Organic vs. Conventional Foods Essay

For years, there has been a debate on how food is grown. Should it be organic or conventionally grown? To answer this question, the difference between the two needs to be known. Organic produce is grown without chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Organic livestock is free ranged, most of the time, with no added antibiotics or growth hormones. Conventionally grown produce is usually processed after being harvested. They are also sprayed with chemical pesticides and enriched with polluting fertilizers. Research Stanford University has held over 250 investigations that compared the nutritional value of organic and traditional crops. These studies show that organic foods tend to contain slightly more phosphorous, a higher level of omega ­3 fatty acids, and a 30% lower rate of chemical residue. However, traditional chicken and pork is one ­third more likely to contain antibiotic bacteria than organic meats. Bacterias that cause food poisoning are equally present in both traditional and organic. They have little difference in nutritional value. Organic When people see â€Å"organic,† they immediately think â€Å"pesticide ­free.† Organic products can still be labeled as organic, even if they contain commercial pesticides. The U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that almost 20% of organic lettuce showed up as positive for containing a  pesticide   called spinosad. Spinosad comes from a naturally occurring bacterium in soil. Although it is considered slightly toxic to the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), it can be used while farming and still be labeled as organic. Spinosad, under the name Entrust, is especially harmful to the nervous system of insects, and small marine life, like mollusks. Spinosad, as well as compounds made of natural elements like sulfur and copper, have made it onto a list of pesticides open for use on organic crops, which you can find on the USDA website. Organic farming became popular in the 1970s when the first pesticides and fertilizers were introduced. The effects of the chemicals they contained were soon noticed. The chemicals paralyzed the nervous system of many people. People became concerned with what they were consuming. Organic produce may have a longer storage time and lower input costs, but there is more bad that comes out of it than there is good. Organic crops have a longer growing time. Organic farming also requires more skill than needed for traditional farming and has higher risks of soil erosion. Despite the disadvantages, organic farming is more popular than ever. Organic products tend to have a more natural taste, and is believed to decrease the risk of the avian flu. Conventional Since organic farming is becoming so popular, traditional farming is beginning to be frowned upon. It is believed to be highly dangerous and an environmental risk. However, that is not the case. Conventional farmers are starting to focus on soil fertility techniques, such as crop rotation and composting. Although some farmers still use chemical based fertilizers, herbicides, and  pesticides, others have switched to fertilizers, herbicides, and   pesticides with little to no chemicals. Conventional farms can produce more crops per acre, replenish soil, decrease risk and topsoil erosion. Conventional farming is also cheaper and require less skill. The amount problems with conventional farming have risen over the years. These problems are becoming more serious. Droughts are a big problem when it comes to traditional farming. Crops rely on rainfall to live and grow properly. If a drought occurs, it is very likely for starvation in a community to happen. Also, crops must be sprayed with the right amount of pesticide or herbicide. If not given the right amount, crops, runoff, and local water sources can be contaminated. Suicide within the conventional farming community is also a very common thing. Since 2009, over 200,000 Indian farmers have committed suicide due to debts they could not pay off. The decreased sea levels and organic competition is the cause of their lowering profit. Price Differences The prices of organic products tend to be around three to four dollars more than regular produce and meat. Say you were at the grocery store. Your grocery list contained bread, a dozen eggs, and a half gallon of milk. If you were to buy these things as conventional products, it would cost around $7. However, organic versions of these products would cost about $11.50. Organic products, such as milk, eggs, or chicken, can cost up to five dollars more than conventional products. Which Should I Buy? Every year, the Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases two official lists of the crops with the most and least amounts of chemical residues. These lists are called the â€Å"Clean 15† and the â€Å"Dirty Dozen.† As of 2015, the crops that made the Clean 15

Enforcing Racial Discrimination Essay

The series of photographs documented by the Farm Security Administration of the Office of War Information photographers were taken between 1937 and 1943, presumably during the years the unit was in operation. These photographers were tasked to document various manifestations of change and continuity in the prevalent American life, and this resulted in a vivid collection of images that particularly focused on the practice of racial segregation. Curiously, while the photographers were not officially acknowledged to have been directed to document specific scenes, the prints produced exhibited a skew toward signs that indicate racial discrimination and segregation (LOC 2004). Among the thirty-one photos included in the series, all depict signs situated in a number of locations such as bus and train stations, restaurants, cafes, bars, movie theaters, stores, and billiard halls. These signs also collectively show the use of words such as â€Å"colored† and â€Å"white’, which clearly validate the existence of segregation between Caucasian Americans and individuals of ethnic origins such as blacks and Indians. True to the era during which they were photographed, the environment and people incidentally present in each picture appear in authentic manners of architecture and fashion. II. Racial Segregation in America The issue on race and discrimination in America can be famously traced centuries back, with the history of Africans being brought into the country as slaves. Though this deplorable condition had been corrected by the gains of the Civil War, thus granting freedom to blacks. However, the occurrence of the Great Depression in the 1920s brought back situations identical to those experienced by African-Americans previously, as the country was beset by the chaos produced by the lack of jobs and sources of income. In 1932, most blacks found themselves without work, and there was increasing pressure from whites to have blacks fired from any job that they believed should be assigned to unemployed whites. Numerous forms of racial violence again ensued, particularly in the South, during the 1930s (LOC 2002). The legal foundation of racial segregation was the Jim Crow laws, which were imposed in the 1860s mainly in railroad cars, and continued to be enforced throughout the decades until the 1960s (McElrath 2008). The effects of segregation on typical American life and society were apparently significant enough to create scenes extraordinary enough to tell their own stories through photographs, which were precisely what the Farm Security collection achieved. III. Beyond the Signs: Marking the Lines of Race The objective of the Farm Security photographs had been to depict regular American life, yet it is clear how the typicality of the images at the time does not lend itself in the same nature today. There is a point of discussion in the deliberate move to show not just groups of whites and ethnic people, but the centering on the signs that limit freedom, that erase the function of choice. The study of signs, known as semiotics, provides the connection between the audience, interpreter, and the sign itself (Littlejohn 2008). The photos, with their studied involvement of the actual sign, venue, and individuals, already form the three-part process; the blacks are the audience and the photographer is the interpreter, within the space covered by the sign. This shows how the photographers aimed to convey a reality, a system that used semiotics as a way to impose discrimination. This they had done with not just a bit of participation on their end, quite like the way Coles (1997) appropriated documentary work with the linking of lives with the subject. The same logic is utilized by Gripsrud (in Gillespie and Toynbee 2006), when he classified a photographer’s work as indexical—the identifying of a specific aspect of a subject—and therefore lends to much subjectivity. IV. Showing Signs of Racial Conflict to an Audience While the audience of the signs were the blacks—and whites, depending on the sign and situation—the photos’ audience are people who would benefit from knowledge of a different period, as was the arguable objective of the Farm Security photographers in documenting change and continuity in American life. Mainly, the photos were for research and evaluation, whether or not the audience would find them appalling or give them their approval. It may be possible that some of those who comprise the audience are people who have lived through the same era, making them mere confirmations of what they already know; but the more relevant audience would be the uninformed, who would find new insight into American society and its management of racial issues in the late 1930s and early 40s. V. Appropriation of Technique and Style in Communicating Racism The black-and-white photography is already significant on its own, referring to the subjects as well; seeing words on the signs captured in the photographs deals a double blow—‘black’, or ‘colored’, and ‘white’ signs in black-and-white photos. The photographers simply captured the signs as they were, specially for those in venues without people milling around, but there were also photos that provided degrees of humanity and emotion. One of the most striking is a photo of a bar showing whites having beer, a sign on the wall above them that says â€Å"Positively no beer sold to Indians†. Though Indians are known for their penchant for alcohol, it is disturbing one clear sign can show how this ethnic group is singled out and discriminated against—an error of generalization. The white people in the photo appear serious and quite professional, which indicates how the sign should not be misconstrued as a joke. Other photos in the collection, though showing signs and places rather than people as subjects, reveal the increasing culture of urbanization—shown by the railroads, buses, and stores where the signs are found. Urbanization, being common ground for both blacks and whites, necessitates signs; these indicate white control over society and economy, and the intent to keep ‘colored’ people away from this power. Works Cited Primary Source: Library of Congress. â€Å"Photographs of Signs Enforcing Racial Discrimination: Documentation by Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information Photographers†. Prints & Photographs Reading Room. April 30, 2004. Secondary Sources: Coles, Robert. â€Å"The Tradition: Fact and Fiction†. Doing Documentary Work. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997. Gripsrud, Jostein. â€Å"Semiotics: signs, codes and cultures†. In Gillespie, Marie and Jason Toynbee. Analysing Media Texts. Berkshire: Open University Press, 2006. Library of Congress. â€Å"Great Depression and World War II, 1929-1945: Race Relations in the 1930s and 1940s†. 2002. McElrath, Jessica. â€Å"Creation of Jim Crow South: Segregation in the South†. About. com. 2008.

