Using Social Networking to facilitate learning in CPUT for IT students Research Proposal

Using Social Networking to facilitate learning in CPUT for IT students - Research Proposal Example e majorly because many people can access the internet Students in the information and technology department in CPUT should be given an opportunity to apply this social network in learning. This will provide a tremendous opportunity for the students to not only improve their performance because of the interesting way of learning but also get to share ideas that could assist individual students in their learning. Form the literature reviews that I have done so far, I have found out that there have been many researchers worldwide looking on social networking and university students. Anna Martinez conducted a research on this field but looked more on how students are using social networking on the social aspect only in the journal ‘online social networking on campus. There has however been no research on using social networking to facilitate learning. My research will be on how social networking can facilitate learning. The proposed research approach is qualitative approach. It is aimed at getting the students view on using social networking to facilitate learning IT in CPUT. I will use formal and informal interviews as the primary research method. I will place adverts on the school notice boards informing students that I am carrying the research. This will make it easy to obtain interviewees and when I go to the classes to conduct interviews students will already be aware of what I am doing. I will record the interviews in tapes with each recording not more than fifteen minutes long. The questions asked will be majorly open ended, like for example, ‘how do you think social networking can facilitate learning ?’. The motivation for choosing subjects to be interviewed is that the students will have most of the information. Interviewing ten students form every year of study will be the most convenient number. The motivation for this the is fact that time might be an issue while conducting the interviews. It is anticipated that different individuals will have

CALPUFF-CALMET Modeling System

CALPUFF-CALMET Modeling System 1. Introduction Nowadays, due to the fast expansion of industrial development and population increase, air pollution has become one of the most serious problems in the world, especially in large cities and consequently, the problem of air pollution and its control has become increasingly. Fossil fuel combustion, especially which based on oil and coal is one of the major causes of the environmental problems affecting both local and global levels. However, several countries are still using fossil fuels as primary energy, especially in developing countries. Electricity consumption in Iran has experienced a considerable growth during recent years because of economical development, industrialization and population increase. In 1973, electric energy generation per capita was 310 kWh, which increased to 2935 kWh in 2008. Electricity generation using fossil fuels has destructive effects on environment. Due to Irans environmental conditions, electricity generation is mainly performed by thermal power plants, so that near 85% of the required electric energy is produced by thermal power plants. Gas-fired power plants are the dominant part which accounted up to 62% of total power generation. Oil-fired power plants generated 22.4% and 14.7% produced from hydroelectric plants. Although hydroelectric plants make 14.7% proportion of plants in Iran, these plants have generated only 5.1% of the power due to a fall in precipitation over the past few years. Natural gas (71.3%) is the largest source of fuel for electricity generation followed by heavy oil (15.8%) and gas oil (12.4%). Although, the main fuel of power plants is gas, the environmental problems are still concerned Air quality is a major determinant of human health. Meteorology plays a great role in determining air quality changes downwind of emission sources. Both the wind and atmospheric stability greatly affect dispersion conditions. Local influences due to terrain and land-cover factors can also be important. Air dispersion and deposition models are tools for estimating concentrations of air pollutants and deposition rates due to industrial or other emission sources (Prince Rupert Airshed Study). Air quality models are instrumental in providing valuable insights into the processes involved in the transport, dispersion and chemical transformation of pollutants in the atmosphere .These models use mathematical equations and numerical methods to describe the concepts involved in the atmosphere. In recent years, CALPUFF model has good performance in the simulation of many kinds of pollutants under complicated topography, especially in the area larger than 50 km. CALPUFF can be run in any specific location around the world, and for any modeling type period selected by the user. Due to its flexibility, CALPUFF has been used in several research studies. Over the past years, several CALPUFF-aided case studies have been published. Shiyao Li et al. (2016) used CALPUFF model to simulate the spatial distribution of sulfur dioxide in Urumqi and analyzes the source contribution to areas where the SO2 concentration is high. Prueksakorn et al. (2014) applied WRF/CALPUFF modeling system and multimonitoring methods to investigate the effect of seasonal variations on odor dispersion in Changwon City of South Korea. Abdul-Wahab et al. (2011) used CALPUFF software to measure and simulate the dispersion of sulfur dioxide (SO2) at the Mina Al-Fahal Refinery in the Sultanate of Oman. Abdul-Wahab et al. (2013) used CALPUFF to study the effect of meteorological conditions on the dispersion of an accidental release of hydrogen sulfide (H2S). Abdul-Wahab et al. (2015) applied CALPUFF to assess the quality of the proposed Miller Braeside quarry expansion in Canada. Hyung-Don Lee et al. (2014) used WRF-CALPUFF software to simulate concentration distributi ons of typical air pollutants (PM10 and SO2) in the Ulsan Petrochemical Industrial Complex (UPIC), and statistics are computed to determine the models ability to simulate observations. In this study, a CALMET diagnostic model nested to WRF model simulation is evaluated by comparison to surface air measurements, along specific periods. Then the CALPUFF dispersion model was used to simulate and predict the concentration of SO2, NOX, CO and PM10 that are emitted from the Shahid-Montazeri power plant (SMPP) of Esfahan, Iran.   