Organic vs. industrial food Essay Example for Free

Organic vs. industrial food Essay Organic foods, although stereotypically known for having a bland taste or having no taste have been shown to improve ones quality of life be decreasing some health risk such as cancer or heart disease. If you haven’t realized it, organic fruits and vegetables taste better, and the flavor is crispier. The health consequences of genetically modified food, when examined closely, will convince you to change your eating habits. The shelf life of food depends on four main factors: formulation, processing, packaging and storage. Change any one of these conditions and you can change the shelf life for better or worse. Shelf life has many attributes: bacterial control, color stability, yeast and mold inhibition, flavor stability, textural stability and aroma stability. The appearance of shelf-life problems can be wide, as well, including oxidative browning, oxidation of flavor compounds, or liquescence. To increase the shelf life of more unstable foods, such as low-sugar jam, low-salt condiments, low-oil salad dressings, prepared fresh produce and deli meats, food companies may take steps to reduce bacterial load from ingredients before they process the final food. To grow, thrive and survive, microbes need a friendly environment; this usually includes moisture. Lowering moisture creates a hostile environment for bacteria by decreasing the available medium for them to grow in. There are a number of new ingredients to help regulate water activity in foods with a reduced fat phase. â€Å" Generally, the water activity of a minimally processed food needs to be about 0. 07 or lower, water has an a W rating of 1. 00, and most products preserved with sugar, measure about 0. 07, with the excess water bound so that bacteria are under osmotic pressure too great to survive(Katz, February 4, 2006). † Whenever you buy food, you have decision to make: Healthy or cheap, organic or industrial. If organic food was not so expensive, that decision would be easy, everybody would buy organic food, for a healthier body. Unfortunately not everybody can afford it, making it look like healthy food is becoming a luxury good. In the rush to produce more and more food for the people on this planet, chemicals came into play. Farmers begin by trying to sell the highest percentage of their crop and therefore often use pesticides, gen-manipulated corn, chemicals etc. The farmers investment in pesticides, hormones, and chemicals tends to pays off, earning more, their fruits look better and costumers are happy with huge pest fee fruits and vegetables. When a farmer says no to chemicals, he runs the risk of losing a harvest because of pests. The only way to compensate the cost is a higher price for organic food. You cant ask everybody to pay higher prices, and a lot of people would starve to death without the use of chemicals which protect harvests against pests. Every time you eat something, you consume pesticides, these substances are added in order to produce and sell more efficient. Fortunately there are strict rules for the use of chemicals. Organic foods are produced following practices described in the USDA National Organic Program (NOP), a marketing program with a certification process throughout the production and manufacturing chain. The NOP describes the practices that are required for labeling a product â€Å"organic,† but it does not address nutritional benefits or food safety issues. Even when you buy organic food, you are consuming these substances, but the bar is set at a different height and you are consuming less harmful substances that could be particularly hazards for high-risk groups such as pregnant women, infants, young children and farm worker households. Since organic food is not prepared using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, it does not contain any traces of these strong chemicals and might not affect the human body. People strongly believe that organic food tastes better than non-organic food. The prominent reason for this belief is that it is produced using organic means of production. Further organic food is often sold locally resulting in availability of fresh produce in the market. So how bad is industrial food? Let’s take a look; there are maximum residue limits on all pesticides and chemicals. The department of health determines how much of each substance is ok. Eating organic food lowers the risk of getting hit by a similar scenario, but its not a 100% guarantee (Are Organic Foods Better for You. 2010). However, getting seriously sick from cheap food is not that high of a risk as long as you read food labels you can eat cheap and healthy at the same time? If you are eating organic food only, you are still eating unhealthy foods. Almost everyone is aware that foods grown according to organic principles are free from over exposure to harmful pesticides, but that is only one small aspect. A larger part of organic agriculture is the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops are raised. Organic farmers know that healthy, live soils significantly benefit crops. Synthetic chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers applied to or around crops interrupt or destroy the micro biotic activity in the soil. Organic farming reduces groundwater pollutants, decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels. The Farmer’s Market is a growers’ market, meaning everything in the market is homegrown, but Richard Bowie, an experienced organic grower is not convinced that all the food being sold is homegrown. â€Å"The market’s slogan ‘100% Homegrown makes us different’ is used as a gimmick, said Bowie† (Shreve, October 3, 2011). Vendors have been seen carrying produce and selling it to other vendors at the market bringing the term organically grown in to question and without certification, and but by law they cannot say they are a certified organically grown vendor. Most vendors cannot afford the certification process and want consumers to look past the term organic there for focus on the soil used or nutrients used. Almost everyone is aware that foods grown according to organic principles are free from over exposure to harmful pesticides, but that is only one small aspect. A larger part of organic agriculture is the health of the soil and the ecosystem in which crops are raised. Organic farmers know that healthy, live soils significantly benefit crops. Synthetic chemicals such as herbicides, pesticides, and/or fast acting inorganic fertilizers applied to or around crops interrupt or destroy the micro biotic activity in the soil. Organic farming reduces groundwater pollutants, decreases pesticides that can end up in your drinking glass; in some cities, pesticides in tap water have been measured at unsafe levels. We should choose farming methods that truly address our real concerns safety and sustainability, not simply methods that satisfy an arbitrary marketing label. To whatever extent these practices include methods that are permitted under organic rules. But theres never a case when a safe, more efficient, and sustainable modern technology that feeds more people worldwide should be disallowed for no logical reason. Eating â€Å"organic† alone doesn’t guarantee 100 percent healthy . The truth is that most Americans eat so badly that we get most of our calories from soft drinks, more than we do from vegetables; the top food group by caloric intake is â€Å"sweets†; and one-third of nation’s adults are now obese. It’s not unimportant, but it’s not the primary issue in the way Americans eat. To eat well, says means avoiding â€Å"edible food-like substances† and sticking to real ingredients, increasingly from the plant kingdom. There’s plenty of evidence that both a person’s health as well as the environment’s will improve with a simple shift in eating habits away from animal products and highly processed foods to plant products and what might be called â€Å"real food. † From these changes, Americans would reduce the amount of land, water and chemicals used to produce the food we eat, as well as the incidence of lifestyle diseases linked to unhealthy diets and greenhouse gases from industrial meat production. And the food would not necessarily have to be organic, all it takes is paying attention to what you eat and read your labels more closely. Participation on our part to be more aware of what we buy and to raise our voices, if need be. We can let our opinions be known even in the simplest ways. A good example is when we shop, if there is no substitute for the product we need, let the store owners know, they will surely change their products. Organic food is better as it uses natural farming techniques. It is similar to preferring natural remedies when suffering from a disease as compared to eating chemical antibiotics. So, the question of organic foods vs non organic foods; which is better, is clearly answered. Organic food surpasses the conventionally produced foods. References Katz, F. (Febuary 4, 2006). Formulating for increased shelf life. Retrieved November 22, 2011, from http://www. foodprocessing. com/articles/2006/039. html Are Organic Foods Better For You?. Retrieved November 19, 2011, from http://preventdisease. com/home/tips61. shtml Shreve, S. (October 3, 2011). Does organically grown produce really matter?. Retrieved November 21, 2011, from.