My personal Future plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

My personal Future plan - Essay Example My educational background and these skills ensure that I have the analytical abilities to address issues that arise along my career. I am passionate about science, and it will ease my fitting into the Engineering department. The engineering department needs employees that are thinkers, adore teamwork and are effective communicators. Given the commonly large workload in these departments, employees should be organized so as to save time in duty execution while achieving efficiency. Through my skills, I can develop reliable and dependable communication skills that would facilitate a peaceful coexistence with other employees. Effective communication is essential to an organization’s performance, and I can facilitate it through developing relevant presentation tools. My ability to interact with others will also ensure that we can work together with my colleagues in developing efficient coordination. Though I am an active team player, I possess the initiative to perform on personal tasks while ensuring that deadlines are met. In handling meetings, the opinion of every individual count and with this skill, I will influence fellow employees. My initiative is developed through confidence and the interest to challenge my abilities in achieving required success. The engineering department needs reliable individuals, and the flexibility I have ensures that I am available whenever the organization needs my services. I am also highly organized, a critical factor to the success of any engineer and employees in the

Joint Terrorism Task Force Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Joint Terrorism Task Force - Essay Example Before 911 the United States had 35 formal joint terrorism task forces. Immediately following the attacks the FBI director instructed all field offices to establish these task forces. Task forces are staffed with a supervisory special agent and the staff generally consists of those with experience in domestic and international terrorism. These are combined with state and local law enforcements officials who are trained in a variety of skills and abilities which are useful in situations that threaten the security of an area, citizen, or the United States. Coordinators have experience in counterterrorism measures and are able to manage administrative tasks effectively. They manage budgets, acquisition of needed supplies or manpower, hey will also schedule surveillance coverage; these functions are assigned by the Supervisory Special Agent. Those special agents in charge within local field offices must harmonize and accommodate all law enforcement agencies that want to become involved in the counter terrorism efforts. Following 911 these agencies increased substantially and it is recognized that local agencies now play a critical part in maintaining homeland security (Casey, 2004). It was in 1979 that New York first used the idea of combining federal and local law enforcement resources in response to the overwhelming crime rate and the high percentage of crimes considered federal crimes committed in New York during a period of organized crimes days of glory. Bank robberies were also an influencing factor in this decision, being federal crimes occurring locally. The JTTF began with only 11 members form the New York Police Department and 11 FBI investigators (Robert, 1999). The success of the JTTF concept is the combination of personnel with a variety of backgrounds, skills, and abilities, the public’s perceptions and the actual functions of the JTTF were changed drastically after the initial World Trade Center bombing which

The Promises and Perils of Nuclear Power Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Promises and Perils of Nuclear Power - Essay Example Fission being a dangerous process needs to have controlling rods or moderators, to control the energy release. Without the presence of these controls, the process may go out of hand leading to a nuclear explosion. These rods are made up of cadmium and hafnium which are elements that are neutron-absorbing in nature and help control the rate of reaction. The elements used for nuclear power production are radioactive in nature; these elements include Uraniumm-235, Plutonium-239 and Uranium-238. Nuclear power has certain advantages as well as disadvantages. Nuclear power production decreases pressure on fossil fuels. Though the initial costs of setting up a nuclear plant is more owing to the elemental costs, the cost of transportation is relatively less. The most significant disadvantage of nuclear power production is the production and elimination of nuclear waste which involves high costs too. The nuclear power reactor market in the United States after the early 1960s can be seen as th e tail end of an increasing returns process (Cowan, 1990) but it depreciated thereafter .Japan, is one of the leading countries that depends on nuclear power for electricity production.30% of Japan’s electricity comes from nuclear reactions. Compared to Japans skyrocketing use of nuclear power, U.S has decreased its use over time. While Japan keeps on building more plants the U.S government have stalled the construction of new plants. Since production of nuclear power is clean and economical, there is a race among many countries to increases their nuclear power (Mahaffey, 2012) and continue to produce their electricity using nuclear reactions. In the past, some extreme nuclear calamities have affected lives worldwide. Through these calamities we have learnt about the extreme nature of nuclear power and its dangerous capabilities. We have learnt to use modern generation II

Harvard Business Case-Pitney Bowes Inc Assignment

Harvard Business Case-Pitney Bowes Inc - Assignment Example The email overload is one of the discovered stresses of the workplaces. It is evident that the founders of Stamps.com did identify the same jobs to be done (Cefkin and Melissa, 2009, p.57). Q 2). The reason that caused the Pitney Bowes team to lose focus on something that did this job, and instead end up with a postage meter at a price point can be discussed below. The reason is when the experts of the company began to predict the advent of the letter less and paperless, Pitney Bowes replied by investing heavily in measures of diversification. The diversification includes the leasing and acquisition of aircraft fleets and trucks. Then the CEO, who came up established postage meter at a price point (Cefkin and Melissa, 2009, p.57). Q 3). The ability of a new business growth can be enhanced by relying on substantial acquisitions to achieve the strategic goals of the enterprise. The reason is that the purchases are cheaper, faster, and less risky than expansion that is organic (Cefkin and Melissa, 2009,

Thw Right To Elect Trial By Jury in Hong King Essay

Thw Right To Elect Trial By Jury in Hong King - Essay Example Hong Kong retained the right of jury trial in its Basic Law (Hong Kong Basic Law, 1997, Article 86). However, a recent decision by the Hong Kong Court of Appeal and the Final Court of Appeal in Chiang Lily v Secretary for Justice (2009 and 2010 respectively) confirm that the right to a jury trial in Hong Kong is not an absolute right. This paper analyzes the decision of Chiang Lily, specifically the determination that a right to jury trial is not an absolute right. It is argued that a right to jury trial is a fundamental right, but it is only necessary to meet the aims of justice if it can effectively serve its intended purpose. The intended purpose of a jury trial was to sustain and support the notion of a fair and public trial by one’s peers (Lai, 2010). The main question is therefore whether or not limitations on the right to a trial by jury subvert the concept of a fair and public trial. ... At the time the King sat in judgment of the courts and thus the jury system was introduced to safeguard against the risk of complete â€Å"despotism† (Spooner, 2006, p. 14). Therefore, the introduction of trial by jury was at once intended to ensure fairness and transparency of the justice system. It is therefore hardly surprising that the jury trial has been described as an â€Å"ancient right† and a â€Å"birthright† (Kingswell v R, 1985, Para. 49). Initially pressured by judges to bring a certain verdict, jurors enjoyed full and unrestrained discretion by the 16th century. Jurors was merely bound to follow their own conscience and their own understanding of the law irrespective of the judiciary’s opinion on the law or fact (Ostrowski, 2001). Thus by the 16th century, the jury system was firmly established as a bastion between corrupt officials, unfair laws and judicial pressure to interpret the facts of the case a specific way. This is the legacy that i nforms the current legal system and has done so since its inception. The Merits of Trial by Jury The merits of a jury trial and thus the rationale for preserving the trial by jury is captured in the words of Madam Justice L’Hereux-Dube of Canada’s Supreme Court. Madam Justice L’Heureux-Dube stated that: The jury, through its collective decision making, is an excellent fact finder; due to its representative character, it acts as the conscience of the community; the jury can act as the final bulwark against oppressive laws or their enforcement; it provides a means whereby the public increases its knowledge of the criminal justice system and it increases, through the involvement of the public, societal trust in the system as a whole (R v Sherratt, 1991, p. 523).

Introduction the Critique of Pure Reason Research Paper

Introduction the Critique of Pure Reason - Research Paper Example In Kant’s arguments, he spoke of the concepts that structure human experience. Kant termed the perceptions that structure human experience as fundamental concepts. On the topic of morality, Kant argued that there cannot be any morality without reason. Kant paced reason as the driver towards a morality motivated life. Immanuel Kant stated that reasoning was the basis of human existence, and moral being should embrace logic for a peaceful and well-developed life. Kant is an individual who had a foremost influence in the present day thinking and practice. Kant had an imperative knowledge in the field of metaphysics, ethics, esthetics and political philosophy. The knowledge that Kant had in the above fields was a particular strength and motivator towards coming up with his findings on human experience. Kant’s experience in different areas of philosophy enabled him conduct his research from different perspectives. Kant, therefore, came up with enough prove to support his arg ument. Kant’s argument is considered one of the building stones in the modern society because morality and human experience are some of the infinite features of human existence. Immanuel Kant, therefore, remains an important figure up to today, due to his advancements on the requirements for human life in the modern contemporary society. On the concept of priori judgment, Kant had several observations to make. Kant stipulated that there were two types of propositions; analytic and synthetic propositions. Priori judgment is also known as analytic experience. Analytic judgments are perceptions or concepts that can be said to be true by virtues of their meaning. Kant explained that some ideas of thought needed minimal explanations. The ideas purely express themselves without the need for the further course of reasoning (Kant, pg. 44). Such prepositions are referred to as analytic because their analysis does not necessarily mean it has to be related

Competent to Counsel...by Jay Adams Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Competent to Counsel...by Jay Adams - Essay Example The first chapter of the book, 'Christianity and Psychiatry today', deals with psychiatry in general in relation to Christianity. According to the author, "psychiatry, that illegitimate child of psychology which historically has made the most grandiose claims, is itself in a serious trouble." (Adams, 1986, P 1). The main subtopics of the chapter include 'Psychiatry is in Trouble', 'The Freudian Ethic', 'Freudian Theory and Therapy', 'The Revolution in Psychology', 'Freud: An Enemy, not a Friend', and 'Where Does This Leave Us'. The ideas disseminated through the various chapters of the book, especially with regard to nouthetic counseling, have a great relevance to the ministry of a pastor in developing a general approach to Christian counseling and specific response to particular problems faced by the people. The second chapter of the book, 'The Holy Spirit and Counseling', establishes that counseling is the work of the Holy Spirit and effective counseling cannot be done apart from Him. "Counseling, to be Christian, must be carried on in harmony with the regenerating work of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is called 'Holy' because of his nature and his work. All holiness stems from His activity in human lives. All of the personality traits that might be held forth to counselees as fundamental goals for growth (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control) God declares to be the 'fruit' of the Spirit." (Adams, 1986, P 20). Through the main sub-topics of the chapter, 'Counseling is the Work of the Spirit', 'How does the Holy Spirit work in Counseling', 'The Holy Spirit's works through Means', 'The Holy Spirit's Work is Sovereign', and 'The Holy Spirit Works by means of His Word', the author establishes the link between counseling and the Holy Spirit. The next chapter, "What is Wrong with the Mentally Ill", deals with the issues related with psychological problems of the individuals through the analysis of the case of Leo held. To the author, mental illness is a misnomer and he discusses other topics such as 'People with Personal Problems often use Camouflage', 'Homosexuality Fits the Pattern', and Adrenachrome or Schizophrenia' In the fourth chapter of the book, "What is Nouthetic Counseling", Jay Adams investigates the various aspects of nouthetic counseling in relation to the works of the Church and the main points include 'Nouthetic Confrontation: By the Whole Church', 'Peculiarly the Work of the Ministry', 'Three Elements in Nouthetic Confrontation', Nouthetic and the Purpose of Scripture', 'Nouthetic Involvement', 'Love is the Goal', 'Authoritative Counseling', 'Failure in Nouthetic Confrontation', 'Some Reasons for Failure', 'Qualifications for Counseling' and 'Pastoral Applications'. As the author establishes in the chapter, Jesus Christ is at the center of all true Christian counseling and the nouthetic activity specifically characterizes the work of the ministry. "Nouthetic confrontation consists of at least three basic elements. The word is used frequently in conjunction with didasko (which means 'to teach') Nouthetic confrontation always implies a problem, and presupposes an obstacle that must be overcome; something is wrong in the life of the one who is confronted." (Adams, 1986, P 20). Therefore, the author gives convincing explanation of Nouthetic confrontation and helps us realize nouthetic counsel

