Islamic Science in the Medieval Era Essay -- History, Middle, Medieval

There are many terms used to describe the period after the fall of Rome and before the Renaissance, three main terms being the Middle, Medieval, and Dark Ages. In general, these terms are used interchangeably, but are these fair substitutions? In recent years the term â€Å"Dark Ages† is becoming less and less acceptable as a phrase which describes the span of years it is meant to refer to. The use of the term â€Å"dark† implies a period of stagnation, which is becoming a questionable concept. In particular, the span of time referred to in this paper is 530-1452 BCE, with specific attention paid to the scientific discoveries and innovations rather than art or literature. These dates are significant because in 529 the Academy and Lyceum in Athens were shutdown by the Byzantine emperor, thus ending the Greek intellectual influence. The date of 1453 is chosen because many Greek texts arrived in Europe in 1453 after the fall of Constantinople at the hands of the Turks, the reby reviving the struggling European scientific fields (Bunch 93). This essay will show that the medieval period was not a so-called â€Å"dark age† because of scientific innovation in the Islamic world, and is only referred to as such because of the popular bias in the West of focusing on Europe. In order to make this clear, firstly, two objections to this proposition will be analyzed and clearly refuted. Following these counter arguments, the main weight of historical facts and events in the identification and explanation of Islamic scientific innovation will be presented, showing the inaccuracy of referring to the medieval period as dark. Finally, I will show that the misleading perception of the medieval era as stagnant is due to the modern bias for the superiority of Western... ...ime period in a positive scientific light. The distinction between modern and medieval science was described as medieval science being more theoretical in nature and modern being of the more applied variety. Through the further presentation of the plethora of Islamic scientists, covering fields as diverse as astronomy, medicine, chemistry, and physics it has been shown, without a doubt, that significant scientific contributions were made in this period. Finally, the source of this misconception was exposed through the common accidental perception of the past as a European narrative. History can easily be focused around Europe, and to do so produces a view of the medieval era being stagnant. However, when one looks at the greater global picture, it is clear that the Islamic world more than makes up for this lull in innovation, successfully brightening the â€Å"Dark Age†.

Plastic Pollution and the Effects on Human Health Essay -- Ecology

Where does all the plastic go. Every bit of plastic that has been created is still here. This is because plastic is one-hundred percent non-biodegradable! Even the most degraded plastic down to polymers cannot be digested by bacteria (Laist, 1997). If global issues like starvation and climate change are not enough to stress on, the weight of an issue literally churning in the Pacific Ocean is startling. For decades the majority of the world’s population has not been properly educated on the nature of plastic and the potential harm it can do to our environment and our physical health. Due to factors of man and the natural effects of nature, a major problem has developed that is now harming our food. Marine plastic is a visible sign of human impact on the marine environment. Plastic debris is more than an aesthetic problem. It can potentially cause danger to marine organisms through ingestion and entanglement (Laist, 1997). There’s so much plastic out there that it’s starting to compete as a food source for many different organisms. Plastic eventually breaks down into food size pieces and is mistaken for food by many organisms. They mistake the plastic particles for plankton. The public has a desire for certain types of fish which happen to have an accumulation of different toxins in their body. This happens when those larger fish species eat large amounts of smaller fish and other organisms that feed off the plankton-plastic mixture. Plastics are toxins can de-absorb out from the plastic and into the tissue and organs of the fish that are eating those smaller fish. The toxins move up the food chain becoming dangerously concentrated. Decades ago the number of marin e mammals that died each year due to ingestion and entanglement ap... ..., J., and M. Moran. 2009. Comparative day/night metatranscriptomic analysis of microbial communities in the North Pacific subtropical gyre. Environmental Microbiology. 1-18. http://www.fao.org/focus/e/fisheries/consum.htm Corno, G., Karl, D., Church, M., Letelier, R., Lukas, R., Bidigare, R., and M. Abbott. 2007. Impact of climate forcing on ecosystem processes in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. Journal of Geophysical Research. (112) 1-14. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Chemicals Programme: www.chem.unep.ch United States Department of State, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs: http://www.state.gov/e/oes/ Ritter L; Solomon KR, Forget J, Stemeroff M, O'Leary C.. "Persistent organic pollutants". United Nations Environment Programme. http://www.chem.unep.ch/pops/ritter/en/ritteren.pdf. Retrieved 2012-02-16.