Study On Use Of Pile Foundation Engineering Essay

Study On Use Of Pile Foundation Engineering Essay Piles and pile foundations have been in use since prehistoric times. Pile is commonly described as a columnar element of a building foundation. Its function is to transfer the load from a superstructure to the hard layer in the soil, or on to the rocks. The objective of this project is to identify piles and its uses in the construction industry, based on its types and suitability. This report is based on the three main types of piles, which are large displacement piles, small displacement piles and replacement piles. Figure 1. Pile Construction This report also contains research materials done by several authors have published various journals on the aforementioned topic, and numerous engineering books on pile, pile engineering, soil types, etc have been referred to assist this report. Many journals were consulted during the inception of this research. Topics like Efficiency of Pile groups installed in cohensionless soil using artificial neural networks, Experimental study on pile-end post-grouting piles for super large bridge pile foundations, etc were consulted. From these journals, it has been concluded an Artificial Intelligence application can be made to predict the efficiency of the pile. Based on the results, a pile cap can be created, or even grouting works can be performed to improve the load bearing of the structure. The commonest function of piles is to transfer a load that cannot be adequately supported at shallow depths to a depth where adequate support becomes available, also against uplift forces which cause cracks and other damages on superstructure. A bearing pile is described as a pile which can pass through weak material, whilst its tip get across a narrow distance, which in turn leads to a layer of improved bearing capacity. When piles are installed onto a layer with minimal ability to support, and the bearing capacity is being carried by friction which is acting on the sides of the pile, they are called friction piles. Many times, the load-carrying capacity of piles results from a combination of point resistance and skin friction. The load taken by a single pile can be determined by a static load test. The allowable load is obtained by applying a factor of safety to the failure load. Types of Piles Piles are of various types. These piles are classified based on the scope of construction and soil type. Figure 3. Common Driven Pile Types Concrete Piles Precast concrete piles can be either reinforced concrete piles or prestressed concrete piles. Concrete is adaptable for a wide range of pile types. It can be used in precast form in driven piles, or as insertion units in bore piles. Dense well-compacted good- quality concrete can withstand fairly hard driving and it is resistant to attack by aggressive substances in the soil, or in seawater or ground water. However, concrete is precast piles is liable to damage (possibly unseen) in hard driving conditions. Weak, honeycombed concrete in cast-in-situ piles is liable to disintegration when aggressive substances are precast in soils or in ground water. Cast In Place Concrete Piles Closed-ended hollow tubular sections of reinforced concrete or steel which are first driven into the ground and then filled with in-situ concrete. Cast-in-place concrete piles with their shell driven with mandrel are typically 50 to 80 ft (15 to 24 m) long and can specifically be designed for a wide range of loads. Typical loads that these piles can carry are 50 to 120 kips (222 to 534 kN) provided the maximum stress in concrete, is not more than 33% of 28-day strength. Figure 4. Cast-in-Situ Concrete Piles The main disadvantages are that these piles are difficult to splice after concreting, their thin shells can be damaged during driving, and redriving is not recommended. Not the most economical solution, limited span length and requires formwork support. Generally, stress in steel should not exceed 0.35 x yield strength of steel. Figure 5. Cast-in-Situ Concrete Piles The advantages are tht they have low initial cost, and tapered sections can provide higher-bearing resistance in granular stratum. These piles are best suited as medium-load friction piles in granular soils. Absolute minimum depth, no deck joints and aesthetic for small stream crossings. Precast Concrete Piles Manufacturing of pre-cast concrete piles are done within the range of 250mm 450mm. Mostly, the maximum section length can go up to 20m. There are various shapes of pile sections (eg. H-shaped, triangular-shaped, hexagonal-shaped, etc). Figure 6. Precast Reinforced Concrete Pile The construction of pre-cast concrete piles are done either in-situ or factory. Production and construction process widely affects the quality of the pile. A pile shoe should be fixed to the pile, in case the soil deposits contain a lot of boulders. This protects the pile while performing hard driving. For prestressed sections the maximum stresses should not exceed (0.33Æ’c 0.27 pe); where pe = effective prestress stress on the section. The main disadvantages of these piles are that they are difficult to handle without damage unless prestressed. They have a high initial cost, and prestressed piles are difficult to splice. It is also difficult to manufacture, subject to longitudinal and transverse cracking, not appropriate for curved or flared structures, complicated for skews. The advantages of these pile types include high load capacities, corrosion resistance, and resistance to hard driving. Absolute minimum depth of precast bridge for short and intermediate spans. Expedites stage construction. Drilled Shafts Drilled shafts are also known as caissons or piers or bored piles. This is often known to be a cost effective solution which is practiced worldwide. This is a widely used type of deep-foundation. Drilled Shafts are widely used in the construction of bridges and large buildings. This technique is used in construction areas where large loads along with lateral resistance are key factors. Figure 7.1. Drilled Shaft The main advantages are that it is economical, it could minimize pile need for pile cap, slightly less noise and reduced vibrations, adapts easily to varying site conditions and has high axial and lateral loading capacity. The main disadvantages are that it is extremely sensitive to construction procedures, not ideal for contaminated sites, and lack of qualified inspectors. Figure 7.2. Drilled Shaft A Drilled Pile is made of concrete or grout and cast or poured, in a plastic state, into a drilled hole in the earth. Augercast, Drilled Shafts, Drilled Cast-in-situ and, their variations are all forms of drilled piles. Completed drilled piles cannot be easily inspected after installation and can be difficult to install in very