Night of Scorpion Essay Example for Free

Night of Scorpion Essay Night of the scorpion written by Nissim Ezkiel is an interesting poem and the poet brings about a very appealing contrast between good and evil in it; altogether giving the poem an essence of equality. The poet makes it a trouble-free task for the readers to visualize the scenes with the appropriate use of various imageries. He has also done a marvelous work of adding various different senses into the poem. All the senses, visual, smell, internal feelings and sound have been included. In this poem we can see the scenes vividly with the help of lines like,† †¦to crawl beneath a sack of rice,† and,† Peasants came like swarm of flies. Nissim Ezekiel is able to keep are mind alive and engaged the entire duration of the poem with the help of lines like,† Peasants came like swarm of flies. † When we read this line, we know that it is a simile and it help us to see how the peasants came along. But when think deeper we realize that it also shows us that the narrator does not admire the kind of care that the villagers are showing, he just wants them to leave him and his family alone. The reason the villagers are compared to flies is to show exactly how exasperating they are and that they are not welcome, just like flies. The poet has made this poem complex, which is always a good thing. This can be proved because to describe the scorpion he uses words like â€Å"diabolical† and â€Å"The Evil One† which show it as a demonic creature. On the other hand he also used lines like,â€Å" driven him to crawl beneath a sack of rice† and â€Å"†¦ risked the rain again,† which brings about a contradiction as this line shows that the scorpion is not at all the villain, it is simply scared. Among the many figures of speech used in this poem onomatopoeia is one of them. He has used this figure of speech efficiently, enabling us to hear the constant noises that were made. The poet write that the villagers â€Å"buzzed the name of god† which again stresses on the point that the noise and commotion being made by the villagers was not at all welcome. The poet further draws the interest of the reader by using a figure of speech to convey this message and not doing it directly. He has also written â€Å"They clicked their tongues,† which is another instance of onomatopoeia. The element of smell is brought about because the poet has introduced candles and burning oil in lanterns in his poem as well. Nissim Ezekiel has made the mother’s experience of getting bitten by the scorpion sound excruciating and eternal. He has conveyed this by using some very descriptive writing, example, â€Å"May the poison purify your flesh of desire, and your spirit of ambition,† Nissim Ezekiel successfully built the tense atmosphere by using just a short sentence,â€Å" My father, sceptic, rationalist, trying every curse and blessing,† There is also an instance in which the poet uses alliteration,â€Å" I watched the flame feeding on my mother. This line has also been able to build up the complex nature of the poem because of its dual meaning. We can simply say that the ‘flame’ refers to flame of the paraffin or we can also say that ‘flame’ refers to the scorpion’s poison. The poem ends sanguinely, with the mother surviving and being thankful to god for making her suffer and not her children. After all the tense moments of pain, suffering, torture and fear, the poem has a very touching and warm ending which proves the mother’s love for her children.

