Ethanol Fuel Essay Example for Free

Ethanol Fuel Essay Ethanol is regarded as an attractive alternative to gasoline and other fossil fuel-based automotive energy sources because they can assist in ending dependence on foreign-based oil imports, a dependence which reaches 140 billion gallons a year in the United States alone.Gal Luft, a director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, asserts that oil dependence is problematic not just for economic reasons, but for political ones as well, maintaining that the relationship between the United States and the oil-producing Muslim nation states is strained at best (as well as noting that this political tension is probably of greater concern than any purported political instability are said to plague these oil-producing nations. )   As such, oil dependency constitutes a political liability. Furthermore, geologists have argued that oil prices are not going to get any better, what with the increasing costs of drilling current oil reserves, and ethanol is therefore an economically sound alternative. However, ethanol is not without its critics. Critics charge that the ethanol boom in the United States, which relies primarily on corn for feedstock has resulted in dramatic increases in food prices (and it is worth noting that many non-corn based food commodities utilize corn syrup). Farmers have begun to see the ethanol boom as lucrative incentive for corn production, which in its most positive sense has raised their incomes and â€Å"given new hope to flagging rural economies.† This translates to a diversion of grain-based agriculture towards fuel production, imposing dramatic impacts upon the costs of maintaining food supply for both the world’s hungry and the world’s well fed. Grunwald maintains that â€Å"the grain it takes to fill an SUV tank could feed a person for a year.†   Furthermore, research presents that the rapid expansion of corn agriculture to feed the ethanol boom holds environmental consequences. Environmental journalist Richard Manning charges that industrialized agriculture is detrimental to soil fertility.Mindy Lubber concurs, maintaining that massive land conversion of lands towards the production of corn could recreate the conditions of The Great Dust Bowl, a period in the American heartland which saw hundreds of thousands of would-be wheat farmers plow the soil to death to profit from golden grain. However, ethanol proponents are careful to remind us that it is also a renewable fuel source. Because it is derived from grain and other starch crops, and may also be obtained from cellulosic biomass such as crop residue, sugar cane bagasse and old newspapers, it is essentially a sustainable resource insofar production is concerned. Additionally, its energy potential, while being significantly less than that of gasoline, is endowed with a high octane level that gives it the power that is crucial to the operation of high compression engines such as those found in high performance automobiles. Furthermore, Khosla argues that the trajectory of ethanol development will result in continuously increasing potential for energy density and engine efficiency that would rival that of gasoline. While opponents of corn-based ethanol have charged that the energy yield barely exceeds the amount of energy used in its production, developments in cellulose-based ethanol have been promising, which may lead to a future in which the biomass and waste of any municipality could be used for ethanol production. Beyond the direct effects on corn prices, the corn-based ethanol boom also affects the price of various food commodities. Grunwald notes that the soybean market is affect to such an extent as to jack up the price of soybeans. Also, increased production of sugarcane-based ethanol, combined with sugar quotas in the U.S. ensure that domestic prices of sugar continue to inflate. As such, producers of high fructose corn syrup such as the agribusiness giant Archer Daniels Midland benefits in a situation where the price demand for high fructose corn syrup remains inelastic, simply because they are able to charge more for without fearing that sweetener-dependent companies will retaliate by switching to sugar.Even the price of a Starbucks latte is not immune to the effects of the corn-based ethanol boom, as diversion of crop grown to fuel production takes it away from the mouths of dairy cattle. Furthermore, the demand for ethanol has effects that reach as far as the Amazon rainforest, where the resulting expansion is leading to its deforestation. This is an overwhelmingly negative development as the rainforest is a highly biodiverse region. Grunwald reports that scientists believe that this could essentially reduce the Amazon to a savanna, or worse, a desert. Ethanol is not just an alternative fuel, but a complex distillation of political, economic and environmental issues. As such, it is difficult to reduce it to a simple either/or issue, let alone endorse it wholeheartedly as the silver bullet that will solve problems of climate change and fossil fuel dependency.