Critical Issues Concerning Deforestation and Its Environmental Effects

Over half of the worlds† forests have already been destroyed if the rate of deforestation is not reduced, the forests will suffer even more damage. Imagine this; every minute twenty-six hectares (estimated) of the forest are destroyed, this is equal to thirty-seven football fields. The forest is not only the home to some of the most important species on earth, but it also helps control the climate and makes the planet able for us to live in. The expanding human population has cleared many of the trees, once covering much of the earth, a long time ago. Agriculture took a toll early of the landscape, and now the once great forests are reduced to tiny pockets scattered throughout the earth. Recently is when the tropical forests have become under severe attack of deforestation. Only seven hundred of the original one and a half billion hectares of the rain forest remain. At the turn of the twentieth century there was twice as much rain forest as there is today. Causes of deforestation include; commercial logging, clearance for agriculture, roads and railways, forest fires, mining and drilling, fuelwood, and clearing land for living are just some of the main reasons, of which we have not found the worst culprit. The two most common found reasons for deforestation are shifting cultivation and commercial logging. The problem starts when the soil becomes less fertile from animals grazing and walking repeatedly over the small land space. This not the threat to the forest however, the threat is when the land is not allowed enough time to recover and causes soil degradation. Felling of trees for charcoal, and clearing trees for mining and the extraction of oil are other factors leading to deforestation, but are not considered as damaging as shifting cultivation and commercial logging. Nonetheless they are still a threat to the existence of the rain forest. When trees are cleared the topsoil erodes in just one decade, of which it took thousands of years to accumulate. The land is now unusable and can lead to disastrous flooding since there is no soil to soak up the rain. The most disastrous effect of deforestation is the effect it has on the earth†s climate. The greenhouse effect and global warming is caused by the build-up of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere mainly. The amount of carbon dioxide would be greatly affected by the destruction of the rain forest; this would lead to a build up in the atmosphere and in result would increase climate change. Most of the burnt or rotting trees release even more carbon dioxide. Scientists believe that only a small fraction of the plants and animals that live in the rain forests have been identified, and of these are believed to hold the cures for some of the most deadly diseases, such as cancer and aids. An obvious solution would be for us to quit cutting down trees altogether, but there is no way we could do that. Forest management plans are being used all over the world, putting sustainability as the emphasis. These plans allow logging to take place by putting into the earth what we take out. These plans are carried out so that logging can be done with the least enduring effects taking place to the earth. Some parts of the rain forests, which are labeled as too sensitive for even well managed logging, are restricted as protected areas. These protected areas along with the help of enforced legislation, can be an effective defense against the many problems that affect the rain forests. The most important step in stopping the process of deforestation is to inform and educate the people whose actions either directly or indirectly create a problem for the rain forests. Developed countries and their consumers have to realize the devastating impacts on the forests from which the products cause that they buy. By doing this will be the only way we can stop the deforestation process and maybe eventually reverse it and the rain forests will flourish.