Advantages of Composite Construction

Advantages of Composite Construction With regards to Civil and Structural Engineering, composite construction typically refers to the use of steel and concrete formed together so that the resulting component behaves as a single element. The aim of composite construction is to utilise the best properties of the different materials and to deliver performance that is greater than had the individual components been used together but not unified. In the case of steel and concrete, the best properties would be the tensile capacity of the steel and the compressive capacity of the concrete. (Nethercot, 2004) Composite construction is an effective method of construction and delivers good performance. The methodology for designing composite structures has been researched in great detail. For these reasons, composite construction is a very popular method of construction around the world. In order for the materials to behave as one element, it is necessary for some method of connecting the two materials. A shear connection between two materials will enable composite action between them. (The Institution of Structural Engineers) 2.1.1 Benefits of Composite Construction The benefits of composite construction include speed of construction, performance and value. Steel framing for a structure can be erected quickly and the pre-fabricated steel floor decks can be put in place immediately. When cured, the concrete provides additional stiffness to the structure. Additionally, the concrete encasement protects the steel from buckling, corrosion and fire. Service integration within the channels on the composite decks is another advantage to composite construction. Building quality standards can be adhered to easily by the use of pre-fabricated decks. Excessive deflections can be controlled by cambering the beams or by shoring the metal decks to limit deflection when concrete is poured. 2.1.2 Codes for the Design of Composite Structures The design of composite structures was governed by the British Standards. BS 5950-3-1 dealt with the design of beams whilst slabs were governed by BS 5950-4. Pre-fabricated decking used with composite structures was governed by BS 5950-6. Since the introduction of the Eurocode set of standards for the European Union, the design of composite structures is standardised by Eurocode 4. (BS EN 1994-1-2) (BCSA; TATA Steel; Steel Construction Institute) 2.1.3 The Principle of Composite Action The principle of Composite Action underpins the use of composite materials in construction. It relates to the interaction of two or more separate elements acting together and contributing together rather than separately. By physically connecting them, the strength of the beams and the resistance to bending, shear and torsion are significantly increased. The Principle of Composite Action is best illustrated as an example. The diagrams below shows two uniform concrete beams placed on top of each other and loaded with a uniformly distributed load. Both beams will resist the load independently and there will be relative movement between them. The bending strength will be the sum of the individual beams contribution. If the beams have width w and height h, the bending strength M will be: However, if the two beams are connected rigidly together by shear connectors and the relative movement between them is eliminated, the width remains w whilst the height becomes 2h. The bending strength M will be: This represents a doubling of the bending strength through the use of composite action. This is the principle behind the use of steel beams with reinforced concrete floor decks. The two are connected by shear connectors. The increase in strength due to composite action can be as much as 20%, resulting in lighter and thinner sections. (TATA Steel) Figure : The differences between identical beams when composite action is utilised. The beam on the left is comprised of two concrete beams that are not connected compositely. When loaded, there is relative slip between the beams. The component beams on the right are rigidly connected together by means of shear connectors. When loaded, there is no slip between the beams and the assemblage behaves as one large beam. Image from TATA Steel. 2.2 Composite Floor Deck Slabs Composite floor decks are comprised of either steel beams or concrete embedded steel beams together with a reinforced concrete slab. The profiled steel formwork that supports the concrete floor during casting is of vital importance as it also provides the shear bond to enable the materials to work compositely. The role that the profiled decking plays in fire resistance will be discussed in more detail in Section 3.3. Composite action is achieved between the beams and slab by the use of shear connectors that will be discussed in Section 2.4 in more detail. (Metal Cladding and Roofing Manufacturers Association, 2003) The profiled steel decking used in the construction of composite floor systems contributes significantly to the ease and speed at which the structure is construction. It acts as both the permanent formwork and contributes to the overall requirement of reinforcement. The performance of the steel decking when exposed to fire needs careful consideration and is dealt with in Section 3.2. Additional reinforcement is positioned in the troughs of the decking to ensure adequate performance in fire. Benefits associated with using profiled steel decking are reduced dimensions and weight of the overall structure. They also provide satisfactory performance in the areas of strength and economic constraints during construction. (Michel Crisinel, 2004) 2.2.1 Types of Composite Slabs The classification of composite slabs depends primarily on the geometry of the steel deck profile used. Shallow decks are classified by depths in the range of 120-200mm whilst deep decks are classified by depths in the range of 200-350mm. (Aida Rodera Garcia) The most common composite slab consists of the profiled steel decking and concrete cast in-situ. Once cured the concrete and decking act compositely. Sufficient interaction between the concrete is achieved by a chemical bond and a mechanical bond facilitated by the shape of the decking. In design, it is common to neglect the contribution from the chemical bond as it is unreliable. There are many different types of profiled decking available and contribute to the classification of the slab. (Nawy, 2008) Pre-cast concrete slabs can also be used to form a composite floor deck system. The slabs must be designed specifically so that they can interact with the beam system in place. The composite action in this case can be achieved by welded shear studs and transverse reinforcement across the floor deck. By utilising pre-cast concrete decks, hollow core slabs can be used. These can reduce the weight of the whole building whilst offering similar performance to solid slabs. Pre-Cast slabs are usually covered by a layer of concrete after installation to produce a more finished and aesthetic result. Figure : Examples of Hollow-Core Slabs The final type of composite floor slab is the Slim Floor. This consists of the supporting steel beam being encased in the concrete with the lower flange of the beam supporting the floor. Diagrams depicting the various composite slab types in use today are shown below. Figure 4: Proprietary Slim Floor System Slimdek- TATA Steel Figure 3: Example of Solid Slab with Topping and Encasement cast In-Situ Proprietary Slim Floor System Slimdek- TATA Steel http://ars.els-cdn.com/content/image/1-s2.0-S0143974X99000759-gr5.gif 2.2.2 Design Composite floor decks are comprised of permanent formworks of profiled steel decking. The decking serves to support the concrete during casting and before it has cured sufficiently to support itself. It is important to ensure that after curing sufficient interaction between the concrete and steel has developed so that the assembly behave compositely. The rebar is placed in the steel decking prior to pouring as is a steel mesh that serves to minimise cracking over supports and to increase the fire resistance of the floor deck. Most decks achieve a satisfactory degree of shear connection with the concrete by the presence of embossments and indentations along the profile of the decking. This type of shear connection is known as a shear bond. (Steel Construciton Institute, 1994) The decking also contributes to the stabilisation of the structure against lateral torsional buckling of the steel supporting sections and transfers wind loading forces to the walls and columns. The decking also serves to minimise cracking of the concrete slab during expansion and contraction such as during curing and fire. This will be further discussed in Section 3. (Aida Rodera Garcia) The steel decking is normally in the range of 0.9-1.5mm thick and has a yield strength of 280-350 N/mm2. Higher strength steels may be used if the spans are longer than the norm. Typical spans for a composite floor deck are between 2.7 and 3.6m although longer spans may be achieved by shoring the deck during construction. Galvanisation of the faces of the decking is done to prevent damage to the steel during pouring and in service. 2.2.2.1 Concrete Type Strength Both Normal Weight Concrete (NWC) and Light Weight Concrete (LWC) may be used in composite floor slab construction. The most convenient method for concrete placement is by pump. The concrete type and grade is an important design consideration as it affects the final stiffness of the deck system and the strength of the shear connection. 2.2.2.2 Steel Decking Resistance The elastic moment resistance of the steel decking may be calculated from the effective breadth of the steel elements in compression. Stiffeners are present in the deck design and contribute to increasing the effectiveness of the section. In designing a deck system, moment redistribution is not allowed. This results in an underestimate of the critical load for the decking. (ECCS, 1993) 2.2.2.3 Deflection Deflection limits for a composite slab are generally the span/180. However, by shoring the composite slabs during casting, this can effectively be reduced to zero. Increased deflection limits of span/130 are allowed if pooling of the concrete occurs in the middle of the span after pouring. (ECCS, 1993) 2.2.2.4 Transverse Reinforcement The strength of the concrete should be checked to ensure it is capable of receiving the force transferred from the shear connectors. Where the concrete may be susceptible to cracking, the provision of transverse reinforcement perpendicular to the beam is required. (Aida Rodera Garcia) 2.2.3 Failure The ultimate moment resistance of a composite slab is defined as the point at which less than 2mm of longitudinal slip has occurred between the concrete and the decking. Failure of a composite deck is deemed to have occurred when slip of more than 2mm occurs. Failure most commonly occurs during curing before the concrete has reached its design strength. 2.2.4 Fire Resistance of Composite Sections The minimum slab depth will be determined by the fire insulation requirements and the amount of reinforcement that is necessary to withstand loading at the fire limit state. This will be dealt with in more detail in Chapter 3. 2.3 Composite Beams A composite beam can be structurally described as a T-Beam, with the top flange composed of concrete in compression and the steel section in tension. Forces between the two materials are transferred by shear connectors. The principle of composite action with regards to beams leads to increased strength and stiffness of the system whilst using a smaller steel section. The two main variants of composite beams used today are shown in Figure 6. Beams are usually composed of a UKB or UKC section, partially or fully encased in concrete for strength and fire resistance purposes. (ECCS, 1993) 2.3.1 Design In composite beam design, the steel section is first sized to adequately support all the loads acting on it. No contribution is taken into account from the concrete as it has not gained adequate strength for composite action. A common value for the load applied to the beam from the concrete slab is 0.75kN/m2. Once the loading has been calculated, the beam is designed according to Eurocode 3. The presence of steel decking normal to the steel section provides lateral restraint to the beam. In this case, the beam can reach its full plastic moment. In cases where the presence of steel decking is parallel to the beam, the beam is only laterally restrained at the connections at either end and the buckling resistance of the beam must be calculated based on its effective length. The effective breadth of the concrete flange, taken from the supported slab, is approximated as the span/8 on both sides of the beam. This results in an effective breadth of span/4 for simply supported internal beams. 2.4 Shear Connectors Shear connectors are an essential element of composite construction if it is to perform adequately. The main purpose of the shear connector is to provide longitudinal shear resistance between the materials so that they act compositely and to facilitate the interaction between the different materials and to allow them to act as one. (MCRMA, 2003) The shear connection between steel beams and concrete slabs is typically achieved by headed steel studs, welded to the top flange of the steel beam and subsequently encased in concrete. The performance of the studs depends on their dimensions and the spacing along the flange of the beam. Near supports, where the shear forces are greatest, the spacing is reduced. Shear studs can be welded through steel decking. Welding shear studs to the steel beams has a number of limitations and guidelines. The flange of the steel beam has to be bare and can not contain any contaminants such as intumescient paint used as fire protection or moisture. This method also works best when the thickness of the steel decking is less than 1.25mm. Weather conditions will also affect the use of this method of connection. Excess moisture in the air can result in the finished weld being brittle and prone to sudden failure. Shear connectors can also be placed during production although mistakes in placement can be difficult and costly to correct. The purpose of a shear connector is to primarily resist lateral shear forces and displacement between the beam and concrete slab. However, they are also designed to prevent upward displacement of the slab from the beam as it has a tendency to do. For this reason, the studs are headed to provide vertical resistance to seperation. 