Cluster Competencies and their Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cluster Competencies and their Behavior - Essay Example This, as the name suggests, is used to prioritize the work which was decided should be included in the above strategic orientation. This helps in further organizing the whole situation and focuses the attention of different subjects on the relevant topics so they can be compiled effectively and efficiently. This narrows down the task at hand even more. It basically looks at the results that wish to be achieved and then makes sure that the priorities have been set properly. This helps in maintaining a positive relationship with the task being designed and the overall result being achieved. This is the crux of cluster competency. It basically involves organization and maintaining a constant and positive flow of information in the form of updates on the project being performed with all the members involved in the job. This helps individuals adapt more easily to the situation and helps streamline all tasks so that more can be accomplished in less time. The work of a member acting as a leader is crucial. He is responsible for providing his team with direction and guidance so that they are not led astray and keep on track so that no energy is wasted in irrelevant work. This is vital to working as a group. ... Development Developing Self This competency in a person makes sure that he takes responsibility of himself and makes sure that he is responsible for his own self improvement. Developing Others This is vital to working as a group. Improving oneself while improving the performance of others while giving constructive criticism is going to help the group perform better and consequently improve performance. Developing Networks In the age of globalization, one task cannot be complete with just a normal group. This is why seeking and identifying any outside the group members within the organization will help in the fast processing of information like computer experts. Reasoning and management Critical Thinking This looks at the situation from a broader perspective to make sure that things are going according to plan. Problem solving A vital part in competencies is to manually identify by making a conscious effort and then find effective solutions for it. Decision making Once a problem has been identified, a decision should be made to effectively and efficiently solve it. This is vital to the whole situation otherwise there was no need for the other preceding parts. Communication Verbal Being clear in your conversations and eliminating any communication gaps is helpful before getting down to work. Written The need to make everything clear to others is vital because it doesn't matter how innovative someone is, if he cannot present his information in a proper and organized way in a report, he is useless for the team. Numerical Statistics need to be interpreted to make sure that the plan formed by the team is going to succeed or not. This can only be done by projecting numbers and interpreting information

Outsourcing or Exporting America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Outsourcing or Exporting America - Essay Example The continued heated debate on outsourcing’s pros and cons have affected one of the pillars of American journalism, a CNN host and anchor, Lou Dobbs, on his strong contention that America has been embarking on selling jobs to other countries at the detriment of the American people. In an article written by Dobbs entitled â€Å"Exporting America: false choices† published in the CNNMoney on the 10th of March 2004, he openly countered the criticisms allegedly directed at him by his colleagues in the media industry. Several known and prominent journalists and media men were revealed to attack Dobbs’ views on exporting American jobs: â€Å"Gerard Baker of the Financial Times, An editorial in the Economist magazine, Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post columnist James Glassman† (Dobbs pars. 1-4). The detractors argued that Dobbs views that â€Å"outsourcing American jobs is neither sound, smart, humane nor in the national interestâ⠂¬  were preposterous, absurd, extremely protectionist and highly sensationalist. In support of Dobbs arguments, the most viable and credible contentions were the information that acknowledged the continued reflection of trade deficits in the country for more than three decades, actually, starting in 1980 (Crooks). This fact, in conjunction with information provided by Torrance who reviewed the ill-effects of outsourcing, to wit: â€Å"income levels are frozen and cannot compete with inflation. Workers lose leverage to negotiate fair wage increases or promotion. Foreign employment policies, such as minimum wage, and working conditions differ. Businesses who are outsourcing can set a minimum wage in developing countries that would never be accepted as a minimum wage in America† (Torrance par. 6). At the same token, Davidson, a guest columnist for FinalCall.com News, wrote in an article entitled â€Å"The outsourcing of America’s jobs†, one year before Dobbs†™ article was published, that the controversial nature of outsourcing jobs has been eminent and his citing another written discourse revealed that: â€Å"In an article that appeared in the August 1, 2003 edition of the Kansas City Star, Shashank Bengali suggested that the goal of a growing number of American companies is to outsource customer-service work to India, as a result of India’s low wages, thriving high-tech sector and annual output of two million English-speaking college graduates. A study by Forrester Research, a technology consulting group, estimates that 3.3 million white-collar service jobs will be outsourced to places like China, Russia and the Philippines—but more than half will go to India† (Davidson par. 7). The U.S. Census Bureau has divulged statistics that reveal continued greater imports of the U.S. of Indian goods, as compared to exports of American goods, which could be traced consistently with the outsourcing data abovementioned (U.S. Census Bureau). More alarming are the statistics cited by Otterman in her discourse that indicates the following facts: â€Å"Boston-based consultancy Forrester estimates that 400,000 service jobs have been lost to offshoring since 2000, with jobs leaving at a rate of 12,000 to 15,000 per month†¦By 2015, Forrester predicts, roughly 3.3 million service jobs will have moved offshore, including 1.7 million "back office" jobs such as payroll processing and accounting, and 473,000 jobs in

