Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds

Adsorption of Volatile Organic Compounds ADSORPTION OF VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS ON DIFFERENT TIMBER SPECIES Marco Vasconcelos1, Nereida Cordeiro1,2* ABSTRACT Due to the health issues associated to VOC, this work aims to study the adsorption of these compounds onto timbers, in order to improve air quality. For this task, inverse gas chromatography (IGC) was used to characterize surface properties (surface energy, specific free energy and enthalpy of adsorption). Dispersive component of the surface energy (ÃŽ ³SD) ranged from 39.95 to 43.81 mJ/m2, corresponding to Amburana and Courbaril respectively. Yellow Pine shows higher values of the specific free energy of adsorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs), indicating a higher number/energy of polar active sites. On the other hand, the enthalpy of adsorption values (à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs) don’t go in agreement with à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs, probably due to its temperature-dependence. That said, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values indicate a basic surface and Amburana establishes stronger interactions with polar probes while Yellow Pine establishes stronger interactions with cyclohexane. Additionally, the â€Å"thermodynamic compensation effect† was evaluated on these samples, being observed linearity in Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany. The slope was similar between the different species, indicating a similar adsorption mechanism. Keywords: Inverse Gas Chromatography, Surface Properties, Wood Fibers, Volatile Organic Compounds, thermodynamic compensation effect 1. INTRODUCTION Volatile organic compounds (VOC) are organic compounds produced in industries, motor vehicles, power plants, etc. They are usually distinguished by boiling temperatures under 250 ºC, at standard atmospheric pressure (1 atm), and with high vapor pressures, surpassing 0.5 kPa at 25 ºC (Dobre, Pà ¢rvulescu, Iavorschi, Stroescu, Stoica, 2014). The aforementioned compounds have harmful impact on human health, such as eye and throat irritation, damage to the liver, central nervous system and carcinogenic effects, due to prolonged exposure (Das, Gaur, Verma, 2004). Therefore, reducing the VOC concentration on the atmosphere is an important task in order to improve air quality and avoid health issues. Wood fibers consist in both dead and living cells, being at a macroscopic level organized within a layer of xylene, in the wood. From the chemical point of view, consists mostly in cellulose, followed by hemicellulose and lignin. Due to the hydrogen bonds established by the hydroxyl groups of cellulose of the surface, it affects strongly on the properties of the material, such as hydrophobicity and therefore its reactivity (Hodzic, Shanks, 2014). About 80.5% of the wood fibers are used in the paper industry and around 17% for wood fibers modification (composites: Kazayawoko, Balatinecz, Romansky, 1997; Adusumali, Reifferscheid, Weber, Roeder, Sixta, Gindl, 2006; Cao, Hu, Liu, 2008). In this work, Inverse gas Chromatography (IGC) was used to characterize the surface properties (surface energy, specific free energy and enthalpy of adsorption) of Amburana, Yellow Pine, Grapia, Courbaril and Brazilian Mahogany to evaluate the adsorption of some VOC (Chloroform, cyclohexane, ethyl acetate, benzene and toluene). Additionally, the â€Å"thermodynamic compensation effect† was studied to investigate the mechanism of thermodynamic adsorption on the different samples analyzed. 2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 2.1 Materials Methane (>99.99% purity) was used an inert reference probe and the carrier gas utilized was helium (>99.99% purity), both supplied by Air Liquide Company. The probe molecules were supplied by Sigma–Aldrich with GC grade (>99% purity). 2.2 iGC analysis iGC measurements were carried out, at least, in duplicate, on a commercial inverse gas chromatograph (Surface Measurements Systems, London, UK) equipped with a flame ionization (FID), thermal conductivity (TCD) and mass spectrometer (MS) detectors. Standard glass silanized (dymethyldichlorosilane; Repelcote BDH, UK) columns with 0.4 cm ID and 30 cm in length were used. About 1.5 g of timber sawdust mesh 40-60 was packed by vertical tapping for 10 min. The columns, with the samples, were pre-treated for 2h at 343 K and 10 ml/min of flow rate, to remove the impurities adsorbed on the surface and 2h at the measurement conditions. After pre-treatment, pulse injections were carried out with a 0.25 à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ ­l gas loop. The iGC system was fully automated with purpose written control software (SMS iGC Controller v1.3) and data were analyzed using iGC Standard v1.3 and Advanced Analysis Software v1.21. The presented results are the average of the values obtained for each sample with a standard deviation minor than 5%. Measurements of the dispersive interaction were made with n-alkanes (n-decane, n-nonane, n-octane, n-heptane and n-hexane) at 298 K, at 0% RH. The carrier gas (Helium) flow rate was 10 ml/min. To acid-base studies cyclohexane, benzene, chloroform, toluene and ethyl acetate were used at 0% RH. Heat of sorption measurements were done with the polar probes at 298 K, 0% RH, and 10 ml/min flow rate. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 3.1 Dispersive component of the surface tension The solvent–sorption properties of the timbers were studied at infinite dilution condition in order to remove the interactions between the probe molecules adsorbed at the surface of the samples. The methane injection allows the calculation of the dead time and subtracts it to the retention time in order to obtain the retention volume (Thielmann, 2004). The corrected net retention volume VN is given by: where Vd is the mobile phase hold-up volume (called dead volume), and VR the measured retention volume. The 0 superscript indicates a correction for the column pressure drop given by j: where where T is the column temperature, F is the exit flow rate at 1 atm and 273.15K, tR is the retention time and t0 is the mobile phase hold-up time. The dispersive component of the surface energy, as well as the specific free energy of sorption, was measured with dispersive and acid-base probe molecules. The relation between the retention volume and free energy of sorption à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G ºS is given by the following equation: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G0S = RTln VR0 + K where R is the gas constant and K is the De Boer or Kemball/Rideal constant depending on the chosen reference state (De Boer, 1953; Kemball Rideal, 1946). Moreover, à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G0S is related to the energy of adhesion WA (between probe molecule and solid) by the equation: à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  G0S = NAaWA where a is the cross sectional area of the adsorbate and NA the Avogadro constant. According to Fowkes (1964), the dispersive contribution of the work of adhesion WA is given by: WA = 2(ÃŽ ³SDÃŽ ³LD)1/2 with ÃŽ ³SD and ÃŽ ³LD as the surface tension of the adsorbent and the adsorbate respectively. Combining the equations above: Thus, the dispersive component of the surface tension (ÃŽ ³SD) values could be calculated based on the plots of RT lnV0R vs a(ÃŽ ³LD)1/2 for the adsorption of n-alkane probes, as illustrated in Figure 1. Good linear correlations (0.9991-0.9996) were obtained for the n-alkane series for all samples analyzed. The calculated ÃŽ ³SD values are given in Table 1 and show very similar results between the different timber species. The surface energy ranged from 39.95 to 43.81 mJ/m2, corresponding to Amburana and Courbaril respectively. These values are similar to those reported by Kazayawoko, Balatinecz, Romansky (1997) and Shu, Xu, JinWei, BaoLi (2007) for wood flour (35.6 mJ/m2 at 323K) and ashtree wood meal (36.52 mJ/ m2 at 323K) respectively. Gouveia, Cordeiro and John (2011) reported various lignocellulosic fibres (flax, hemp, kenaf, agave, agave hybrid pineapple, and sisal), with ÃŽ ³SD values ranged from 37.17 to 51.37 mJ/ m2 (at 298K). In the same article aforementioned, it’s also explained that variations in the ÃŽ ³SD values can be due to the different composition, growing conditions of the fibers and method of extraction. The latter is justified due to the fibers being usually covered by a layer of wax, and may interfere with elutant-fiber interactions. When removed during the method of extraction it’s expected to change drastically the surface energy. 3.2 Polar probes sorption studies A widespread approaching to the Lewis acid/base surface interactions can provide better perceptive of the chemical-physical properties of the timber surfaces. The presence of acid and base active sites on the surfaces increases the possibility of specific intermolecular interactions with solvents and others compounds. The specific free energy of sorption, à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs was determined by the distance between the alkane line and the points corresponding to the ΔG ºs value of polar probes (Gamble, Leane, Olusanmi, Tobyn, Supuk, 2012). à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs = RTln(VN) – RTln(VNref) The à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values are given in Table 2 and represented in Figure 2. Chloroform was used as an acid probe on this work. The values ranged from 0.53 to 2.50 kJ/mol, corresponding to Brazilian Mahogany and Yellow Pine respectively. Based on the results obtained, the à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values of Chloroform decrease in the following order Pine > Grapia > Courbaril > Amburana > Mahogany. This observation indicates that Yellow Pine may have a higher quantity/energy of active sites with basic character compared to the other fibers. A similar order was observed on Cyclohexane, indicating