Monday, September 30, 2019

Vampire Academy Chapter 15

FIFTEEN MASON DELIVERED. He found me the next day before school. He was carrying a box of books. â€Å"I got them,† he said. â€Å"Hurry and take them before you get in trouble for talking to me.† He handed them over, and I grunted. They were heavy. â€Å"Christian gave you these?† â€Å"Yeah. Managed to talk to him without anyone noticing. He's got kind of an attitude, did you ever notice that?† â€Å"Yeah, I noticed.† I rewarded Mason with a smile that he ate up. â€Å"Thanks. This means a lot.† I hauled the loot up to my room, fully aware of how weird it was that someone who hated to study as much as I did was about to get buried in dusty crap from the fourteenth century. When I opened the first book, though, I saw that these must be reprints of reprints of reprints, probably because anything that old would have long since fallen apart. Sifting through the books, I discovered they fell into three categories: books written by people after St. Vladimir had died, books written by other people when he was still alive, and one diary of sorts written by him. What had Mason said about primary and secondary sources? Those last two groups were the ones I wanted. Whoever had reprinted these had reworded the books enough so that I didn't have to read Ye Olde English or anything. Or rather, Russian, I supposed. St. Vladimir had lived in the old country. Today I healed the mother of Sava who has long since suffered from sharp pains within her stomach. Her malady is now gone, but God has not allowed me to do such a thing lightly. I am weak and dizzy, and the madness is trying to leak into my head. I thank God every day for shadow-kissed Anna, for without her, I would surely not be able to endure. Anna again. And â€Å"shadow-kissed.† He talked about her a lot, among other things. Most of the time he wrote long sermons, just like what I'd hear in church. Super boring. But other times, the book read just like a diary, recapping what he did each day. And if it really wasn't just a load of crap, he healed all the time. Sick people. Injured people. Even plants. He brought dead crops back to life when people were starving. Sometimes he would make flowers bloom just for the hell of it. Reading on, I found out that it was a good thing old Vlad had Anna around, because he was pretty messed up. The more he used his powers, the more they started to get to him. He'd get irrationally angry and sad. He blamed it on demons and stupid stuff like that, but it was obvious he suffered from depression. Once, he admitted in his diary, he tried to kill himself. Anna stopped him. Later, browsing through the book written by the guy who knew Vladimir, I read: And many think it miraculous too, the power the blessed Vladimir shows over others. Moroi and dhampirs flock to him and listen to his words, happy just to be near him. Some say it is madness that touches him and not spirit, but most adore him and would do anything he asked. Such is the way God marks his favorites, and if such moments are followed by hallucinations and despair, it is a small sacrifice for the amount of good and leadership he can show among the people. It sounded a lot like what the priest had said, but I sensed more than just a â€Å"winning personality† People adored him, would do anything he asked. Yes, Vladimir had used compulsion on his followers, I was certain. A lot of Moroi had in those days, before it was banned, but they didn't use it on Moroi or dhampirs. They couldn't. Only Lissa could. I shut the book and leaned back against my bed. Vladimir healed plants and animals. He could use compulsion on a massive scale. And by all accounts, using those sorts of powers had made him crazy and depressed. Added into it all, making it that much weirder was that everyone kept describing his guardian as â€Å"shadow-kissed.† That expression had bugged me ever since I first heard it†¦ â€Å"You're shadow-kissed! You have to take care of her!† Ms. Karp had shouted those words at me, her hands clenching my shirt and jerking me toward her. It had happened on a night two years ago when I'd been inside the main part of the upper school to return a book. It was nearly past curfew, and the halls were empty. I'd heard a loud commotion, and then Ms. Karp had come tearing around the corner, looking frantic and wild-eyed. She shoved me into a wall, still gripping me. â€Å"Do you understand?† I knew enough self-defense that I could have probably pushed her away, but my shock kept me frozen. â€Å"No.† â€Å"They're coming for me. They'll come for her.† â€Å"Who?† â€Å"Lissa. You have to protect her. The more she uses it, the worse it'll get. Stop her, Rose. Stop her before they notice, before they notice and take her away too. Get her out of here.† â€Å"I†¦what do you mean? Get her out of†¦you mean the Academy?