Lady Windermeres Fan Important Essay Example for Free

Lady Windermeres Fan Important Essay Throughout â€Å"Lady Windermere’s Fan† we are introduced to many contrasting themes. Such as conflict and harmony, trust and betrayal and deception and truth. These are the main contrasting themes that Wilde has used throughout this play. The balance of these contrasting themes certainly improve the overall effect of the play, adding viewing value in the form of intrigue and enjoyment. However, are these contrasting themes important to the play and if so, how and why? Although this is a comedy, Wilde derives much comedic value from the conflicts within the play. Let’s take into consideration the conflict between Lord and Lady Windermere. This conflict arises purely due to a misunderstanding (when Duchess of Berwick tells Lady Windermere of her husband being with another woman e. g. â€Å"He goes to see her continually, and stops for hours at a time†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ) and through deception on the part of Lord Windermere (although he promises to his wife that he has not cheated he will not tell her of why he and Mrs Erlynne were meeting), albeit for altruistic reason. The conflict is never really heated or serious and the audience can appreciate the humorous situation as we know that all will end well and any misunderstandings will be clarified by the end of the play, as is an example in â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing† and many other romantic comedies. Harmony is restored at the end of the play; this being the cardinal rule of comedy. One of the biggest examples of this is the bond that is created at the end between Lady Windermere and Mrs Erlynne; Lady Windermere even telling her husband to â€Å"never speak against Mrs Erlynne again. † However, harmony is only achieved through deception and an adherence to superficiality. Wilde seems to be suggesting that in order to live in a harmonious society we need to pretend that all is well and overlook factors which don’t suit our outlook in life. This was certainly the case in Victorian society where the outwardly conservative gentility contrasted with the seedy underbelly and depravities of many parts of metropolitan life at the time. This contrast between these two has a very strong affect not only on the direction of the play but also, the relationship between the characters. Relationships between characters are very important as when or if a relationship were to change, the story itself could have taken on a completely different route. The conflict has also allowed Wilde to turn the tragedy around in ways and create a more humorous piece Many Characters throughout the play deceive not only other characters but also themselves. Lord Windermere deceives his wife in order to protect her from scandal; Mrs Erlynne deceives Lady Windermere in order to protect her from the harsh truth that she is her mother and abandoned her; Lady Windermere deceives her husband temporarily as she intends to run away with Lord Darlington. There are many examples of these deceptions throughout the play, as stated above. Mrs Erlynne even threatening Lord Windermere stating that she â€Å"will make my name so infamous that it will mar every moment of her life. It will ruin her, and make her wretched. If you dare tell her, there is no depth of degradation I will not sing to, no pit of shame I will not enter. † and telling him that she â€Å"forbid† him to tell her. Unlike in â€Å"Much Ado About Nothing†, not all is revealed at the end as Mrs Erlynne’s identity is kept secret from Lady Windermere, although all is revealed to the audience. Wilde seems to suggest that the truth is not always the best thing for everyone as it can be better to live a lie and maintain harmony in society rather than live an open, truthful life but cause chaos and disharmony. Although the contrast between deception and truth doesn’t seem to have a massive impact on the play it does however, create the play. If not for the deception between that of Lord Windermere and Mrs Erlynne there would be no real story, this is because Mrs Windermere would not have been misled into thinking her husband had committed adultery but also, Mr Windermere and Mrs Erlynne would have had no real reason to have met up in the first instance. It also gives the audience something to think about. Wilde shows that whilst being truthful may seem like a good idea, sometimes it is better to deceive instead to keep someone else’s piece of mind. Another contrasting theme is the society versus the individual. Victorian society has a very controlling influence on the individual as it was very difficult to fight against the society conventions and instead, many found it easier to adhere to the rules and social mores imposed by Victorian society, at least publicly. Mrs Erlynne was a victim of circumstance, many of the other characters slandering her, Duchess of Berwick calling her a â€Å"horrid woman. However, Mrs Erlynne plays an important role to represent the power Victorian societal conventions had on the individual as she was forced to abandon her child and hide herself away as she had broken the moral code. She later returned to society and seems to be an individual who will not play by the rules and will do whatever it takes in order to achieve her goals; Lord Windermere saying that he â€Å"used to think that will all your faults you were frank and honest. † and of her â€Å"blackmailing† him to get what she wanted.