International Maritime Organisation

Transportation of goods over the world can be done by four modes which are railway, road, air and sea. Sea transportation is the one of the oldest transportation mode for many centuries. The number of ships and types increased rapidly in the last two centuries. For instance, the number of passenger fleets was 106 in 1972 but it is reached to 226 in 1998 (Alderton, 2004). This growth leads sea traffic busy with various types of ships carrying million tons of cargoes and passengers. As a consequence of this, unexpected accidents started to come out with fatal casualties. Some safety regulations must be taken both onshore or offshore to state the responsibilities and safety measures for the marine industry. Regarding to this, countries needed to establish an organization to promote Marine safety. IMO is the first international maritime organization and was established in 1948 (IMO, 20/10/2005). It was first entered into force in 1958 and its aim is to ensure safety, to prevent human injury or loss of life and to avoid damage to the environment (IMO, 1992). This essay will explore the IMO conventions and the effectiveness of IMO to the marine industry. IMO is concerned with the three important points: safety, prevention and control. In order to be effective in these areas, rules and regulations must be applied within the conventions. IMO has adopted various conventions but most significant are; SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea), ISM (International Safety Management), COLREG (Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea), MARPOL (International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships), STCW (International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers) and ILLC (International Convention on Load Lines). Adoptions of these conventions need to follow some procedures and long time to become valid. Six main bodies are involved within IMO to design, decide and offer the conventions and followed by a government acceptance to put into force. In addition to this, due to the rapid changes in shipping industry, conventions must be keeping updated to satisfy the conditi ons. SOLAS: the main objective of the SOLAS Convention is to specify minimum standards for the construction, equipment and operation of ships (SOLAS, 2001). It was adopted in 1974 and was entered into force in 1980. It was divided into 12 chapters, all requirements and certificates are controlled by the flag states. It is highly focused on * construction; stability, subdivision, fire protection and detection of vessels * life-saving appliances and arrangements; lifeboats and liferats * radiotelegraphy and radiotelephony * safety of navigation; radars, navigational aids, routeing of ships * safety management of ships operations which is ISM Code * Carriage of goods. ISM CODE It is known as the one of the most significant IMO invention which is a management system that controls work processes from the top level to lower, to stimulate safety organization both ashore and onboard. It is applied with quality management techniques to determine the responsibilities and principles of each action. System must provide safe working environment, to overcome against identified risks and continuous improvement of management and personal skills ashore and aboard (ISM, 2002). Figure 1.1 The safety management model (Bromby, 1995) As shown in Figure 1.1 management systems have some steps to be reviewed regularly in order to know that the system is working effectively. COLREG: It was adopted in 1972 and entered into force in 1977. COLREG determines vessels speed, risks and conducts of vessels operating in or near traffic separation schemes. The vessels which are navigating on the high seas or going to connect to the high seas must obey these rules. The other important areas of COLREG are; visibility of vessels, lights and shapes, sound and lights. STCW: It was adopted in 1977 and entered into force in 1984. Examination of the past accidents reports state that the majority of the accidents are caused by watchkeeping officers. This convention is concerned with the basic requirements on training, certification and watchkeeping. It is divided into six chapters which are; general provisions, navigational watch keeping, keeping an engineering watch, radio department, special requirements for tankers and proficiency in survival craft (IMO,20/10/2005). ILLC: It was adopted in 1966 and entered into force in 1968. Its aim is to reserve buoyancy, freeboard stability and avoid excess stress on the ship's hull (IMO, 20/10/2005). MARPOL: There was a tremendous increase in tanker production after Second World War II. These tankers were really complex to built and operate. According to this, some accidents occurred with thousands tons of oil split into water and damaged marine environment. MARPOL was established to prevent the marine pollution