The main goal of this study is to evaluate the capability of the CALPUFF model to simulate the concentrations of SO2, NOX, CO and PM10 in the nearby of power plant for special topographical and climatological conditions of the study area. First, the amounts of pollution exhausted from the stacks and the ambient concentrations of pollution due to the emitted gases from the stacks of Shahid-Montazeri power plant have been monitored in four receptors (Figure 1). Then the ambient concentration levels of pollution have been simulated for the receptors, using CALPPUF Lagrangian Gaussian puff model. Finally, the comparison of model prediction results and the monitored concentrations have been done through statistical analysis. †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦..†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ 2. Model description Technical description of CALPUFF-CALMET modeling system CALPUFF is one of the US Environmental Protection Agencys (EPA) preferred models for assessing transport of pollutants and their effects, on a case-by-case basis, or for certain near-field applications involving complex meteorological conditions. The modeling system consists of three main components and a set of preprocessing and post processing programs. The main components of the modeling system are CALMET (a diagnostic 3-dimensional meteorological model), CALPUFF (an air quality dispersion model) and CALPOST (a post processing package). CALMET is a diagnostic meteorological model which can make use of topography, land type, meteorological observation data and meteorological simulation data to diagnosis of wind and temperature fields based on the mass conservation equation. Besides the wind and temperature fields, CALMET determines the 2D fields of micro meteorological variables needed to carry out dispersion simulations (mixing height, Monin Obukhov length, friction velocity, convective velocity and others). The quality of a meteorological preprocessor is one of the main determinants of the overall quality of the air dispersion model, and this is particularly true for the CALPUFF/CALMET modeling system in a wide range of conditions. The main purpose of CALMET is to obtain the best possible meteorological data based on the available information. In particular, CALMET can receive measured data, modeled data (i.e., generated by a meteorological model like MM5 or WRF), or both. When a high-resolution terrain data set is available, CALMET is capable of using this information to estimate local deviations from meteorological data measured or modeled at a coarser resolution (Scire J.S). CALPUFF is a multi-species non-steady-state puff dispersion model that simulates the effects of time and space varying meteorological conditions on pollutant transport, transformation, and removal. CALPUFF allows the use of on-site turbulence measurements of the horizontal and vertical Gaussian dispersion coefficients, but also allows for the use of similarity theory and micrometeorological variables, derived from meteorological observations and surface characteristics, to obtain these coefficients. CALPUFF utilizes a Gaussian puff formulation to calculate the concentration of a pollutant (or spores, in our application) at any given location downwind, and the deposition at users specified locations at ground level (Use of a complex air pollution model to estimate W. Pfender). CALPOST can extract CALPUFF simulation data according to customers demand (Spatial distribution and source analysis of SO2 concentration in Urumqi). 3. Methodology a. Description of study area and model domain Isfahan is located in the central Iran inside the plains stretching along the Zayandeh Rood River. The city is located in a relatively mountainous area in the center of the Iranian Plateau and stretches from the snowy Zagros Mountains in the West to the East and North-central deserts of Iran. There exist a variety of climatic conditions in the city thanks to regions with different altitudes. The outstanding features of Isfahan are little rainfall, average less than 125 mm. Isfahan is located in 32.67N, 51.83E, and elevation 1550-1650 m, with more than 1.7 million population (https://amar.sci.org.ir/index_e.aspx). There are more than a million automotive and heavy duty vehicles using diesels, gasoline, and natural gas in Isfahan. This city is known as the largest industrialized region in Iran, where there are many industrial states, steel companies, and etc. There is also one of the biggest electric power plant of Iran. Shahid-Montazeri steam power plant of Esfahan is located 15 km to the northwest of Isfahan along the Isfahan-Tehran highway next to Isfahan Refinery and Petrochemical Complex in a 2.2 million m2 land (Evaluation of synchronous execution of full repowering and solar assisting in a 200 MW steam power plant, a case study) (Figure 1). This power plant has 8 similar steam units each with a capacity of 200 MW. Montazeri plant is a steam power plant which is recently use natural gas. However, Montazeri uses heavy oil during the cold days due to increasing the domestic heating. The study area is located around as Montazeri power plant, with a total capacity of 1600 MW and two large smoke stacks (205 agl-m height, above ground level meters height and 1725 base elevetion) with four independent liners (one per boiler) in the same concrete shaft that are selected point sources (Figure 2).   