Effect of Roasting Coffee on Caffeine Conten

Effect of Roasting Coffee on Caffeine Conten Introduction: Coffee has been a popular drink since 20th century, not only because of its different colors and flavors due to different degrees of roasting, but also the effect on which it can keep you to stay awake and to finish your job. It is commonly known that the reason for coffee to possess this effect is because of the caffeine inside the coffee beans. In general, there are four main types of roasting methods in the industry, namely, Light Roast, Medium Roast, Full Roast and Double Roast. There are a variety of uses on caffeine nowadays. By interfering with adenosine in brain and body, it moderates new transmission of signals in CNS, Central Nervous System, and therefore keeps people awake[1]. Due to its short half-life in human body, around 4-10 hours on average[2], it can be used to increase the effect of analgesic for pain control[3] Also it has effect on delaying the muscle fatigue. However, caffeine can cause negative effect on human body, for example, increase the heart rate, breathing rate and makes people feel more alert and energetic, which is also the reason why International Olympic Committee forbid high caffeine consumption. Moreover, it is a mildly addictive drug, so some people cannot control the consumption of caffeine under overdose, which could lead to caffeinism.[4] Also, according to the a study held by Montreal University, if pregnant woman consume more than 1.5 cup of coffee, the chance of miscarriage is doubled; if consume more than four, the cha nce of miscarriage is tripled.[5] Therefore, the choice of caffeine consumption from coffee becomes critical due to its harmful effect on human body. It is advised that, if necessary, 100-300 mg per day of caffeine consumption is acceptable. However, people are usually lack of knowledge about the caffeine content in the coffee and have no idea what amount exactly is in the coffee they are drinking. Thus, they often use their senses to identify the caffeine content in coffee relative to each other. However, there are a lot of myths about this method. For example, those darker coffee has more caffeine than lighter coffee due to its darkness or that the caffeine is destroyed during roasting in higher temperature, so the caffeine content in lighter coffee is higher than that of darker coffee. To prevent over-dosing of caffeine from coffee, it is vital for people to have the general idea of comparing the caffeine content in different coffee when buying a them. In this essay, the caffeine contents in coffee beans roasted in different degrees are examined by experiment through the extraction of caffeine by chemical means. The result would be interpreted by focusing on the roasting process, as coffee beans experience greatest change in physical or chemical change during roasting. Although there are a lot of sub-degrees of the main four roasting degrees, only one sub-degree from each degree would be selected as representative. Research Question: Does different roasting degree affect the caffeine content in coffee beans? Background Information: Original Coffee beans: The original coffee beans are green in color. They contain non-volatile alkaloids, proteins and amino acid, carbohydrates, lipids, non-volatile chlorogenic acid, and volatile[6] compounds. Among the non-volatile alkaloids, caffeine is the most abundant. It contains 1-2.5% w/w [7] of green coffee been. Caffeine: Caffeine is a white, crystalline odorless and bitter tasting solid.[8] It exists in the plant of coffee beans as a natural pesticide. Its formal name is trimethylxanthine, or in systematic naming 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine or 3,7-dihydro-1,3,7-trimethyl-1H-purine-2,6-dione.[9] The chemical formula of caffeine is C8H10N4O2. It is a polar[10] organic compound that contains carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. Its density in solid form is 1.23 g/cm3. Due to the presence of nitrogen in the compound, caffeine is base in nature. Since it is a polar molecule, it is soluble to water, especially in hot water. The solubility of caffeine in water is 22 at 25, 180 at 80, and 670 at 100.[11] Under pressure of standard ambient temperature and pressure[12], the melting point of caffeine is 238[13] and it can also sublime at 178in nearly vacuum[14], which will be explained by phase diagram next. Phase Diagram: Three general phases of matter are solid, liquid and gas. Change of phase does not only depend on the temperature, but also the surrounding pressure acting on the chemicals. For example, the boiling point of water is 100, under standard ambient temperature and pressure. However, if the is placed in a lower atmospheric pressure, the boiling point of water is decreased since the vapor pressure is already greater than the atmospheric pressure, so water molecules can escape from the water surface in a lower required energy. Therefore, each compound can undergo phase change to the three phases in different combination of temperature and pressure. Figure 2 is a phase diagram of . The lines dividing the diagram into sections represent that under certain temperature and pressure, would undergo change of phase, which is equilibrium between the two phases that the line is dividing. For example, the red line, if A < 1, then the corresponding melting point increases, while the corresponding boil ing point, A, decreases. Each element has their own phase diagram to illustrate the transition of phases under different combination of temperature and pressure. Figure 3 is a phase diagram illustrating the phase transitions of caffeine, which is different from . This is critical in later interpretation of the result in the experiment. It is because roasting process involves temperature and pressure change. Roasting process: The main purpose of roasting coffee beans is to remove toxins, enhance the taste and concentrate the odor wanted. Since green coffee beans are hard, little smell and contain a lot of compounds that are bitter in taste. Therefore, by roasting, it can result in both physical and chemical change in the green coffee beans. Since caffeine is the main factor that is concerned in this essay, other chemical change will not be discussed. Although there are a lot different roasting processes in the industry, such as fluidized bed roasting, fast