Precambrian - The Timeline of Biological History

Precambrian - The Timeline of Biological History The Precambrian (4500 to 543 million years ago) is a vast period of time, nearly 4,000 million years long, that began with the formation of the Earth and culminated with the Cambrian Explosion. The Precambrian accounts for seven-eighths of our planets history. Numerous important milestones in the development of our planet and the evolution of life occurred during the Precambrian. The first life arose during the Precambrian. The tectonic plates formed and began shifting across the surface of the Earth. Eukaryotic cells evolved and the oxygen these eary organisms exhaled collected in the atmosphere. The Precambrian drew to a close just as the first multicellular organisms evolved. For the most part, considering the immense length of time encompassed by the Precambrian, the fossil record is sparse for that time period. The oldest evidence of life is encased in rocks from islands off of western Greenland. Theses fossils are 3.8 billion years old. Bacteria that is more than 3.46 billion years old was discovered in Western Australia. Stromatolite fossils have been discovered that date back 2,700 million years. The most detailed fossils from the Precambrian are known as the Ediacara biota, an assortment of tubular and frond-shaped creatures that lived between 635 and 543 million years ago. The Ediacara fossils represent the earliest known evidence of multicellular life and most of these ancient organisms appear to have vanished at the end of the Precambrian. Although the term Precambrian is somewhat outdated, it is still widely used. Modern terminology disposes of the term Precambrian and instead divides the time before the Cambrian Period into three units, the Hadean (4,500 - 3,800 million years ago), the Archean (3,800 - 2,500 million years ago), and the Proterozoic (2,500 - 543 million years ago).

How to Use a Rock Hammer The Right Way

How to Use a Rock Hammer The Right Way The rock hammer is a powerful tool that takes practice to use well. Heres how to be safe as you do so. Dangers of Hammering Hammers arent hazardous by themselves. Whats around them is what creates danger. Rocks: Splinters from breaking rock can fly out in all directions. Broken rock pieces can fall on your feet or against your body. Rock exposures can sometimes be precarious and collapse. Piled-up rock at the base of an exposure can give way under your weight. Tools: Hammers and chisels are made of hard steel. This material can splinter, too, especially as the metal grows deformed with heavy use. The field: Roadcuts can put you very close to passing traffic. Overhangs can drop rocks on your head. And dont forget the local plants and animals. Before You Start Dress right. Protect your body from dings and scratches with long sleeves and pants. Wear shoes with closed toes, and bring a helmet if youre working in caves or cliffs. In wet conditions, wear gloves for a good grip. Be location-aware. At a roadside exposure, you may want a reflective vest. Look at whats overhead. Stand where a slip wont hurt you. Beware of hazardous plants like poison oak/ivy. Always know the local snakes and insects, too.​ Put on eye protection. Shutting your eyes as you swing is not the right tactic. Ordinary glasses are usually good enough, but everyone needs some kind of coverage, including bystanders. Plastic goggles are cheap and effective. Use the right hammer. The rock youre addressing will behave best under a hammer of the right weight, handle length and head design. Geologists choose one or two appropriate hammers before setting out, considering the type of rock they expect that day. Have your procedure planned. Are you following the most effective strategy for your goals? Can you get your hands free quickly if you slip? Are your chisel and magnifier handy? Hammer the Right Way Dont take chances. If you havent brought a helmet, dont go under overhangs. If you have to stretch out on one foot to reach a rock at arms length, stop- youre going about things the wrong way. Use tools the way theyre meant to be used. Never hammer another hammer- the two hard metals can strike nasty splinters off each other. The butt end of a chisel is made of softer steel than the hammer for that reason. Swing deliberately. Treat each blow like a play in a card game: know what you want to happen and have a plan for when it doesnt happen. Dont stand in a way that exposes your legs to accidental blows or falling rocks. If your arm is tired, take a break. Dont miss. A missed blow can send out splinters, strike sparks or hit your hand. A plastic hand guard fits on the chisel and helps prevent mishaps. Worn-out, rounded chisels and ​hammer heads can slip, too, so old tools should either be touched up or replaced. Hammer no more than necessary. Your time is better spent making observations, thinking about what you see, and enjoying your day in the field.