soft or loose soils, wet, and marine conditions. A Drilled Pile removes soil from the ground and the resulting round hole is filled with concrete or grout. Steel Piles These are more expensive then timber or concrete but this disadvantage may be outweighed by the ease of handling of steel piles, by their ability to withstand hard driving, by their resilience and strength in bending, and their capability to carry heavy loads. Steel piles can be driven in very long lengths and cause little ground displacement. They are liable to corrosion above the soil line and in disturbed ground, and they require cathodic protection of a tong life is desired in marine structures. Long steel piles of slender section may suffer damage by buckling if they deviate from their true alignment during driving. Figure 8. Steel Piles Steel piles are strong, lightweight to handle, and capable ofcarrying heavy loads to deeper bearing stratum. They can be extended to any length since splicing is relatively easy, and these can also be readily cut to any required length. This makes steel piles suitable for areas where the depth of bearing strata are variable. Various types of steel piles in common use include pipe piles, H-section piles, box section piles, and tapered and fluted tubes. Pipe piles and H-section piles are the most commonly used steel piles in engineering practice. Steel pipe piles can either be driven open ended or closed ended. Open-ended piles will experience less driving resistance and can be drilled through obstructions such as boulders and bedrock. The piles are generally economical in the range of 40 to 80 ft (12 to 24 m) and can carry loads as high as about 250 kips (1115 kN). Pipe piles are most suited where overburden is soft clays, silts, and loose-to-medium dense sand and is underlain by dense-bearing granular material. H-Piles A form of Steel pile is known as H-Pile. These are wide-flanged sections made of steel. The biggest advantage of this pile is that the displacement of soil becomes very less, when compared against other soil displacement methods practiced in the world. The H-pile falls under small displacement category. Figure 9. H-Piles Timber piles cannot be driven through hard ground. Steel H-piles are essentially end-bearing piles. Due to limited perimeter area, H-piles cannot generate much frictional resistance. Corrosion is a major problem for steel H-piles. The corrosion is controlled by adding copper into steel. H-piles are easily spliced. They are ideal for highly variable soil conditions. H-piles can bend under very hard ground conditions. This is known as dog legging, and the pile installation supervisor needs to make sure that the piles are not out of plumb. H-piles can get plugged during the driving process. If the H-pile is plugged, end bearing may increase due to larger area. On the other hand, skin frictionmay become smaller due to smaller wall area. When H-piles are driven, both analyses should be done (unplugged and plugged) and the lower value should be used for design. Unplugged: Low end bearing, high skin friction. Plugged: Low skin friction, high end bearing. Advantages are that H-pile is available in various lengths and sizes easy to splice high capacity low soil displacement many penetrate larger obstructions with driving shoes. The disadvantages are that it is vulnerable to corrosion, hence not recommended as friction piles in granular soils may force the h-pile to bend on the weaker axis, during the pile-driving process. Due to this, there is a high chance of curvature, which may result when the piles are driven into a larger depth. Cylindrical Cylindrical piles have a high axial compressive strength for high bearing capacities; they have high moments of inertia and therefore can serve well as both a column and a foundation pile under high vertical and lateral loads. Figure 10. Cylinder Piles Cylinder piles are often used in nearshore applications where smaller foundation piles would require cofferdam construction and other costly measures. Drilled shafts have similar load bearing properties and capabilities, however, they are generally more costly than piles installed by impact driving. Timber Piles Untreated timber piles may be used for temporary construction, revetments, fenders and similar work; and in permanent construction where the cutoff elevation of the pile is below the permanent ground water table and where the piles are not exposed to marine borers. They are also sometimes used for trestle construction, although treated piles are preferred. Timber piles are difficult to extend, hard to anchor into the footing to resist uplift, and subject to damage if not driven carefully. Timber piles also have a maximum allowable bearing capacity of 45 Tons, whereas most structure piles are designed for at least 70 Tons. These piles are mostly installed by driving and are best suited as friction piles in granular material. Figure 11. Timber Piles The main advantages of timber piles are that they have low initial cost, are easy to handle, and resist decay when they are permanently submerged. The main disadvantages are that it is tough to splice, are vulnerable to damage in hard driving, and are susceptible to decay unless treated. Treatment becomes necessary when these piles are intermittently submerged. Composite Piles Materials may be used in combination in piles and the most common example is the use of steel and concrete. This may be by using driven steel casings of various types filled with a structural core of concrete, or a steel pile protected externally by concrete casing; the latter is normally only possible for exposed lengths of piles such as would be encountered in a jetty structure. There are, however, forms of steel pile, which have grout pipes throughout their length, which are used for forming a protective outer casing after driving. Figure 12. Composite Piles The maximum stresses in timber, steel and concrete should not exceed the values specified above for various materials. The main disadvantage of these piles is that it is difficult to attain good joint between two materials. The main advantage is that considerable length can be provided at comparatively low cost. High capacity may be possible depending on materials. use of piles in construction There are two types of piles used for construction: Displacement Piles Non-Displacement Piles DisplacemeNt Pile The type of pile, which is rammed into the ground, which does not remove the soil, but displaces the soil downwards and sidewise. This type of pile foundation is called displacement pile. Figure 13. Displacement Piles This method piles displace soil during their installation, such as driving, jacking, or vibration, into the ground. Examples of these types of piles are timber, precast concrete, prestressed concrete, close-ended