from oil splits, sewages, chemicals and other dangerous products. It introduces some measures, for instance; * Segregated ballast tanks are only used for ballast as cargo oil is prohibited to reduce cleaning problem, tank size limitation to limit potential oil outflow (Kristiansen, 2005). As mentioned before, all conventions aims are to reduce risks in marine industry. How the marine industry was before and how is it now? In order to find out the effectiveness of IMO conventions, comparison must be done between the past data and current data. The lost of ships are illustrated by Figure 1.2 between 1950 and 2000. Figure 1.2 Annual percentage of ships lost worldwide (Kristiansen, 2005). According to the Figure 1.2, it is clear that there is a sharp decrease in loss percentage that the ratio is reduced from 3% to 0.3% in fifty years. This is directly proportional to the growth in the number of safety regulations that have taken place between the years 1800 and 2000. Figure 1.3 will show the number of growth in safety regulations. Figure 1.3 Growth in safety regulations (Alderton, 2004) In addition to these improvements, there is a reasonable reduction of oil spill to the environment. According to the IMO, total oil spill in 2004 was 15000 tons comparison to the year 1975 was 2.13 million tons. On the other hand, Table 1.1 shows the annual casualties of world merchant fleet between the years 1993 and 2002. Table 1.1 (Alderton, 2004) Year 1993-1997 1998 1999 2000 2002 Total Casualties 107 85 73 99 97 Comparison to the 1950's, by the help of improvements, marine industry becomes safer but needs continuous improvement. Everybody who involves in this industry must always seek for zero defects. As shown in Table 1.1, although IMO has made great effort and reduced the rate of accidents in marine industry, casualties and pollution can still happen and remain constant. The reasons for these are; 1. Implementation of IMO Rules: In order to put the IMO rules into force effectively, all parties such as governments, shipping companies, flag states and port states have to make a reasonable effort. The mentioned parties have different responsibilities according to their positions while adapting and controlling these rules. These parties must have continuous collaboration and communication with each other but generally they can not. Lack of collaboration leads to misunderstandings and difficulties to put these rules into practice. 2. Continuous Revision of Rules and Regulations: The rules and regulations are updated periodically to keep up with the modern conditions. Although some rules have convenient level of safety, changed several times and become more complicated. The more complexity means the more problems. 3. The Gap Between Developed and Developing Countries: Developing countries have an important place in shipping industry. They own a reasonable percentage of world merchant fleet. Comparison to the developed countries, it is difficult to adapt the rules immediately because of their government procedures and financial situations. It is not just the IMO problem; it is one of the biggest problems in our world. Instead of offering temporary solutions such as loans; investments, guidance and assistance will be more effective. 4. Human Side: To manage marine safety, there must be an excellent co-operation between the people who are on board and ashore. Continuous improvement is needed for both management level and crew. Training and certification must be compulsory under the quality procedures. As mentioned before, ISM Code and STCW are established for this purpose but in the last hundred years, owners decided to flag out and wanted to work with low cost crew to get more profits. As a result of this, accidents appeared because of untalented crew. For this particular purpose, maritime training centres are highly important for safety. 5. Application Costs of Regulations: It is not easy to implement the rules and regulations because they need powerful financial situation. In addition to this, the average age of world vessel fleet is going old. Instead of investing money to these old vessels, owners prefer doing small improvements to the existing systems. Low cost high profit concept leads danger in this industry. At this point, new buildings come out and take an important part. Owners are now investing more money on technological improvements under construction phase with the societies control for safer life. Newly designed ships includes easily operated navigation techniques such as AIS, GPS and radars, stability calculations, tank cleaning systems, fire systems and etc. . In conclusion, mentioned conventions within IMO concept reached to a reasonable success in marine industry. On the other hand, continuous improvement by taking advantage of technology, collaboration and communication of involved parties are still needed to achieve zero accident targets and clean seas.