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS)

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) Inflammation is a protective reaction associated with vascular tissues in response to different stimuli such as irritants and pathogens. In addition, other causes of inflammation may include physical injuries and immune reactions on body cells and tissues. Therefore, inflammatory reactions serve to eliminate the stimuli and start the process of healing on damaged cells, tissues, and organs (Ferrero-Miliani et al., 2007, p. 227). Conversely, these inflammatory reactions can be chronic or acute. This essay presents the etiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis, clinical manifestations, prognosis, and the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Scenario: 45 years old woman started with severe pain in her hands and feet. She noticed that she could not shake her wrists whilst she was doing PE with her students in the gym. About 2 month later, when she was working in her yard, the pain became even more pronounced. She was digging the yard for make a path way. The garden working was difficult to do because every day her feet hurt and the strength in her hands was so reduced that even lifting a large boiling pot in the staff kitchen was difficult. At night times she put her hands under her pillow to try to reduce the pain so that she could sleep. Chronic immune inflammatory reactions can occur on synovial tissues in response to the synovitis, synovial cells, and the accumulated synovial fluid in the joints. This type of autoimmunity causes Rheumatoid arthritis (Majithia Geraci, 2007). The symptoms of RA are not only limited to the articular regions but they can also spread to other parts of the body. Therefore, RA affects the joints, skin, lungs, kidneys, blood vessels, heart, and other systemic tissues. In addition, the disorder leads to destruction of the ankylosis and cartilage lining the joints. It also causes nodular lesions on the skin and diverse inflammatory reactions on different systemic tissues (Majithia Geraci, 2007, p. 937). The clinical diagnosis of RA involves physical examination of symptoms, blood tests, x-ray radiographic imaging, and other differential diagnoses, which are aimed at distinguishing the symptoms of RA from other disorders. Moreover, the pathogenesis of RA entails proliferation and fibrosis of cells; the destruction of cartilage and bones; and pannus formation. These changes are caused by the activities of proteolytic enzymes, cytokines, and prostanoids in the synovial region (Majithia Geraci, 2007, p. 937). Here, inflammation is mediated by Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha and Interleukin-1 (IL-1), which are the most notable pro-inflammatory cytokines in the disease process of RA. The two cytokines enhance the production of other inflammatory elements such as nitric oxide (NO) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). However, IL-1 has shown prominence in the pathogenesis of RA. Initial IL-1 release stimulates osteoblasts, synoviocytes, and chondrocytes. The cells take part in the inflammatory reactions, bone destruction, and pannus formation. Furthermore, the inflammatory reactions elevate the secretion of IL-1 relative to the progress of the disease. In addition, IL-1 stimulates the movement of neutrophils into the synovial region; the production and differentiation of lymphocytes; and finally the activation of macrophages. Additional IL-1 production leads to severe erosion of bone and cartilage, produces pain, and impairs tissue repair (Majithia Geraci, 2007). Lastly, Rheumatoid arthritis can be treated using medications such as analgesics, steroids, and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs). In addition, non-pharmacological therapies such as physical therapy and nutritional therapy can halt the development of the disease. Conversely, the prognosis of RA shows varied symptoms in different patients such as disabilities, poor prognostic factors, and sometimes death (Majithia Geraci, 2007, p. 939). Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) Scenario: A 33 years old man have a burning, sensitive, irritated sensation under his skin that spread throughout his arms and upper body over few months in the beginning of 2010. He noticed his sense of balance was lost. Then over a several weeks more symptoms presented themselves. His hands began to shake and tremor, his ears began buzzing, tickly in his left foot and the muscle spasms appeared, and muscle strength getting weak and pain grew in his thighs. His speech became jumbled and his left pupil dilated. Acute infections of the peripheral nervous system can cause an autoimmune reaction in response to the pathogens and the host tissues. These immune responses are targeted at pathogens such as bacteria and the influenza virus but instead they attack the gangliosides of the nerve tissues (Hughes et al., 1999). This is the basis of GBS, which leads to inflammatory demyelination of the nerves and multiple neuropathies. Consequently, GBS is characterized by impaired sense of position, paralysis, absence of fever, areflexia, and symmetrical weaknesses that begin with the legs and spread to the upper limbs and finally to the face. Conversely, analyses of the cerebrospinal fluid and electrodiagnostics provide important insights into the diagnosis of GBS. In addition, observable paralysis and areflexia can be used as the immediate indicators of GBS. However, additional differential diagnoses are important to distinguish the symptoms of GBS with other disorders such as the Motor Neuron Disease (Hughes et al., 1999, p. 74). The pathogenesis of GBS is associated with immune responses targeted at an acute infection. However, the pathogens involved in the infection contain epitopes resembling some components of the peripheral nervous system. Therefore, the immune reaction attacks the nerve components causing acute inflammation on the myelin sheath or the axon (Hughes et al., 1999). Furthermore, the inflammatory reactions cause severe demyelination in the nodes of Ranvier and nerve roots. These inflammatory reactions are mediated by both the cellular and humoral immune components such as activated T-lymphocytes, which invade the demyelinated regions and attract macrophages that destroy the nerve membranes. Additional demyelination is thus, mediated by the macrophages and components of the complement system. Lastly, the treatment of GBS entails providing supportive care for patients with paralyzed diaphragms and intravenous injections of immunoglobulin for stable patients. In addition, administration of plasmapheresis is recommended. Conversely, except for isolated cases of persistent areflexia, the prognosis of GBS shows that most patients begin recovering at the forth week after the onset and they can be completely healed after a few months or one year. Conclusion The essay presents a detailed discussion on two inflammatory conditions, which are caused by immune responses that target cells, tissues, and organs in the body. Therefore, the essay examines the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, pathogenesis, treatment, and the prognosis of Rheumatoid arthritis and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). From the discussions above, it can be deduced that inflammation is a serious complication, which occurs in the whole body or within a specific tissue and causes acute or chronic symptoms. However, most inflammatory conditions are treatable and preventable.