steel pipe, and fluted and tapered steel tube piles. The advantages of displacement piles are: Material forming pile can be inspected for quality. Soundness before driving. Not liable to squeezing or necking. Construction operation not affected by ground water. Projection above ground level advantageous to marine structures. Can be driven in the very long lengths. The disadvantages of displacement piles are: May break during driving, necessitation replacement pile. Unseen damages may occurring thus decreasing the carrying capacity. Noise pollution may be caused during hammering. Vibration caused during the hammering process may pose a threat to nearby structures. Non-DisplacemeNt Pile These Piles do not displace soil during their installation. These piles are formed by first removing the soil by boring and then placing prefabricated or cast-in-place pile into the hole from which an equal volume of soil was removed. Their placement causes little or no change in lateral ground stress, and, consequently, such piles develop less shaft friction than displacement piles of the same size and shape. Piling operation is done by such methods, as augering (drilling, rotary boring) or by grabbing (percussion boring). Most common types of no displacement piles are bored and cast-in-place concrete piles. The advantages of non displacement piles are: Material forming pile is not governed by handling or driving stresses. Can be installed in very long lengths. No ground heaves. Can be installed in conditions of low headroom. Figure 14. Non Displacement Piles The disadvantages of non displacement piles are: Concreting in water-bearing soils require special techniques. Inspection of concrete cannot be done after installation. Cannot be extended above ground level without special adoption. LITERATURE REVIEW Description of Journals This section contains the description paragraph for the 5 technical journals which has been chosen to support the main topic of research. Adel M. Hanna, George Morcous, and Mary Helmy (2004) Efficiency of Pile Groups Installed in Cohensionless Soil Using Artificial Neural Networks. Adel M.Hanna, George Morcous and Mary Helmy evaluated the efficiency of pile groups installed in cohension-less soil subjected to axial loading. The authors feel that a resistance to the column load may result in a major difference between the total capacity of the individual piles and the group piles. This could lead to destruction of the building. The authors have developed an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) model to assist the research. They have found that the ANN model is nearly 80% accurate to the predicted value. The predictions are very accurate, even with low tolerance values. They have also made an ANN model which can be easily updated when new data are obtained from laboratory and field tests. Kevin J.Bentley and M.Hesham El Naggar (2000). Numerical Analysis of Kinematic Response of Single Piles Kevin and Hesham have done a research on single piles, after anticipating the catastrophic losses in terms of human life and economic assets due to the earthquakes. They wanted to develop a model which evaluates the effects of ground motion on piles. Their aim was to develop a finite element model that can accurately model the kinematic soil-structure interaction of piles, accounting for non linear behavior of soil, discontinuity at the pile soil interface, energy dissipation and wave propagation. They found that the effect of the response of piles in elastic soil was slightly amplified in terms of accelerations and Fourier amplitudes. The authors have taken a good amount of information from previous researches made. They have found that the previous studies had its own drawbacks, which were concluded that interaction effects on kinematic loading are not significant at low frequencies but are significant for pile head loading. The authors used finite element program, ANSYS to analyze the full 3D transient method. They have found that the deflections obtained in the study were slightly greater than those from other tests. The authors concluded that the effect of soil layer overlaying the bedrock was to amplify the bedrock motion, which results in a higher free-field motion for the soil parameters used in the analysis. Increased Fourier amplitudes at the predominant frequency was an effect of soil plasticity. It slightly decreased the maximum acceleration amplitudes. Jinoh Won and Fred H. Kulhawy (2009) Reduction of Pile Head Displacement for Restrained Head Single Pile. The authors conducted a study on the effect of pile head fixity on the displacement of laterally loaded pile groups using analytical methods. It was found that the soil parameters have a major influence on the reduction factor, while the pile property influence is relatively minor. The rationale behind the problem is described as most pile foundations have pile cap that reduces the lateral displacement because of restraining effect on the pile heads. The authors learned that the previous researches which were done were for small-scale tests only. The authors have performed numerous tests, from which they found that there is a variation of reduction factor with soil properties for the drained cohensionless model. The authors have done a quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of pile head restraint on the displacement using an analytical method. Their design chart is matched reasonably well with the experimental and numerical data. Ling-gang Kong and Li-min Zhang (2007). Effect of Pile-cap Connection on Behaviour of Torsionally Loaded Pile Groups Evaluation of the responses, under torsion, of fixed as well as pinned pile cap was done by the authors. They have researched that, the torsional capacity of the pile group is significantly influenced by the pile-cap. The same applies with the pile-groups torque assignment. The authors claim that grouped piles are usually used as foundations for offshore platform, bridge bents and tall buildings. Due to natural disturbances like wind and wave actions, ship impacts or high-speed vehicles, the grouped piles may be exposed to significant torsional loads, leading to destruction and catastrophic effects on them. The authors have found that the lateral ad torsional resistance of the individual piles is mobilized by a pile group which is subjected to torsion. This could thrust up to 50% of the applied force, whilst the pile-cap foundation is fixed. From the research it has been noted that under loose sand the pile bend a minimal degree. Whereas under dense sand, and the same load, the pile bend less than the loose sand. They have modeled nonlinear soil response and major pile-soil-pile interactions and coupling effect in a pile group. Weiming Gong, Guoliang Dai and Haowen Zhang (2009) Experimental