† â€Å"Yes! You have to leave. You're bound. It's up to you. Take her away from this place.† Her words were crazy. No one left the Academy. Yet as she held me there and stared into my eyes, I began to feel strange. A fuzzy feeling clouded my mind. What she said suddenly sounded very reasonable, like the most reasonable thing in the world. Yes. I needed to take Lissa away, take her – Feet pounded in the hallway, and a group of guardians rounded the corner. I didn't recognize them; they weren't from the school. They pried her off of me, restraining her wild thrashing. Someone asked me if I was okay, but I could only keep staring at Ms. Karp. â€Å"Don't let her use the power!† she screamed. â€Å"Save her. Save her from herself!† The guardians had later explained to me that she wasn't well and had been taken to a place where she could recover. She would be safe and cared for, they assured me. She would recover. Only she hadn't. Back in the present, I stared at the books and tried to put it all together. Lissa. Ms. Karp. St. Vladimir. What was I supposed to do? Someone rapped at my door, and I jerked out of my memories. No one had visited me, not even staff, since my suspension. When I opened the door, I saw Mason in the hall. â€Å"Twice in one day?† I asked. â€Å"And how'd you even get up here?† He flashed his easy smile. â€Å"Someone put a lit match in one of the bathroom's garbage cans. Damn shame. The staff's kind of busy. Come on, I'm springing you.† I shook my head. Setting fires was apparently a new sign of affection. Christian had done it and now Mason. â€Å"Sorry, no saving me tonight. If I get caught – â€Å" â€Å"Lissa's orders.† I shut up and let him smuggle me out of the building. He took me over to the Moroi dorm and miraculously got me in and up to her room unseen. I wondered if there was a distracting bathroom fire in this building too. Inside her room, I found a party in full swing. Lissa, Camille, Carly, Aaron, and a few other royals sat around laughing, listening to loud music, and passing around bottles of whiskey. No Mia, no Jesse. Natalie, I noticed a few moments later, sat apart from the group, clearly unsure how to act around all of them. Her awkwardness was totally obvious. Lissa stumbled to her feet, the fuzzy feelings in our bond indicating she'd been drinking for a while. â€Å"Rose!† She turned to Mason with a dazzling smile. â€Å"You delivered.† He swept her an over-the-top bow. â€Å"I'm at your command.† I hoped he'd done it for the thrill of it and not because of any compulsion. Lissa slung an arm around my waist and pulled me down with the others. â€Å"Join the festivities.† â€Å"What are we celebrating?† â€Å"I don't know. Your escape tonight?† A few of the others held up plastic cups, cheering and toasting me. Xander Badica poured two more cups, handing them to Mason and me. I took mine with a smile, all the while feeling uneasy about the night's turn of events. Not so long ago, I would have welcomed a party like this and would have downed my drink in thirty seconds. Too much bothered me this time, though. Like the fact that the royals were treating Lissa like a goddess. Like how none of them seemed to remember that I had been accused of being a blood whore. Like how Lissa was completely unhappy despite her smiles and laughter. â€Å"Where'd you get the whiskey?† I asked. â€Å"Mr. Nagy,† Aaron said. He sat very close to Lissa. Everyone knew Mr. Nagy drank all the time after school and kept a stash on campus. He continually used new hiding places – and students continually found them. Lissa leaned against Aaron's shoulder. â€Å"Aaron helped me break into his room and take them. He had them hidden in the bottom of the paint closet.† The others laughed, and Aaron gazed at her with complete and utter worship. Amusingly, I realized she hadn't had to use any compulsion on him. He was just that crazy for her. He always had been. â€Å"Why aren't you drinking?† Mason asked me a little while later, speaking quietly into my ear. I glanced down at my cup, half surprised to see it full. â€Å"I don't know. I guess I don't think guardians should drink around their charges.† â€Å"She's not your charge yet! You aren't on duty. You won't be for a long time. Since when did you get so responsible?† I didn't really think I was all that responsible. But I was thinking about what Dimitri had said about balancing fun and obligation. It just seemed wrong to let myself go wild when Lissa was in such a vulnerable state lately. Wiggling out of my tight spot between her and Mason, I walked over and sat beside Natalie. â€Å"Hey Nat, you're quiet tonight.† She held a cup as full as mine. â€Å"So are you.† I laughed softly. â€Å"I guess so.