Importance Of Cost Control In Construction Projects

Importance Of Cost Control In Construction Projects The purpose of this report is to explain the importance of cost control in construction projects and its function. The Cost Control is an important process in construction project. It is widely practiced by contractors and needs to carry out throughout the life of project. The main objective of cost control of a project is to gain the maximum profit within the designated period within the budget. To monitor and control actual expenditure against the estimated project budget. The project budget is represented by the tender price / contract sum. According to Nunnally (1998), cost control of a project involves the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress. It also involves the comparison of actual progress with the planning. The main objective of cost control of a project is to gain the maximum profit within the designated period and satisfactory quality of work. A systematic procedure of cost control will give a good result in collecting important data in estimating and controlling of the cost of the coming projects in future. After preparing the reports based on the actual costs, it is important to distribute the remaining budget for the future periods and estimate or re-estimate the cost of the work yet to be completed. Any new information must take into account since the commencement of contracts. It is important to ensure that there should not be any under claim or over claim of the work done. This is required to maintain a steady cash flow. Also it helps the client and the contractor to manage their expenditure and income. The cost control techniques generally used in construction projects are: Cost Value Reconciliation, Control of Project Cash flow, Break  ¿Ã‚ ½ Even Analysis, Budgetary Control, and Contractors cost Control, Cost Comparison, Schedule Control and Asset Register 2. INTRODUCTION The cost control is a process that should be continued through the construction period to ensure that the cost of the building is kept within the agreed cost limits. The cost control can be divided into major areas: the control of cost during design stages and the control of cost by the contractors once the construction project has started. According to Nunnaly (1998), cost control of projects involves the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress. It involves the comparison of actual progress with the planning. The main aims of the cost control: a) To gain the maximum profit within the designated period within the budget. b) To keep the total expenditure within the amount agreed by client, frequently based on approximate estimate of cost prepared by the quantity surveyor in the early stages of the design process. There is a need for strict cost discipline thought all stages of design and execution to ensure that the initial estimate, tender figure and final account sum all are closely related. c) To give the building client good value for money  ¿Ã‚ ½ a building which is soundly constructed, of satisfactory appearance and well suited to perform the functions for which it is required, combined with economical construction and layout. d) To achieve a balanced and logical distribution of the available funds between the various parts of the building. The cost controlling system we can use as a tool for estimating the new projects based on previous experience. To win a new project As a quantity surveyor for a construction company to research this project, I have started with reading text books to get theoretical understanding of the subject. Thereafter I have discussed the technique of cost control with my colleague and managers to get practical knowledge of this application. 3. WHAT IS COST CONTROL? Controlling how much is spent on a certain item on project. Anything above a certain amount needs approval of higher authority The process of controlling the expenses of cost in a project, from the starting of client ¿Ã‚ ½s idea to the completion and final payment on site An active process to control the causes of the cost changes, to document those cost changes, and to monitor cost fluctuations within the project 4. STATEMENT OF FACTS IN COST CONTROL According to Nunnally (1998), cost control of a project involves the measuring and collecting the cost record of a project and the work progress. It also involves the comparison of actual progress with the planning. The main objective of cost control of a project is to gain the maximum profit within the designated period and satisfactory quality of work. A systematic procedure of cost control will give a good result in collecting important data in estimating and controlling of the cost of the coming projects in future. 5. THE PURPOSE OF COST CONTROL To monitor and control actual expenditure against the estimated project budget The project budget is represented by the tender price / contract sum. 6. THE IMPORTANCE OF COST CONTROL There has in recent years been great need for an understanding of construction economics and cost control, particularly during the design stage of projects. The importance of this due largely to the following:- * The increased pace of development in general has resulted in clients being less likely to tolerate delays caused by redesigning buildings when tenders are too high. * The clients ¿Ã‚ ½ requirements today are more complex than those of their Victorian counterparts. A more effective system of control is therefore desirable from inception up to the completion of the final account, and thereafter during cost-in-use. * The clients of the industry often represent large organizations and financial institutions. This is a result of takeovers, mergers and some public ownership. De-nationalization has often meant that these large organizations remain intact as a single entity. There has thus been an increased emphasis on accountability in both the public and the private sectors of industry. The efficiency of these organizations at construction work is only as good as their advisers. * Contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s profit margins have in real terms been reduced considerably during the past decade. This resulted in their greater cost-consciousness in an attempt to redress possible losses and remain competitive. * There has, in general, been move towards the elimination of waste, and a greater emphasis on the efficient use of the world ¿Ã‚ ½s scarce resources. This has necessitated a desire for improved methods of forecasting and control of costs. * There is a general trend towards greater cost-effectiveness, and thus a need to examine construction cost, not solely in the context of initial costs, but in terms of whole-life costs. * World recession has generally produced a shortage of funds for capital purposes and construction in general. This has been coupled with high inflation and interest charges, resulting in an increase in the cost of construction. Although the relative costs compared with other commodities may be similar, the apparent high costs have resulted in greater caution, particularly on the part of clients. 