The Place of current employment Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

The Place of current employment - Research Paper Example For example, in my previous employment there were various incentives such as Christmas bonuses to employees, which aimed at motivating employees. Despite the human resource policies and strategies, the interrelationships of various departments of the organization, inter-organizational relations and demographic factors have an impact on employees’ performance. The paper will seek to identify, which factors affect the performance of employees in an organization. According to Armstrong (2006), human resources are valuable assets for an organization. Understanding the issues, which influence worker performance, may be key to enhancing employee’s productivity and morale. Organizations formulate strategies of providing excellent work environment in order to attract and retain the best employees. These strategies should address those factors that affect the performance of workers. These factors may be within or outside the company, including those factors emanating from the employee’s personal lives. The paper will discuss the following factors as determinants of employees’ performance. These factors include ability, knowledge and skills, feedback, environment, standards, and motivation. Motivation is the key of an effective organization to sustain the stability of the work in a strong way and help the survival of the organization. Motivation is discovering a requirement inside the workers and assisting to attain it. Motivation enables employees to widen their skills to meet the organizational objectives. Motivation drives human beings to achieve their objectives and company objectives through each challenge and limitation they experience in their workplace. The need of accomplishment leads in a desire to put extra effort to have something done better and the desire for success. There are three internal forces that influence an individual’s behavior; direction, intensity, and persistence. In terms of direction,

Health care career that may experience a lot of turnover and has Essay

Health care career that may experience a lot of turnover and has difficutly retaining people - Essay Example On further investigation it was found that the physicians offices saw the longest tenure of 1.57 years compared to only 0.97 years in the nursing care facilities. Difficulty faced by nurses in the job was the major reason given by them. When nurses were asked about the issues they face in their jobs, they gave several reasons but some of the prominent ones were lack of advancement opportunities, work overload, poor salary, too few staff, and poor organizational culture. Lack of training, poor fit with boss, and not enough access to technology were also some of the other reasons mentioned by them. Work load and too few staff are the issues that are greatly related and can be addressed by recruiting adequate staff, as a long term solution, so that nurses do not have to borne undue pressures that eventually cause burn out and force them to leave the organization. Recruiting sufficient nurses would automatically lessen the workload on each nurse to a reasonable level improving working environment substantially. Regarding the other issues raised by the nurses, the organization needs to have an effective retention policy at place. Motivation and the recognition are the two primary pillars of any retention policy. McConnell (2010) argues that an effective reward system must be in place so that nurses feel motivated. Even suitable incentive schemes must be launched to recognize the good job done by them. From the behavioral view point, nurses must be rewarded suitably when the patients appreciate and give them good feedback at the time of their discharge. Reward system and recognition cannot replace the generous pay scale necessary to retain the good and efficient nurse; nevertheless, they work like a great motivator for the nurses. It is necessary that the supervisor or manager looks at the issue in its entirety so as to eliminate the root causes that are behind high turnover of the

Critical Movie Review About Yoga Essay Example for Free