2.4.1 Types of Shear Connectors In the past, the most common method of shear connection was a headed stud. As welding is only suitable for decking with a minimum thickness, where the decking is too thin, nailed studs are used instead. The choice of which shear connector is used ultimately depends on the shear resistance required and the grade and strength of concrete used. There are four main types of shear connector in use today. The most common is the headed stud. However, with the advent of thinner composite decks, the use of headed studs is not practical. This had led to the introduction of nailed sheets of shear connectors. The dimensions of the most common stud are 19mm x 125mm and the method of connection to the steel beam is ceramic disk welding. (Aida Rodera Garcia) 2.4.1.1 Headed Studs The most common form of connecting materials compositely is with the use of headed shear studs. The behaviour of headed studs does not vary significantly when concrete properties are changed. Resistance to shear depends on the number of studs used and performance is less that that achieved by more modern shear connectors such as the Perfobondstrip or a welded T-Section. (Zingoni, 2001) The advantages of stud connectors is that the welding process is quick and simple, the placement of the studs does not interfere with the placement of reinforcement within the slab and they provide uniform resistance to shear in all directions normal to the axis of the stud. (Johnson, 2004) 2.4.1.2 Oscillating Perfobondstrip The curved form of an oscillating perfobondstrip provides better force transfer between steel and concrete than a continuous strip. The load capacity of this connector is larger than a headed stud or welded T-Section. This form of connector is most suited to light weight concrete or high strength normal weight concrete. Problems with this form of connection are difficulties in welding the section to the steel beam. (Zingoni, 2001) 2.4.1.3 Continuous Perfobondstrip The continuous perfobondstrip is similar to the oscillating perfobondstrip but achieves lower resistance values in all categories of concrete type and grade used. For this reason it is not as widely used as the oscillating form although welding is easier. 3.3.1.4 Welded T-Section Welded T-Section connectors perform very well in comparison to headed studs and achieve the same load resistance as oscillating perfobondstrip. Load capacity increases when Light Weight Concrete or high strength concrete is used. The strength comparisons of the shear connectors described above are shown in Table 1 below. The results were obtained from Galjaard and Walraven (2001) from tests carried out to Eurocode 4 standards for push-out resistance. It can be seen that large differences in resistance and ductility were observed. (Aida Rodera Garcia) 2.4.2 Shear Connector Design The choice of which shear connector design is open so long as it possesses the ductility and provides the necessary shear and separation resistance to the composite system. Headed studs are the most common form of connection and the design of such will be dealt with in this section. The design of shear connectors and composite slabs is given in Eurocode 4. Partial safety factors (ÃŽÂ ³v) of 1.25 for ultimate, 1.0 for serviceability and 1.0 for fire are specified in the codes. (Steel Construciton Institute, 1994) 2.4.2.1 Spacing The correct placement of studs along the upper flange of the beam is of great importance. It is important that the flange of the beam be clean, dry and free of contaminants such as paint or fire protection material. A number of conditions for the placement of studs are described below. The upper flange thickness may not be less than 40% of the diameter of the headed stud. After pouring, the head of the stud should have a minimum of 20mm cover. The minimum edge spacing of the headed studs is 20mm, to facilitate welding. Transverse spacing of headed studs must be greater than or equal to four times the diameter of the headed stud. Longitudinal spacing of the headed studs must lie between the minimum of five times the diameter of the headed stud and the maximum of 800mm or six times the overall depth of the slab, whichever is smaller. (ECCS, 1993) 2.4.2.2 Resistance of Shear Connectors The failure of a composite floor deck slab and the failure of shear connectors occurs due to either the strength of the concrete being surpassed or the strength of the weld connecting the studs to the flange of the beam failing. Shear connection design resistances are taken as the minimum of either the concrete or the headed stud. The equations for the design resistance of the concrete and the headed stud are given below. Where: d is the diameter of the headed stud. The ultimate tensile strength (fu) is most commonly 450N/mm2 and should not exceed 500N/mm2. The characteristic cylinder strength of the concrete is given by fck. Ec is the mean value of the secant modulus of the concrete. The values for different concrete strengths are given in the Annex Table 4. The value for ÃŽÂ ± is governed by the ratio of the height of the slab to the depth. The values of ÃŽÂ ± are given below. For 3 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ h/d à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 4, ÃŽÂ ± = 0.2(h/d +1) For h/d > 4, ÃŽÂ ± = 1.0 The partial safety factor () given by 1.25 in the ultimate limit state. (ECCS, 1993) Figure 10: Bearing stress on the shaft of a Headed Stud Connector (Johnson, 2004) 2.4.2.3 Degree of Shear Connection The degree of shear connection is based on whether the required numbers of shear connectors necessary for the composite beam to develop its full plastic moment have been installed. If fewer than the required amount necessary have been installed, the moment resistance of the composite system will be less than the maximum. The degree of shear connection is given by the equations below. Where Rc denotes the compressive resistance of the concrete slab and Rs denote the tensile resistance of the steel section. Both values are given by the equations below. Where hc is the depth of the concrete slab above the profiled decking. Eurocode 4 also provides provision for the minimum for the degree of shear connection based on the span (L) of the composite beam. These ratios are given below. For: L à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 5m, N/Nf à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 0.4 5m à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ L à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤ 25m, N/Nf à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 0.25 + 0.03L L > 25m, N/Nf à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥ 1.0 (ECCS, 1993) Chapter 3 Composite Steel Deck Floors in Fire 3.1 Background The performance of composite steel deck floors in fire has been much studied to assess the design considerations that must be implemented and for designing the rules for reinforcement placement. In general, composites perform well in fire due to the insulating properties of concrete and the role of correctly placed mesh reinforcement and metal decking. (BCSA, Corus, SCI, 2007) Research conducted in the UK has concluded that previous methods of designing composite floor decks for fire scenarios was over conservative and that composite floor performance in many common fire scenarios was satisfactory. (Steel Conctruction Institute, 1991) Composite steel deck floor systems are typically not provided any fire protection material although the supporting beam to which the floor is connected is fire protected. The profiled decking of a composite floor acts as some of the tensile reinforcement of the system. For this reason, it is important to account for the effects that elevated temperatures will have on the decking. (Steel Conctruction Institute, 1991) The main contributor to the fire resistance of a composite slab is the embedded rebar mesh in the slab. As the temperature of the profiled decking increases in a fire scenario, the resistance that it provides is neglected. Additional reinforcement in placed in the slab to compensate for the loss of strength of the decking at elevated temperatures. The embedded reinforcement mesh is insulated by concrete and maintains a temperature sufficient for load bearing at the fire limit state. The positioning of rebar within composite floors typically results in higher concrete cover compared to normal reinforced concrete slabs. This results in good fire performance as the temperature of the reinforcement will rarely approach critical levels. The positioning of the reinforcement in the upper of the slab also contributes to controlling spalling in fire. The decking of a composite does play an important role however in maintaining the integrity of the concrete slab during fire. It limits the passage of flame and hot gases into direct contact with the concrete and controls spalling. 3.2 Load Resistance in Fire Design of composite slabs in fire conditions is based on the ultimate limit state properties. A composite floor slab is assumed to behave in bending as either a simply supported or continuous element. The load resistance of a composite floor deck system is due to the floor behaving as a reinforced concrete slab with loads being resisted by the bending action of the slab. Failure of a slab in fire occurs as a result of reinforcement failure. (Corus Construction Industrial, 2006) 3.2.1 Methodology There are two main methods for calculating the fire resistance efficiency of a composite floor deck system, referred to as the fire engineering method and the simplified method. 3.2.1.1 Fire Engineering Method The fire engineering method is based on the assumption that in the fire limit state, the plastic moment capacity of the floor is reached at higher temperatures and that redistribution of moments occurs where the slab is continuous. Temperature gradient experiments have produced temperature profiles such as those present in the Eurocodes. These profiles can be used to calculate the capacities of the beam in both hogging and sagging bending. The capabilities of the beams in the fire limit state can then be assessed. 3.2.1.2 Simplified Method The simplified method involves little or no calculation and relies on test data of actual fires to design the reinforcement in the composite slab. The density of the mesh can be adjusted to account for point loads and increased moment around supports. In general, the simplified method will deliver a result that demands less reinforcement in the design whilst the fire engineering method will allow greater flexibility in positioning the reinforcement and customising fire resistance time periods. The use of different grades of concrete will affect the dimensions and composition of a composite slab. Light Weight Concrete (LWC) has better insulating properties versus Normal Weight Concrete and its use will result in thinner slabs. 3.2.1.3 Design Period Deflection Limits The fire resistance of a composite floor deck system is measured as the time that a floor system can maintain sufficient load-carrying ability, maintain its integrity or by limiting heat transfer through the slab. The load-carrying ability of the composite floor system is measured by the amount of deflection that the system undergoes during fire exposure. Deflection greater than the span/30 is deemed critical as is a deflection rate greater than span2/9000d mm/min between deflections equalling span/30 and span/20. The integrity of the composite floor is deemed satisfactory for fire resistance if it can limit the passage of flame and hot gases. The insulating properties of concrete are deemed sufficient for fire resistance if after fire exposure, the upper surface temperature of the concrete slab remains below 140 °C. (Steel Conctruction Institute, 1991) 3.2.1.4 Reinforcement Fire resistance of a composite deck is attributed to the positioning of reinforcement in a mesh configuration within the slab. The most common forms of mesh are A142 mesh (6mm wires at 200mm c/c) and A193 mesh (7mm wires at 200mm c/c), the numbers referring to the cross-sectional area of steel per metre run, although larger gauges may be used if necessary. The tensile strength of the reinforcement is typically 450-500N/mm2. The positioning of the mesh is in the upper portion of the slab with a minimum cover and can be arranged to resist hogging or sagging bending or a combination thereof. (Aida Rodera Garcia) 3.3 The Fire Engineering Method The fire engineering method for composite slab design is discussed in this section. The partial safety factors at the fire limit state for materials and loads are outlined below. Materials: Steel: ÃŽÂ ³mr = 1.0 Concrete: ÃŽÂ ³mc = 1.3 Loads: Dead: ÃŽÂ ³fd = 1.0 Imposed ÃŽÂ ³fi = 1.0 3.3.1 Materials In conjunction with a suitable design fire scenario, it is possible to account for the reduction in strength of both the reinforcement and the concrete in fire conditions. With elevated temperatures, a reduction factor K may be used to account for the loss of strength associated with the increase in temperature. The table of reduction factors is given in Annex Table 5. The equations used for assessing the design strengths of the reinforcement and concrete at elevated temperatures including the reduction factor (K) are given below. Reinforcement: Concrete (Steel Conctruction Institute, 1991) 3.3.2 Depth The minimum depth of the concrete slab is taken from the tables below. Different values are obtained depending on the type of decking used, such as trapezoidal or re-entrant, and the concrete grade. This minimum depth satisfies the insulation requirement for composite slabs during fire exposure. Alternatively, the minimum depth may be taken from experimental test results from buildings of a similar design. (Steel Conctruction Institute, 1991) (Aida Rodera Garcia) 3.4 The Simplified Method The simplified method consists of installing a layer of mesh (A142, A193 or similar) in the upper layer of the concrete. One of the main differences between the Fire Engineering Method and the Simplified Method is that relatively few calculations are required for the Simplified. An outline of the Simplified Method is a follows: Imposed loads on a composite floor deck slab should not exceed 6.7kN/m2. The mesh size is chosen based on the required fire resistance period and the span of the slab. The minimum cover to any part of the mesh must be at least 15mm and not greater than 45mm. The span of a composite floor slab designed using the Simplified Method is typically 3.6m although spans greater than this may be used if adequate calculation is carried out. 3.5 Comparison of Methods While no method is definitively better than the other, they both have advantages over the other. The Simplified Method is more economical and is based directly on test results and not on theoretical calculation, which has a tendency to under-estimate the strength of materials. The Simplified Method also takes into account the contribution from the profiled steel deck even though the contribution may be small compared to that from the reinforcement mesh. The Fire Engineering Method however allows great flexibility in the customisation of the reinforcement and fire resistance periods. It is generally more expensive to design using this method as opposed to the Simplified Method though will result in thinner slabs that utilise more reinforcement. 3.6 Shear Connectors in Fire The performance of shear connectors in fire has not been widely studied. One of the major research projects on shear connectors in fire was The Restrained Beam Test conducted by British Steel as part of the Cardington Fire Tests in January 1995. The test consisted of the heating of a secondary beam and an area of the surrounding slab on the seventh-floor of the test structure. The steel section tested was a 305165 UB40 that was heated along 8m of its 9m length. Only the top 70mm of the concrete slab was taken into account. This was the maximum height of the slab above the troughs of the profiled decking. (Huang, Burgess, Plank, 1999) The temperature distributions in the steel beam and concrete slab were taken as averages of the test results recorded across the cross-sections of the components. The temperature of headed studs exposed to fire was approximated as 75% of the temperature reached by the top flange of the steel section. (Huang, Burgess, Plank, 1999) The degree of shear connection in the heated beam was assumed to be partial whilst the rest of the composite floor deck systems in the surrounding area were modelled as having full shear interaction. Analysis of the test results showed that the deflection at the mid-span of the heated beam increased with temperature. It was concluded from this that the assumption that partial interaction was corre