7. POST  ¿Ã‚ ½ CONTRACT COST CONTROL Project cost control commences at project inception stage by the client. Thereafter costs are controlled continuously and at every stage of the project up to finalization of the construction contract. 8. THE PROJECT BUDGET For cost control on a project, the construction plan and the associated cash flow estimates can provide the baseline reference for subsequent project monitoring and control. For schedules, progress on individual activities and the achievement of milestone completions can be compared with the project schedule to monitor the progress of activities. The final detailed cost estimate provides a baseline for the assessment of financial performance during the project. To the extent that costs are within the detailed cost estimate, the project is considered to be under financial control. Overruns in particular cost categories signal the possibility of problems and give an indication of exactly what problems are being encountered. Expenses oriented construction planning and control focus upon the categories included in the final detailed cost estimation/cost plan prepared by the contractors. For cost control monitoring purpose, the original detail cost estimate is typically converted to a project budget, and the project budget is used subsequently as a guide for management. Specific items in the detailed cost estimate become job cost elements. Expenses incurred during the course of the project are recorded in specific job cost accounts to be compared with the original cost estimate in each category. In addition to costs, information on material utilization and labor inputs and productivities within each cost code is also typically monitored in the project budget. With this information, actual materials usage and labor employed can be compared to the expected requirements. As a result, cost overruns or savings on particular items can be identified as due to changes in unit price, labor productivity or in the amount of material consumed. The number of cost code associated with a particular project can vary considerably. For contractors, on the order of four hundred separate cost accounts might be used on a project. In developing or implementing a system of cost accounts / cost codes an appropriate numbering or coding system is essential to facilitate communication of information and proper aggregation of cost information. Particular cost accounts are used to indicate the expenditures associated with the specific projects and to indicate the expenditures on particular item throughout an organization. Cost coding is also used for comparing the budget with actual expenditure, which is typically referred to as cost/value reconciliation. Sample of material requisition form showing the cost code with the allowance and remaining allowanceSample of project budget summary 9. TECHNIQUES AND WAYS FOR CONTROLLING COSTS The most important of all the cost control techniques is to appoint a small team of qualified and experienced people well versed in the financial management team to manage the daily finances of the company in a very professional and systematic manner. The cost control software can be helpful in doing the work in comparatively less time and with more accuracy. A. COST VALUE RECONCILATION The cost and value of the project must be reconciled and monitored regularly. This allows a contractor to manage and control actual against estimated expenditure. This will also allow the contractor to monitor costs and value movement and importantly also monitor profit levels. For the purpose of cost control, it is not sufficient to consider only the past records of costs and revenues incurred in a project. Good project commercial managers should focus upon future revenues, future costs and technical problems. For this purpose, traditional financial accounting schemes are not adequate to reflect the dynamic nature of building project. Accounts typically focus on recording routine costs and past expenditures associated with activities. W.H.Lucas and T.L.Morrison,  ¿Ã‚ ½Management Accounting for construction Contracts, Management Accounting, 1981, PP- 59  ¿Ã‚ ½ 65. Sample of a typical cost/value Reconciliation B. CONTROL OF PROJECT CASH FLOW A positive cash flow is critical to any business. On building projects cash flow is typically generated from the periodic payment for works completed, i.e. interim payments. Cash flow forecasts are unusually prepared and based on the program of works for internal purposes and for use by the client. Sample cash flow forecast C. BREAK _- EVEN ANALYSIS A break even analysis determines the point at which one method becomes superior to another method of accomplishing some task or objective. Break even analysis is a common and important part of cost control. Example:- One illustration of break even analysis would be compare two methods of road construction for a road that involves a limited amount of cut-and-fill earth work. It would be possible earthwork by hand or by bulldozer. If the manual method were adopted, the fixed costs would be low or nonexistent. Payment would be done on a daily basis and would call for direct supervision by a foreman. The cost would be calculated by estimating the time required and multiplying this time by the average wages of the men