† She tilted her head, watching Mason and the royals like they were some sort of science experiment. They'd consumed a lot more whiskey since I'd arrived, and the silliness had shot up considerably. â€Å"Weird, huh? You used to be the center of attention. Now she is.† I blinked in surprise. I hadn't considered it like that. â€Å"I guess so.† â€Å"Hey, Rose,† said Xander, nearly spilling his drink as he walked over to me. â€Å"What was it like?† â€Å"What was what like?† â€Å"Letting someone feed off you?† The others fell quiet, a sort of anticipation settling over them. â€Å"She didn't do that,† said Lissa in a warning voice. â€Å"I told you.† â€Å"Yeah, yeah, I know nothing happened with Jesse and Ralf. But you guys did it, right? While you were gone?† â€Å"Let it go,† said Lissa. Compulsion worked best with direct eye contact, and his attention was focused on me, not her. â€Å"I mean, it's cool and everything. You guys did what you had to do, right? It's not like you're a feeder. I just want to know what it was like. Danielle Szelsky let me bite her once. She said it didn't feel like anything.† There was a collective â€Å"ew† from among the girls. Sex and blood with dhampirs was dirty; between Moroi, it was cannibalistic. â€Å"You are such a liar,† said Camille. â€Å"No, I'm serious. It was just a small bite. She didn't get high like the feeders. Did you?† He put his free arm around my shoulder. â€Å"Did you like it?† Lissa's face went still and pale. Alcohol muted the full force of her feelings, but I could read enough to know how she felt. Dark, scared thoughts trickled into me – underscored with anger. She usually had a good grip on her temper – unlike me – but I'd seen it flare up before. Once it had happened at a party very similar to this one, just a few weeks after Ms. Karp had been taken away. Greg Dashkov – a distant cousin of Natalie's – had held the party in his room. His parents apparently knew someone who knew someone, because he had one of the biggest rooms in the dorm. He'd been friends with Lissa's brother before the accident and had been more than happy to take Andre's little sister into his social fold. Greg had also been happy to take me in, and the two of us had been all over each other that night. For a sophomore like me, being with a royal Moroi senior was a huge rush. I drank a lot that night but still managed to keep an eye on Lissa. She always wore an edge of anxiety around this many people, but no one really noticed, because she could interact with them so well. My heavy buzz kept a lot of her feelings from me, but as long as she looked okay, I didn't worry. Mid-kiss, Greg suddenly broke away and looked at something over my shoulder. We both sat in the same chair, with me on his lap, and I craned my neck to see. â€Å"What is it?† He shook his head with a sort of amused exasperation. â€Å"Wade brought a feeder.† I followed his gaze to where Wade Voda stood with his arm around a frail girl about my age. She was human and pretty, with wavy blond hair and porcelain skin pale from so much blood loss. A few other guys had homed on her and stood with Wade, laughing and touching her face and hair. â€Å"She's already fed too much today,† I said, observing her coloring and complete look of confusion. Greg slid his hand behind my neck and turned me back to him. â€Å"They won't hurt her.† We kissed a while longer and then I felt a tap on my shoulder. â€Å"Rose.† I looked up into Lissa's face. Her anxious expression startled me because I couldn't feel the emotions behind it. Too much beer for me. I climbed off of Greg's lap. â€Å"Where are you going?† he asked. â€Å"Be right back.† I pulled Lissa aside, suddenly wishing I was sober. â€Å"What's wrong?† â€Å"Them.† She nodded toward the guys with the feeder girl. She still had a group around her, and when she shifted to look at one of them, I saw small red wounds scattered on her neck. They were doing a sort of group feeding, taking turns biting her and making gross suggestions. High and oblivious, she let them. â€Å"They can't do that,† Lissa told me. â€Å"She's a feeder. Nobody's going to stop them.† Lissa looked up at me with pleading eyes. Hurt, outrage, and anger filled them. â€Å"Will you?† I'd always been the aggressive one, looking after her ever since we were little. Seeing her there now, so upset and looking at me to fix things, was more than I could stand. Giving her a shaky nod, I stumbled over to the group. â€Å"You so desperate to get some that you've got to drug girls now, Wade?† I asked. He glanced up from where he'd been running his lips over the human girl's neck. â€Å"Why? Are you done with Greg and looking for more?† I put my hands on my hips and hoped I looked fierce. The truth was, I was actually starting to feel a little nauseous from all I'd drunk. â€Å"Aren't enough drugs in the world to get me near you,† I told him. A few of his friends laughed. â€Å"But maybe you can go make out with that lamp over there. It seems to be out of it enough to make even you happy. You don't need her anymore.