Study on pile-end post-grouting piles for super-large bridge pile foundations. The authors made an experimental study on pile-end and post-grouting piles for very large bridge-pile foundations. Before the after-grouting works were evaluated, the authors wanted to analyze the bearing capacity, bearing characteristics and displacement. The authors introduced 21 test piles to perform the experiment. The technique was implemented to increase the capacity as well as decrease settlement. The author has done a lot of background researches, across various bridges. From the research it has been found that the capacities are greatly enhanced after pile-base grouting. The Q-s curve before grouting decrease sharply under small loads and have great deviations from existed geological values, which attributes to long term interval between drilling and grouting. So the authors have proved that, by grouting, they have steadily increase the bearing capacity of a bridge. Order of Paragraphs Kevin and Hesham have done a research on single piles, after anticipating the catastrophic losses in terms of human life and economic assets due to the earthquakes. They wanted to develop a model which evaluates the effects of ground motion on piles. Their aim was to develop a finite element model that can accurately model the kinematic soil-structure interaction of piles, accounting for non linear behavior of soil, discontinuity at the pile soil interface, energy dissipation and wave propagation. They found that the effect of the response of piles in elastic soil was slightly amplified in terms of accelerations and Fourier amplitudes. The authors have taken a good amount of information from previous researches made. They have found that the previous studies had its own drawbacks, which were concluded that interaction effects on kinematic loading are not significant at low frequencies but are significant for pile head loading. The authors used finite element program, ANSYS to analyze the full 3D transient method. They have found that the deflections obtained in the study were slightly greater than those from other tests. The authors concluded that the effect of soil layer overlaying the bedrock was to amplify the bedrock motion, which results in a higher free-field motion for the soil parameters used in the analysis. Increased Fourier amplitudes at the predominant frequency was an effect of soil plasticity. It slightly decreased the maximum acceleration amplitudes. The authors conducted a study on the effect of pile head fixity on the displacement of laterally loaded pile groups using analytical methods. It was found that the soil parameters have a major influence on the reduction factor, while the pile property influence is relatively minor. The rationale behind the problem is described as most pile foundations have pile cap that reduces the lateral displacement because of restraining effect on the pile heads. The authors learned that the previous researches which were done were for small-scale tests only. The authors have performed numerous tests, from which they found that there is a variation of reduction factor with soil properties for the drained cohensionless model. The authors have done a quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of pile head restraint on the displacement using an analytical method. Their design chart is matched reasonably well with the experimental and numerical data. The authors carefully studied the reaction of two types of pile cap (fixed pinned) under torsion. They have researched that, the torsional capacity of the pile group is significantly influenced by the pile-cap. The same applies with the pile-groups torque assignment. The authors claim that grouped piles are usually used as foundations for offshore platform, bridge bents and tall buildings. Due to natural disturbances like wind and wave actions, ship impacts or high-speed vehicles, the grouped piles may be exposed to significant torsional loads, leading to destruction and catastrophic effects on them. The authors have found that the lateral ad torsional resistance of the individual piles is mobilized by a pile group which is subjected to torsion. This could thrust up to 50% of the applied force, whilst the pile-cap foundation is fixed. From the research it has been noted that under loose sand the pile bend a minimal degree. Where as under dense sand, and the same load, the pile bend less than the loose sand. They have modeled nonlinear soil response and major pile-soil-pile interactions and coupling effect in a pile group. Adel M.Hanna, George Morcous and Mary Helmy evaluated the efficiency of pile groups installed in cohension-less soil subjected to axial loading. The authors feel that a resistance to the column load may result in a major difference between the total capacity of the individual piles and the group piles. This could lead to destruction of the building. The authors have developed an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) model to assist the research. They have found that the ANN model is nearly 80% accurate to the predicted value. The predictions are very accurate, even with low tolerance values. They have also made an ANN model which can be easily updated when new data are obtained from laboratory and field tests. The authors made an experimental study on pile-end and post-grouting piles for very large bridge-pile foundations. Before the after-grouting works were evaluated, the authors wanted to analyze the bearing capacity, bearing characteristics and displacement. The authors introduced 21 test piles to perform the experiment. The technique was implemented to increase the capacity as well as decrease settlement. The author has done a lot of background researches, across various bridges. From the research it has been found that the capacities are greatly enhanced after pile-base grouting. The Q-s curve before grouting decrease sharply under small loads and have great deviations from existed geological values, which attributes to long term interval between drilling and grouting. So the authors have proved that, by grouting, they have steadily increase the bearing capacity of a bridge. Addition of Introductory and Concluding Sentences Pile is commonly described as a columnar element of a building foundation. Its function is to transfer the load from a superstructure to the hard layer in the soil, or on to the rocks. Kevin and Hesham have done a research on single piles, after anticipating the catastrophic losses in terms of human life and economic assets due to the earthquakes. They wanted to develop a model which evaluates the effects of ground motion on piles. Their aim was to develop a finite element model that can accurately model the kinematic soil-structure interaction of piles, accounting for non linear behavior