Critical Movie Review About Yoga Essay Seldom do we have movies which tackle yoga as plot but it was a welcome window in the 2000 movie The Next Best Thing top billed by pop-icon turned actress Madonna. Director John Schlesinger and Screenwriter Tom Ropelewski and the rest of the cast and crew were able to present that Yoga, being a plot in a movie, does not lack that dramatic necessity of conflict. Just try to figure out and visualize the conflict or struggle between muscles when youre trying to lift your foot behind your head in the eka pada sirasan or leg-head pose. Is it not the stuff of cinema? The power and effectiveness of Yoga was clearly manifested in The Next Best Thing where Madonna played a yoga teacher who has a baby with her gay best friend played superbly by Rupert Everett. Driving instructor Abbie (Madonna) has no problems getting her students to bend over backwards and tie themselves into knots for her. But in life she cant seem to find anyone to tie the knot with her. Robert (Everett), her best friend and confidant, is having equally dismal luck finding his Mr. Right. When Abbies relationship ended , she turned to homosexual Robert for comfort and advice. Under alcohol spirit they resulted into an unexpected tryst which made Abbie pregnant and decided to have the child. The two then committed to being good parents and created an unconventional but loving home for their precocious son, Sam (Stumpf). Now comes the yoga skills which Abbie used to remain celibate but she finally relented when she met Ben (Bratt). Roberts father image was threatened with the romance between Abbie and Ben. This was followed by tensions specially when Abbie and Ben planned to marry each other. Thereafter the movie pictured the family exploding over a heart-wrenching custody battle for Sam. Everett sparkles and Madonna oozes her usual cool in this drama/comedy from the director Schlesinger. Madonna 2 Yoga Journal and USA Today have made much of the authenticity of the yoga scenes in the movie. Madonna, a student of ashtanga yoga, brought in her own teachers, Kimberly Flynn and Noah Williams, to be consultants on the film. They advised on decor, class instruction, and fashion. â€Å"This really is the first time yoga has been taken seriously on a film project,† Flynn told USA Today. (qtd in Yoga at the Movies by Sherry Roberts). Yoga students can relate to scenes in the movie such as that of Benjamin Bratt’s first yoga class (he eventually becomes Madonna’s fiance in the movie). Toned and muscular Bratt falls over, peeks during chanting, and quickly realizes yoga brings a whole new dimension to â€Å"being in shape. † Perhaps the most refreshing scenes in the movie are seeing children practicing yoga: Madonna’s 7-year-old son (Malcolm Stumpf) leads a pretend yoga class with his friends in the backyard and later pulls up a mat and moves into the asanas (poses) right along with the adults in yoga class. (Roberts) Aside from the entertainment derived from the movie, presenting Yoga as the plot made the viewers really benefit from the true insights of the calming exercise with its physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual effects. The public was able to cultivate their own garden with Yoga by discovering the tools that can bring each of us in touch with our true nature through. In addition to greater strength, flexibility, and a re-sculpted body, Yoga is one of the best stress busters one can utilize. The movie is not only about Yoga but also a story of love and family with all its fold, twist, and mutilation of those intertwining concepts. The characters find that inner peace is always susceptible to outside and traditional factors. What is good is that there is compromise. which is a big part of yoga. The movie may be more about yoga than it first appears but it is more important that in the end, the conflict was resolved in true yogic fashion, by moving on. Madonna 3 Works Cited Roberts, Sherry. â€Å"Yoga at the Movies. † 2001-2007. Yoga Bound for Yoga in the Movies. 5 December 2007 http://www. yogabound. com/yoga/art_at_the_movies. htm. Schlesinger, John and Ropelewski, Tom. â€Å"The Next Best Thing. † 2000. 5 December 2007http://movies. go. com/the-next-best-thing/c790385/drama.