employed. The men could also be paid on a piece-work basis. Alternatively, this work could be done by a bulldozer which would have to be moved in from another site. Let us assume that the cost of the hand labor would be $0.60 per cubic meter and the bulldozer would cost $0.40 per cubic meter and would require $100 to move in from another site. The move-in cost for the bulldozer is a fixed cost, and is independent of the quantity of the earthwork handled. If the bulldozer is used, no econ omy will result unless the amount of earthwork is sufficient to carry the fixed cost plus the direct cost of the bulldozer operation. Breakeven Example for Earthwork Excavation If, on a set of co-ordinates, cost in dollars is plotted on the vertical axis and units of production on the horizontal line parallel to the x  ¿Ã‚ ½ axis. If variable cost per unit output is constant, then the total cost for any number of unit production will be the sum of the fixed cost and the variable cost multiplied by the number of units of production, or F+NV. If the cost data two processes or methods, one of which has higher variable cost, but lower fixed cost than the other are plotted on the same graph, the total cost lines will intersect at some point. At this point the levels of production and total cost are the same. This point known as the  ¿Ã‚ ½breakeven ¿Ã‚ ½ point, since at this level one method is as economical other. Referring the above Figure the breakeven point at which quantity the bulldozer alternative and the manual labor alternative become equal is at 500 cubic meters. We could have found this same result algebraically by writing F+NV = F ¿Ã‚ ½+NV ¿  ½, where F and V are the fixed and variable costs for the manual method and, F ¿Ã‚ ½ and V ¿Ã‚ ½ are the corresponding values for the bulldozer method. Since we all values are known except N, we can solve for N using the formula N = (F ¿Ã‚ ½  ¿Ã‚ ½ F) / (V-V ¿Ã‚ ½) D. BUDGETARY CONTROL Budgets are used for planning and controlling the income and expenditure in many different organizations. It is through the budget that a company ¿Ã‚ ½s plans and objectives can be converted into quantitative and monetary terms. Without these a company has little control. The budget may represent a total sum divided among a number of subheadings or work packages. It is important that the various sub headings include a timescale, since the expenditure by both the contractor and the client needs to be matched against income or the availability of funds. While the contractor will have a work program for the project and this can be costed, the procedure may be disrupted by delays on the part of all those involved and through changes (variations) to the original scheme. This information will give a rate of expenditure and a rate of income throughout the project, and by deducting income from expenditure the amount of capital required at the different times can then be calculated. The contractor will need to aggregate this information from all projects in order company position the company position. For budgeting purpose these data are prepared in advance of work being carried out on site. The information will also be collected after the execution of the works in order to establish the  ¿Ã‚ ½as done ¿Ã‚ ½ position and to facilitate a comparison with the budget. This known as budgetary control. In common with other control techniques, budgetary control is a continuous process undertaken throughout the contract duration. When variances from the budget occur, the contractor will need to assess the reason for them. E. CONTRACTORS COST CONTROL The contractor, having priced successfully enough to win the contract through tendering, must now ensure that the work can be completed for the estimated costs. One of the duties of the contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s quantity surveyors is to monitor the expenditure and advice site management of action that should be taken. This process also includes the costs of subcontractors, since these forms a part of the main contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s total expenditure. The contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s surveyors also comment on the profitability of different site operations. Where loss-making situations are encountered, decisions need to be taken to reverse this position if at all possible. The fact that estimators can be wide of the mark when estimating, even with common items, the contractor would seek reason for such a wide variation between costs and prices. This will be done for two reasons; first, in an attempt to recoup some of the loss; second, to avert such errors in future work. This situation may have arisen for one of the following reasons. * The character of the work is different from that envisaged at the time of tender. * The conditions for executing the work have changed. * Adverse weather conditions severely disrupted the work * There was inefficient use of resources. * There was excessive wastage of materials. * Plant had to stand idle for long periods of time. * Delays had occurred because of a lack of accurate design information F. COST COMPARISION In practice it is always difficult make to comparison between costs and valuations, since either the full items of expenditure are unavailable or the valuation has only been approximately prepared. However, the contractor does need to determine which contracts are profitable and which are not, and also to determine which operations gain or lose money. The information which is the generated may be used to form the basis of contractual claims or to assist in future tendering and the contractor ¿Ã‚ ½s selection of projects for which to tender. Both the actual profit and percentage on cost can be calculated from the given table. This offers the contractor an indication of the financial Trent, although in order to measure this realistically these figures need to be compared with their respective budgets. It is unclear from these data alone whether the contract was successful. By inference it can be suggested that the project reached its most successful stage in terms of profit alone at month 7. The profit  ¿Ã‚ ½expenditure ratio, however, had been decreasing since