that Yellow Pine might also have a higher quantity/energy of active sites with apolar character. Although, the same order is not observed in ÃŽ ³SD, since that for the surface energy were used n-alkanes and due to the shape of cyclohexane and consequent different steric hindrance, it will have different interactions with the surface. On the other hand, Brazilian Mahogany shows the lowest à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values for the overall probes, indicating a lower quantity/energy of active sites. Ethyl acetate was used as a basic probe in Amburana, Yellow Pine and Courbaril. The interaction of this probe, alongside chloroform, with the timber surface indicates the presence of both acidic and basic sites on the solid surface. 3.3 Heat of sorption measurements In the infinite dilution region, where the isotherm is linear, VN should be measured at a range of column temperatures and ln(VN/T) plotted vs. 1/T, which yields the heat of sorption à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs according to (Conder Young, 1979): To determine the enthalpies of sorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾HS) of the VOC’s in the timber species, the specific retention volume (VN) was measured at different temperatures (293 to 298K) and the retention diagrams ln VN vs 1/T were plotted (Fig. 3-7). Some of VOC ´s couldn’t be used in some of the timber species because the retention time was too low to make accurate calculations due to the peak overlap. The à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values are given in Table 3, determined at three different temperatures. Good linear correlations (>0.99) were obtained for the probes used, as shown in Figures 3-7. In this work, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values for the basic probes (Ethyl acetate; Higher DN/AN*) were lower than the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values for the acid probes (Chloroform; Lower DN/AN*), indicating a basic character of the solid surface. Cordeiro, Mendonà §a, Pothan and Varma (2012) and Gouveia, Cordeiro and John (2011) observed the same basic character in macro and nanobanana fibers, flax, hemp, kenaf, agave, agave hybrid pineapple, and sisal. For chloroform, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values decreased in the following order: Amburana > Brazilian Mahogany > Grapia > Courbaril > Yellow Pine. At first sight it indicates that Amburana establishes stronger interactions with the surface, compared with the other timbers. On the other hand, Yellow Pine establishes the weakest interactions with chloroform. A similar order was also observed for cyclohexane, for the exception of Yellow Pine, that shows the highest à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs value for this probe. The results don’t go in agreement with the ones obtained from the specific free energy of adsorption study, probably due to the fact that the temperature might influence the à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values and therefore it might mislead to incorrect conclusions. Thus, the à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values will give a better insight of which timber is advised (or not) to remove VOC from the atmosphere since it already have in account the temperature. Being said, the results indicate that for polar probes Amburana have stronger interactions while for apolar probes Yellow Pine have stronger interactions. 3.4 Entropy of Sorption calculation The linear dependence between ΔHS and ΔSS is called â€Å"Thermodynamic Compensation Effect†. Normally, stronger intermolecular interactions (related to ΔHS) result in less degrees of freedom of the elutant, leading into a greater order of the system, decreasing the entropy of the system (Liu L., Guo Q-X., 2001). The entropy of sorption was directly calculated according to: Figure 8 represents the entropy-enthalpy correlation, being only observed on Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany. All three dependences are linear and almost parallel, with a slope between 2.7910-3 and 3.7310-3 K-1. Therefore, these three samples follow the previous equation. According to Korolev A. et al., (2011), a similar slope indicates similar adsorption mechanism on the samples studied on this work. Since all the samples have similar composition, it was expected the same adsorption mechanism between them. 4. CONCLUSION IGC was used to evaluate different surface properties, namely surface energy, specific free energy and enthalpy of adsorption. The ÃŽ ³SD values were measured at 298K and ranged from 39.95 to 43.81 mJ/m2. These variations between results are due to different composition, growing conditions and method of extraction. The results don’t go in agreement between enthalpy of adsorption and the specific free energy of adsorption probably due to the influence of the temperature on the à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs. In Yellow Pine were observed higher à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs values for chloroform and cyclohexane compared to the other fibers, indicating a higher quantity/energy of active sites with basic and apolar character. In Amburana, Yellow Pine and Courbaril, the basic probes showed lower à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values compared to acid à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬  Hs values, indicating a basic character. The same was observed on other fibers found in literature. Amburana establishes stronger interactions with Chloroform while Yellow Pine establishes stronger interaction with cyclohexane, compared to the other timber species. The â€Å"Thermodynamic Compensation Effect† was only observed in Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany, with linear fits almost parallel. The slope ranged between 2.7910-3 and 3.7310-3 K-1. Similar slopes indicate similar adsorption mechanism, which makes sense due to similar composition. ACKNOWLEDGEMENT References Adusumali R-B, Reifferscheid M, Weber H, Roeder T, Sixta H, Gindl W. Mechanical properties of regenerated cellulose fibres for composites. Macromolecular Symposia 2006, 244: 119–25. Cao S., Hu B., Liu H. Synthesis of pH-responsive crosslinked poly[styrene-co-(maleic sodium anhydride)] and cellulose composite hydrogel nanofibers by electrospinning. Polymer International 2009, 58: 545–551. Cordeiro N., Gouveia C., John M. J. Investigation of surface properties of physico-chemically modified natural fibers using inverse gas chromatography. Industrial Crops and Products 2011, 33: 108–115. Cordeiro, N., Mendonà §a, C., Pothan, L. A., Varma, A. Monitoring surface properties evolution of thermochemically modified cellulose nanofibres from banana pseudo-stem. Carbohydrate Polymers 2012, 88, 125–131. De Boer, J.H., 1953. The Dynamic Character of Chemisorption, 2nd Ed., Clarendon Press, Oxford. Gamble J., Leane M., Olusanmi D., Tobyn M., Supuk E., Khoo J., Naderi M., 2012, Surface energy analysis as a tool to probe the surface energy characteristics of micronized materials A comparison with inverse gas chromatography; International Journal of Pharmaceutics; 422: 238-244 Kemball C., Rideal, E.K. The Adsorption of Vapours on Mercury. I. Non-Polar Substances. Proceedings of the Royal Society A 1946, 187: 53–73. Korolev A., Shiryaeva V., Popova T., Kurganov A. Enthalpy–entropy compensation effect on adsorption of light hydrocarbons on monolithic stationary phases, Journal of Separation Science 2011, 34, 2362-2369. Liu L., Guo Q.-X. Isokinetic relationship, isoequilibrium relationship, and enthalpy–entropy compensation. Chemical Reviews 2001, 101: 673–695. M. Kazayawoko, J. Balatinecz, M. Romansky. Thermodynamics of adsorption of n-alkanes on maleated wood fibers by inverse gas chromatography. Journal of Colloid Interface Science 1997, 190: 408-415. Thielmann F, 2004, Introduction into the characterization of porous materials by Inverse Gas Chromatography, Journal of Chromatography A, 1037: 115–123. Zhao S., Lin X., Song J. Shi B.. Surface characterization of ashtree wood meal by inverse gas chromatography. Chinese Science Bulletin 2007, 52: 1178-1181. Conder, J., Young, C. (1979). Physicochemical measurement by Gas Chromatography. Chichester: John Wiley Sons Ltd. TABLE CAPTIONS Table 1 – Dispersive component of the surface tension (ÃŽ ³SD). Table 2 – Specific free energy of sorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºS). Table 3 – Enthalpy of sorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾HS). Table 4 – Entropy of sorption (ΔSS). Table 1 Table 2 Table 3 Table 4 FIGURE CAPTIONS Figure 1 Energy of adsorption vs a(à ¯Ã‚ Ã‚ §DL)1/2 for n-alkanes on the timbers (Amburana, Grapia, Courbaril, Brazilian Mahogany and Yellow Pine) surface at 298K and 0%RH. Figure 2 – Specific free energy of the adsorption (à ¯Ã‚ Ã¢â‚¬Å¾G ºs) of Chloroform and Cyclohexane onto samples analyzed at 298K. Figure 3 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate measurement on Amburana timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 4 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate measurement on Yellow Pine timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 5 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and benzene measurement on Grapia timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 6 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate measurement on Courbaril timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 7 – Enthalpy of sorption plot and linear fits for cyclohexane, chloroform and toluene measurement on Brazilian Mahogany timber surface 293-298K, at 0 % RH and 10ml/min. Figure 8 – Entropy-enthalpy compensation effect on Yellow Pine, Grapia and Brazilian Mahogany. Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6 Figure 7 Figure 8

Exercise in a Bottle Essay -- Health Diet Weight Loss Papers