Therefore, it should be considered as eight different point sources practically located at the same point; alternatively, it can be considered as a two point sources, with an emission and stack section as the sum of the four liners (Validation of CALMET/CALPUFF model simulations around a large power plant stack). In this study, dispersion of SO2, Nox, and particulate matter (pm10) emitted from the Montazeri power plant over the Esfahan basin was evaluated for two periods of days (from 10 to 31 January 2000). A simulation domain of 100100 km2 was selected by the power plant positioned at the center, in order to cover any pollutant source local impact. This area is divided into 10000 grids, the size of which is 1 km 1 km. The southwest corner of the domain is located at longitude 50.96E, latitude 32.35N. The northeast corner is located at longitude 52.03E, latitude 33.24N and the elevation of the study area varies from 1500 to 2800 m. Table 1 represents the information model input which is used for defining the case study meteorological domain. b. Emission data The main sources of pollutants in Montazeri power plant are resulted from exhaust gases of the stacks which cause air pollution in the power plant area and its surrounding. The values of SO2, NO, NO2 and PM10 emissions from the stacks of Montazeri power plant have been measured by Testo 350-XL device for gases and ISOSTACK BASIC device for particulate maater, during the period of simulation. The data of stack characteristics and the emission rate of the pollutant have been presented in Tables 2. This release huge quantities of sulfur dioxide due to Steam power plants of Iran are not equipped with FGD systems to reduce SO2 emissions, and thereby, the emission factor of this pollutant is only influenced by electricity generation efficiency and sulfur percentage of the consumed heavy oil. In this study, we used data observed from four monitoring station to measure so2, nox and pm 10 (figure 1). Location of the monitoring stations (receptors) has been presented in Cartesian coordinate system in Table 2. Measurements at the monitoring station were done based on the average hour concentrations. c. Meteorological data Surface hourly observations in TD-3505 format were obtained from the Integrated Surface Hourly Database (ISHD) supported by the US National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) . Data was extracted hourly for the entire modeling period from March 10, 2012 at 00h00 UTC to March 12, 2012 at 23h00 LST. Due to the large number of missing data of the other surface meteorological parameters (such as: pressure, ceiling height and cloud cover) only temperature and wind speed were validated.   The purpose of extracting this data was only to evaluate the accuracy of the calmet model to simulate the vertical profiles of wind and temperature. Figure 3 shows the location of the meteorological station used in this study and a description of the surface stations is provided in table 3 d. Modeling approach The initial phase of CALPUFF modeling system involves the derivation of three dimensional meteorological wind fields for the study area using CALMET a diagnostic meteorological model (Estimated Public Health Exposure to H2S Emissions from a Sour Gas Well Blowout in Kaixian County, China). The input of CALMET model includes geophysical data (land use categories and terrain elevations), meteorological data (surface and upper air meteorological observations or meteorological fields generated by prognostic models) (A study of the effects of vehicle emissions on the atmosphere of Sultan Qaboos University in Oman). Due to lack of the surface and upper air meteorological data in the study area we used the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF: version 3.5.1) model to simulate of meteorological conditions. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF), a prognostic meteorological model, was used to calculate the hourly three-dimensional meteorological fields For CALMET model (Applications of WR F/CALPUFF modeling system and multi-monitoring). The WRF model description presented in Table 2. Initial conditions and boundary conditions are provided by the 1.0 degree National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) Final Analysis (FNL) at 6-h intervals (Use of high-resolution MM5/CALMET/CALPUFF system: SO2 apportionment to air quality in Hong Kong). Data in WRF output files can be interpreted and converted to a format compatible with CALMET by CALWRF program (Scire et. al.2000b). CALMET requires geophysical data to characterize the terrain and land use parameters that potentially affect dispersion. Terrain features affect flows, create turbulence in the atmosphere, and are potentially subjected to higher concentrations of elevated puffs. Different land use types exhibit variable characteristics such as surface roughness, albedo, Bowen ratio, and leafarea index that also affect turbulence and dispersion (The use of an atmospheric dispersion model to determine influence regions in the Prince George, B.C.). Terrain elevation for the CALMET was obtained using the TERREL processor. The model was executed with terrain maps provided by Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Consortium for Spatial Information (CSI) website (http://www.cgiar-csi.org/data/srtm-90m-digital-elevation-database-v4-1), Data were collected as part of the Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) and processed by CSI into 5 x 5 degree tiles at 90-metre resolution. Land characteristics in the domain were extracted using the CALMET pre-processor CTGPROC. The input land use maps were obtained from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) websites in GeoTIFF format. Terrain characteristics map in the study area has been displayed in Fig. 3. To provide meteorological input to the CALPUFF model, the CALMET diagnostic model and WRF mesoscale prognostic model were coupled. The CALPUFF model uses the output file from CALMET together with source, receptor, and chemical reaction information to predict hourly concentrations. e. Statistical Data Analysis To determine the reliability of the simulation data, verification of simulated values using the WRF and CALMET models was conducted for surface temperature and wind speed at surface monitoring station using several statistical indicators. The statistical verification of model performance in this study was performed using four statistical indicators namely the Bias Error (B), Gross Error (E), Fractional Bias (FB), Normalized Mean Square Error (NMSE), Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) and Index of Agreement (IOA). The formulas used to derive these four indicators are given in Equations