The Use of Stanislavskis Ideas to Guide Actors During the Rehearsal Process :: Konstantin Stanislavski Acting Theatre Essays

The Use of Stanislavski's Ideas to Guide Actors During the Rehearsal Process Stanislavski's ideas on relaxation, concentration of attention and tempo-rhythm went into great detail. He had very distinct, yet simple to follow ideas on each three, which actors still use and study to this day. Stanislavski dwelled on concentration of attention to a great extent. The use of attention when playing a role was considered very important. Concentrating on the attention was a skill that came from practise and focus, beginning in rehearsal and continuing into the final performance. The theory of concentration of attention is being able to concentrate on a particular part of the scene, which could be an object, a physical move or listening to the speech. This allows the actor to concentrate on the part of the play and know what is going on and happening around him, so there are no free moments. This means that each performance is similar, as the same objects of attention will aid the same actions, movements and speech. It keeps the performance consistent. Taking the theory of concentration a step further, Stanislavski devised the 'circles of attention'. This was where an actor would create a 'circle' in his or her own performance where they would devote their entire attention. Anything outside the circle would cease to exist. This would mean the performance would be totally dedicated, without any disruption from anything else, like a noise from the audience, or anything out of the ordinary. Not all performances allow for this approach to attention, as some may require the need to monitor the audience and connect with them. This would be the case when a speech is delivered directly to the audience. Or in the case of a comedy, an actor needs to observe the audience reaction and alter the performance. This is where concentration of attention becomes more complex. A performer must be able to split the mind into two. The first part being committed to the act, the second being able to take into account any external conditions. As a director, the use of concentration of attention is important to allow the performers to act at their best ability. The relevant use of concentration would be essential. For instance, when playing a singular, solitary part, like that of Davoren at times in 'The Shadow of a Gunman', the use of circles of attention would be very useful. Sitting at his typewriter, attempting to write poetry, he has no interaction with any other characters, and requires no audience response. Therefore, he can devote his entire concentration into the role and the scene around himself. However, if playing the role Mrs.