Exercise in a Bottle Imagine that it is a Friday night and you are up having a little midnight snack and watching some television. Feeling guilty for eating at such a late hour, you begin to flip through the stations when something catches your eye. It is an infomercial, and usually you just flip right through these, but for odd some reason you decide to watch this one. How could you possibly resist not watching? The commercial begins by showing gorgeous blondes in bikinis, and buff studs in speedos stuffing their faces with hamburgers, pizza, chips and everything that you know should not be eaten in quantity (if at all)! The amazing thing is that these â€Å"people† all have society’s ideal bodies. They are toned, tan, and thin in all of the right places. The commercial proceeds to boast how these women and men never exercise. They don’t need to because they take Enforma’s Exercise in a Bottle! Well now they have gotten your attention--look great, eat what you want and neve r exercise? It sounds way too good to be true! This is what miracle product, Exercise in a Bottle, will promise its potential buyers. But the questions, how does it work, what are they and how do its ingredients work, does it work, and are there any side effects are all key questions to be explored before taking Exercise in a Bottle. After I saw the commercial one night when I was up late snacking with my best friend, I admit that I was definitely tempted to pick up the phone and place an order. I even came close to falling into all of the hype and excitement surrounding this new product when I began my research, but after seeing a more scientific approach to the product, I have changed my mind. WHAT IS EXERCISE IN A BOTTLE? Exercise in a Bottle ... ... EXERCISE. 30(12): 1730-7, 1998 December. 3. Effects of resistance training and Chromioum Picolinate on body composition and skelatal muscle in older men by, Campbell WW., Joseph LJ., Davey SL., Cyr-Campbell D., Anderson RA., and Evans WJ.. JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY. 86(1): 29-39,1999 January. 4. Chromium Picolinate Toxicity; by, Cerulli J., Grabe DW., Gauthier I., Malone M., and McGoldrick MD.. ANNALS OF PHARMACOTHERAPY. 32(4) : 428-31, 1998 April 5. Chronic Renal failure after ingestion of over-the-counter chromium picolinate; by, Wasser WG., Feldman NS., and D'Agati VD. 6. http://www.cellular-phone.com/enformal/products.html 7. http://www.enformanatural.com/enforma.html 8. http://st2.yahoo.com/koolatron/enformasystem.html 9. http://www.evitality.net/store/detail/htm?ID=5 10. www.swmed.edu/library/consubj/fitness.htm

Filipino Children’s Uses of the Internet and Mobile Phone Essay

I. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM How do Filipino children integrate the Internet and mobile phone into their everyday life and peer and family relationships? This study is a response to a suggestion by Sonia Livingstone (2003) to investigate further children’s relationships in the new media environment. It also seeks to address the lack of empirical studies on Filipino children’s engagements with and in the new media, specifically the Internet and mobile phone. Why children? As children become more exposed to new media through school and Home, it is important to investigate how they use and appropriate these technologies in their everyday life. Do these technologies allow for continuity or change in children’s experience of leisure, school, peer and family relationships? II. HYPOTHESIS No stated hypothesis in the study. III. RESEARCH METHOD III.a Research Design Since the objective is to identify, describe and explain children’s activities in the new media environment and how they use these technologies, a qualitative design was employed for the study. This approach allows us to probe further into the contextual realm of children’s engagements with and in the new media. III.b Instrument Data were gathered through a depth interview guide, which allowed respondents to narrate and explain their uses of the Internet and mobile phone as well as their relationships online. The following are the concepts investigated and the corresponding questions: a. Access and Usage of the Mobile Phone/Internet 1. How did you come to own one? Why? 2. How long have you been using a mobile phone? 3. How often do you use the phone? 4. Where do you have Internet access? Why? 5. How often do you use the Internet? Why? b. Uses and Contexts of the Mobile Phone 1. What do you do with your cell phone? Why? 2. What types of messages do you send? Why? IV. CONCLUSION Acknowledging the lack of empirical studies on children and new media, this study asked how a sample of Filipino children integrated new media into their everyday lives and in their relationships with peers and family members. It sought to understand the uses of the Internet and mobile phone in the context of home (family life), school, and leisure activities of children. A contextual approach to the use of new media looks at how these technologies are incorporated into everyday routines and acknowledges how values and social practices influence new media uses. By comparing Internet and mobile phone uses, this preliminary study sought to ascertain the  meanings of these two