roasting or horizontal rotating drum, the basic process of roasting is similar. During roasting, there are 10% to 20% lost in weight from the green coffee beans. Here is a summary of roasting process of coffee beans: Heating of Green Coffee Beans from 3-5 minutes (about 25 to 100) The green coffee beans are heated so that the water in the original coffee beans evaporates at a very fast rate. As this point, the green coffee beans turn from green to yellow due to caramelization of sugar in the coffee beans. Heating of Yellow Coffee Beans from 5th-9th minutes (about 170to 200) The yellow coffee beans are further heated and start to turn to brown in color as more sugar being caramelized. Carbon dioxide and water are forced to escape out of the coffee beans due to the high pressure inside, as the temperature is very high, which also causes the expansion in size of coffee beans. The aroma also starts to give out at this stage. First crack from 10th-11th minutes (about 210) A first sound of crack gives out as the coffee beans expand to almost double in size from green coffee beans in high temperature. Familiar aroma is given out and the coffee beans turn golden brown at this stage. After this stage, according to different degrees of roasting required, the coffee beans will undergo different temperatures and time periods for further heating. During the process, the sugar is caramelized further and coffee oil is released. Light roast: To acquire light roasted coffee beans, the beans from stage 3 are to be roasted about one more minute in about 215 before the second crack. Medium roast: For further half to one minute from light roasted in about 230, a second crack occurs and it means medium roast is finished. Full roast: If continued for half to one minute from medium roasted in about 240, full roasted coffee beans are collected. Double roast: This is the most common final step that coffee beans would be roasted, which is acquired from continuing the roasting from full roasted coffee beans for about half a minute more in about 245. The sugar in the coffee beans at this stage is started to burn and degraded. The above heating process can be achieved by either roasting the coffee beans on a hot plate, which is a traditional roasting method in industry or in home roasting, or passing the coffee beans by high temperature steam. Method: Variables: Independent: Degree of roasted coffee beans Dependent: Caffeine extracted from the coffee beans (g) Controlled: Mass of roasted coffee beans (g) Brand of coffee beans (Starbucks) Apparatus: The following apparatus are used in this experiment. Chemicals: The following chemicals are used in this experiment. Procedures: Extracting chemicals compounds out of coffee beans Measure 100mL of distilled water by graduated cylinder Pour the water into a 200mL beaker. Place the beaker on a hot plate and heat the hot plate to 100. Place a weighing boat on an electronic scale and tare it. Measure 3g of coffee beans, in form of powder, on the electronic scale and record it. Add the 3g of coffee powder into the boiling water. Use glass rod to stir the solution during heating. After the water boils, which means it reaches 100, set the temperature to 80 and allow the solution to stand for 20 minutes to extract as much caffeine as possible. Explanation of Stage 1 procedure: Since caffeine is a polar molecule, it dissolves in water, especially in hot water. It is because increase in temperature leads to increase in solubility of solids, as less energy is required directly from the molecule to break the water molecules apart from each other. Use of distilled water instead of tap water is to prevent any interruption from foreign ions exist, such as decreasing the solubility of caffeine. The water volume to coffee powder mass ratio has to be large to ensure that there is enough water to dissolve caffeine. Hotplate is preferred as it is easier to manipulate the temperature. The decrease in temperature from boiling point is to prevent any further evaporation of water, which may decrease the amount of caffeine extracted from coffee beans powder. Also, the coffee beans have to be in powder form in order to increase the surface area to dissolve completely in the solution. Assumption in Stage 1 procedure: The coffee beans are originated from the same coffee beans farm. No other procedure apart from roasting and grinding is done. The coffee beans are roasted in the same method. The degree of roasting is exactly same as listed on the package. Separate caffeine from other chemicals in the solution Use filter paper and filter funnel to filter out large remaining solids. After the solution in stage 1 is cooled down, measure 2g of sodium carbonate by electronic scale and add it to the solution. Use glass rod to stir the solution and allows sodium carbonate to dissolve in the solution. Use a pipette of 25 mL to transfer 25 mL of dichloromethane to the solution in order to obtain accurate measurement and stir it with a glass rod for a few minutes. Pour the solution into a separating funnel and cover it.[20] Use a stand to hold the separating funnel and allow the solution in it to separate into two immiscible layers. Precaution of Stage 2: Since dichloromethane is a volatile organic solvent, it is toxic when inhaled. Thus, starting from step 3 in Stage 2 and onward, all steps in the experiment have to be carried in the fume board. Make sure the opening of the separating funnel is closed before pouring the solution. Explanation of Stage 2 procedure: Apart from caffeine, the solution from stage 1 also contains different compounds extracted from the coffee beans, which are soluble in water too. The most abundant amount among the other compounds is tannin, which usually exists in plants products. Therefore, the addition of sodium carbonate is to remove those compounds other than caffeine by allowing those compounds to be more water-soluble and hence, allow them to dissolve in water instead of other solvents. The addition of dichloromethane is the most important procedure. It is a good organic solvent to dissolve caffeine. Although caffeine is a polar molecule and has dipole moment of 3.64D[22], it dissolves more readily in less polar dichloromethane, which has dipole moment[23] of 1.14D[24], while H2O 1.84D[25]. It is because caffeine is a large molecule, so small charges are distributed over a