of soil, discontinuity at the pile soil interface, energy dissipation and wave propagation. They found that the effect of the response of piles in elastic soil was slightly amplified in terms of accelerations and Fourier amplitudes. The authors have taken a good amount of information from previous researches made. They have found that the previous studies had its own drawbacks, which were concluded that interaction effects on kinematic loading are not significant at low frequencies but are significant for pile head loading. The authors used finite element program, ANSYS to analyze the full 3D transient method. They have found that the deflections obtained in the study were slightly greater than those from other tests. The authors concluded that the effect of soil layer overlaying the bedrock was to amplify the bedrock motion, which results in a higher free-field motion for the soil parameters used in the analysis. Increased Fourier amplitudes at the predominant frequency was an effect of soil plasticity. It slightly decreased the maximum acceleration amplitudes. The type of soil is an important entity while fixing piles. The authors conducted a study on the effect of pile head fixity on the displacement of laterally loaded pile groups using analytical methods. It was found that the soil parameters have a major influence on the reduction factor, while the pile property influence is relatively minor. The rationale behind the problem is described as most pile foundations have pile cap that reduces the lateral displacement because of restraining effect on the pile heads. The authors learned that the previous researches which were done were for small-scale tests only.The authors have performed numerous tests, from which they found that there is a variation of reduction factor with soil properties for the drained cohensionless model. The authors have done a quantitative analysis to investigate the effect of pile head restraint on the displacement using an analytical method. Their design chart is matched reasonably well with the experimental and nu merical data. The frictional resistance of the pile is directly proportional to the soil cohesiveness, which means if the soil is cohesive, it will have a better contact with the area of the side pile. The pile cap distributes the load from the pillars, or piers, to the piles. The authors studied the reaction of the two pile caps (fixed and pinned) cap under torsion. They have researched that, the torsional capacity of the pile group is significantly influenced by the pile-cap. The same applies with the pile-groups torque assignment. The authors claim that grouped piles are usually used as foundations for offshore platform, bridge bents and tall buildings. Due to natural disturbances like wind and wave actions, ship impacts or high-speed vehicles, the grouped piles may be exposed to significant torsional loads, leading to destruction and catastrophic effects on them. The authors have found that a pile group subjected to torsion simultaneously mobilizes lateral and torsional resistance of the individual piles and the torsional resistance could thrust up to 50% of the applied force, whilst the pile-cap foundation is fixed. From the research it has been noted that under loose sand the pile bend a minimal degree. Where as under dense sand, and the same load, the pile bend less than the loose sand. They have modeled nonlinear soil response and major pile-soil-pile interactions and coupling effect in a pile group. An Artificial Intelligence based application need to be created which would perform tests based on experimental values. Adel M.Hanna, George Morcous and Mary Helmy evaluated the efficiency of pile groups installed in cohension-less soil subjected to axial loading. The authors feel that a resistance to the column load may result in a major difference between the total capacity of the individual

Intel :: essays research papers

Intel Results of operations. Intel broke a record in net revenues in 1995, for the ninth consecutive year, rising by 41% from 1994 to 1995 and by 31% from 1993 to 1994. Higher volumes of the rapidly raising Pentium microprocessor family, partially offset by lower prices, and increased sales of related board-level products were responsible for most of the growth in revenues in 1994 and 1995. Revenues from the Intel486 microprocessor family declined substantially in 1995 due to a shift in market demand toward the Company's Pentium microprocessors and lower Intel486 microprocessor prices. Higher volumes of flash memory and chipset products also contributed toward the increase in revenues from 1993 to 1995 and also helped enable the successful Pentium microprocessor ramp. Sales of system platforms, embedded control products, and networking and communications products also grew. Cost of sales increased by 40% from 1994 to 1995 and by 71% from 1993 to 1994. The growth in cost of sales from 1993 to 1995 was driven by Pentium microprocessor and board-level unit volume growth, new factories coming into production, shifts in process and product mix, and in the fourth quarter of 1995, by costs associated with unusually high reserves related to inventories of certain purchased components. Gross margin for the fourth quarter of 1994 included the impact of a $475 million charge, primarily to cost of sales, to cover replacement costs, replacement material and an inventory record related to a divide problem in the floating point unit of the Pentium microprocessor. As a result of the above factors, the gross margin percentage was 52% in 1995 and 1994, compared to 63% in 1993. Quarterly unit shipments of the Pentium microprocessor family passed those of the Intel486 microprocessor family during the third quarter of 1995. The Company helped accelerate this transition by offering chipsets and motherboards to enable computer manufacturers to bring their products to market faster. Sales of the Pentium microprocessor family comprised a majority of the Company's revenues and a substantial majority of its gross margin during 1995. During 1995, the Intel486 microprocessor family represented a significant but rapidly declining portion of the Company's revenues and gross margins. The Intel486 microprocessor family comprised a majority of the Company's revenues and a substantial majority of its gross margin during 1993 and 1994. Research and development spending grew by 17% from 1994 to 1995, as the Company continued to invest in strategic programs, particularly for the internal development of microprocessor products and related manufacturing technology. Increased spending for marketing programs, including media merchandising and the Company's Intel Inside cooperative advertising program, drove the 27% increase in marketing, general and administrative expenses from 1994 to 1995.