different but related media among Filipino children. Data suggested that the contexts of family, school, and leisure defined the uses of the new media. The Internet was used mainly for information seeking related to school and interests, relational maintenance (friends and relatives) and leisure. On the other hand, the mobile phone was used for coordinating day-to-day practicalities, relational maintenance among family members and peers, and was deployed by parents as a means to monitor their children’s whereabouts and activities. In turn participants construed the medium as an extension of parental presence. The study also probed into family and peer relationships of participants in the new media environment. The goal was to provide evidence that would support or contradict opinion regarding the potential of the medium as an environment where social relations are created or maintained. Findings suggested that the media were used primarily to maintain the participants’ existing social networks rather than creating new ones. Rarely was the medium used to create new relations. It is important to note that existing relational dynamics in the family largely influence interactions on the mobile phone. Although the phone provided accessibility, it was not a guarantee in improving relations between parents and children, and among siblings. IV. ANALYSIS The obvious change is the accessibility and convenience that these new media provide to facilitate information search and communication. The impact can be seen in the way children do research and regard reading books. As the study unveiled, participants tended to spend less time in the library and get their material instead online, where information is easily copied. The ways school children do research on the Internet could be investigated in future studies. This finding also suggests a need to emphasize critical media literacy among young people that would train them to be critical consumers and users of online information. Almost all of the Filipinos of today are well-oriented when it comes to latest gadgets and its uses, especially the adolescents who used this in almost all of the time. However, there is a big problem when it comes to the â€Å"proper† use of technology. Some Filipinos tend to be abusing the true  essence of technology. Some used it for cyber bullying and any sort of crime related to this. Accessibility does not necessarily alter existing social and cultural practices; for example, participants tended to communicate more within their network of relations. Indeed for this sample of children, Filipino family and peer relational dynamics still find their way in the new media environment. V. REFERENCES Bakardjieva, M. and Smith, R. (2001). The internet in everyday life. New Media and Society. 3 (1): 67-83. Jones, S. (1995). Community in the information age. In S. E. Jones [Ed.]. Cybersociety: Computer Mediated Communication and Community. London: Sage. Leung, L. & Wei, R. (2000). More than just talk on the move: Uses and gratifications of the cellular phone. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly. 77 (2): 308-320. Lievrouw, L. & Livingstone, S. (2002). Handbook of New Media: Social Shaping and Consequences of ICTs. London: Sage. Livingstone, S. & Bovill, M. (1999). Young people, new media. Report of the Research Project. Children, young people and the changing media environment. London School of Economics and Political Science. Available: http://www.lse.ac.uk/collections/media@lse/whosWho/soniaLivingstonePublications3.htm Livingstone, S. (2002). Children’s Use of the Internet: A Review of Research Literature. National Children’s Bureau. Available: http://www.ncb.org.uk/publications/publication Livingstone, S. (2003). Children’s use of the internet: reflections on the emerging research agenda. New Media and Society. 5 (2): 147-166. http://www.amic.org.sg/Resources/Research_Materials/Media_Youth_and_Children/Filipino%20Children%20Uses%20of%20the%20Internet%20and%20Mobile%20Phone.pdf

Free Essays on What Caused Wilson Change In Opinion To Enter WW1

There were many reasons for the United States involvement in the War, but Germany’s great desire for more power and global influence is the most evident. â€Å"Militarism was another cause of the war, it was similar to the arms race of today, because Britain had a great navy, Germany wanted a great navy too. Germany and France competed for larger armies. The more one nation built up its army and navy, the more other nations felt they had to do the same.