† A few other people laughed. â€Å"This isn't any of your business,† he hissed. â€Å"She's just lunch.† Referring to feeders as meals was about the only thing worse than calling dhampirs blood whores. â€Å"This isn't a feeding room. Nobody wants to see this.† â€Å"Yeah,† agreed a senior girl. â€Å"It's gross.† A few of her friends agreed. Wade glared at all of us, me the hardest. â€Å"Fine. None of you have to see it. Come on.† He grabbed the feeder girl's arm and jerked her away. Clumsily, she stumbled along with him out of the room, making soft whimpering noises. â€Å"Best I could do,† I told Lissa. She stared at me, shocked. â€Å"He's just going to take her to his room. He'll do even worse things to her.† â€Å"Liss, I don't like it either, but it's not like I can go chase him down or anything.† I rubbed my forehead. â€Å"I could go punch him or something, but I feel like I'm going to throw up as it is.† Her face grew dark, and she bit her lip. â€Å"He can't do that.† â€Å"I'm sorry.† I returned to the chair with Greg, feeling a little bad about what had happened. I didn't want to see the feeder get taken advantage of anymore than Lissa did – it reminded me too much of what a lot of Moroi guys thought they cold do to dhampir girls. But I also couldn't win this battle, not tonight. Greg had shifted me around to get a better angle on my neck when I noticed Lissa was gone a few minutes later. Practically falling, I clambered off his lap and looked around. â€Å"Where's Lissa?† He reached for me. â€Å"Probably the bathroom.† I couldn't feel a thing through the bond. The alcohol had numbed it. Stepping out into the hallway, I breathed a sigh of relief at escaping the loud music and voices. It was quiet out here – except for a crashing sound a couple rooms down. The door was ajar, and I pushed my way inside. The feeder girl cowered in a corner, terrified. Lissa stood with arms crossed, her face angry and terrible. She was staring at Wade intently, and he stared back, enchanted. He also held a baseball bat, and it looked like he'd used it already, because the room was trashed: bookshelves, the stereo, the mirror†¦ â€Å"Break the window too,† Lissa told him smoothly. â€Å"Come on. It doesn't matter.† Hypnotized, he walked over to the large, tinted window. I stared, my mouth nearly hitting the floor, as he pulled back and slammed the bat into the glass. It shattered, sending shards everywhere and letting in the early morning light it normally kept blocked out. He winced as it shone in his eyes, but he didn't move away. â€Å"Lissa,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Stop it. Make him stop.† â€Å"He should have stopped earlier.† I barely recognized the look on her face. I'd never seen her so upset, and I'd certainly never seen her do anything like this. I knew what it was, of course. I knew right away. Compulsion. For all I knew, she was seconds away from having him turn the bat on himself. â€Å"Please, Lissa. Don't do it anymore. Please.† Through the fuzzy, alcoholic buzz, I felt a trickle of her emotions. They were strong enough to practically knock me over. Black. Angry. Merciless. Startling feelings to be coming from sweet and steady Lissa. I'd known her since kindergarten, but in that moment, I barely knew her. And I was afraid. â€Å"Please, Lissa,† I repeated. â€Å"He's not worth it. Let him go.† She didn't look at me. Her stormy eyes were focused entirely on Wade. Slowly carefully, he lifted up the bat, tilting it so that it lined up with his own skull. â€Å"Liss,† I begged. Oh God. I was going to have to tackle her or something to make her stop. â€Å"Don't do it.† â€Å"He should have stopped,† Lissa said evenly. The bat quit moving. It was now at exactly the right distance to gain momentum and strike. â€Å"He shouldn't have done that to her. People can't treat other people like that – even feeders.† â€Å"But you're scaring her,† I said softly. â€Å"Look at her.† Nothing happened at first, then Lissa let her gaze flick toward the feeder. The human girl still sat huddled in a corner, arms wrapped around herself protectively. Her blue eyes were enormous, and light reflected off her wet, tear-streaked face. She gave a choked, terrified sob. Lissa's face stayed impassive. Inside her, I could feel the battle she was waging for control. Some part of her didn't want to hurt Wade, despite the blinding anger that otherwise filled her. Her face crumpled, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Her right hand reached out to her left wrist and clenched it, nails digging deep into the flesh. She flinched at the pain, but through the bond, I felt the shock of the pain distract her from Wade. She let go of the compulsion, and he dropped the bat, suddenly looking confused. I let go of the breath I'd been holding. In the hallway, footsteps sounded. I'd left the door open, and the crash had attracted attention. A couple of dorm staff members burst into the room, freezing when they saw the destruction in front of them. â€Å"What happened?