The Adventures of Pinocchio :: Books, Film

When a book is made into a movie, certain scenes and overall big pictures sometimes get â€Å"lost in translation.† This certainly is the case for Carlo Collodi’s story The Adventures of Pinocchio. Many things occur in the book that do not take place in the Disney movie Pinocchio, originally produced in 1940, and rereleased in 1992. A possible reason for some of the changes could regard audiences. The Adventures of Pinocchio was written in Italian in 1883. Perhaps that is why the book focuses more on morality and is a teach-you-a-lesson about the consequences of being bad kind of book, while the movie more gently tries to get the same message across by adding and deleting scenes from the original work. A change from book to movie occurs right at the beginning of the film. In the book, Geppetto buys the wood that is to become Pinocchio from Mastro Antonio—a character left out of the movie entirely (1). The movie version begins with Jiminy Cricket, as he is called in the movie, singing about wishing upon stars. In the book, he is known as the Talking Cricket. Pinocchio is already crafted, fitted with marionette strings, and is sitting on a shelf. In the book, as soon as Pinocchio has feet—he is already alive—he runs out the door (6); however, in the movie, Geppetto, who controls him with the marionette strings, dances him around. I find it strange that Geppetto makes the puppet (while he controls him) kick the cat, Figaro—who is not in the original book—causing him to fall off the steps. How does Geppetto expect Pinocchio to be a good boy if at the beginning of his functioning he (Pinocchio) is made to kick innocent cats? After Geppetto dances the puppet around for a bit he goes to bed, but before he falls asleep, he wishes upon a star. He wishes that the puppet was a real boy. The star comes into the window and is a fairy with blue hair. The fairy grants the wish, giving the puppet life. The stipulation the fairy gives Pinocchio is that he can become a real boy when he proves himself and learns to choose between right and wrong. This requirement is the same in the book (55). A difference in this film scene and the book is the appearance of the fairy. In the book, Pinocchio initially sees the fairy much later (32). The Adventures of Pinocchio :: Books, Film When a book is made into a movie, certain scenes and overall big pictures sometimes get â€Å"lost in translation.† This certainly is the case for Carlo Collodi’s story The Adventures of Pinocchio. Many things occur in the book that do not take place in the Disney movie Pinocchio, originally produced in 1940, and rereleased in 1992. A possible reason for some of the changes could regard audiences. The Adventures of Pinocchio was written in Italian in 1883. Perhaps that is why the book focuses more on morality and is a teach-you-a-lesson about the consequences of being bad kind of book, while the movie more gently tries to get the same message across by adding and deleting scenes from the original work. A change from book to movie occurs right at the beginning of the film. In the book, Geppetto buys the wood that is to become Pinocchio from Mastro Antonio—a character left out of the movie entirely (1). The movie version begins with Jiminy Cricket, as he is called in the movie, singing about wishing upon stars. In the book, he is known as the Talking Cricket. Pinocchio is already crafted, fitted with marionette strings, and is sitting on a shelf. In the book, as soon as Pinocchio has feet—he is already alive—he runs out the door (6); however, in the movie, Geppetto, who controls him with the marionette strings, dances him around. I find it strange that Geppetto makes the puppet (while he controls him) kick the cat, Figaro—who is not in the original book—causing him to fall off the steps. How does Geppetto expect Pinocchio to be a good boy if at the beginning of his functioning he (Pinocchio) is made to kick innocent cats? After Geppetto dances the puppet around for a bit he goes to bed, but before he falls asleep, he wishes upon a star. He wishes that the puppet was a real boy. The star comes into the window and is a fairy with blue hair. The fairy grants the wish, giving the puppet life. The stipulation the fairy gives Pinocchio is that he can become a real boy when he proves himself and learns to choose between right and wrong. This requirement is the same in the book (55). A difference in this film scene and the book is the appearance of the fairy. In the book, Pinocchio initially sees the fairy much later (32).

Acid Rain 4 :: essays research papers

The Acid Rain Pain   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  With scientists and so-called â€Å"experts† on the environment disagreeing on so many issues, it is easy for the public to be lost in the fray of what is truth and what is media hype. Though the term â€Å"acid rain† has been present in our society since the early 1970’s, many people are not exactly clear on what it is what causes it, and the detrimental effects acid rain has on our environment. More confusing than all of the facts and scientific theories surrounding acid rain is the development of a suitable solution to reduce air pollution, which in turn leads to acid rain. Many experts do not agree that acid rain has in fact been caused by man made pollution because of the fact that rain is naturally acidic. This widespread disagreement delayed international action to reduce pollution for some time. However, with the coming of the 1970’s an awareness of acid rain spread, and with that awareness, possible solutions were proposed. The se solutions involved making environmental changes on the international, industrial, and personal levels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Just how does acid rain form, and what consequences does it pose to our environment? There are numerous theories as to the cause of acid rain. However, the most prevalent is the theory that electric generating plants, heating plants, and other industrial plants have been emitting an excess amount of sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and volatile organic chemicals (VOC’s) into the atmosphere. Once these chemicals are in the air, they react with water to form acids and fall back to the earth as precipitation. People who believe acid rain is a natural phenomenon do so because of the fact that carbon dioxide in the air combines with water vapor and produces carbonic acid (Bolch 95).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   There are several environmental risks that come with acid rain. One of these is the acidification of lakes, resulting in the lakes’ inability to sustain the aquatic life. In fact, Norway reported that 18,000 out of 85,000 of their lakes were acidified, and more than half of their fish population has disappeared (Brunee 23). Ground water can also become more acidic because of the way acid rain depletes the natural buffer system of the soil. Studies done in the early ‘70’s indicate immense damage done to the forests, especially in Eastern Europe and in Germany. A sort of â€Å"tree disease† has been destroying a large percentage of the coniferous trees.