† At the start of the war, President Wilson declared neutrality of the United States and most Americans opposed US involvement in the European war. Not only was the US culturally similar to Great Britain and France, but these two countries where our major trade partners. The US understood that if the Allies lost the war, it would have a tremendous effect on our economy. This is why America began to see Germany as the â€Å"enemy†. A declaration of war was partially brought about by the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 and later merchant ships such as the City of Memphis, Illinois and Vigilancia. In 1916 a passenger ship named the Sussex was sunk and a so called â€Å"Sussex Pledge†.On these ships were Americans, this unexpected sneak attack is known as unrestricted submarine warfare. Wilsons first attempts to mitigate the situation was through the â€Å"Lusitania notes†. These notes basically said, end the submarine warfare or else. One note that went to Berlin stated â€Å"The Imperial Government will not expect the United States to omit any word or any act necessary to the performance of its sacred duty of maintaining the rights of the United States and its citizens and of safeguarding their free exercise and enjoyment†. After a second â€Å"Lusitania note† was sent Germany came to a compromise, expressed regret and offered to pay for their attack. Wilson’s mediatio n was still not favored by the Germans (or Britain) they wanted a solid victory, especially since they felt they ha... Free Essays on What Caused Wilson Change In Opinion To Enter WW1 Free Essays on What Caused Wilson Change In Opinion To Enter WW1 There were many reasons for the United States involvement in the War, but Germany’s great desire for more power and global influence is the most evident. â€Å"Militarism was another cause of the war, it was similar to the arms race of today, because Britain had a great navy, Germany wanted a great navy too. Germany and France competed for larger armies. The more one nation built up its army and navy, the more other nations felt they had to do the same.† At the start of the war, President Wilson declared neutrality of the United States and most Americans opposed US involvement in the European war. Not only was the US culturally similar to Great Britain and France, but these two countries where our major trade partners. The US understood that if the Allies lost the war, it would have a tremendous effect on our economy. This is why America began to see Germany as the â€Å"enemy†. A declaration of war was partially brought about by the sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915 and later merchant ships such as the City of Memphis, Illinois and Vigilancia. In 1916 a passenger ship named the Sussex was sunk and a so called â€Å"Sussex Pledge†.On these ships were Americans, this unexpected sneak attack is known as unrestricted submarine warfare. Wilsons first attempts to mitigate the situation was through the â€Å"Lusitania notes†. These notes basically said, end the submarine warfare or else. One note that went to Berlin stated â€Å"The Imperial Government will not expect the United States to omit any word or any act necessary to the performance of its sacred duty of maintaining the rights of the United States and its citizens and of safeguarding their free exercise and enjoyment†. After a second â€Å"Lusitania note† was sent Germany came to a compromise, expressed regret and offered to pay for their attack. Wilson’s mediatio n was still not favored by the Germans (or Britain) they wanted a solid victory, especially since they felt they ha...

Breast implant essays

Breast implant essays Despite the risks involved during surgery and the side effects afterwards, breast implants are widely sought in developed countries. In fact, there were 87,704 surgeries in America alone in 1996. Why do women want big breasts at all and are they fully satisfied with the results? This essay attempts to explore these conundrums. Many women are obsessed with their appearance and opt for breast implants to look attractive to others especially guys. Although two-thirds of men surveyed in 1997 reported that they are happy with their partners breasts just the way they are, women seek perfection, which comes at a steep price surgery. Only 19 percent of men admit that they wished their partners breasts were bigger whereas 26 percent of women say they want super size mammary glands. Nearly twice as many women as men think that droopy breasts are the end of the world. Finally, some women chose surgery to escape from teasing and harassment they experienced because they were small breasted (As if big breasts will shut men up!). However, implants doesn't mean that men will go gaga over you or that you'll have Bo Derek boobs. In fact, your life could get more complicated. The chance of mishap is high: during surgery the patient risks hemorrhage and the abnormal clotting of blood which can cause strokes. Afterwards, the side effects aren't life threatening but they are distinctively unpleasant. Breast implants can harden and scar breast tissues; the condition is very painful and disfiguring. The silicone gel put in a harder silicon bag to create a natural effect may leak and cause chronic diseases including breast cancer and immune system disorders. If there is a leak, a woman's breast deflates (can you imagine how embarrassing that would be?) and usually requires immediate removal or replacement. Women who have breast implant surgery are deceiving themselves if they hope implants will s ...