Bible Essay Example for Free

Bible Essay Choose cite format: APA MLA Harvard Chicago ASA IEEE AMA There are many accounts in the Bible that state God as the creator. Genesis 1 and 2 are both creation stories but slightly differ in their accounts; Genesis 1 is a day by day account of all the things God created in not so much detail whereas Genesis 2 explains the creation story in a way that focuses more on the creation of man and woman than just the lands. Having two accounts of the creation story means that it is easier to come up with your own conclusion as to how the earth was created. The first line of Genesis 1 is â€Å"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth† There is no explanation as to where God came from or why He is there, He just exists and creates the heavens and the earth. This alone is showing God as the creator. Genesis then carries on to state all the things God created all with no scientific or physical proof or evidence as to why and how God is doing so. â€Å"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them† This quote is from line 27 and is on the 6th day. The repetition of the word ‘created’ is enforcing to the reader that God is the creator of everything and this is done so that there is no doubt in the readers mind whether God is the creator or not. God creating man and woman in his own image is showing that we are superior to other beings such as animals which shows that God is the humans superior. Being made in Gods image is his way of blessing the humans in life as we are made in the ‘Creators’ image. â€Å"Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This quote is saying that God is passing down his ‘ruler ship’ on to the humans. This means that God is starting to ‘back away’ from his previous role and now feels that he has created a world that the inhabitants (humans) can look after. Genesis two is another creation story but has a few differences to Genesis 1. While Genesis 1 speaks a lot more of the specifics of how and when each part of the earth was made, Genesis 2 speaks a whole lot more about the creation of humans rather than the land. The most time that the creation of land is mentioned is at the beginning of Genesis 2. â€Å"This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens-â€Å" This is the first thing said in Genesis 2 and it is stating that God is the creator. It says that God created both the heavens and the earth; there is never any question or vagueness about God creating the heavens and the earth it is all very matter of fact. Although Genesis 2 doesn’t always speak of God ‘creating’ things it often personifies God in such a way that he is planting or making objects. â€Å"And the LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground-â€Å" This quote doesn’t say that God created the trees but made them grow from the ground, this is essentially saying that He created them as it was the first sighting of trees but is said in a different way as so not to force the ‘creation’ down your throat like Genesis 1 does. This is so that you can come to your own conclusion about which one is more plausible or correct but there is still no doubt as to god being the creator. Job 38 from the Book of Job is a story of how Satan and God have a disagreement where Satan was saying that Job only worships God because he is prosperous in his life, God then agrees to take away all his possessions and leave him with nothing to show Satan that Job would still worship him even if he was left with nothing. Job’s three friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar try to comfort Job but they end up doing the opposite and tell Job that the reason for all his losses is because he has sinned and now God is making him suffer. In the end Job has had enough and questions God, this makes God angry and then Job has a better understanding and realises that he should have trusted God all along. God then returns all of Jobs health and possession in better amounts than they previously were. This story is God showing his power and his superiority to humans. â€Å"Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? † This is God saying that he is mightier than any human and they do not compare to His power. This is also showing that God is omnipotent and that we know nothing compared to him. This is all enforcing that God is the creator and better than all the humans. â€Å"Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn it’s place,† This is saying that God has dominance over everything in the world, humans and nature. After Gods account of all his majestic works (such as the world and humans) and power, Job has to acknowledge God’s right as creator to do as he pleases and to not be questioned. Job is essentially the personification of all humans who do not believe god as the creator, Job doubted God and his ability so god became angry; this is supposedly what happens every time someone doubts God. Psalm 8 is a song about the lord God and his creation. â€Å"You have set your glory above the heavens† While this quote form the first verse isn’t directly linked to God being the creator it is saying that God has stated his glory in a way that so far in this psalm we do not know yet, we know that God has glory which could mean he has done something great. â€Å"When I consider the heavens, the work of your fingers† Now we start to work out what it is that causes God to have glory, â€Å"the work of your fingers† we are literally told that God has made the heavens with his ‘fingers’. This personification of God shows that people saw him as one of them but also appreciated his greater power, this could possibly relate to humans being made in God’s image. â€Å"you made him a little lower than the heavenly beings† This quote is, like Job 38, stating God’s dominance over the humans. God made humans a little lower than heavenly beings so that they knew their place and that they were lesser than himself ‘the creator’. Bible. (2018, Oct 23).

Water storage tank control Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Water storage tank control - Essay Example After establishing these values, further identification of comparative indicators could be assessed to put the switch in on or off position. Under the condition where net water supply reaches the maximum level, the water supply must be stopped to prevent unnecessary flow of water. This level is designated as level 3. In general, three set of interconnected gates direct the level of water in the tank. The Not gate operates to institute a connection between level 1 and water tank empty indicator as this is linked with the alarm. As soon as the provided value falls below the numerical value of 3, light is switched on. On the basis of this, it can be inferred that the water level is decreasing and water in the tank is attaining lower level and it is the time to take some measure in order to impede the water from touching the lowest level. The ensuing course endures till the alarm is switched off, an indication of exhausting the water. In a situation where water level drops to level 1, at tentiveness and safeguard are desired to be practiced to prevent the pump from incurring any sort of damage; the purpose of switch is to prevent such a disaster. Beside the level 1 point, the provided switch is required to show as well as act to turn off while the indicator is required to express the task of turn off. The figure illustrates the situation of incorporating distinctive function device, an inverter that provides a mechanism of certifying facility alternative.

Structure, properties and treatment of steels Assignment

Structure, properties and treatment of steels - Assignment Example The first three methods change the chemical composition, carburizing by the addition of carbon, nitriding by the addition of nitrogen, and cyaniding by the addition of both carbon and nitrogen. The flame hardening and induction hardening processes do not change the chemical composition of the steel and are essentially shallow-hardening methods. In flame and induction hardening the steel must be capable of being hardened, therefore the carbon content must be about 0.30 percent or higher. So in case of 0.6 % plain carbon steel we have got only two surface hardening processes left and these are flame hardening and induction hardening process. These two are essentially the shallow hardening methods. Selected areas of the surface of a steel are heated into the austenite range and then quenched form martensite. Therefore, it is necessary to start with a steel which is capable of being hardened. Generally, this is in the range of 0.3 to 0.6 percent carbon. So depending upon the other required properties of the steering shaft the most appropriate method of surface hardening is induction