large distance, which makes the molecule less polar than water even though is has larger value of dipole moment than water. Therefore, it dissolves more readily in dichloromethane than in water. Since the polarity of dichloromethane is far less than water and is almost non-polar, it is not miscible with water, and due to its molar mass, 84.93g/mol, which is heavier than water molecule, 18.02g/mol, it sinks in the separating funnel. Assumptions in Stage 2 procedure: All caffeine in coffee beans dissolves in the boiling water from stage 1 All caffeine is dissolved in dichloromethane from water and no other compounds. Completion of caffeine extract (In fume board) Label a beaker for the number of trial of a particular kind of coffee beans. Weigh the mass of a beaker by electronic balance and record it. Place the measured beaker under the separating funnel and open the funnel to run the lower dichloromethane down to the beaker. Cover can be opened a little in order to add atmospheric pressure inside the funnel, so that solution can run down smoother. Close the cover of the funnel when reaching the separating line and allow the solution to run slowly. Close the funnel when the line of separation is reached at the tip of the funnel. Place the beaker with collected dichloromethane on a hot plate.[26] Turn the temperature of hot plate to 100. Wait until all solutions are evaporated and the beaker is dried and white crystals remain. Allow the beaker to cool down then measure the mass again on the electronic scale and record it. The difference between the mass of beaker in step 1 and step 9 in Stage 3 is the mass of caffeine extracted from the coffee beans. Explanation for Stage 3 procedure: Each beaker has different mass, so every individual mass must be weighed before usage. Step 1 must be done if trials are being done simultaneously. If some extra solutions from the upper part of the separating funnel are obtained, the entire procedure has to be started again. Since the boiling point of dichloromethane is 40, 100can make sure that any water and dichloromethane are evaporated while 100is still far lower than the point of sublimation of caffeine in vacuum. Assumption in Stage 3 procedure: All dichloromethane is collected in the beaker. Only caffeine remains in the beaker after evaporation of other solution. Finally, repeat the entire procedure to obtain 5 trials result for each kind of roasted coffee beans. Therefore, there will be 20 results obtained. After all procedures are done, make sure all the apparatus which have contact with dichloromethane are placed inside the fume board and all solutions are poured into a big beaker. Label the beaker as toxic organic waste in order to allow the technician to dispose or treat them correctly. Raw data: Observation: White precipitates remained. The precipitates are odorless. White precipitates stick on the bottom of the beaker. Conclusion and Analysis: From the calculations and Diagram 1, it can be seen that the percentages of caffeine existing in each coffee beans roasted in different degree are very closed. Therefore, the answer to the research question based on the result should be: the caffeine content in a coffee bean is not affected during the roasting process. The result is reliable since all percentages lie between 3.2% and 4.0%, which are between the greatest value of lower limits and the lowest value in the upper limits of all percentages. Moreover, the trend shows neither increasing nor decreasing as the degree of roasting increases. Thus, there should not be any relationship between the degree of roasting and the caffeine content in the corresponding coffee beans. I will now interpret the results with regarding the background knowledge. Referring back to the roasting process, it is clear that no chemical is added during the roasting process. However, the roasting process involves high temperature on direct heating with metal pans or using high temperature steam as alternative. One myth about the roasting process is that people claim that some caffeine is destroyed or evaporated during roasting under high temperature, so lighter coffee beans contain more caffeine than darker coffee beans. However, most of the roasting temperatures are under the melting point of caffeine, which is, indeed, not enough energy to destroy intra-molecular bonds. Although the temperature used for double roasted coffee beans are a little higher than the melting point of caffeine, the temperature only stands for about half a minute, which is not enough for the internal part of coffee beans to rise to melting point of caffeine. Neither, therefore, destroy nor evaporation of caffeine is unlikely to occur during the roasting process. Moreover, some myths say that due to the fact that the point of sublimation of caffeine is 178 and the temperature for full roast and double roast is already beyond that temperature, which exceeds 200, thus, the caffeine content in darker coffee beans is again described as less caffeine content that lighter coffee beans. It seems to be reasonable at first, but apart from temperature, we also consider the pressure in roasting process, since phase change depends on temperature and pressure as mentioned before in this essay. Considering the method of heating green coffee beans directly, in order to keep the temperature over 200, it is necessary that the system of the roasting process is under a closed condition, so that less energy is lost to the surrounding. According to the Ideal Gas Law, PV = nRT, where P is the pressure, V is the volume, n is the number of moles of gas molecules, R is the gas constant and T is temperature. As the system is closed, the volume, amount of gas and R, in deed, are constant. Therefore, if the temperature increases, the pressure also increases in the system. Same condition is in the method of using high temperature steam. Although it is commonly known that gas is the highest phase and the temperature cannot increase anymore, it is possible to create a steam with higher temperature than its boiling point, which is in a closed system. So if 200 steam is to be used, the roasting system has to be closed. Applying the same principle as before, the pressure also increases with the increase in temperature. Refer to figure 3, the phase diagram of caffeine. As the pressure increases, the blue line, the melting point of caffeine