the commencement of the contract. This is also typical feature of fixed price contracts if the anticipated profit has been disturbed evenly throughout the project. Towards the end of the contract the project was probably losing money. For example compare the expenditure with the valuation for the month 9. This may suggest that work has been deliberately overvalued during this early stage. Month (Valuation  ¿Ã‚ ½ expenditure) G. SCHEDULE CONTROL In addition to cost control, commercial managers must also give considerable attention to monitoring schedules. (E.g. variation schedules) Construction typically involves a deadline for work completion, so contractual agreements will force attention to schedules. More generally, delays in construction represent additional costs to the client due to late facility occupancy or other factors. Just as costs incurred are compared to budgeted costs, actual activity durations may be compared to expected durations. In this process, forecasting the time to complete particular activities may be required. The methods used for forecasting completion times of activities are directly analogous to those used for forecasting. For example, a typical estimating formula might be : Df = Wht Where Df is the forecast duration, W is the amount of work, and ht is the observed productivity to time t. As with cost control, it is important to devise efficient and cost effective methods for gathering information on actual project accomplishment. Planned Vs Actual Expenditures H. ASSET REGISTER A part of Cost control techniques maintain and updating the register of the company ¿Ã‚ ½s inventory of assets, e.g. plant and equipment. The inventory should list all of the items that have been purchased by the company, their date of acquisition, initial value, current value (approximate), and/or depreciation, age and expected renewal date. The location of the asset and, if appropriate, the manufacturer ¿Ã‚ ½s serial number should be included. This register will remain an active document and be constantly updated. The inventory provides an accurate checklist for insurance purpose and to substantiate claims should these be necessary. The asset register can also be employed for taxation purposes in respect of depreciation and replacement funding. It acts as a financial register for the company ¿Ã‚ ½s assets. 10. ILLUSTRATIONS (TABLES AND GRAPHS) A. PROPORTION COMPLETION Vs EXPENDITURE FOR AN ACTIVITY B. PLANNED VS ACTUAL PROGRESS OVER TIME ON A PROJECT C. COST CODE SAMPLE D. VARIATION SCHEDULE SAMPLE E. LIGHT FITTINGS TRACKING SCHEDULE 11. CONCLUSION The main objective of cost control is to minimize and reduce the project costs. Cost control is necessary for all types of project disregarding its sizes. Most of the contractors have their own cost control system. The amount of detail and time interval between cost control reports must be considered, which is different according to level of management for which they have prepared mostly, it will be on monthly basis. After preparing the reports based on the actual costs, it is important to distribute the remaining budget for the future periods and estimate or re-estimate the cost of the work yet to be completed. Any new information must take into account since the commencement of contracts. It is important to ensure that there should not be any under claim or over claim of the work done. This is required to maintain a steady cash flow. Also, it helps the client and the contractor to manage their expenditure and income. The cost control techniques generally used in construction projects are: Cost Value Reconciliation, Control of Project Cash flow, Break  ¿Ã‚ ½ Even Analysis, Budgetary Control, and Contractors cost Control, Cost Comparison, Schedule Control and Asset Register.

Destined to Fail :: Free Essays Online

Destined to Fail Imagine having to wake up every morning and going to a broken down old building for seven hours a day. In the building you are forced to complete tasks which are easier in other buildings five minutes away, but since yours is poor you can not, if at all, complete these tasks. The outlook is so bleak that it almost seems as if you are destined to fail. For children in Camden, New Jersey this is school. Students in Camden are faced with an obvious, apalling educational disadvantage when viewed against the suburban Cherry Hill schools which are five minutes away. The crux of the problem with the Camden public schools is the impovershed state in which it attempts to educate its children. The main cause for the destitution in the Camden public schools is the serious lack of funds for educational materials including those for school facilities. The schools are in such dire straits that most do not have the necessary materials with which to teach. Students at times do not even have their own textbooks and science labs lack the necessary equipment to teach lessons properly. If a student is lucky enough to receive a textbook it is either outdated or falling apart. School facilities are also in a state of trouble, many are falling apart or have serious problems which inhibit learning. In Savage Inequalities, by Jonathan Kozol, the malfunctioning heating system not only makes the building extremely hot all year round, but also melted approximately forty of the fifty computers in a lab. Is this the proper environment for education? Would you want to go to a school like this? Disadvantages such as these cause greater problems as students progress in their education. The lack of proper educational materials prevents students from learning. Since it prevents students from passing state mandated tests, they have to spend approximately eight months of the year school year, usually in high school, preparing for these exams. In the long run students only learn how to take the test and spend only two months on material which may spark some intellectual interest. Students do not gain any kind of critical thinking or conceptual framework; they are simply robots which know how to pass a certain test. When viewed against students with whom they will be competiting for scholarships, college acceptance, and future employment, Camden public school students have obviously no chance.