† The rest of us looked at each other. Wade looked completely lost. He stared at the room, at the bat, and then at Lissa and me. â€Å"I don't know†¦I can't†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He turned his full attention to me and suddenly grew angry. â€Å"What the – it was you! You wouldn't let the feeder thing go.† The dorm workers looked at me questioningly, and in a few seconds, I made up my mind. You have to protect her. The more she uses it, the worse it'll get. Stop her, Rose. Stop her before they notice, before they notice and take her away too. Get her out of here. I could see Ms. Karp's face in my mind, pleading frantically. I gave Wade a haughty look, knowing full well no one would question a confession I made or even suspect Lissa. â€Å"Yeah, well, if you'd let her go,† I told him, â€Å"I wouldn't have had to do this.† Save her. Save her from herself. After that night, I never drank again. I refused to let my guard down around Lissa. And two days later, while I was supposed to be suspended for â€Å"destruction of property,† I took Lissa and broke out of the Academy. Back in Lissa's room, with Xander's arm around me and her angry and upset eyes on us, I didn't know if she'd do anything drastic again. But the situation reminded me too much of that one from two years ago, and I knew I had to defuse it. â€Å"Just a little blood,† Xander was saying. â€Å"I won't take much. I just want to see what dhampir tastes like. Nobody here cares.† â€Å"Xander,† growled Lissa, â€Å"leave her alone.† I slipped out from under his arm and smiled, looking for a funny retort rather than one that might start a fight. â€Å"Come on,† I teased. â€Å"I had to hit the last guy who asked me that, and you're a hell of a lot prettier than Jesse. It'd be a waste.† â€Å"Pretty?† he asked. â€Å"I'm stunningly sexy but not pretty.† Carly laughed. â€Å"No, you're pretty. Todd told me you buy some kind of French hair gel.† Xander, distracted as so many drunk people easily are, turned around to defend his honor, forgetting me. The tension disappeared, and he took the teasing about his hair with a good attitude. Across the room, Lissa met my eyes with relief. She smiled and gave me a small nod of thanks before she returned her attention to Aaron.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Evaluating The Waste Water Treatment Processes Environmental Sciences Essay

Domestic effluent intervention or sewerage intervention, is the procedure of taking contaminations from effluent and family sewerage, both overflow ( wastewaters ) and domestic. It includes physical, chemical, and biological procedures to take physical, chemical and biological contaminations. Its aim is to bring forth an environmentally-safe fluid waste watercourse ( or treated wastewater ) and a solid waste ( or treated sludge ) suitable for disposal or reuse ( normally as farm fertiliser ) . Using advanced engineering it is now possible to re-use sewerage wastewater for imbibing H2O, although Singapore is the lone state to implement such engineering on a production graduated table in its production of NEWater. 1.2 ORIGIN OF WASTE WATER Sewage is created by residential, institutional, and commercial and industrial constitutions and includes family waste liquid from lavatories, baths, showers, kitchens, sinks and so forth that is disposed of via cloacas. In many countries, sewerage besides includes liquid waste from industry and commercialism. The separation and draining of family waste into greywater and blackwater is going more common in the developed universe, with greywater being permitted to be used for irrigating workss or recycled for blushing lavatories. Sewage may include stormwater overflow. Sewage systems capable of managing stormwater are known as combined systems. Combined sewer systems are normally avoided now because precipitation causes widely changing flows cut downing sewerage intervention works efficiency. Combined cloacas require much larger, more expensive, intervention installations than healthful cloacas. Heavy storm overflow may overpower the sewerage intervention system, doing a spill or flood. Sanitary cloacas are typically much smaller than combined cloacas, and they are non designed to transport stormwater. Backups of natural sewerage can happen if inordinate Infiltration/Inflow is allowed into a healthful cloaca system. Modern sewered developments be given to be provided with separate storm drain systems for rainwater. As rainfall travels over roofs and the land, it may pick up assorted contaminations including dirt atoms and other deposit, heavy