Human Resources- Relationships in the workplace Research Paper

Human Resources- Relationships in the workplace - Research Paper Example Companies have been attempting to establish clear, well-understood policies to minimize the potential for danger – both for the employees and the organization. However the role of the HR in an organization remains controversial as far as dealing with workplace dating and relationships is concerned. Gautier has explored the reasons for workplace romance and found that theories of attraction play a vital role. Social psychology also points out a strong link between proximity, familiarity and attraction. Because of close and frequent interpersonal interaction they are prone to develop relationships. People with similar beliefs, attitudes, education and background are also more likely to be attracted to each other. They have similar traits and goals; share each other’s excitement and frustrations, and celebrations (Loftus, 1995). At the same time, organizational attitude, culture and beliefs play a role in how the companies conceptualize, tolerate and manage workplace romance. The role of HR in workplace relationships is debatable. When Wal-Mart terminated the services of two of its workers who were dating, it was found that the supervisor used an out-of-date policy manual to justify their termination (Losey, 1993). A survey revealed that more than 70 percent organizations permit and accept workplace dating as most were of the opinion that the organization has no right to interfere in the dating between coworkers (Losey, 1993). However, when dating involves an employee dating a boss, or the upper management or the manager dating a subordinate, it has been found to be unacceptable (Gautier, 2007). Only if a supervisor dates a subordinate, can the organizations interfere and this has become important because of some well-known sexual harassment court battles (Jenner, 1993). There have been instances when an employee had voluntary--but not

Tanunda winery Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Tanunda winery - Case Study Example The alternatives available, recommendations, and action and implementation plan for Tanunda Winery. Introduction The Tanunda Winery, one of the leading mid-sized wineries in Australia, was located in the Barossa Valley of South Australia. A young Australian-trained winemaker, Colin MacIntosh had started it in 1976. The Tanunda Winery started producing a range of red and white wines that were speedily gaining acceptance in the marketplace by 1985. The company had established a solid reputation in Australia as a consistent manufacturer of high-quality premium table wines. The company was known for its marketing skills. The company had been successful in generating revenues domestically but did not succeed in the international markets due to lack of an export strategy. There existed an ample opportunity for the company to enter the international markets. Problem Statement The main area of concern was to find way into the International markets so that Tanunda Winery could sell their qual ity table wines and increase their volumes. It was difficult to find which markets to precisely target. In the given case, the marketing manager of Tanunda Winery had been given an assignment to evaluate the feasibility of launching a major export drive. Key Issues The Tanunda Winery was successful in Australia but did not achieve success in international markets. The reason being it is an Australian company producing quality table wines and people worldwide hardly know about Australia as a producer of wine. The senior management group decided in a strategic meeting held in early 2000 that a substantial growth opportunity existed in export markets and therefore George Steen, the marketing manager started preparing for a feasibility study for the next strategy meeting. On forecasts of a very positive environment in several export markets by the Australian wine industry report, George found it as an opportunity to enter foreign markets in a big way. The major concern of Bruce Clark, t he general manager, was about the ability of entering worldwide markets and making profits because of severe competition from the old-world countries such as Italy, Spain, and France who are experts at producing well-recognized wines with huge volumes and value-pricing. Their main concern was to catch up with which markets to sell large volumes of wine. The recognition could be done via the Olympic Games to be held in Sydney. The marketing efforts led to increase in profits but the rate of increase was declining as well as the average returns which is measured by profits as a percentage of sales. In the previous two years, Tanunda was a passive exporter that is it did not make much effort in drawing wine importers and did not have any export strategy. The domestic sales which also marginally and an unpredictable sales pattern in the bottled table wine market was also an area of concern for Tanunda Winery. Ageing population in Australia led to stability in the wine markets domestical ly. The stability in the Australian markets was also a concern which pushed them to expand their international markets. Rising mergers and acquisitions in the early 1990s was a growing concern or issue for the mid-sized companies. The small companies joined hands with bigger companies and therefore increase the bigger companies’ portfolio of products. It was becoming difficult for mid-sized companie