Its Time to Stop Animal Research, Testing, and Experimentation Essays

It's Time to Stop Animal Research, Testing, and Experimentation    Using animals in research and to test the safety of products has been a topic of heated debate for decades. According to data collected by F. Barbara Orlans for her book, In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation, sixty percent of all animals used in testing are used in biomedical research and product-safety testing (62). People have different feelings for animals; many look upon animals as companions while others view animals as a means for advancing medical techniques or furthering experimental research. However individuals perceive animals, the fact remains that animals are being exploited by research facilities and cosmetics companies all across the country and all around the world. Although humans often benefit from successful animal research, the pain, the suffering, and the deaths of animals are not worth the possible human benefits. Therefore, animals should not be used in research or to test the safety of products. First, animals' rights are violated when they are used in research. Tom Regan, a philosophy professor at North Carolina State University, states: "Animals have a basic moral right to respectful treatment. . . .This inherent value is not respected when animals are reduced to being mere tools in a scientific experiment" (qtd. in Orlans 26). Animals and people are alike in many ways; they both feel, think, behave, and experience pain. Thus, animals should be treated with the same respect as humans. Yet animals' rights are violated when they are used in research because they are not given a choice. Animals are subjected to tests that are often painful or cause permanent damage or death, and th... ...tes animals' rights, it causes pain and suffering to the experimental animals, and other means of testing product toxicity are available. Humans cannot justify making life better for themselves by randomly torturing and executing thousands of animals per year to perform laboratory experiments or to test products. Animals should be treated with respect and dignity, and this right to decent treatment is not upheld when animals are exploited for selfish human gain. After all, humans are animals too. Works Cited Against Animal Testing. The Body Shop, 1993. Balls, Michael. "Time to Reform Toxic Tests." New Scientist 134 (1992):31-33. Orlans, F. Barbara. In the Name of Science: Issues in Responsible Animal Experimentation. New York: Oxford UP, 1993. Silcock, Sheila. "Is Your Experiment Really Necessary?" New Scientist 134 (1992): 32-34.

How Social Networking Makes Money Essay

A.Social networking is a daily activity for most of us. Facebook, Twitter all this sites have hundreds of millions of users. One thing I always think about, are these sites are businesses? It’s free to join and you do not need to pay to start building networking. B.If we take a look at the stock of the entire social media network we will find that the companies are valued in the billions of dollars. It’s a booming industry. How do they make money? Reasons A.First thing, social networks start with funding from Venture capitalists. a. Facebook & Google are the great example. They can reach very large audience at a very low cost. b. Creative Products & Promotions for example face book’s gifts. B.Data mining a. Data is the base of any business. It is potentially very valuable for companies’ growth. b. Some companies are â€Å"eavesdropping† on conversations, reading what users are saying about their products or competitor’s product. For Example Yelp, Twitter C. Advertising & fees the most common way for websites to generate revenue. a. A social networking site like Facebook has millions of active users. Access to that enormous user base is a valuable commodity. b. Charging for membership fees: To use certain features of the site they ask for the upgrade. For example, linked in. Linked in withhold key features from users until they choose to upgrade to a premium account. I hope this gives you a sense of why the market shares are in billions for these sites and where social networks are and where they are going to be in future. It is a growing industry and one can actually start making money from social networking sites. Invest your time learning how to make money with this.

Growth and Development of Brassica rapa Plants Essay

Intraspecific competition is a widely regarded principle mechanism in the structuring of communities and has an influence in the spatial dispersion of organisms such as plants. Knowing this, the authors designed an experiment to observe and understand the effect of intraspecific competition using Brassica rapa, operating under the precept that when the plant is grown in an limited space environment, the plants will grow quickly and will be able to produce offspring in a faster more efficient way. Utilizing a two-treatment group set-up where B. rapa plants were grown in either a low density set-up (2 seeds only) or high density set-up (10 seeds), the researchers found that a low density set-up had several advantages over the high density set up, with plants having higher prop survival and flower production. Thse findings supported the idea that limited space will affect the high density environment, allowing the seeds grown in a low density environment to flourish more effectively. Effect of Intraspecific Competition on Growth and Development of Brassica rapa Plants Introduction Intraspecific competition is a widely regarded principle mechanism in the structuring of communities (Abramsky and Sellah 1982). In fact, intraspecific competition is known to occur between members of the same species competing for shared, limiting resources such as food and space. Further more, intraspecific competition has an influence in the spatial dispersion of organisms such as plants (Mcginley 2008). Scientist have longed tried to determine whether competition exists between or within species and what effect it has on its survivability and reproduction rate. It is a known fact that plants that are grown in high density areas only have one choice: allocate the