The Modeling of Salt Water Intrusion Essay -- Encroachment Science Ess

The Modeling of Salt Water Intrusion What is Salt Water Intrusion? Salt water intrusion, or encroachment, is defined by Freeze and Cherry (1979) as the migration of salt water into fresh water aquifers under the influence of groundwater development. Salt water intrusion becomes a problem in coastal areas where fresh water aquifers are hydraulically connected with seawater. When large amounts of fresh water are withdrawn from these aquifers, hydraulic gradients encourage the flow of seawater toward the pumped well or wells. Salt water intrusion is a problem that affects coastal areas around the world. Groundwater Problems in Coastal Areas (Custodio, 1987) is an excellent reference for more information on global salt water intrusion problems, while Atkinson (1986) details salt water intrusion problems for the coastal areas of the United States. Why is it a Problem? The encroachment of salt water into fresh water supplies has become cause for concern within the last century as populations in coastal areas have risen sharply and placed greater demands on fresh groundwater reserves. Salt water intrusion causes many problems in these areas, perhaps the most severe being the limitation of potable drinking water. Drinking water standards established by the EPA in 1962 require that drinking water contain no more than 500 mg/L of total suspended solids (TSS), a common measure of salinity (Atkinson, 1986). Seawater contains approximately 30000 mg/L of TSS. Therefore, it is evident that even a small amount of seawater can cause drinking water problems when mixed with fresh water reserves. Also, salinity in irrigation water can be detrimental to agriculture, reducing yields and killing crops with low tolerances to salt. In some... ...t Modeling of the Flow Through Porous Media". OWRT-C-4026(9006)(4). Office of Water Resources and Technology, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Washington, DC. March, 1975. Christensen, B.A., "Mathematical Methods for Analysis of Fresh Water Lenses in the Coastal Zones of the Floridian Aquifer". OWRT-A-032-FLA(1). Office of Water Research and Technology. U.S. Dept. of the Interior. Washington, DC. Custodio, E., and Llamas, M.R. Hidrologia Subterranea. Ed. Omega, Barcelona. 1976. Custodio, E. (prepared by). Groundwater Problems in Coastal Areas. A contribution to the International Hydrological Programme. 1987. Freeze, R. A. and J. A. Cherry. Groundwater. Prentice Hall, Inc. 1979. Jenkins, S. R. and R. K. Moore. "Effect of Saltwater Intrusion on Soil Erodibility of Alabama Marshlands". Water Resources Research Institute, Auburn University, Auburn, Al. 1984.

An Unforgettable Teacher Essay -- The Teacher Who Changed My Life

I remember my fourth grade year as if it were yesterday. My homeroom teacher, Mr. Anderson, would stand at the front of the room each morning at 9:15, and wait patiently for us to say the Pledge of Allegiance. Then, like clockwork, at exactly 9:17, as my class of 28 sat down, he would set up a magic trick, pretending each day that something was going wrong during the set-up. As Mr. Anderson did this, he would often tell us a story that in some way or another related to the magic trick he showed us. Then, as he finished the trick, he would tell us the moral to the story. Â   Now a days I don't have someone there for me constantly saying what I should or should not do. I often find myself in situations in which I must be the one to decide if, for instance, I should go to a party or to the bars, or stay home and concentrate on the massive amounts of homework that have piled up. It is at times like these when Mr. Anderson's words of advice float though my head. The one I hear Mr. Anderson saying most often in the back ...

Struggle between Romantic and Enlightened Thought Essay -- Enlightened

We are often presented with potential explanations or answers to current philosophical dilemmas through temporally relevant works of literature. The late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, or the Romantic Era, is characterized as a time in history in which aristocratic social and political norms of the Enlightened Era were radically questioned and investigated. For Enlightened thinkers, the idea of â€Å"being† was composed of three essential parts, the true, the beautiful, and the good. Isaac Newton’s contributions to scientific method were fascinating in the respect that they seemed to provide truths regarding quantitative matter. Yet his science failed to provide us with knowledge of all qualitative matters, such as morals and aesthetics. With Newton’s laws held in such high regard, the model of being was decomposed to simply the â€Å"true,† or scientific knowledge which is recognized and confirmed through his laws of motion, proceeding to exclud e all matters which Newton’s lens could not be pointed. It is apparent that problems would arise as a result. Qualitative matters could not be explained through Newton’s science, which created a sense of bewilderment. People began to question whether certain quantitative matters actually pertained to all aspects of life. Rousseau, whose writings contributed immensely to Romanticism, proposes a new model of â€Å"being,† which is later confirmed by Kant and Schiller. His new model strengthens the enlightened ideas of being, and allows for the application of â€Å"being† to both the quantitative and qualitative. Mary Shelley’s â€Å"Frankenstein† provides an explanation to the struggle dealing with â€Å"true being† between Enlightened and Romantic thinkers while exemplifying Romantic thought on happiness. ... ...nize the monster as more then a hideous being. Instead Walton understands the morals and ethics that lie beneath the monsters flesh, eventually appreciating his true goodness, in a similar fashion that Schiller and Kant propose. The significance of the philosophical dilemma between Enlightened and Romantic thinkers is exemplified through Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. This symbolic literary work provides readers with insight to the problem philosophers of the time faced when dealing with the idea of true being. Through the monster, the townspeople and Walton, we are able to gain a complete understanding of the situation Rousseau, Kant, and Schiller dealt with. In the end, it is clear that in order to experience true being and beauty one must not rely solely on Newton’s scientific lens, but must also understand the quantitative matters such as morals and ethics.