A View From the Bridge - Arthur Miller - Catherines diary :: English Literature

A view from the bridge- Arthur miller Catherine's diary September 18th 1937 Y' know I was sitting down today and Eddie comes in from work, looked really tired. I had just dressed in my new dress that I bought for my new job and I had done my hair in a different style, it looked really good. I asked him what he thought of it, and do you know what he said? He said the skirt was too short and the heels were too attention drawing. He even told me I'm walking wavy and that he doesn't like the way I have been attracting looks from the people in the shops, I told him they look at every girl that way but this only seemed to infuriate him more. What's up with him these days, he doesn't let me do anything. When's he going to realize that I'm not a little kid anymore? I just want him to approve of me and it makes me so upset when he doesn't, why cant he be like my friends' fathers and let me have more freedom? I'm not saying I don't appreciate him and how hard he's worked and that he took me in and all but sometimes he's just makes me so annoyed. Anyway, he told me that Beatrice's cousins should be arriving today, I'm so excited, and I can't wait. I wonder what they're going to be like. Marco and Rodolfo are their names but that's all I know about them apart from that Marco has kids. You'll never guess what Eddie and Beatrice were arguing about today just after Eddie told Beatrice about her cousins. They argued about where the Beatrice's cousins were going to sleep. I mean can't B just stop moaning at Eddie, he's a good man and she just doesn't appreciate him but they settled it and they made up. I told Eddie about the job, he was so not pleased. He wants me to finish the stenography class. I want to work, I'll be getting paid $50 per week, think of what I could do with that money. It's such a privilege to be chosen out of the whole class, they said I was the best that they saw there so I could still get my certificate at the end of the year, plus there's nothing better than putting what I've learnt into practice. I want Eddie to be happy for me, can't he see that it's impossible to turn the job down, I just can't, for goodness sakes . It's not like I'm going to be working in a bad company, it's

Media Effects Theory

This is a short discourse on the research of the Media Effects Theories, showing how the new theories or current information that is available currently support old theories such as the cultivation theory, spiral of silence theory, and uses-and-gratifications theories among others. This will begin with a brief discussion on Media Effects Theory and proceed to highlight the current developments in this scholarly field and finally show how these theories support different effects models. The developments in media have accelerated at an enormous rate given the recent advances in technology. New forms of media such as DVD and the internet have changed the way media is delivered to the audience and also the way it is perceived thus raising the question of whether or not the conventional theories on Media Effect are still viable for the current scenario (Berger 1997). To properly understand this, it is important to first delve into the nature of Media Effects Theories. Media Effects Theory. Media Effects theory can be generally defined as the theory that postulates that any level of exposure to representations or depictions of violence in any of various media cause or have the potential to cause increased aggression or violence in the behavior of the audience (Bryant 2002). Media Effects Theories are developed to provide a better understanding and to gain a deeper insight into the effects that media has had with respect to society and also the role that media plays in influencing social and political change (MacQuail 2000). The recent developments in media however have raised new concerns regarding the perspectives and a proliferation of approaches concerning the Media Effects Theory including its research methodology, communications education, and public policy issues (Berger 1997). Given these criticisms of the theories on media effects, it becomes relevant to examine the existing theories and to examine how an application of the current theories and research may help in addressing this concern. Existing Media Effects Theories This section will briefly discuss a few of the more predominant and influential Media Effects Theories today. The first discussion will be on the Hypodermic Needle Model, which is a theory that the influence of media is so powerful that it can be used to â€Å"inject† messages into the minds of the audience and control them (Baran et al 1995). This model was developed by the Marxist Frankfurt School of intellectuals in the 1930s. The current application of this theory today is criticized by many because the Hypodermic Needle Model was mainly a result of the fear and concern that was generated during the practice of political propaganda and psychological warfare during World War I (Baran et al 1995). The second Media Effect Theory that will be discussed is the Empiricist Tradition which as the term suggests employs an application of the methodologies and principles of the natural sciences to attempt to measure the direct effects on audiences that may be attributed to media exposure (Mass Media Effects: A Study 4). Paul Lazarsfeld, an important researcher who contributed much to the development of empirical conducted a study into voting behavior carried out in the 1940s which to the development of the highly influential Two Step Flow Model of mass communication (Bandura 2001). There have been many criticisms with regard to this theory. While early on it was regarded as influential in this field with the theory of the â€Å"Limited Effects†, there have been studies conducted in Europe that show the exact opposite (MacQuail 2000). The current application of this theory now might be