increases, the red line. Since the atmospheric pressure is increased to against the vapor pressure of caffeine, so more energy needed to break the forces between caffeine molecules in solid, which is an exothermic reaction[27]. Also, from the diagram, the line representing the sublimation point, purple rectangle, is only under relatively low pressure and temperature, as 178under vacuum condition, which is not the case in roasting coffee beans. Thus, it is incorrect to say that caffeine sublimes during roasting process. To conclude, high temperature and pressure in roasting process are the reasons that the caffeine content is not affected regardless the degree of roasting that the coffee beans have achieved. Therefore, even different degree of roasted coffee beans is used to brew coffee, the caffeine consumption is the same no matter which type of coffee you prefer. Indeed, decaffeinated coffee is not taken into account. Limitations and Evaluations: Random errors: Random error arises since caffeine may not be all dissolved in dichloromethane since it still has a little solubility in room temperature water. Furthermore, the caffeine extracted by dichloromethane may contain impurities, which affect the mass of caffeine recorded. Also, the measurement using graduated cylinder causes uncertainties. Moreover, the use of other equipments such as electronic balance, which causes 0.01g on the mass measured. Systematic errors: The quantity of sample is too small, which causes unclear results obtained since large difference may be obtained if sample has larger quantity. If there is any difference of caffeine content, it would be more obvious if increase the amount of each coffee powder sample used. However, due to the fact that school laboratory do not have a large beaker at the time the experiment was performed, which required more than 200mL, only small amount of sample in each trial can be used in order to keep a large ratio between the volume of water and the mass of the coffee powder. Moreover, the major systematic error is the separation of two layers in separating funnel. Since the running of dichloromethane into a beaker is manipulated by hands and through the observation. To ensure that all dichloromethane is collected, the closure of the separating funnel is a little delayed due to the bubbles in the separating line, which blurred the exact separating level. Therefore, a little solution of the upper part, which contains the impurities from coffee beans, is added into the dichloromethane in the beaker. After the evaporation, since sodium carbonate is added before and it has high boiling point due to its ionic structure, its mass contributes to the mass weighed on the electronic balance. Methods to resolve the major systematic error- Sublimation of caffeine: In order to resolve the major systematic error, a further step can be done if equipment is allowed in school laboratory. Since caffeine sublimes well under vacuum at 178, as no air molecules against the vapor pressure of caffeine, the collected caffeine can be placed into a flask connecting to a aspirator, which keeps the condition in vacuum, and have a cold finger above it and a heat source below the flask. Caffeine can then sublime and precipitate on the cold finger. Thus, pure caffeine can be collected and weighed. Further unresolved question and suggested investigation: Although the caffeine content is not affected by roasting, a step backward can result in an unresolved question, which is whether green coffee beans grown from different places contain different level of caffeine inside? A suggested way to do so is that; buy different coffee beans of same roasted level from different locations around the world. This can be done by using internet shopping. After, extract caffeine from each example and compare the caffeine content in each coffee bean from different location. Since there are more and more methods of roasting in the industry, such as fluidized bed roasting and fast roasting[29], it would be interesting to investigate whether these new methods of roasting can affect the caffeine content in the coffee beans even they are claimed to be same degree of roasting after all. Bibliography: A, Nehlig; JL, Daval; G, Debry (1992). Caffeine and the central nervous system: Mechanisms of action, biochemical, metabolic, and psychostimulant effects. Brain Res Rev FP, Meyer; E, Canzler; H,Giers; H. Walther (1991). Time course of inhibition of caffeine elimination in response to the oral depot contraceptive agent Deposiston. Hormonal contraceptives and caffeine elimination. Zentralbl Gynakol Oxford A-Z of Medicinal Drugs Oxford Press. Kent, Michael (1997). Oxford Food Fitness (A Dictionary of diet and exercise) Oxford University Press. Anderson, Jean; Deslein, Barbara. The Nutrition Bible William Marrow and Company, Inc. LEUNG, T. M.; LEE, C. C. Inorganic Chemistry and Chemistry in Action Fillans. Library for Science. . About.com Drug bank Purdue University Online Writing Lab Look for chemicals Carleton College » University of British Columbia Coffee-Makers-Cafà © Coffee-Tea Sweet Marias Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc. The Scripps Research Institute City Collegiate New Mexico Tech  «Ezine Article » Beverage.cc PubMed database Appendix Chemicals in green coffee beans Non-volatile alkaloids: Caffeine, theophylline, theobromine, paraxanthine, liberine, and methylliberine are present, while caffeine is the most abundant non-volatile alkaloid, which is about 1-2.5% w/w of a green coffee bean. Also, caffeine acts as a natural insecticide for the plant. Moreover, caffeines half life is 5.7 hours in a normal adult body.[31] Proteins and amino acids Proteins and amino acids make up 8-12% w/w of a green coffee bean. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates account for 50% w/w of a green coffee bean, mostly polysaccharides. Lipids Lipids, ester, long chained unsaturated fatty acids and amides are found in green coffee beans. The fatty acid is saturated during roasting process, which accounts for the coffee oil. Non-volatine chlorogenic acids Chlorogenic acids are antioxidant. They are good for health, but 70% of them are destroyed during roasting process. Volatile compounds Volatile compounds are found in green coffee beans as aldehydes, short-chained fatty acids and nitrogen containing aromatic molecules. However, the aromatic molecules in green coffee beans are unpleasant, which is the reason that coffee beans are roasted in order to form pleasant odor of aromatic molecules. Degree of roasting It can be seen that although dipole moment of caffeine is very large, larger than water, the size of the molecule is very large compared to water and dichloromethane. Therefore, charges are spread widely, which makes the polarity of caffeine molecule less polar. Thus, caffeine dissolves more readily in dichloromethane than in water or sodium carbonate, which is ionic compound. Sodium carbonate is used to react and make some compound other than caffeine to be more soluble to water, such as tannin.[34] Nehlig, A, Daval JL, Debry G (1992). Caffeine and the central nervous system: Mechanisms of action, biochemical, metabolic, and psychostimulant effects. Brain Res Rev Meyer, FP, Canzler E, Giers H, Walther H. (1991). Time course of inhibition of caffeine elimination in response to the oral depot contraceptive agent Deposiston. Hormonal contraceptives and caffeine elimination. Zentralbl Gynakol Oxford A-Z of Medicinal Drugs, Oxford Press. Michael Kent (1997). Oxford Food Fitness (A Dictionary of diet and exercise). Oxford University Press. Jean Anderson, Barbara Deslein. The Nutrition Bible. William Marrow and Company, Inc. Volatile means tendency of vaporization. w/w = weight/volume percentage solution Library for Science: http://www.chromatography-online.org/directory/analt-235/page.html About.com: http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/a/caffeine.htm Drug bank: http://www.drugbank.ca/cgi-bin/getCard.cgi?CARD=DB00201 Electrons are unevenly distributed. Purdue University Online Writing Lab: http://employees.oneonta.edu/knauerbr/chem226/226expts/226_expt06_pro.pdf 25and 1 atm T. M. LEUNG, C. C. LEE, Inorganic Chemistry and Chemistry in Action, Fillans. Look for chemicals: http://www.lookchem.com/Caffeine/ Original from Carleton College: http://serc.carleton.edu/research_education/equilibria/other_diagrams.html Red line added as example. Original from University of British Columbia: http://www.chem.ubc.ca/courseware/123/tutorials/exp10A/sublimation/ Coffee-Makers-Cafe: http://www.coffee-makers-cafe.com/coffee-roasting.html#roastHomeCoffee-Tea: http://www.coffee-tea.co.uk/commercial-roasting.php Sweet Marias: http://www.sweetmarias.com/roasting-VisualGuideV2.php The method of extracting caffeine from coffee is improved by myself from originally design from Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc.: www.seriaz.org/downloads/4-caffiene.pdf All coffee beans are from same brand- Starbucks. Using separating funnel is more accurate than pouring the solution in another beaker by hand and using filter paper to remove the remaining unwanted solution from the original design. Fig. 4 separating funnels diagram is from Jindal Medical Scientific Instrument D = Debye = unit of dipole moment. Look for chemical: http://www.lookchem.com/Caffeine/ Dipole moment is the vector sum of polarity. The Scripps Research Institute: http://www.scripps.edu/chem/finn/Scipdfiles/dipolemoments.pdf City Collegiate: http://www.citycollegiate.com/dipolemoment.htm Calcium sulphate is not used as mentioned in the original procedure, since it cannot be removed after wards, which could affect the mass of caffeine collected. Exothermic reaction means there is a net energy given out as heat. New Mexico Tech: http://infohost.nmt.edu/~jaltig/Chem333LCaffeine.pdf Ezine Articles: http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Look-at-the-Coffee-Roasting-Processid=1802022 Beverage.cc PubMed database Sweet Marias Rare case that the coffee beans are totally blackened. Sonora Environmental Research Institute, Inc.

Essay --

Women in India, a crucial issue that most people do not have the knowledge of. When this issue is looked into in depth, it is a variety of things: unfair, brutal, repulsive, and more. Unfortunately, most women in India have been treated unfairly for longer than can be remembered. When it is boiled down, it comes down to one component: religion. To get a primary view of the problem, the following is an example of what goes on every day. A girl, probably in her twenties, was coming home from a movie on the bus. A group of six men then ganged up on her and brutally raped her (Singh, 2013). As stated, events such as these go on almost daily. There are many instances of gender inequality in the dominant religion of Hinduism (Srivastava, 2008). Husbands treat their wives like property, and that is pretty much the root of the issue. A major factor of this subject is the concept of dowry. This concept should be well known before the issue is further dissected. Dowry is an ancient tradition where the husband gains the riches of the wife immediately after they are married (Bedi, 2012). What tends to happen is that the woman’s dowry does not usually satisfy the man, and this leads to devastating violence. Women are then killed in various torturous ways, such as live burning. This also leads to another major element of the problem: female infanticide. This is the unlawful killing of baby girls (BBC, 2014). Women do not want to disappoint their husbands by having a daughter, so they get rid of their unborn or newborn babies. Also, daughters cause a financial burden to the family, so families would want to dispose of them ( BBC, 2014). Also, men are far more educated than women in India, and that leads to more problems. Yes, awfully tragic, bu... ...n. Additionally, it should be known that currently, there is no special law in India against sexual assault or harassment (Pidd, 2012). The attempted solution mentioned prior is very general, and it is geared towards many different countries. India needs a specific, well-enforced law against these sorts of entities; they are not to be taken lightly. Innumerable women suffer from all types of sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies because of this. Countries such as the United States could possibly help with this. Stringent procedures must be put into effect when this type of issue is reported. Unlike what is going on now, a law of this manner must be meticulously enforced at all times. If the proper steps are taken, eventually, the issue could subside. For now, the nation’s problems will most likely remain the same, tearing apart society even further.