Metacognition Student Achievement Essay

Metacognition has generally been described as thinking about one’s own thoughts. The realization that a human being cannot exist in isolation of his inner self, that he is constantly probing that dam of his very essence to evaluate situations and resolve the never-ending puzzles that daily confront him. Kornell (2009), has described metacognition as self-reflection and conscious awareness. An even more elaborate definition is that given by Serendip (2009). He defines it as â€Å"a reflective practice that helps one discern general patterns in one’s own views and abilities†. Whichever definition one feels comfortable with, it cannot be said to be superior to the other, because metacognition deals with the intangible and cannot be weighed on a scale. It has, however, been the subject of widespread research all over the world. Psychologists are now asking themselves, what causes that tip of the tongue experience, when you are sure you know someone’s name but cannot recall it? Or what is at play when one conveys a feeling of uncertainty? Why is it that humans are able to have certain cognitive abilities that animals apparently do not have? For example, if asked what year America gained independence, one may readily recall with certainty, or one may say with complete uncertainty that he does not know. The answer may also lie in between, showing a certain degree of uncertainty by replying, for example, I think it was 1776. Whatever answer one gives, it demonstrates an ability to question one’s memory and experience. According to studies that have been done, this ability can be improved. Thus, the science of metacognition is now rampant, with studies being carried out on the cognitive abilities of monkeys, children, students, and ways in which they can be improved. Metacognition 2 One study which was carried out to test the cognitive abilities of rhesus monkeys, was that conducted by Kornell, Son & Terrace (2007). In this trial, the monkeys were initially trained to select a given picture from a sample of six pictures by touching the image on a touch-screen monitor. After this training period, they were shown six sample pictures which were then simultaneously removed and replaced with nine, one of the previous six being among them. As soon as they selected the sample they thought was among the previous six, they were required to bet on their choice by depressing an icon on the screen for certainty, with a reward of redeemable food tokens, or loss of tokens, if wrong. A further icon for a low risk bet was also there. After carrying out this experiment for a suitable period of time, they concluded that the monkeys would invariably only bet when they were sure that they knew the correct answer. The researchers were therefore of the opinion that the monkeys were guided by a cognitive ability. They also tested two monkeys on metacognitive control. This is the ability to use metacognitive ability to influence behavior. An example would be requesting for a hint when one is unsure of an answer, a common trait with humans. In this trial, two monkeys were presented with a few sample pictures to place in a certain order. They were also availed of onscreen visual hints if they needed. The penalty for using the hints was a less appetizing banana flavored pellet, instead of the more attractive M&M candy. As the test progressed, it became apparent that the monkeys were using the hints less and less, and would only resort to them when they were sure that they did not know the right answer. This ability to have control over one’s metacognitive ability had been tested on humans for many years, and it was only now that it was becoming clear that it was also present in animals. However, how prevalent this is among them, cannot be clear and it cannot be generalized from this study that only involved rhesus monkeys. Metacognition 3 Smith & Washbum (2005) have taken animal research a notch higher and carried out trials that probe the memory, referred to as monitoring the memory. In the test, animals which were given various tasks to do based on what they had done before, declined to engage in the more difficult tasks, a result that was the same as similar tests carried out on humans. The animals were selective and seemed to have the same analogous capacity as human. There was no doubt that they were using their metacognitive abilities to seek in their memories, and when they remembered that the task was arduous, they declined to take the test. Kornell & Terrace (2007) also carried out some trials seeking to find out if monkeys benefited from learning. They did this with two rhesus monkeys which were given two problem sets to solve. In one difficult set, they were given hints to assist them after a suitable training period. In the other set, they were given no hints. The number of hints they used to solve the problem set steadily declined over time, the performance, however, did not change, it stayed the same. The monkeys were solving the problem with skills they had acquired from the hints and were using them less and less because they had â€Å"learned†. This is fascinating and opens up very interesting questions about the training of animals. There are other areas of animal metacognitive behavior which have been studied. Hampton, R (2009), carried out studies on rhesus monkeys to determine if they made decisions when they had information, or sought information when ignorant and immediately made a decision. The results were quite revealing. They carried out two sets of tests. In one test, the monkeys witnessed food being inserted into some opaque test tubes. These tests were referred to as the seen trials. In the other test, the food was inserted into test tubes without their knowledge. Metacognition 4 The monkeys were then required to identify the tubes which had food in them. In trial after trial, they would first look down the tubes to ascertain if the food was there and if it was, they selected the tube. What was evident from these tests is that the monkeys sought information first, by peering down the tubes, when ignorant, and only immediately selected the correct tubes without investigating, when they knew the food was there. That means they knew when they knew and only sought information when they knew that they did not know. This is a characteristic which is prevalent among human children, orangutans and rhesus monkeys. It is, however, not clear with capuchin monkeys when they were exposed to a similar trial about a decade before. There is room for more research on animals. According to Smith & Washbum, a lot needs to be investigated regarding the gifts different animals have. For example, monkeys and dolphins seem to exhibit more cognitive abilities than pigeons, whose reactions appear to be more stimulus based. Further research in this area can yield very important information which may stimulate a whole spectrum of research into cognitive abilities of different animal specie. Additionally, there is a lot of room into studies on the ability or lack of ability of animals to make quantitative judgements, for example, their mood. Metacognitive abilities is also a subject of importance in developing learning capabilities for children. Loh, A (2009), has made suggestions on methods to use to improve metacognition learning for children as young as two year olds. Since parents spend the most amount time with children of this age, they are best placed to practice the techniques recommended by Loh. He says that children should be encouraged to think about their thinking process in order to develop their intellect and intelligence. Children should be engaged, soon after an activity, to gauge their Metacognition 5 thinking process and the techniques they used for a task. Immediately after this activity, they should be asked certain questions, for example : 1. They should be asked about the process they used to achieve the result. This way, they will recall the steps and learn the process. 2. What strategies did they use? This will engage them actively in the thinking process by beginning to adopt strategic thinking of alternative techniques they can use to achieve better results. 3. What do they think about the end result? Is it good or bad? This will help them to evaluate their work. 4. Offer them puzzling tasks that have more than one solution. This exposes them to cognitive conflicts 5. Engage them in debates and discussions with other children 6. Allow them to practice reciprocal teaching where they form groups and one child teaches members of his group. 7. Once they engage on a task, allow them to continue undisturbed. Help them with clues if they get stuck. Further, they can be assisted with questions that will incline them to probe their mind even more, for example, what they learned from the task and what they found difficult. Additionally, they can be probed to find out if they have a next goal and what will help them to achieve it. Metacognition 6 There has been more research in the field of metacognitive abilities of children. Young children’s understanding of mental life, or â€Å"theory of mind†, is an area that is currently being explored by various scientists. According to science daily (2008), a new study had made a link between theory of mind as assessed in kindergarten children and their metacognitive abilities in elementary school. Early theory of mind competencies positively influenced metacognitive abilities acquired later. 174 children between the ages of three and four were used as study subjects to investigate this relationship. Wolfgang Schneider, P. H. D. , of the University of Wurzburg, who carried out the trial, said that knowledge from this research can be used to develop training programs for young children. For all the progress that has been done on metacognition in animals and children, none can rival that of learners. The Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario (2009), says that students with metacognitive needs have difficulties in setting priorities and planning their tasks. Additionally: 1. They are poor at strategizing in order to accomplish a task methodically 2. They procrastinate and are unable to start their work. 3. They are inattentive and make careless mistakes. 4. They are not able to identify their faults or know how to seek help. With these type of students they recommend the following teaching strategies : 1. Teachers should tutor them on how to plan and show them the scoring rubric for the assignment. 2. They should be taught on estimation of time needed to complete a task. 3. They should be assisted with think-aloud strategies. Metacognition 7 4. They should be cajoled to get engaged actively in their work by asking them how they are doing the work and how they will remember to solve the problem. 5. Teachers should be specific in their assignments to students by providing scoring rubrics for each question and how they have been calculated. However, Pierce (2004), dealt even deeper in metacognition for students. He was of the opinion that study strategies were generalized and teachers did not teach them in class. They assumed that students had already learned them. When they taught a strategy, students used the same strategy taught for all subjects. According to him, students needed to acquire three types of knowledge in order to improve their metacognitive abilities. These are : 1. Declarative knowledge which is having at their grasp factual information, for example, speed is distance divided by time taken. 2. Procedural knowledge which is knowing how to do something. Using the previous example of speed, they should know the formula for speed and the steps required in its calculation. 3. Conditional knowledge – This is knowing when to use a certain procedure and why one strategy is better than another. In applying the three types of knowledge for study strategies for example, students need declarative knowledge to know that a high school history textbook is different from an article analyzing the same textbook. They need procedural knowledge to take notes from such a textbook and conditional knowledge to know when such notes should be taken. According to Pierce, study techniques improve learning but are hardly ever taught. Additionally, many students do not internalize success as caused by ability and effort. Metacognition 8 Lippman, Danielsson & Linder (2005), differed slightly with some researchers of metacognition. They claimed that most studies taught metacognitive skills and then measured the effects of training. Instead, they should quantify the use of metacognition. In a study that they carried out at an American university, their aim was to find out how much metacognition is used in a laboratory and how the setup encourages the use of metacognition. Three groups of students were used and their proceedings videotaped and their verbal comments recorded. In one group, students were given a set of instructions to follow. The same was done for the second group and in addition, they were expected to explain their reason. The third group was given a question to answer and expected to explain, in a presentation, the method they had used to get results. In analyzing the results, Lippman et al (2005) saw no difference in the amount of metacognition in the different groups. However, the most important finding was that there was a difference in how metacognition made students change their behavior in tackling the lab assignments. For example, in the third group, the verbal exchanges revealed that the use of metacognition made the students more creative. This was a different approach as was the one used by Mevarech & Kramarski (2003). In this study, 100 eighth graders, studying algebra in four classrooms, were divided into two groups. One group was exposed to cooperative learning and also given metacognitive training. The other group was given cooperative learning but without metacognitive training. At issue was mathematical modeling and problem solving skills. After tasks to perform were given, the results showed that the group which had been given metacognitive training did outperformed the other that only had a cooperative setting. There was significant difference with the two groups with regard to planning, processing and reflection. They concluded that the cooperative Metacognition 9 setting is not enough to enhance modeling skills. Metacognitive skills are important in how to approach a problem, how to control and monitor the solution and how to reflect on the final answer. As a result of such studies, Mevarech & Kramarski (2003) designed the learning tool called IMPROVE, whose letters stand for : Introducing the new material Metacognitive questioning Practicing Reviewing Obtaining mastery on higher and lower cognitive processes Verification Enrichment and remedial The important thing in IMPROVE is the approach in problem solving. Students are able to approach a scenario with a systematic method which first and foremost addresses the question of what is the issue at hand. They then investigate to find out how different the problem is from others and what the best strategies are to solve it. As can be seen from all the studies mentioned, metacognition is an area of development that has a lot of room for growth. Animals which have been shown to have metacognitive abilities can be researched further in order to discover if this is something widespread within the animal kingdom, and if not, then what actually determines metacognition of a species. With children too, the theory of the mind is interesting and further studies should be carried out to determine if there are other areas of their lives that can benefit from improved research on Metacognition 10 metacognition. For example, are high levels of metacognition genetic? Does diet affect levels of metacognition? What role does disease play in metacognition? It would also be interesting to see new research in the study techniques of students. More than anyone else, their place in society is critical because they take over reins in business, government and the civil society within only a few years after leaving college. Their overall performance in school is therefore a top priority. Of serious concern should be when study techniques should begin to be taught and how they would be standardized. Additionally, quantifying the use of metacognition as advocated for by Lippman (2005), needs to generate more study. If his research is anything to go by, then the approach to metacognition training must also address, not just the amount of metacognition ability gained, but also how it is channeled to productive use. This is an area that can prove very challenging and rewarding because teaching metacognition techniques is one thing, but being able to teach the type of techniques that can produce quantifiable measures cannot be easy. However, it is possible that the same metacognition graduates will discover new methods and strategies to impart more abilities in metacognition. Metacognition 11 References Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (2009). Metacognitive Skills. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. etfo. ca/Multimedia/Webcasts/SpecialEducation/Pages/Metacognitive%20Skills. aspx Hampton, R (2009). Multiple demonstrations of metacognition in nonhumans: Converging evidence or multiple mechanisms? Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://psyc. queensu. ca/ccbr/Vol4/Hampton.pdf. Kornell, Nate (2009, February). Metacognition in Humans and Animals. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www3. interscience. wiley. com/cgi-bin/fulltext/122212734/HTMLSTART Lippmann, K. , Danielsson, A. & Linder, C. (2005, August). Metacognition in the student Laboratory : Is increased metacognition necessarily better? Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. anst. uu. se/rekun676/meta. pdf Loh, A (2009, July). Using Metacognition Learning to Make Children Smarter. Retrieved on July 29, 209 from http://www. brainy-child. com/articles/metacognition-learning.shtml Mevarech Z. & Kramarski, B. ( 2003). Mathematical Modeling and Meta-cognitive Instruction. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. icme-organisers. dk/tsg18/S32MevarechKramarski. pdf Metacognition 12 Mevarech, Z. & Kramarski, B. (2003). Metacognitive Questioning and the use of Worked Examples. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www. memory-key. com/StudySkills/IMPROVE. htm Peirce, W (2004, November). METACOGNITION: Study Strategies, Monitoring, and Motivation. Retrieved on July 29, 2009, from http://academic. pgcc. edu/~wpeirce/MCCCTR/metacognition.htm ScienceDaily (2008, August). Young Children’s ‘Theory Of Mind’ Linked To Subsequent Metacognitive Development In Adolescence. Retrieved on July 29, 2009 from http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2008/08/080814154429. htm Serendip (2009). Metacognition. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://serendip. brynmawr. edu/exchange/wfrankli/ii09/metacognition Smith, D & Washbum, D. (2005, February). Uncertainty Monitoring and Metacognition by Animals. Retrieved July 29, 2009 from http://www3. interscience. wiley. com/cgi-bin/fulltext/118706297/HTMLSTART

