Saturday, August 31, 2019

Masonry History

Masonry Brick and cement have been important construction materials for centuries, and an experienced mason is an essential part of almost any construction crew. Masonry is a growing career that requires knowledge of history, materials, and techniques. Masonry consists of a lot of different things such as laying brick, block, or rock. It also consists of pouring concrete slabs such as foundations, driveways, or even pouring concrete walls. These skills require specialized training and practice to perfect. Masonry is the process of constructing a building from individual bricks laid in a specific pattern and bound together† (What is Brick Masonry? ). This specific pattern that is bound together is called a course. â€Å"Masonry is considered a durable construction method and brick is one of the most common types of masonry used in industrialized nations† (What is Brick Masonry? ). Concrete masons and concrete finishers work outside together and complete the long process o f pouring concrete such as foundations, slabs, or steps (Porterfield).Concrete is everywhere: on highways, bridges, sidewalks, or driveways, just about all ways of traveling (What is Brick Masonry? ). A variety of skills is required to be an experienced mason. â€Å"Keys to success are hand eye coordination, manual deterring, good balance, physical fitness, solid math skills, and team playing ability† (What is Brick Masonry? ). Masonry has existed for centuries. â€Å"The Egyptian pyramids, coliseum in Rome, India’s Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and some of the world’s most significant architectural achievements have been built with masonry† (Mason Contractors).Artistic, strong, and durable masonry structures have withstood the normal wear and tear for centuries (Mason Contractors). â€Å"Ancient records and excavations show that brick construction dates back more than 5000 years† (Master Masonry). For centuries, before technology came out, th e mason would have to hand form his brick that he was to lay in the wall later (Master Masonry). â€Å"Many of the brick used in construction in the early American settlements were brought from England† (Master Masonry).Records show that the first brick ever made in the United States were made in Virginia in 1611 and in Massachusetts in 1629 (Master Masonry). â€Å"In 1666 a great fire changed London from a city of wooden buildings to a city of brick construction† (Master Masonry). Because the English had first built everything in London out of wood, it acted such as a chain reaction and burnt the whole city down (Master Masonry). The British realized that brick was a better material for their needs, and so did many other civilizations. Through civilization, architects and buildings have chosen masonry for its beauty, versatility, and durability† (Mason Contractors). Masonry is used to stop disasters such as the London fire because it is resistant to fire, earthq uakes, and sounds (Mason Contractors). Since masonry is so popular, American masons can get expect to be paid well. On average a brick mason gets paid $30. 50 an hour (Bricklayers). â€Å"Bricklayers who work full time may receive benefits such as health insurance, paid vacation, sick leave, and retirement plan† (Bricklayers).However bad weather or downturns in construction activity can reduce hours (Bricklayers). Fifty percent of brick masons make $22. 56 with an annual wage of $46,000 a year (Brick masons and Block masons). Earth’s expanding population does provide masons some job security. â€Å"As the population grows more schools, homes, factories, and other structures will be needed† (Bricklayers). This growth will contribute to the demand for bricklayers and stonemasons. â€Å"Employment of bricklayers and stone masons is sensitive to the economy; if the economy slows down, then so does construction† (Bricklayers).Demand may also come from those wh o are renovating existing masonry buildings to maybe open a new business or make a new home to live in (Bricklayers). â€Å"With a crumbling infrastructure throughout the country the demand for cement masons who can repair and build highways, bridges, and other structures will be high in the coming years† (Porterfield). New concerns over the cost of heating and cooling buildings workers mean that workers will need to build energy efficient buildings in the coming years also (Bricklayers). The demand for terrazzo workers brick layers and stone masons is also expected to succeed the supply of skilled workers† (Porterfield). One is not required to go to college to be a mason, yet it is good to take courses such as construction trades or business classes. â€Å"There are also helpful high school classes that [one] can take such as carpentry, algebra, or physics† (Bricklayers). These classes can help in other careers too, not just masonry. â€Å"Since there are no co llege requirements some companies may require [one] to be at an experienced level before they will hire [one] on† (Porterfield).They may require one to two years experience to come on as a layer, or they may not require any experience to come on as a laborer who only mixes mud or takes brick to the layers. â€Å"Apprenticeship programs do four years of on-the-job; training, [one is] paid for the time [one spends] on the job and [one receives] at least 144 hours of classroom training† (Bricklayers). Bricklayers start out on the job by examining the blueprint or structure to see what work needs to be done, and then they start to unload the supplies for the job (Bricklayers). Bricklayers then lay the foundation, then they spread the mortar, then they tap the brick into place† (Bricklayers). Masons measure the distance from the reference points using levels or plumb lines (Bricklayers). â€Å"Bricklayers mark guides to follow as they lay the material† (Bricklay ers). Bricklayers start at corners because they are most difficult. The more experienced masons do the corners and the less experienced fill the corners in to form the wall (Bricklayers). There are a variety of ways to lay brick, and there are many designs and formats masons use.With all that is going to be said, people interested in masonry will need to know that a course is a row of brick, a header is when the short side of the brick faces out, and a stretcher is when the long side of the brick faces out (Bradshaw). The first and most basic type of brick pattern is a running bond; this is where the bond alternates instead of being stacked upon one another (Bradshaw). A common bond occurs when a header is laid so that the small end only appears on the face of the wall. A stretcher is a brick laid such that the long, narrow side only appears on the face of the wall.Brick laid in common bond with sixth course headers will have five rows of stretchers, one row of headers, then five mo re rows of stretchers, and one more row of headers(Bradshaw). Then there is the stack bond, which is where the brick is stacked right on top of each other (Bradshaw). There is also an English bond, which has one full course of stretchers and another full course of headers that alternate as such (Bradshaw). A Flemish bond is where every course is made of alternating headers and stretchers.Then there is the herringbone bond, in which every course is laid at an angle with the angle depending on the direction of the course. The Flemish and herringbone bonds are the most difficult ones to lay because the style is so detailed. A mason must measure and level the work exactly because imperfections show easily in both these styles (Bradshaw). The chart below is contains pictures of the six most common types of masonry bonds. These bonds are used in most commercial masonry jobs. Different types of bonds are used depending on issues like customer preferences and the types of structure being co nstructed. Six Types of Masonry Bonds Running Bond |Common Bond | |[pic] |[pic] | |Stack Bond |English Bond | |[pic] |[pic] | |Flemish Bond |Herringbone Bond | |[pic] |[pic] | Source: Brickwork GuideMasonry is a very important part of construction throughout the world. It has been around for hundreds of years and has grown and changed a lot since it was originated, which makes it a good construction method. The pay for a more experienced mason it outstanding, and the pay for an inexperienced one is still way above average. The demand for masons has gone down a whole lot in the past years, but I think that it will start to rise in the coming years. One better thing about the career is there is no schooling required; one just needs experience. These great reasons are why anyone able should get into masonry to start a great career for the rest of his or her life.