Eurodisney Business Case Essay

1) How could the company have erred so badly in its estimates of spending patterns of European customers? * The idea was market Euro Disney as a complete holiday package and encouraging people to stay in the hotels and eat all meats in the complex. * While setting prices the Company was unable to estimate spending patterns of European consumers and competitors price alternatives. Due to the location advantage and incredible accomodation prices consumers prefer to stay in the city center. * Travel time to Paris city center from Euro Disney is only 35 minutes and cost of accomodation in Disneyland is as much expensive as a best hotel in Paris. People prefer to stay overnight in the city center instead of staying in the park. * At the end of 1992, it became clear that the numbers were not being met – there was a recession and people were bringing their own food and not staying in the hotels for many nights. Park admission prices were also very high ($42.25US for adults) * Skimming Pricing: is relatively high pricing strategy. It is tempting where product is highly differentiated. Setting prices assuming that demand will not be determined by price and therefore the price can be high with large profit margins. It assumes inelastic demad curve, which sales will not affected by prices. * Penetration Pricing: Setting prices assuming that demand will increase with lower prices and decrease with higher prices and therefore there are limitations on your profit margin. Elastic demand curve assumption. * Eurodisney saw itself in a monopoly position, and positioned itself in a relatively inelastic demand curve with attracting customers regardless of higher prices. As a result of skimming pricing policy high prices, visitors shortened their stay, avoided hotels abd brought their own food and drink. Many visitors arrived early in the morning, staying late at night or check out early in the morning. 2) Could a better reading of the impact of cultural differences on revenues have been achieved? There were a few cultural blunders made: * A no alcohol policy (wine is customary for lunch and dinner in France) and this discouraged visitors * It made mistakes with predicting the peak periods and had to lay off a number of staff when there were fewer visitors, but France has very strict labour laws so they found this to be very difficult * Disney failed to predict demand for breakfast. They told that Europeans dont take breakfast however demand for breakfast is 10 times more than capacity * Tour bus drivers were not catered for properly, so tour companies did not recommend visiting Euro Disney as much as they would have * In America there is a well-established theme park culture. In planning Euro Disney there do not seem to have been many contingency plans established. The attitude towards customer habits was very complacent, assuming that there would be so many customers every day, each staying an average number of nights spending an average amount of money (for America that might be the case). * Leftist demonstrators against to American culture. They called the Park an American cultural abomination. * Disney management failed to research the culture thoroughly enough 3) What suggestions do you have for fostering a climate of sensitivity and goodwill in corporate dealings with the French? * Cultural differences need to be addressed and not just assume that the foreign country will adopt domestic views. The way Europeans took holidays, bought souvenirs, took transport and ate, all affected Euro Disney’s performance * Disney did not understand the differences in the United States compared to European Labor Laws. This resulted in a waste of funding because labor costs in Europe were significantly higher than in the United States 4) How do you account for the great success of Tokyo Disneyland and the problems of Euro Disney? What are the key contributory differences? Euro Disney contrasted Tokyo in a number of ways. * Disney invested heavily in the Euro initiative while it never invested any funds in the Tokyo Park since the Tokyo Disneyland was owned and operated by the Oriental Land Company. * Tokyo Disneyland was a major success with a turnover of over 16 million in 1991 as compared to the low turnover in the Euro Disney. * An increasing trend in Japan towards leisure along with increasing appetite for the American food as opposed to the French who never valued the American foods contributed a lot to the success of Disney land in Tokyo. 5) Do you believe that Euro Disney might have done better if located elsewhere in Europe rather than just outside Paris? Why or why not? * With change of location to be somewhere else in Europe other than Paris, Euro Disney could have not done any better. This is because people in the Europe follow relatively similar cultural norms. It was not only the French who had problems with them, but also others. In Spain where they thought of at first had no adequate space for the establishment of the facility. The master spirit on the sides of the Americans could also not allow them to work in any environment. Moreover a general wave of recession and economic downturn all over the Europe, did not allow such capital intensive project. 6) â€Å"Mickey Mouse and the Disney Park are an American cultural abonimination†. Evaluate this critical statement. * Although European public acceptance of the theme park itself has not been a problem for Euro Disneyland there has been a different type of cultural clash. Most Europeans believe there is cultural imperialism * â€Å"Mickey Mouse and the Disney Park are an American cultural abomination† This is a statement connected to the hard line taken by the French Leftist who never accepted the American people to erode their culture. They claimed the pollution on their country’s cultural ambience was due to the arrival of Mickey Mouse and the company. They wanted to see more European culture in the park than the American culture. 7) Consider how a strong marketing approach might be made to both European consumers and middlemen, such as travel agents, tour guides, even bus drivers. * The strategy was very greedy in buying all the surrounding land so no one else could benefit from the project. This is not going to promote any local support and isolates the project from and other business support. The scale of the investment also isolated them more in the case of a failure. * The idea was to market the Disney as a complete holiday encouraging people to stay in the hotels and eat all meals in the park. * The travel time to Paris was 35 minutes from Euro disney and the hotel Disney cost as much as the best hotel in Paris, many people may prefer to stay overnight in the city center. * High competition in tourism industry. People passing through the area may decide to take the more traditional visit to Paris instead. * Marketing approach is very strong local partnership is important. In planning, Disney were more interested in the moneymaking ventures than the fundamental details such as providing enough restrooms for coach drivers. Inpatient drivers resulted a decrease in the number of visitors. * Tour guides have direct communication with customers. 8) Discuss the desirability of raising admission prices at the very time when attendance is static, profits are nonexistent, and new attractions are months and several years in the future.   * Skimming Pricing: is relatively high pricing strategy. It is tempting where product is highly differentiated. Setting prices assuming that demand will not be determined by price and therefore the price can be high with large profit margins. It assumes inelastic demad curve, which sales will not affected by prices. * Eurodisney saw itself in a monopoly position, and positioned itself in a relatively inelastic demand curve with attracting customers regardless of higher prices. As a result of skimming pricing policy high prices, visitors shortened their stay, avoided hotels abd brought their own food and drink. Many visitors arrived early in the morning, staying late at night or check out early in the morning.