The Theme of Loneliness in I Am the King of the Castle Essay -- Susan

The novel â€Å"I am the King of the Castle† clearly explores the themes of loneliness, sadness and depression in its plot. All of the main characters have difficulties with relationships and end up facing depressive moments and experiences, some insignificant but some crucial and terrifying. Joseph Hooper (father), Edmund Hooper (son) and Charles Kingshaw are three characters showing explicit loneliness almost throughout the whole novel. Their loneliness is shown by several reasons and caused by a large number of factors, most involving family issues. Joseph Hooper’s loneliness is caused mainly by his everyday lifestyle and habits. The loss of his wife made him deserted and very distant from his own son, Edmund Hooper. He is absent from the life of his son, ending up with having no one at all. Susan Hill makes us notice Joseph Hooper ´s loneliness in several ways using special techniques. It is easy to tell he is lonely without having to read much into the book or into his character. He doesn’t have a wife, and is not close to his son at all, neither by companionship nor by simply just educating him. Susan Hill also describes him in a very insecure way. We can notice this because he is always trying to prove himself to other people, even to his son, showing immaturity and lack of confidence. His timidity allows him to be easily vulnerable: â€Å"He shrank from the impression in the boy’s eyes, from his knowingness. He was his mother’s son.† Joseph hooper is so apprehensive, he is threatened by his own son. We can notice he is also a kind of â€Å"desperate† guy by the way he acts towards Miss Kingshaw and by the fact that he wants her recieves her in his house without even knowing her well enough. His insecur... ...alone with no one looking after him leads him into a very narrowed mind, that suggests that he needs to be alone and be the best when actually the thing he most wants is enchantment and worship. Kingshaw’s suffering mostly comes from his mother’s atitude, but he is so used to also being alone that he dosen’t attemp to save himself or ask for help, he gives up taking death as an easier option than persistance and fighting. Susan Hill’s cinematic view, helps to create tension and increases the characters feelings. The theme loneliness is carried through the whole book. It is actually the principal subject and doesen’t even get better at the end. As well as leading one of the characters to suicide, the loneliness remais because Hooper got what he wanted at the end but he is in fact still alone and miseralble with the same deterring father and Miss Kingshaw.

Secondary Students Performance in National Achievement Test

SAN PABLO COLLEGES GRADUATE SCHOOL SAN PABLO CITY Learning is a continuous process; like in much other discipline teaching requires also a tremendous task of upgrading the knowledge of a teacher. A teacher is the single authoritative figure in the classroom no one can tell where his/her influence stops. A teacher can create a learning atmosphere that is fun and conducive and at the same time create an atmosphere of tension and discrimination. On the note of Naturalism by Rousseau he stressed that man is basically good and that his environment makes him bad, with these aspect I firmly anchored my teaching life.I am a natural born naturalist and idealist who firmly believed that also the environment has a deep anchor on the promotion and progress of an individual. As a teacher, I always see to it that when I am teaching my line of discipline which is History I always give my students a pretest before introducing the topic so that I can assess the entry level they have. Teaching History is not easy because nowadays students can’t appreciate the value of one’s cultural identity thus, it is always have been a challenge for history teachers like me to sustain student’s interests in studying it.In this regard, even though the concluded seminar is basically â€Å"The Art of Science Teaching† I really learned a lot from it specially the resourcefulness on the part of the teacher as well as the connection of Science in many other disciplines. Consequently, nowadays we are living in the context of high technological advances and presently students demand for learning is high. Technology has been part and parcel of good education and that is presently the challenge teachers are facing the incorporation of technology into teaching specially that I am public school teacher.Resources are scarce, quality materials are too little, rooms are not conducive for learning, student teacher ratio is too large and many other. The linkages and resourcefulness of a teacher can be best harnessed nowadays specially if that teacher really wants to bring about positive changes on the part of his students. Dedication, commitment and passion for teaching should be always harnessed on the heart of teacher because I firmly believe that when these three core values are shared and trengthened within the humanity of a teacher no problem, no obstacles can’t be overcome. The last seminar is indeed an eye opener for every educators not only those of teaching sciences but all of us who were called to serve. The insights given by the speaker really made me realized that teaching is an art and also teaching requires prior knowledge strengthening the connection between you and your community, finding resources that best translate your learning objectives into tangible learning outcomes, and most importantly uplift the lives of students under your tutelage.As for my recommendation I am positively looking forward for another series of seminars that t he graduate school will offer. Because I firmly believed that teachers should always upgrade their learning background for their students as the famous adage connotes â€Å"You can’t give what you don’t have† Prepared and respectfully submitted by: Rowell P. Corcega