France was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte 1799-1815

During the French Revolution the years of 1799-1815, France was ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte. Although many people feel that Napoleon is one of dictatorship, the truth is he one for the country and did what he felt was in the best interest of France. Napoleon was a democratic leader for his country. By studying his role in education, the political aspects, and the social aspects of France, one can see he did good for the country although not everything was perfect, there is no perfect person or Utopia. Napoleon set out to make France the greatest nation of Europe, and education was one of the top priorities on his list. Since Napoleon believed in a system of merit not one of family hierarchy, he felt everyone needed to be educated. The government was getting numerous complaints regarding the lack of schools in many areas, lack of professionalism among the teachers, lack of discipline and attendance by students and, in a few areas, lack of religious education (Markham 5). The problem with religious education was partially resolved by the Concordat between Napoleon and the Pope. Religious elementary schools had opened but mostly for girls. Napoleon felt that girls and boys didn't need the same education. Girls needed domestic skills, which will be helpful once married. Although he did feel they needed to learn, numbers, writing, and the principles of their languages, as well as history, geography, physics and botany. Another part of education that was very significant to Napoleon was the idea of secondary education. He felt that boy's education should be separated into 2 parts; under age 12 and over age 12. The first 4 classes would include general topics, once finished with that they would have to choose between a civil career or a career in the military and the rest of their education would depend on that (Markham 5). To this day the Napoleonic educational system is still very popular in France. There has been some modification in the system such as, the separation of church and state was made complete. Now religion was not part of the public school's curriculum. The high schools know, as lycees are still there today and even plays more of an important role. Graduation from a lycee is good enough for most jobs. Napoleon also did good for the political system of France. He created a new constitution. It consisted of three consuls. The first consul assumed by Napoleon, but was voted in. Napoleon worked really hard to put France back together after the revolution. He allowed all types of political refugees back into France, and also appointed both radical republicans and royalist aristocrats to his government. (Hooker 2). While the most peerless act was to allow the Catholic church back into to France, The concordat with Pope Pius VII. While in rule he also created The Napoleonic Code. It was a complete revamp of the French law. It was based on 2 ideas: that all men are equal under the law (but not women) and all people have a right to property. The code stamped out all privileges from the law including tax laws. The code spelled out various contractual laws to ensure the inviolability of private property. (Hooker 3) Many people think that what Napoleon was doing was wrong, yet they voted him Napoleon I, Emperor of France in 1804. Napoleon also in all he did abolished feudalism, which was part of the Code. As was stated before Napoleon brought the Catholic Church back into France; Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII agreed that it was necessary for the peace of the country. Napoleon also created the Legion of Honor in 1802. It was Nobility but it was based on ability. At first not many people favored it, but by Napoleon's downfall everyone even the Republicans favored it. (Holtman 3) Napoleon also accounted for the improvement and better treatment of the Jews. He gave them the right to worship in private and in some cases allowed them to become full-fledged citizens. Napoleon also helped create a system of measurement for the whole country now used in many places the metric system. He also created the bank of France. It aided the unification of the country and made it easy for everyone. Before Napoleon came around marriages were only allowed through the church, he allowed marriages outside the church. The church never recognized divorces but Napoleon did. Which made life a lot easier for people in France. Napoleon might have wanted to have control over many lands, but most importantly he had improved the status of France from what it was after the Revolution to what it is now. He has helped shape present day France. His ideas with education, the government, and the social revolution he created were a huge part in history. He was a democratic leader in many different aspects.

Rain Dance Essay

A rain dance is a dancing ceremony performed by some Native American Indian tribes, asking their spirits or gods to send rain. It is more common among Southwest Native Americans, who live in drier regions. Time Frame * The rain dance normally takes place during the spring planting season and the summer months before crops are harvested. The dance asks the gods or spirits to send the appropriate amount of rain at the correct time to assure a plentiful crop. Geography * Some Native American Indians of the Southwest include the rain dance as part of their religious ritual. Rain dances can be found in other cultures in different parts of the world, such as in ancient Egypt, 20th century Romania and in Slavic countries. History * Stories of the origins of ceremonial dances have been passed from generation to generation orally. When the Native Americans were relocated in the 19th century, the United States government banned certain tribal ceremonial dances. In some regions tribal members would tell federal representatives that they were performing a â€Å"rain dance† rather than disclosing the fact they were actually performing one of the banned ceremonies. Features. * One thing that makes rain dances unique from some other ceremonial dances is that both men and women participate in the ceremony. Rain dances vary from tribe to tribe, each with their unique rituals and ceremony. Large headdresses are often worn, along with specific ritual dress and accessories. Dance steps usually involve moving in a zigzag pattern as opposed to other ceremonial dances that involve standing in a circle. Identification * Native Americans have many different types of ceremonial dances, which may vary from tribe to tribe, depending on their particular religious and spiritual beliefs and needs. The rain dance is perhaps one the most stereotypical Native American ceremonial dance depicted by Hollywood. Many Native American people continue to honor their ceremonial dances. Some Native Americans on reservations perform this ritual daily. Each year on August 19th, the Pueblo Zuni people in New Mexico hold their rain dance ceremony. Both the men and women take part in the ceremony, each wearing masks. The men perform the ceremony with a nude torso, adorned with paint and a necklace of beads. A fox skin is attached to the back of the waistline of the embroidered apron they wear. Leather or silver bracelets are worn. Their legs are bare and they wear moccasins. Women performing the dance are fully covered, with only bare feet. Shawls cover their dress and hands. * Form two lines parallel to each other and about four feet apart. Men stand in one line; women in the other. * Step forward with your left foot. * Raise your right foot while moving forward and bring that foot to the floor. The men can stomp more vigorously than the women. * Continue to step forward in this way–left foot, right foot higher, stomp to floor. Unlike other Native American dances performed in a circle, rain dancers move in a square pattern around the sides of the room or area in which they’re dancing. * During one measure of the song, and while moving forward, face to the right. During the next measure, face to the left. A zigzagging pattern is formed as you continue on in this manner * Between measures, dancers can stop and twirl in imitation of the wind, which is showing the promise of rain. The women may chant or sing the song that’s playing, and the men can yelp with the beat.