limited resources and grow rapidly (Siemens,et al. 2002) lest the organism fail to thrive and survive. It then becomes apparent that information gained from this area of study will have significant applications outside of the field of botany. In a time where reforestation and rehabilitation is a major issue, knowledge on intraspecific competition can help shape the success of efforts on plant-life conservation. To further study this mechanism, the researchers developed an experimental set-up that evaluated intraspecific competition among plants. Using space as the experiment’s limiting resource, species of B. rapa were cultivated in two treatment groups and observed for the effects of intraspecific competition. Space is often viewed as a major limiting resource for sessile organisms since taking away another’s space eliminates its ability to acquire food (Vance, 1984, p. 1354). The plant specie B. rapa was selected as the treatment model of choice since the specie is known for being an ideal experimental subject due to their small size, ease of cultivation and short life cycle. The main objective of the experiment was to observe and understand the effect of intraspecific competition on B. rapa due to limited space. The experiment operated under the main hypothesis that when the Brassica rappa plant is grown in an environment with limited space, the plants grow quickly and is able to produce offspring in a faster more efficient way. On the other hand, the null hypothesis for this experiment was that the limited space will not play a role in the growth and reproduction of B. rappa. Lastly, the alternative hypothesis for the experiment was that limited space will affect the high density environment, allowing the seeds grown in a low density environment to flourish. Materials and Methods For the experimental set-up, two treatment groups were created. One group was classified as Low density and was comprised of two Brassica rappa seeds while the second group was classified as High density and consisted of 10 Brassica rappa seeds. Controls determined for the experiment included light source, temperature and water while the considered variables included the biomass of the seeds, the mean biomass of the seeds, the number of pods and the number of flowers each plant produced. The experiment was conducted over a six-week period where data collection recorded the number of survivors per treatment group. The number of pods, flowers and pollinated flowers were also recorded. In the last two weeks of the experiment, treatment groups were harvested and mean height was recorded. The plants were then dried and the roots and forage material weighed to determine biomass. Seeds were then separated. Data gathered from the experiment were treated using t-tests and Oneway Analysis utilizing treatment means and standard deviations. Results After cultivation of B. rapa in the two treatment groups, the researchers determined the following data using Oneway analysis and t-tests. Results showed that the mean probability or survival per treatment were 0. 839683 [SD 0. 267817] in the low density set-up and 0. 732283 [SD 0. 262515] in the high density set-up (Appendix A) revealing a slight survival advantage in favor of the low density set-up. On the other hand, the mean height per treatment were 13. 5956 [SD 5. 33474] and 13. 1550 [SD 6. 63392] for the low density and high density set-up respectively (Appendix B) indicating that plants in both set-up flourished equally in terms of height most likely due to non-competition for light source which was a controlled variable. The mean number of flowers per treatment group was 2. 61684 [SD3. 55681] for the low density set-up and 1. 56520 [SD 1. 72971] for the high density set-up (Appendix C) indicating that the low density treatment group achieved higher performance indicated by being able to reach the reproductive stage more effectively. These values are closely mirrored by the mean number of pods per treatment group which showed that the low density set-up had a mean of 2. 04356 [SD 2. 55931] while the high density set-up had a mean of 1. 68122 [SD 2. 14201] (Appendix D) again reflecting a more successful reproductive course (successful pollination). Additionally, the mean values obtained for the number of seeds per plant were 5. 18258 [SD 8. 53005] for the low density set-up and 3. 65687 [SD 4. 70787] for the high density set-up (Appendix E) further solidifying the idea that plants in the low density group were able to flourish much better compared to the high density group. In terms of mean seed biomass, the low density set-up had an average mean of 0. 005624 [SD 0. 011844] which was lower in comparison to the high-density setup which had a value of 0. 006139 [SD 0. 014367] (Appendix F). The mean root biomass obtained were 0. 028744 [SD 0. 099737] for the low density set-up while the high density set-up had an obtained mean value of 0. 021542 [SD 0. 037141] (Appendix G). Lastly, the mean biomass per treatment group values obtained for the experiment were 0. 063467 [SD 0. 097980] for the low density set-up and 0. 069773 [SD 0. 110127] for the high density set-up (Appendix H). Biomass is supposedly a good measure of fitness or how well the plant flourished since the amount of living tissue is said to be regulated by resource availability, i. e. space (Franco & Kelly, 1998, p. 7830). Discussion Data gathered from the two treatment groups indicated that the low density group demonstrated certain advantages over the high density group. In both the areas of surviving prop [t=4. 555, DF=503. 608, p=. 0001] and mean plant height [t=0. 814, DF=471. 852, p=0. 416], the low density group scored higher on average compared to the high density treatment group. The same can be said in the measures for mean number of flowers, pod and seeds where the low density treatment group also had higher average means in comparison to the high density group. These findings supported the idea that plants in the low density group flourished more effectively in comparison to plants in the high density group. Additionally, a significant difference in the number of flowers produced [t=4. 168, DF= 352. 016, p=