Response on Quote from “The Waiting Years” by Fumiko Enchi Essay

In Chapter 1, of â€Å"The First Bloom† of the book â€Å"The Waiting Years† by author Fumiko Enchi, (Fumiko, 2002) it was easy to identify the little girl as one who was so important amid the small pace of the town. Suga was going to dance †Plum Blossom in Spring† where all eyes would be on her.   She was going to be looked at and judged according to her dance that day, in her mind,   which set the atmosphere for tension and apprehension of what they would think about her recital and about Suga.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Suga seemed so innocent and she always maintained her respectful nature as she did as she walked toward the school teacher’s house and you could sense that this dance was going to be very important to Suga.   She remained respectable, as you think about her life with an impoverished family in a world of young girls who were selected as future bride’s.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The setting in this piece of work was magnificent as I imagined the tiny house in this poor community.   The stage in the teacher’s house must have been so magical for Suga and for the other little girl who was already dancing when she arrived.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   I feel sorry for Suga as I understand that she and every other girl is always being looked at but for the recital, I think this is one time when she really does want to be noticed and for something other than being a girl who will be chosen for other things in life besides her dancing. I think that this quote offers a good look into the life of Suga and gives a vivid description of her life and surroundings. Enchi, Fumiko, (2002) The Waiting Years, Oxford University Press, p.24

Clearwater Seafoods case Essay

Clearwater Seafood (Clearwater) is a seafood company located on the east coast of Canada, and Clearwater Seafood income Fund with operations around the world. As a result of the increasing importance of the Canadian dollar relative to other currencies of the world, Clearwater recently stopped paying their distributions. The decision faced by the financial director to determine the strategy of the company should take to enable it to recover its distribution. This is due to the choice between various financial and operational resources to hedge currency risks that brought the company to its current situation Background: Clearwater was founded in 1976 at Bedford, Nova Scotia as a local lobster distributer and later in 2002 went public. Clearwater Seafood harvests, processes, and distributes fresh and frozen fish and shellfish to sell worldwide. It holds major offshore rights to harvest clams, crab, lobster, scallops, and shrimp off the north eastern coast of Canada. Clearwater Seafood operates its own fleet of ships, along with off-shore and on-shore processing facilities. Foreign Exchange Risk: Foreign exchange risk is the risk to the value of one’s assets when it is valued in another currency. The exchange rate of a currency to another may be volatile. It is this change in value of the currency that gives rise to foreign exchange risk. Depreciation in the currency in which your assets are denominated will result in a lower value of your assets when measured in another currency compared to the period before depreciation. The majority of Clearwater’s customers are international customers. In 2005, majority of Clearwater’s sales were from overseas customers. The source of their foreign exchange risk is the payment method that the company implements. The customers are billed in their domestic currency rather than in Canadian dollars. Clearwater deals with customers from the US, Japan, Europe and Asia. The company receives payment from its international customers in their respective currency. When the Canadian dollar appreciates in relation to all these currencies, the money that Clearwater receives from their customers loses value. The higher the Canadian dollar appreciates, the less Canadian dollars Clearwater can convert to with the US dollars, euros or yen that  they receive from their customers. Risks associated with foreign exchange are partially mitigated by the fact Clearwater operates internationally, which reduces the impact of any country ­ specific economic risks on its business. Clearwater also uses forward exchange contracts to manage its foreign currency exposures. Clearwater’s sales denominated in U.S. dollars were approximately 55% of annual sales as on December 31st 2005. These forward contracts were such that a one-cent change in the U.S. dollar as converted to Canadian dollars would result in a $505,000 change in sales and gross profit. In addition, approximately 19% of 2005 annual sales were denominated in Euros. Based on the sales and hedges in place on December 31, 2005, a one-cent change in the Euro as converted to Canadian dollars would result in a $285,000 change in sales and gross profit. Also, 8% of 2005 annual sales were denominated in Japanese Yen. Based on 2005 annual sales, every one ­ twentieth of a cent change in the Yen as converted to Canadian dollars would result in a change of  ¥118,087,000 in sales and gross profit. It is clear that Clearwater faces significant foreign exchange risk and the implications of an adverse change in the currency conversions can be too huge for the company to endure. Business risk: Business risk is the possibility that a company will have lower than anticipated profits or the company will incur a loss. Business risk may influenced by numerous factors, including sales volume, per-unit price, input costs, competition, and overall economic climate and government regulations. Clearwater’s business depends on a continuing supply of product that meets its quality and quantity requirements. Water temperatures, feed in the water and the presence of predators all influence the level of the catch and harvesting locations are not necessarily consistently successful from year to year. The availability of seafood in Canadian and Argentinean waters is also dependent on the total allowable catch allocated to Clearwater in a given area. Although the totals allowable catch in these areas and Clearwater’s enterprise allocations have been largely stable, fishery regulators have the right to make changes in the total allowable catch based on their assessment of the resource from time to time. Any reduction of total allowable catches in the areas from which Clearwater sources seafood, or the reduction of stocks due to changes in the  environment or the health of certain species, may have a material adverse effect on Clearwater’s financial condition and results of operations. Resource risk is managed through adherence to the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (†DFO†) policies and guidelines. The guidelines, developed by DFO, are very often a cooperative effort between industry participants and DFO. Clearwater mitigates the risk associated with resource supply and competition through the diversification across species. Clearwater’s operating costs may be negatively affected by increases in inputs, such as energy costs, raw material and commodity prices. Clearwater uses fuel, electricity, air and ocean freight and other materials in the production, packaging and distribution of its products. Fuel and freight are two significant components of the costs of Clearwater’s products and the distribution thereof the inability of any of Clearwater’s suppliers to satisfy its requirements or a material increase in the cost of these inputs may have an adverse effect on Clearwater’s financial condition and results of operations. The seafood industry is highly competitive in all of the markets in which Clearwater participates. Some of Clearwater’s competitors have more significant operations within the marketplace, a greater diversification of product lines and greater economic resources than Clearwater and are well established as suppliers to the markets that Clearwater serves. Such competitors may be better able to withstand volatility within the seafood industry and throughout the economy as a whole while retaining greater operating and financial flexibility than Clearwater. There can be no assurance that Clearwater will be able to compete successfully against its current or future competitors or that competition will not affect Clearwater’s financial condition and results of operations. Recommendations for management: Foreign Exchange Risk: Clearwater did not completely offset the recent currency fluctuations with their hedge positions and they paid the price for it. It is recommended that they fully hedge all their foreign exchange positions. FPI is an example of a competitor in the industry who has benefited from doing so. FPI was largely unaffected by the currency fluctuation that badly affected Clearwater. This is justified by FPI’s increase in sales from 2003 to 2004  where Clearwater had corresponding drop in sales during the same period. It is also recommended that Clearwater switch its short call options to long call options. In its current short call position, Clearwater is the seller of the option and has no right to exercise the option. Clearwater is responsible to meet its obligations in the case the counterparty exercises the option at strike price. In a nut shell, under this short call position, Clearwater does not eliminate uncertainty on currency prices, its counterpart however does. Instead of this position, Clearwater should enter in long call options to hedge its foreign exchange risk. They should lock in prices to buy Canadian dollars in all the foreign currencies that they receive as payment such as US dollars, yen, euro, sterling and others. If the Canadian dollar were to appreciate, they would exercise the call option at the stipulated strike price and this would cut their losses of further appreciation. If the Canadian dollar were to depreciate, Clearwater would merely lose the price paid for the option premium. Overall, Clearwater benefits from this long call position regardless whether the exchange rate appreciates or depreciates as they have removed uncertainty in the exchange rate. Clearwater should also diversify its hedging strategies and enter into a matching receipts and payments strategy. This method involves offsetting receipts and payments. As a major part of their foreign exposure is to the US dollar, it is recommended that they rearrange some of their purchasing arrangement with its current domestic suppliers and switch to suppliers from the United States. By switching to American suppliers, they will be billed in US dollars. The US dollars that Clearwater receives from its American customers can be used to pay the bills that are denominated in US dollars. This directly nullifies any volatility in the US dollar to Canadian dollar exchange rate. Clearwater should enter into agreements with its large counterparties to receive payment in Canadian dollars. This will transfer the risk onto the other party’s head and will allow matching strategy to be implemented. This may not be possible for the smaller parties that owe Clearwater money. Another alternative would be for Clearwater to hedge their currency positions through investing in gold. It has been a common business practice for many years to use gold or other precious metals to hedge currency positions. The company could consider keeping gold in their portfolios to guard against economic downturns. As the seafood industry is  an industry that is primarily based on international trade, the success of any company in this industry will rely on the way the company manages its foreign exchange risk. Clearwater should expand its foreign exchange management program with qualified financial professional who have years of prior knowledge in hedging currency positions. Operating and Business risk: As compared to its competitors FPI and American Seafoods Group, Clearwater offers more high-value seafood products with higher prices. Therefore it is highly unlikely that the company has the ability to pass on any increases in fuel prices to their customers, without a negative impact on their profit margins. It is recommended that the company buys a fuel swap to hedge against fuel prices. In addition to that, the company could also consider buying a fuel call option. If the price of fuel increases, the company will receive a return on the option that offsets their actual cost of fuel. In terms of expanding its market, I believe that Clearwater should look into entering the Chinese market in the future. The increasing demand for high-value seafood in China has been fuelled by its growing middle class. The company could market its seafood products as being fresh and natural to beat the local Asian aquaculture competitors who currently dominate that market. In order to fund the fuel hedge as well as the China marketing cost, it is advised that Clearwater sell off surplus TACs. Clearwater currently owns the highest percentage of TACs in Canada. It is recommended that clam TACs be sold as Clearwater currently has full TAC ownership of clams with the largest quota of 44,000. However clams only make about 15.6% of the company’s sales which suggest that the profit margins on clams is relatively small compared to scallops or lobsters who have sales percentage of 31.3% and 22.5% respectively and TAC quotas of 10,275 and 720 respectively. I believe it is logical to make a small sacrifice to gain funding to hedge volatile fuel cost as well as fund marketing costs into a new segment. Greater good is expected at the cost of a small sacrifice. As the company currently faces difficulty in the foreign exchange market, this way of funding ignores currency rates as Clearwater will be selling their TACs to other Canadian companies which would be paying for the TACs in the Canadian dollars.