made more credible by improving the methodological diversity which scientists and social theorists have criticized (MacQuail 2000). Another influential Media Effect Theory is the Cultural Effects Approach which basically tries to analyze the social, political and cultural effects (MacQuail 2000). The advocates of this approach fall into two (2) categories, the Marxist Approach and the Literary Criticism Approach (Mass Media Effects: A Study 6). While these two (2) views have gained a strong following among many, the most common criticism is that given the technological advances today, there must be a method by which these theorists are able to provide empirical evidence supporting their assertions (Chomsky et al 2002). The other influential perspective is the Uses and Gratification Approach which allows insight into precisely how the â€Å"new† media differ from the â€Å"old† insofar as audiences utilizes these media (Gauntlett 1998). This focuses primarily on how the audience or people in general use the media to gratify their needs. While this approach is still widely used, the problem of different needs and uses particular to a single individual makes the approach unreliable to some. As MacQuail pointed out, â€Å"it's very difficult to connect a particular need with a particular type of media content since media use may be considered to supply at one time or another all the benefits named (57)† Now that it has been shown how these approaches have defined and been applied in Media Effects Theories, an examination of the current theories and research prevailing today must be done. Current Theories and Research As previously mentioned, the recent technological advances have altered the way that media is perceived and received by the audience, allowing for arguably greater effect or influence upon the general public. This section will attempt to discuss how the traditional approaches may utilize the current theories and research available to be able to adapt with the ever changing needs and demands of this field of study. The first critical issue to be discussed is the rising influence of postmodernist thought on the approaches to Media Effects Theory (Fisher et al 2004). The main ideas of this theory rely on the fact that the ideas and perceptions of individuals has already been preconditioned by media in a sense that whatever input or meaning that is derived from media is already placed in a predefined context (MacQuail 2000). This school of thought therefore suggests that in analyzing the behavior and effects the fact that media has already preconditioned the minds of the individuals and influenced the â€Å"reception. Miller 2005)† An approach that is closely linked with this development is the New Audience Research, which focuses primarily on the ethnographic studies of audiences while not totally disregarding the â€Å"theory† aspect of the matter (Fisher et al 2004). This approach uses the reception analysis, which has developed from a combination of traditional qualitative resear ch strategies in sociology with some of the ideas of reader response theory in literary criticism (Mass Media Effects: A Study 8). The important aspect of this approach is ability to confront and properly address the issues concerning the origins and influences of meaning that an individual conceptualizes with regard to the media input that he is exposed to. Another important factor to consider is the cultivation theory, which was primarily concerned with concerned with the â€Å"cumulative and overarching impact it (media) has on the way we see the world in which we live (Miller 2005). † This theory has recently been discussed in the research of James Shanahan and Michael Morgan which tackled the issue of the cultivation theory and television. The main idea of this research revealed that television programming cultivates a mainstream world view that reflects and perpetuates the interests of social and political elites and their stakes in maintaining the status quo (Shanahan and Morgan 2000). This type of analysis reveals the relevance of this approach to the Theories on Media Effects because of the fact that this approach considers the context within which the images presented in media with respect to the changing times and culture (Bandura 2001). While this approach may not be necessarily complete and is not without its criticisms, when combined with the Empirical Tradition, a new method which combines the stronger features of the scientific method and the approach of the cultural method may prove to be credible enough to silence its critics. Application of Media Effects Theories In order to arrive at a more concrete understanding of the issue at hand, it is interesting to apply what has been discussed to a current issue. One of these issues is the effect of media on the moral fiber of today’s youth. This will be discussed in brief to provide an accurate detail of just how these media effects theories can be applied to today’s social problems. As a quick glimpse at the recent events that grace the newspaper’s headlines show, there is indeed a growing concern over the violence that happens in schools all over the country (Chomsky et al 2002). The issue is not limited to the increased teenage pregnancies or even drug abuse. It encompasses a whole range of issues such as bullying and perhaps the most frightening, schools shootings (Chomsky et al 2002). With all of these problems plaguing not only the education system but also the entire nation as of late, the question that comes up is whether or not this is actually caused by the violent television shows and movies in the cable TV programming. While there has been no irrefutable data that lends credence to the theory that violent shows in television is the real culprit behind today’s misguided and often violent youth, there can also be no argument against the statement that though violence on television may not be the sole cause, it is one of the contributory causes (Fisher et al 2004). There are a number of media effects theories that solidify the argument that it is violence in media or in television that has led to the deterioration in the moral foundation of