which equals .5 amperes. The Speed Of Electrons In A Circuit Taking the remote control to the television and pushing the power button makes the television click on instantly. Likewise, when you press the call button on your phone it connects the circuit which sends an electrical signal to the phones processor at almost the speed of light. Since the signal of the button is being sent through the wire quickly, the electrons must be rushing through the wire at the same speed, right? Wrong. It is only the signal that moves through the wire at this speed, not the electrons. When it is room temperature, the electrons in a wire or open circuit have a velocity of a few million kilometers per hour, they produce no current because the motion is completely random and in all directions, and there is no net flow in any one direction. However, when something such as a battery or generator is connected, and the circuit completed, an electric field (the space that confines the electrically charged particles) is established inside the wire at almost the speed of light. Even though the electric field is established, the electrons continue to move randomly. But as the electrons move randomly, they are being pushed along the wire by the electric field toward the end of the circuit. The reason the electrons do not move as fast as the signal does is because the electrons have obstacles in their way atoms. These unmoving atoms make the electrons collide into them, which constantly delays the movement of the electrons so that their average speed is extraordinarily slow. Now, the conducting wire acts as a guide for the electrical field lines and inside the wire the electric field is directed along it. The conduction electrons speed up because of the electric field, but before they reach a nice speed they bump into those motionless ions and transfer some of their energy to them in the process this is why the wires that carry currents become hot. With an alternating current circuit, the conduction electrons do not make any net progress in any di rection. In one cycle the electrons move a teensy fraction of a centimeter in one direction, and then the same distance in the opposing direction. Because of this, the electrons rhythmically move from side to side along relatively fixed positions. So when you call your friend and talk to them over the telephone, it is simply the structure of the to and fro motion of the conduction electrons that is carried to where your friend is at close to the speed of light. The electrons that are already within the wires simple vibrate to the rhythm of the structure.