Friday, August 30, 2019

The Desire of Love in “A Mercy”

â€Å"Love is the irresistible desire to be desired irresistibly. † – Robert Frost The conception of love throughout the novel changes drastically from innocent to a sense of desertion. The way Florence shows her love for the blacksmith illustrates to the reader her inexperience with the emotion. Love was a pretty difficult topic to write on because of the fact that the novel was narrated by so many different characters from beginning to end. The irony on the basis of love is was basically the fact that the blacksmith doesn’t feel the same way for Florence as she feels for him.Later on in the novel I noticed and finally understood the title of the novel â€Å"A Mercy. † It was simply because of the Love of a human. Illustrated in the concluding paragraphs Morrison states â€Å"It was not a miracle. Bestowed by God. It was a mercy. Offered by a human. † Love is often defined as an intense feeling of deep affection, and the way Florence expressed her love for the blacksmith emphasized her youth not only in age but also with the emotion itself. Florence showed consistent signs of jealously and bitterness because she was able to handle such affection.She was regularly bitter with the thought of her mother giving her away when she was younger, not knowing the reason for her mother’s rational decision. One way Florence showed her jealously was when the blacksmith adopted a young boy and began showing him more attention than he gave Florence. Florence, overtake by jealously and rage got into a physical altercation with the young child and in the end ended up breaking the child’s arm. Florence says in chapter 9 that she didn’t try to hurt the young lad, she just simply wanted him to stop crying, but she also goes on to say how she heard his shoulder crack but continued anyway (164).This is what leads me to think that it was done out of her jealously and rage and not by other less harmful means. The incident not on ly caused a huge dispute between her and the blacksmith but it also projected to the reader that Florence was unable to accept the fact that the blacksmith could show affection for someone else, other than her. â€Å"You see the boy down and believe bad about me without question? † (165) Florence goes into detail speaking about how the blacksmith came into the room and his immediate assumption was that Florence had did something to harm the boy.The excerpt that I think hurt Florence the most (165) was when he said to her â€Å"You are nothing but wilderness. No constraint. No mind. † Basically telling Florence she is as wild as an outdoor animal and can’t control herself or her emotions. Like a toddler Florence craves independence and attention but yet from the activities that Florence encountered in her past, she also fears desertion. As I stated before, Florence and the blacksmith got into a physical altercation and the blacksmith ended up striking Florence an d he abandoned her by telling her to leave the presence of him and his adopted son.Not only did the blacksmith aim to hurt Florence physically but he also attempted to hurt her verbally because after her told her to leave his presence her called her a (166) â€Å"slave by choice in both boy and mind. † In the novel Morrison compares this sense of abandonment to that of a familiar feeling Florence felt when she was given up at birth. Knowing that that event scared Florence negatively for life, it really gives the reader the ability to feel the wrath of the emotional roller coaster Florence is feeling at this point in the novel knowing she just lost a man she cared so deeply about.The love Florence has/had for the blacksmith soon des and turn simply to hatred because she still can’t realize the mistake she made in hurting Malik. Yes in my opinion the blacksmith was wrong for striking her but she was somewhat lucky that that was all he did. (184) Later, on in chapter 11 F lorence elaborates more on her closing quotes in chapter 9 which was â€Å"the claws scratch and scratch until the hammer is in my hand† (167).But in chapter 11 Florence gets into another tussle with the blacksmith (184) in which she strikes him with a hammer and cuts him severely with tongs before she runs away. Later on in this chapter and the preceding chapter (195) is where readers learn why the novel is titled â€Å"A Mercy. † The novel is named for Jacobs agreement to save Florence from a life that would have been worse than the one she experience on the Vaarks farm. â€Å"It was Not a miracle bestowed bu God. It was a mercy. Offered by a human†