today’s youth (Gauntlett 1998). A good example of this would be the â€Å"Hypodermic Needle Model†, which is a theory that the influence of media is so powerful that it can be used to â€Å"inject† messages into the minds of the audience and control them (Gauntlett 1998). While it is not being suggested that television is being used a medium to brainwash today’s youth and turn them into an army of zombies for the media, it is being proposed, however, that the programming and quality of shows on television, such as violent programs, has a profound effect upon the youth (Shanahan and Morgan 2000). The influence, therefore, that television has upon the youth is undeniable. While this influence may have waned in the advent of the internet age and YouTube, it still bears a considerably large amount of influence over the younger children who are not able to access such media devices (Fisher et al 2004). Therein lays the danger; young children with impressionable minds are exposed to violence on television leading to a deterioration in the moral and ethical foundations of today’s generation. Another interesting theory to correlate the cause, violence in television, with the effect, violent behavior of the youth, is the postmodernist thought on the approaches to the Media Effects Theory (Gauntlett 1998). The main ideas of this theory rely on the fact that the ideas and perceptions of individuals has already been preconditioned by media in a sense that whatever input or meaning that is derived from media is already placed in a predefined context (Fisher et al 2004). This school of thought therefore suggests that in analyzing the behavior and effects the fact that media has already preconditioned the minds of the individuals and influenced the reception (Shanahan and Morgan 2000). As such, given the volatile nature of the mind of a child, the input that a child receives from violent programming on the television creates a preconceived notion of what the real world is like. By showing violence on television, a child may think and perceive that such behavior is actually socially acceptable (Fisher et al 2004). Studies have shown that there have been causal links found between aggressive and violent behavior in children and the type of television programs that these children generally watch. This can also be applied to the infamous Columbine shooting wherein the investigators have theorized that the motivation for the shooters may have been influenced by forms of media (Fisher et al 2004). As stated in one of the reports, â€Å"Among the many theories that have surfaced regarding the motivation for this incident the most prevalent one remains the effect that media has on the minds of today’s youth. (Fisher et al 2004) While there are those who theorize that it was the fact that the shooters were isolated from the rest of their classmates thus prompting feelings of helplessness, insecurity and depression, as well as cultivating a strong desire for attention, the attention has been focused on the effect violent video games such as Doom, which the shooters frequently played, and rock m usic such as Rammstein. Every day the world searches for answers for many of the would-be â€Å"avoidable† tragedies such as school shootings, gang wars and juvenile teen violence. The reason for the term â€Å"avoidable† stems from the fact that many consider these as effects of media influences and morally condemnable social behavior (Fisher et al 2004). While media and television, in particular, are not the main causes for these tragedies, it cannot be denied that they have contributed to these problems (Fisher et al 2004). There may not be an easy solution for this but by identifying the causes that have led to this dilemma a big step has been taken to rectify this situation and to prevent more disasters such as this from ever happening again. Conclusion From this discussion, it is apparent that the application of these Media Effects theories is versatile to say the least. There are a number of social phenomena that occur in today’s world that can be partly explained by these theories. Events such as the impact of media on today’s youth, school violence, teen drug abuse and even consumer patterns are all within the ambit of these media effects theories. It is interesting to note, however, that while suitable media effects theories are present in this discussion, the field of media studies is constantly evolving. The introduction and use of new technology that aids in the proliferation and dissemination of media could prove to challenge many of these conventional theories if not alter them. Other future concerns in this area would also have to deal with the present legislative stance on certain forms of media and their content. It remains to be seen in the future just how these events will change the understanding and function of media in present day society. There will always be debate concerning the correct approach to Media Effect. Certain schools of thought will always insist on the application of a more totalitarian perspective that incorporates unquantifiable characteristics or effects while others will insist on an empiricists approach and the application of the principles and information that the natural sciences provide. The key to resolving this issue may very well lie in which school of thought is regarded as authoritative or persuasive enough to convince the other of the credibility and validity of their findings. While this may not seem possible, events in the past have shown that even for brief moments a single school of thought or approach was held in high regard (see Empiricist Tradition). The use of these current theories on the approaches to Media Effects Theories may however be the final factor which determines what school of thought or media model will prevail. The way these current researches have incorporated the key aspects of the technological development in media as well as the way that they have addressed the previous concerns or criticisms regarding the traditional approaches makes them a valuable tool indeed in providing a deeper understanding of human nature and the relationship that it has to media.