Adidas is one of the famous company in sporting items industry Essay

Introduction Adidas manager is requiring me to create and design a training program which will improve and develop their graduate employee existing skills. This report is going to target to non-graduate or college student and giving them chances to join this training program. This program is going to help trainee do their function in sporting industry Adidas Aim They are trying to build the relationship with their employee via passion, diversity. Adidas may find an excellent balance between life and work of the employee and more than that they provide an essential need for their employee such as food, drink, work benefit to encourage them which will increase business productivity Adidas Human Resource Strategy Adidas is one of the famous company in sporting items industry. At the moment Adidas are doing staff recruitment for their store which across all over the world and especially in the UK. In a past few year Adidas Human Resources Department decided to do Functional Training Program (FTP) in short- period time which giving opportunity for graduate student to get foundation and great educational qualification before for they start to become a functional professional career inside Adidas group also co-operate with internship and apprenticeships for non-graduate and student who want to work for Adidas company straight after school. We have developed on National Vocational Qualification that will contribute to the business and individual need. According to Olin and Tucker (1997) state that â€Å"National Vocational Qualification government and organisation figure out NVQ training program will develop specific profile of ability and basic knowledge of employee at any level which associated vocational area† NVQ training program focus on particular business industry or sector, it will help Adidas group to find the right employee for specific role in the sporting industry Demonstrate NVQ contribution to Adidas NVQ will also comfort organization or company decrease company cost, increase the competiveness and company productivity. Adidas group found putting resourcing in staff will change in work environment spirit and staff inspiration, much easier to recruitment staff and enhance communication in workplace. It will also make Adidas group look more professional and stand out compare to another business. In another way, NVQ are enabled to help Adidas proof to the world that business hired staff or employee has reach minimum standard quality. NVQ to individual needs NVQ programme provides the portfolio for learner or employee which help learner or employee able to learn-practical or work- the related task which helps them to develop their skills and knowledge to do a job more effectively. National Vocational training program intended to develop employee existing skills and that will improve business performance, NVQ is going to evaluate the staff able to carry out their job as indicated a set of rule in an organization, which rely on work performance. Adidas can adapt NVQ training program to improve their standard via examination. Main body NVQ training program overall design 164465275336000It has a variety of ways to get NVQ: succeeding a normal training program, blend of casual and informal or starting to have a learning approaches or just based on the past capability. NVQ framework are design to testing learner capacities in the working environment. To achieve a NVQs qualification the employee or learner have to demonstrate that there can do certain task which related to the roles or area that they apply to the company or business. NVQs training program are going to do the evaluation in a blend of courses by portfolios are going to confirm and proof that what you have done in training program and perception, an assessor will check and may give reference to the company that you can do the task that related to the business. Following by Malcom (1996) â€Å"NVQs framework system made as capability are created, course are movement and exchange are distinguished. Framework task is to provide a reasonable sorting for NVQs and facilities delivery and progres sion both external and internal of competence† NVQ are design for adult and young people who want to improve their skills to increase their work performance which will lead to build up business productivity. NVQ are set level for the learner from level 1 to level 5, in lowest level are going to aim at company operation and highest level for manager position. NVQ are suitable for people are working are in college and having a part- time job are at school are fulfilled apprenticeship NVQs training program delivery strategy Focus on employee and trainee ought to acclimate themselves with structure, substance and evaluation requirement of certificate previously planning a training program course NVQs training program is delivery to any trainee or learner in many ways which Meets the learner and trainee need and capabilities Pleased acquired qualification NVQs is going to provide to learner and trainee the other skills that not a part of the qualification but will help them improve the existing skills Literacy / language / numeracy Critical thinking and personal learning Individual and social advancement Employability Where pertinent, this could include empowering the possibility to get to applicable capabilities covering these abilities. 1651004191000 With these detail in overall design and delivery training of NVQs. This program will bring benefit to the Adidas group. This will include manage time to teaching so not spend much time or little time on teaching. If too much teaching due to costly and the material which delivery to training or learner can be confusing. Spend little time on training will not improve and maximise trainee skills. More over this training program is classify trainee or student what their aim in training and link back to business role they apply for. In addition, NVQs training program is measuring the employee and trainee by knowledge, attitude and skills. It’s going to be connect between organisation and employee. Moreover, Jim and Roger (2009) suggested that â€Å"Training program is providing individual chance to perform their task more effectively and it will help an organisation get the current target† Finally, NVQs training program may bring benefit to learner and Adidas group by motiva ting, group or personal to inspect current implementations and working environment. NVQs material and exercise support NVQs objective NVQs are cooperate with many practical organisations to become a leader in development skills. They are doing services to training suppliers, employers and learner over an assortment of sector to satisfy the need in workplaces. NVQs certificate or capabilities are estimated by employers all over the world, helping people to build up their talented and capacities for profession career. NVQ Training plan The NVQs is aiming to the employee of Adidas who contributes to the work performed. As, Mayo (2000) â€Å"training plan may have added by Human Resource Department purpose, weigh into the advantages of an individual group in particular organization†. It is including Personal skills: Knowledge/ skill/experience, ability to do the task and what employee will convey to the work from the other part of their social life Personal motivation: desire, goal, work inspiration. Workplace environment: The background of the business, personal respect, free to renovate. Teamwork efficiency: having a same objective and values, helpfulness, communal respect Essential material need in NVQs Assessment and homework to consider becoming the important material in NVQs. It gives speedy and basic methods for checking employee has the right stuff and abilities to work in an exchange. The specialist gets his or her NVQ Level 2 or 3 by a mix of evaluation and works environment preparing, during which time they give confirm they meet the NVQs requirement. Other material, may aid to the learner or trainee to achieve NVQs qualification such as the computer, pen, folder, tablet, video or textbook Example practical organization NVQs is co-operated with City NVQs Logistic Delivery