metals, organic compounds, carnal waste, and oil and lubricating oil. ( See urban overflow. ) Some legal powers require stormwater to have some degree of intervention before being discharged straight into waterways. Examples of intervention procedures used for stormwater include keeping basins, wetlands, buried vaults with assorted sorts of media filters, and vortex centrifuges ( to take harsh solids ) . Chapter TWO 2.1 OVERVIEW OF WASTE WATER TREATMENT PROCESSES Sewage can be treated near to where it is created, a decentralized system, ( in infected armored combat vehicles, biofilters or aerophilic intervention systems ) , or be collected and transported via a web of pipes and pump Stationss to a municipal intervention works, a centralized system, ( see sewage and pipes and substructure ) . Sewage aggregation and intervention is typically capable to local, province and federal ordinances and criterions. Industrial beginnings of effluent frequently require specialised intervention processes as shown in the diagram below: Procedure Flow Diagram for a typical intervention works via Subsurface Flow Constructed Wetlands ( SFCW ) Sewage intervention by and large involves three phases, called primary, secondary and third intervention. Primary intervention consists of temporarily keeping the sewerage in a quiescent basin where heavy solids can settle to the underside while oil, lubricating oil and lighter solids float to the surface. The settled and floating stuffs are removed and the staying liquid may be discharged or subjected to secondary intervention. Secondary intervention removes dissolved and suspended biological affair. Secondary intervention is typically performed by autochthonal, water-borne microorganisms in a managed home ground. Secondary intervention may necessitate a separation procedure to take the microorganisms from the treated H2O prior to dispatch or third intervention. Third intervention is sometimes defined as anything more than primary and secondary intervention in order to let rejection into a extremely sensitive or delicate ecosystem ( estuaries, low-flow rivers, coral reefs etc. ) . Treated H2O is sometimes disinfected chemically or physically ( for illustration, by lagunas and microfiltration ) prior to dispatch into a watercourse, river, bay, laguna or wetland, or it can be used for the irrigation of a golf class, green manner or park. If it is sufficiently clean, it can besides be used for groundwater recharge or agricultural intents. 2.2 PRE-TREATMENT Pre-treatment removes stuffs that can be easy collected from the natural waste H2O before they damage or clog the pumps and skimmers of primary intervention clarifiers ( rubbish, tree limbs, foliages, etc. ) . Screening The inflowing sewerage H2O is screened to take all big objects like tins, shreds, sticks, fictile packages etc. carried in the sewerage watercourse. This is most normally done with an automated automatically raked saloon screen in modern workss functioning big populations, whilst in smaller or less modern workss a manually cleaned screen may be used. The raking action of a mechanical saloon screen is typically paced harmonizing to the accretion on the saloon screens and/or flow rate. The solids are collected and subsequently disposed in a landfill or incinerated. Bar screens or mesh screens of changing sizes may be used to optimise solids remotion. If gross solids are non removed they become entrained in pipes and traveling parts of the intervention works and can do significant harm and inefficiency in the procedure. GRIT REMOVAL Pre-treatment may include a sand or grit channel or chamber where the speed of the entrance effluent is adjusted to let the colony of sand, grit, rocks, and broken glass. These atoms are removed because they may damage pumps and other equipment. For little healthful cloaca systems, the grit Chamberss may non be necessary, but grit remotion is desirable at larger workss. FAT AND GREASE REMOVAL In some larger workss, fat and lubricating oil is removed by go throughing the sewerage through a little armored combat vehicle where skimmers collect the fat natation on the surface. Air blowers in the base of the armored combat vehicle may besides be used to assist retrieve the fat as a foam. In most workss nevertheless, fat and lubricating oil remotion takes topographic point in the primary colony armored combat vehicle utilizing mechanical surface skimmers. 