Reverse Osmosis for Wastewater Recycling Essay

Reusing treated wastewater for beneficial purposes, such as agricultural and landscape irrigation, industrial processes, toilet flushing, or groundwater basin replenishment, is growing in response to environmental and economic concerns. One of the key factors involved in recycling wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent for another use is the need to reduce total dissolved solids (TDS). This is often done by using a reverse osmosis (RO) system, which relies on pressure differential to force a solution (in this case, water) through a membrane that retains the solute on one side and allows the pure solvent to pass to the other side. While extremely effective on biologically treated wastewater, RO systems need to be coupled with an effective pretreatment system to avoid common issues that can result in system failure, including plugging, fouling, and scaling. One of the most effective pretreatment options for wastewater applications is membrane bioreactor (MBR) technology, in which a membrane process like ultrafiltration (UF) or microfiltration is combined with a suspended growth bioreactor. MBR provides high quality feed water to the RO, minimizes footprint and the cost of civil works, and reduces treatment plant downtime, thereby reducing operating costs. Koch Membrane Systems’ PURON ® submerged MBR technology has successfully been used as the pretreatment option for challenging industrial and municipal water reuse RO systems, and can help make water recycling technologies more cost-effective. Reverse Osmosis Systems Present Challenges for Water Reuse Pretreatment methods are critical when designing RO systems. For example, RO membranes used for most water reuse applications contain a brine spacer, typically made of low density polyethylene mesh netting. If there is a high level of suspended solids in the feed water, this brine spacer can become plugged. Another issue is the high levels of organics contained in many biologically treated wastewaters, which are rejected by the RO membrane and progressively concentrated as the water flows across the membranes. This concentration of organics can foul the membrane, especially towards the RO system outlet. Biofouling can also occur, because the organics in wastewater make an excellent food source for microorganisms. Also, some treated wastewaters contain high levels of bacteria, so biogrowth may occur quickly even if RO feed water is disinfected. Finally, calcium phosphate scaling can cause problems with RO systems operating on some wastewaters. The scaling can be mitigated by operating at lower water recovery, using acid or other antiscalant to minimize scaling, or modifying the operating conditions of the WWTP to reduce the amount of phosphate in the RO feed. These plugging, fouling, and scaling issues mean that the RO system needs to be operated at higher pressures, leading to increased power consumption, increased chemical costs for cleaning, and a shorter membrane life. How can these challenges be minimized and overall water reuse system lifecycle costs reduced? Effective pretreatment of the feedwater before it flows through the RO system is the answer, provided that the pretreatment steps are chosen carefully to ensure that the RO system can work as intended. Reverse Osmosis Pretreatment Options There are many different pretreatment options, and the best for a particular process depends on power, chemical, labor and land costs, wastewater source, and the existing wastewater treatment system. Conventional Pretreatment The conventional effluent pretreatment scheme might be primary treatment, biological treatment and, the most crucial part of the process, solids-liquid separation using secondary clarification. The conventional sedimentation process often doesn’t remove enough bacteria and suspended solids, so sand filtration may be added to improve the solids-liquid separation and provide higher quality water to feed the RO system. Using ferric chloride along with the sand filtration may enhance solids and organics removal. However, upsets in the secondary clarifier can lead to effluent with higher levels of TSS and BOD, causing plugging of the brine spacer with suspended solids and organic fouling. Also, power consumption for RO systems with this type of pretreatment tends to be high, and membrane life is often quite short. Lime-softening has been somewhat more successful in protecting the RO membranes, but this increases operating costs and does not totally prevent fouling of RO membranes. Ultrafiltration Improves Suspended Solids Removal As RO Pretreatment Many of today’s water reuse systems use an ultrafiltration (UF) pretreatment step to emove suspended solids. These systems typically use hollow fiber UF membranes, which do an excellent job of providing water with low suspended solids to feed the RO system. However, the UF system is an extra treatment step, requiring additional footprint, and adding to operating costs. The UF system