Impact of Testing Research Paper

Impact of Testing Research Paper Introduction The government of the United States of America is charged with among other roles the responsibility to ensure that its citizens receive adequate services. Such include good health care and education. Special emphasis has been to these two sectors since they are the backbone of the economy. Provision of quality education to students makes the country achieve significant progress. This is because when people study they are able to get jobs and thus become independent. This further ensures that poverty is eradicated before it takes a toll on the nation. The educated group of citizens also contributes to nation building through useful engagements other than engaging in malicious activities such as theft. They are able to provide labor in the various sectors; both government and private. Federal Initiatives relating to testing It is for this reason that the government initiates certain decisions and policies which directly affect testing in education in the U.S.A. Testing is important because it defines the student’s level of understanding of a particular matter. The government has initiated policies to this effect since it is a sensitive matter that requires care when being administered. Testing has both advantages and disadvantages. Such initiatives include the No Child Left Behind initiative, adequate yearly progress and FCAT in Florida (Wilberforce, 2005). The No Child Left Behind Act The no child left behind initiative that came to place through an act of the congress. The initiative upholds that high standards be established so as to establish quality education delivered to students. The initiative has seen increased funding go towards education. The initiative further maintains that adequate yearly progress be performed on the students in the course of their education. This refers to the use of standardized tests which are then used to determine how every school performs. The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is yet another initiative aimed towards helping boost performance in schools. The Bureau of K-12 Assessment is responsible for the assessment of students using these tests. These assessments provide useful information about students learning in Florid. This is as required by law (Wilberforce, 2004). Adequate yearly progress This is a measurement by the United states Department of Education. It analyzes how every public school and school district performs. This is done through administration of certain tests which are standardized. Private schools however do not conduct adequate yearly progress Policies to incorporate the admission tests These are tests used in the process of admission at elite/ private school. It also includes admission to colleges and universities. These are used as a prediction on how likely a student is to succeed in academics. The National assessment of Education progress policies This is an assessment carried out at national level and is used to find out the level of development of a student n his progress academically. This assessment is important since it gives statistics to the government and other stake holders in how the students are performing academically. Elementary and Secondary Education Test This amendment was made in 1988. This test is issued to students to test their ability academically when placed on the same conditions. All students therefore take the same test. General Education development test policies. This test is developed by the American Council on Education. The test is done by students as individuals. A certificate is issued to graduands to this effect. California Achievement Admission Test legislations These legislations led to the establishment of the National standardized examination for grades K-12. It tests the achievements of a student. The service is available all year round. Negative Impact of Testing on Learning in the Classroom Testing is known to have certain disastrous effects on students and schools generally. The students may for example suffer emotionally when preparing for examinations. This is because tests are used to gauge a student’s ability and his or her understanding of scope. This makes the student feel anxious and at times suffer from fear of failure. The student certainly knows that by failing that examination, he will not proceed to the next level and may suffer scorn. The feeling of fear and emotional insecurity is worse during the examination period. Cases have been reported in the past of students who faint in the examination room as they sit for their examinations. This depicts a feeling of fear in the student (Watson, 2011). The method of testing students is in itself not sufficient. Using testing as a method of condemning a student to fate is not sufficient at all. If we take an example of a student who has all the years been good academically then he or she fails to perform in the last exam, it is unfair to say that the student is not fit to proceed in the next level. The parameters of measuring his or her ability in this case can only be termed as flawed and without basis. It is important that a different method be used other than just administering tests otherwise the real meaning of education will fade away sooner than later (Luckzak, 2005). The method of testing also encourages cramming among students. Students read voraciously putting a lot of effort and spending time in the library just to pass exams. The true meaning of education is lost whereby it is supposed to produce all rounded students who can work with results. Students who cram to pass examinations therefore get it wrong because they lose out on important bits. Such is what would have made that student to be among the top professionals who can possibly be there. Testing is also insufficient since teachers teach to the test. Teachers want their students to pass examinations not because they want them to fit in their profession well but because they want them glory to come back to them (teachers). This makes testing lose the meaning it was intended for since teachers end up leaking the exam to the students and some even teaching it in class. The process of leaking examinations to students and them being given the same examination is actually a contravention of ethics. Teachers who leak tests to the students do it oblivious of the fact that these students are becoming wasted. Standards of unfairness are at times also exercised by teachers in the process of marking. Some teachers intentionally fail students in their exams simply because they failed to conform to a favor they possibly wanted. This again makes testing lose the intended meaning. Such students end up failing not because they are poor in that particular area but because the teacher f elt they should not pass that particular exam (Afflerbach, 2007). How Testing Influences School Funding Tests are also used by schools as a means of extorting money. They charge very high examination fees to cater for the tests and thus end up exploiting parents. The method has therefore faced a lot of opposition from parents who feel it is a petty fraudulent scheme. To add salt into injury the money received is sometimes not properly accounted for (Paul Watson, 2011) The schools are supposed to administer test which will depict how the students have been performing. The government then uses this analysis to determine how much it will give to schools. Where improvements are not made, the schools receive reduced funds. They are also given alternative punishments which make the people concerned to be more accountable. Testing as a disadvantage to non-performing schools The method of testing also discourages schools that fail to do well. This is because the schools feel they are being sidelined in terms of performance. This is especially so where the performance of different schools compared. The performance index of different schools is compared and ranking is done accordingly. This may discourage the schools at the bottom while the students feel like they are not good enough (Pearson, 2001). Effect of testing on teachers Testing gives undue pressure to the teachers who are required to mark and give timely reports. A class that does not do well in the tests may also demotivate the teacher who may feel like he or she did not teach well. This could however not be the reason why the students did not perform well. They probably did not do their part. The teacher may however be blamed by the school administration for the poor performance (Pearson, 2001). Testing is also a disadvantage in the sense that it leads to less funding to poorly performing schools. Such schools appear as if they have been sidelined which is often interpreted as unfair to them. Effect of Testing on parents Testing may have certain effects on parents. For the students who fail to do well, their parents may feel the students did not put in as much effort as required. Some may go to the extent of punishing their sons and daughters in schools while others may feel they are wasting money paying for school fees. Wrangles are common between children and their parents over poor performance while in school.