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Dealing with Offending Behaviour Essay

Acknowledgement of offending behaviour and its impact Despite a 50% increase in the budget for prisons and managing offenders in the last ten years almost half of all adult offenders released from custody reoffend within a year so effective rehabilitation is needed to enable us to break the cycle of crime and prison. This rehabilitation includes offending behaviour programmes, which make offenders, confront and acknowledge the damage their behaviour does, and then learn how to change the patterns which have often grown up over many years and have become a way of life. Assessment of individual behaviour A plan is drawn up for an individual depending on their offences and the analysis completed when they first arrived in custody to decide which offending behaviour programmes, education and training they will receive while in prison to prepare them for release. Assessment of associated risks The offender can be a risk to themselves and the public. They put themselves at risk of being back in prison if they leave and carry on the same lifestyle with the same people, surroundings and pressures. Breaking out of a cycle of crime is hard for an individual but it is possible with support from rehabilitation programmes inside and out of prison. If the cycle isn’t broken and an offender leaves prison the public are at risk of crimes by that person; damage to life, people and property can happen which could have been prevented if the correct programmes were available to them while inside. Behaviour factors Prisoner’s behaviour issues can lead them to reoffend because of different factors such as physical, social, psychological and emotional. People with offending behaviour are more likely to be aggressive and impulsive which can link to medical conditions such as ADHD and autism meaning they misunderstand social norms and behave in an anti-social manner. If they live in a disadvantaged society there are more negative peer groups surrounding  offenders, encouraging them to be anti-social. The families in these areas won’t have appropriate role models to teach the norms of society making young people think it’s acceptable to be truant from school, meaning lack of qualification and becoming more likely to commit crime when they’re older. Offending behaviour Young people and adults who display serious and persistent offending behaviour usually have patterns of negative behaviour dating back to their early years. The key to prevention lies in the early years and parents having a good understanding of their role in shaping their children’s behaviour; if this isn’t done correctly the child grows up not understanding social norms and values of society so when they grow up they commit crimes thinking it’s a normal way to behave. They get punished for it, released from prison and carry on their corrupted criminal life if nothing is done to change them inside prison. Changing behaviour positively To help prisoners deal with their offending behaviour they are able to talk about what they think and feel about their crimes, they can then reflect and understand the harm they caused to others through their actions. Also a lot of time and resources are used teaching prisoners new techniques such as problem solving, coping mechanisms and decision making to help them think through past incidents and show how they can be changed in the future. Impact of crime on victims After experiencing a crime, people can be affected in different ways. Sometimes people feel quite normal for a while and then things may suddenly start to fall apart, while others can have physical symptoms such as lack of sleep or feeling sick with worry. People around you such as friends, partners and children are also likely to be affected. They may feel similar emotions to yours alongside being concerned about you but at the same time; many people find that others around them expect them to just ‘get over it.’ Current offending behaviour programmes ââ€"  Sex Offenders Treatment Programmes (SOTP) SOPT is a range of programmes specifically for sex offenders designed according to individual needs and their risk levels in society. It helps offenders understand how and why they have committed sexual offences and also increases awareness of victim harm. The main focus is to help the offender develop meaningful life goals and practice new thinking and behavioural skills that will lead them away from reoffending. ââ€"  Controlling Anger and Learning to Manage it (CALM) CALM is an emotional management programme designed for offending behaviour stemmed from intense emotions. The goals are to help offenders understand the factors that trigger their anger and aggression and learn skills to manage their emotions. Reoffending Different things trigger people to reoffend including poor thinking, problem solving skills and little self-control when under peer pressure. People who reoffend usually can’t see the potential problems they are putting themselves in; this is usually because they are unable to disassociate with other offending peers. These groups have a tendency to be more impulsive and aggressive with hostile behaviour which results in trouble with the police.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Narcosis ciliates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Narcosis ciliates - Essay Example This movement propels the cell perpendicular to the orientation of the cilia. In contrast, the longer flagellum, usually one or two, moves in an undulating manner, moving successive waves from the base to the tip in the process. As such, it propels the cell to move parallel to the flagellum’s orientation. On the other hand, microvilli are non-motile appendage with no internal structure supporting it (Reece, et al., 2011). The loss of activity of cilia, resulting to loss of cellular motility, is termed ciliate narcosis. This can be induced by different living conditions and substances to which it is exposed to, such as low temperature (Jackson, Goggin and Lucas, 2012), calcium (Nakanaka, Tanaka and Oosawa, 1984), magnesium and protein (Adshead, et al., 1975) concentrations, as well as the presence of certain substances, such as theophylline, bromhexine, ambroxol, terpin hydrate, mercaptoethanesulfonat-sodium, amrinon, salbutamol, tetracosactid-hexaacetate, histamine, phenol and nitric oxide (Graf, Graf and Wenz, 1999). In addition, a study using tracheal cells in vitro, showed that ciliary beat frequency was increased at low ethanol concentrations (0. 01 to 0. 1%), unchanged at (0. 5 to 1%), and decreased above 2% (Maurer and Liebman, 1988). Moreover, even if it does not penetrate the cellular membrane, the presence of glycerol in the culture can make cellular surroundings viscous, making it more difficult for cilia to move (Negus, 1949). Alcohols are amphiphatic molecules primarily composed of alkane (CH3) and hydroxyl (OH) moieties, such that the simplest alcohol is methane (CH3OH). When the hydrocarbon portion becomes longer, as in the case of ethanol (2 Cs), propranol (3 Cs) and butanol (4 Cs), the alcohol becomes effectively more hydrophobic. A compound similar to alcohols, propranolol in particular, is glycerol, which has hydroxyl group attached to each of the three carbon atoms (Masterton and Hurley, 2008). One of the well-studied organisms known t o extensively use cilia for movement is the free-living Tetrahymena pyriformis, which belongs to the order Holotrichia, literally meaning cilia all over its membrane. The microorganism is a common fixture in human toxicity studies, because of its cilia’s similarity in terms of morphology and function to that of human epithelial cells (Graf, Graf and Wenz, 1999). Its cell membrane has the characteristic sandwich-like phospholipid bilayer, with the hydrophilic head facing the cytoplasm or the external surroundings, and the hydrophobic chain filling the middle. Given this structure, hydrophilic molecules can more easily pass the membrane, as compared to hydrophobic ones. However, the presence of transport mechanisms allows hydrophobic molecules to enter the cell (Reece, et al., 2011). In cellular permeability studies, an observable cellular change effected by previously identified substance must be utilized in order to clearly determine when and in what conditions the substance penetrated the cell membrane. In this case, the cellular change used was ciliate necrosis and the substance that causes it would be alcohol. This experiment was conducted in order to 1) observe narcosis of T. pyriformis ciliates by alcohol, and 2) discuss the results of ciliate narcosis in terms of membrane permeability. METHOD After preparing propranol and glycerol serial dilutions (propranol: 1.8 M, 1. 5M, 0. 4M, 0. 2M , 0M; glycerol: 2. 8M, 2M, 1. 7M, 1M, 0M) using distilled