may also be susceptible to upsets from a conventional WWTP, which can further increase its operating costs. Membrane Bioreactor As RO Pretreatment With an MBR, the UF membranes are submerged in the activated sludge to combine the biological step and the solid-liquid separation into a single process. The membrane acts as a barrier, which improves the effluent quality. The MBR eliminates the secondary clarifier and does not rely on gravity for liquid-solids separation and so allows the activated sludge to operate with a higher mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration. The increased MLSS concentration reduces bioreactor tank volume, saving footprint and capital construction costs. Overall, the MBR process reduces footprint significantly compared to the combination of conventional activated sludge followed by sand filtration or ultrafiltration. The footprint savings due to the wastewater treatment plant alone can be as much as 50 percent, along with additional footprint savings from eliminating other filtration steps. Using MBR technology also simplifies the overall treatment train, minimizing the number of unit operations. Benefits Of Koch Membrane Systems’ PURON MBR Technology Koch Membrane Systems’ PURON submerged hollow fiber UF module offers robust, cost effective solutions for RO pretreatment. The patented membrane module contains hollow fibers, the lower ends of which are fixed in a header. The upper ends are individually sealed and are free to move laterally, as shown in Figure 1. The PURON module is submerged in the mixed liquor. All solids and particulates remain on the outside of the fibers while permeate flows in an outside-in pattern by means of a vacuum that evacuates permeate through the inside of the hollow fiber. | The free moving fibers, combined with central air scour aeration, ensure stable filtration during plant operation, long membrane life, and lower operating costs due to reduced need for energy, cleaning and maintenance. PURON MBR has been used successfully as the pretreatment step for a number of challenging industrial wastewater systems. For example, a Belgian firm that manufactures chemicals for film processing and printing uses large amounts of fresh water for cleaning and production. The firm began reusing its wastewater to reduce its fresh water costs, and selected an RO system to produce water with the low salt and nitrogen content required for its process. The firm installed a PURON submerged hollow fiber MBR as the pretreatment step prior to the RO, and the system has been operating successfully since 2005. Another example is an Australian malt-producing company that sought to reduce its use of fresh water by recycling its wastewater. PURON MBR technology was selected as the pretreatment step for the RO system, since it provided the best quality water to feed the RO while minimizing overall operating costs. The MegaMagnum ® RO system recovers the MBR effluent as product water for reuse. The system has been running since 2006. In fact, the RO permeate quality is equal to or better than the local potable water supply. Space & Cost Considerations Treatment operation footprint is a primary consideration in developing the best treatment system. Since the PURON MBR system reduces the volume of the bioreactor tanks and eliminates the secondary clarifier, the footprint for an MBR process is much smaller than tertiary filtration steps with sand filtration or UF. If space is limited, MBR may be the only pretreatment choice that fits in the available space. Other considerations include costs of land, civil works, equipment, power, chemicals and labor, and the payback period used. High land and civil costs tend to favor MBR use. For large municipal treatment facilities requiring RO as a final treatment step, an MBR should compare favorably to conventional wastewater treatment as a pretreatment step prior to RO. In a 20-year analysis the municipality should realize savings in RO membrane replacement and power as a result of the MBR pretreatment step. For an industrial company looking at a short payback, the preference for conventional or MBR technology will depend on the relative cost of civil works and land versus the equipment cost. Conclusions Using RO systems to reclaim and recycle wastewater effluent is growing rapidly, and Koch Membrane System’s PURON MBR technology is now being considered as the pretreatment option for an increasing number of industrial and municipal reuse applications. The PURON submerged membrane modules provide high quality feed water to the RO, minimize footprint and the cost of civil works, and reduce the susceptibility of the RO treatment train to upsets. PURON is a trademark of Koch Membrane Systems GmbH and is registered in Austria, Benelux, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. MegaMagnum is a registered trademark of Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. in the United States and other countries. 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