Learn About STP in Chemistry

Learn About STP in Chemistry STP in chemistry is the abbreviation for Standard Temperature and Pressure. STP most commonly is used when performing calculations on gases, such as gas density. The standard temperature is 273 K (0 ° Celsius or 32 ° Fahrenheit) and the standard pressure is 1 atm pressure. This is the freezing point of pure water at sea level atmospheric pressure. At STP, one mole of gas occupies 22.4 L of volume (molar volume). Note the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) applies a more stringent standard of STP as  a temperature of 273.15 K (0  °C, 32  °F) and an absolute pressure of exactly 100,000 Pa (1 bar, 14.5 psi, 0.98692 atm). This is a change from their earlier standard (changed in 1982) of  0  °C and 101.325 kPa (1 atm). Key Takeaways: STP or Standard Temperature and Pressure STP is the abbreviation for Standard Temperature and Pressure. However, the standard is defined differently by various groups.STP values are most often cited for gases because their characteristics change dramatically with temperature and pressure.One common definition of STP is a temperature of 273 K  (0 ° Celsius or 32 ° Fahrenheit) and the standard pressure of 1 atm. Under these conditions, one mole of a gas occupies 22.4 L.Because the standard varies by industry, its good practice to state temperature and pressure conditions for measurements and not just say STP. Uses of STP Standard reference conditions are important for expressions of fluid flow rate and the volumes of liquids and gases, which are highly dependent on temperature and pressure. STP commonly is used when standard state conditions are applied to calculations. Standard state conditions, which include standard temperature and pressure, may be recognized in calculations by the superscript circle. For example, ΔS ° refers to the change in entropy at STP. Other Forms of STP Because laboratory conditions rarely involve STP, a common standard is standard ambient temperature and pressure or SATP, which is  a temperature of 298.15 K (25  °C, 77  °F) and an absolute pressure of exactly 1 atm (101,325 Pa, 1.01325 bar). The International Standard Atmosphere or ISA and the U.S. Standard Atmosphere are standards used in the fields of fluid dynamics and aeronautics to specify temperature, pressure, density, and the speed of sound for a range of altitudes at the mid-latitudes. The two sets of standards are the same at altitudes up to 65,000 feet above sea level. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)  uses a temperature of 20  °C (293.15 K, 68  °F) and an absolute pressure of 101.325 kPa (14.696 psi, 1 atm) for STP. The Russian  State Standard GOST 2939-63 uses the standard conditions of 20  °C (293.15 K), 760 mmHg (101325 N/m2) and zero humidity.  The International Standard Metric Conditions for natural gas are 288.15 K (15.00  °C; 59.00  °F) and 101.325 kPa. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) both set their own standards, too. Correct Use of the Term STP Even though STP is defined, you can see the precise definition depends on the committee that set the standard! Therefore, rather than citing a measurement as performed at STP or standard conditions, its always best to explicitly state the temperature and pressure reference conditions. This avoids confusion. In addition, it is important to state the temperature and pressure for the molar volume of a gas, rather than citing STP as the conditions. When calculated molar volume, one should state whether the calculation used the ideal gas constant R or the specific gas constant Rs. The two constants are related where Rs R / m, where m is the molecular mass of a gas. Although STP is most commonly applied to gases, many scientists try to perform experiments at STP to SATP to make it easier to replicate them without introducing variables. Its good lab practice to always state the temperature and pressure or to at least record them in case they turn out to be important. Sources Doiron, Ted (2007). 20  °C – A Short History of the Standard Reference Temperature for Industrial Dimensional Measurements. National Institute of Standards and Technology. Journal of Research of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.McNaught, A. D.; Wilkinson, A. (1997). Compendium of Chemical Terminology, The Gold Book (2nd ed.). Blackwell Science. ISBN 0-86542-684-8.Natural gas – Standard reference conditions (ISO 13443). Geneva, Switzerland: International Organization for Standardization. 1996.Weast, Robert C. (Editor) (1975). Handbook of Physics and Chemistry (56th ed.). CRC Press. pp. F201–F206. ISBN 0-87819-455-X.

PilaTes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

PilaTes - Essay Example Fitness trends keep changing from one year to another. â€Å"Our fascination with self-improvement shows no signs of waning, and theres no shortage of new exercise trends aimed at helping us meet our health goals† (Bouchez). There is a growing trend among people to adopt a new exercise style which is known as Pilates. Pilates is a low-impact exercise style. One reason why Pilates has been so popular among the masses is that it has been endorsed by a lot of celebrities. â€Å"After years of high-impact, make-em-sweat, feel-the-burn fitness workouts, there is great appeal in a slower, safer, sensible approach to health and wellness† (â€Å"Pilates Benefits†). There are eight basic principles of Pilates. They include â€Å"alignment, breathing, centering, concentration, control, precision, flow of movement, and flexibility† (â€Å"An Introduction to†). The underlying concept of Pilates is that it is a technique not only directed at the exercise of the body, but also of the mind. Although some of the eight principles e.g. alignment and flexibility are more focused at the physical movement as compared to the mental effort, yet the principles have a combined effect on the mind as some extent of mental effort is required in each of the eight principles. However, as an individual practices these movements more, the mind gets so attuned to the body that the movements can be made with minimal mental effort. To attain maximum benefit, an individual should try to make smooth and well-controlled movements while doing Pilates. Like all exercise regimens, Pilates should be taken easy in the start, and the intensity of workout should gra dually be increased depending upon the comfort of movements. To achieve optimal results, fitness practitioners tend to combine Pilates with yoga owing to the fact that Pilates is to some extent, based on the yoga studies done by Joseph Pilates. One thing that makes Pilates different from and more realistic than the