2.3 PRIMARY TREATMENT In the primary deposit phase, sewerage flows through big armored combat vehicles, normally called â€Å" primary clarifiers † or â€Å" primary deposit armored combat vehicles. † The armored combat vehicles are used to settle sludge while lubricating oil and oils rise to the surface and are skimmed off. Primary settling armored combat vehicles are normally equipped with automatically goaded scrapers that continually drive the gathered sludge towards a hopper in the base of the armored combat vehicle where it is pumped to sludge intervention installations. Grease and oil from the drifting stuff can sometimes be recovered for saponification. The dimensions of the armored combat vehicle should be designed to consequence remotion of a high per centum of the floatables and sludge. A typical deposit armored combat vehicle may take from 60 to 65 per centum of suspended solids, and from 30 to 35 per centum of biochemical O demand ( BOD ) from the sewerage. 2.4 SECONDARY TREATMENT Secondary intervention is designed to well degrade the biological content of the sewerage which are derived from human waste, nutrient waste, soaps and detergent. The bulk of municipal workss handle the settled sewerage spirits utilizing aerophilic biological procedures. To be effectual, the biology necessitate both O and nutrient to populate. The bacterium and Protozoa consume biodegradable soluble organic contaminations ( e.g. sugars, fats, organic short-chain C molecules, etc. ) and adhere much of the less soluble fractions into floc. Secondary intervention systems are classified as fixed-film or suspended-growth systems. Fixed-film or affiliated growing systems include dribbling filters and revolving biological contactors, where the biomass grows on media and the sewerage passes over its surface. Suspended-growth systems include activated sludge, where the biomass is assorted with the sewerage and can be operated in a smaller infinite than fixed-film systems that treat the same sum of H2O. However, fixed-film systems are more able to get by with drastic alterations in the sum of biological stuff and can supply higher remotion rates for organic stuff and suspended solids than suspended growing systems. [ 6 ] :11-13 Rough ining filters are intended to handle peculiarly strong or variable organic tonss, typically industrial, to let them to so be treated by conventional secondary intervention procedures. Features include filters filled with media to which effluent is applied. They are designed to let high hydraulic burden and a high degree of aeration. On larger installings, air is forced through the media utilizing blowers. The attendant effluent is normally within the normal scope for conventional intervention procedures. A generalised, conventional diagram of an activated sludge procedure. A filter removes a little per centum of the suspended organic affair, while the bulk of the organic affair undergoes a alteration of character, merely due to the biological oxidization and nitrification taking topographic point in the filter. With this aerophilic oxidization and nitrification, the organic solids are converted into coagulated suspended mass, which is heavier and bulkier, and can settle to the underside of a armored combat vehicle. The wastewater of the filter is hence passed through a deposit armored combat vehicle, called a secondary clarifier, secondary subsiding armored combat vehicle or humus armored combat vehicle. ACTIVATED SLUDGE In general, activated sludge workss encompass a assortment of mechanisms and procedures that use dissolved O to advance the growing of biological floc that well removes organic stuff. The procedure traps particulate stuff and can, under ideal conditions, convert ammonium hydroxide to nitrite and nitrate and finally to nitrogen gas. SURFACE-AERATED BASINS ( LAGOONS ) Many little municipal sewerage systems in the United States ( 1 million gal./day or less ) usage aerated lagunas. Most biological oxidization processes for handling industrial effluents have in common the usage of O ( or air ) and microbic action. Surface-aerated basins achieve 80 to 90 per centum remotion of BOD with keeping times of 1 to 10 yearss. The basins may run in deepness from 1.5 to 5.0 meters and utilize motor-driven aerators drifting on the surface of the effluent. In an aerated basin system, the aerators provide two maps: they transfer air into the basins required by the biological oxidization reactions, and they provide the commixture required for scattering the air and for reaching the reactants ( that is, O, effluent and bug ) . Typically, the drifting surface aerators are rated to present the sum of air tantamount to 1.8 to 2.7A kilograms O2/kWA ·h. However, they do non supply as good commixture as is usually achieved in activated sludge systems and hence aerated basins do non accomplish the same public presentation degree as activated sludge units. Biological oxidization procedures are sensitive to temperature and, between 0 A °C and 40 A °C, the rate of biological reactions increase with temperature. Most surface aerated vass operate at between 4 A °C and 32 A °C. CONSTRUCTED WETLANDS Constructed wetlands ( can either be surface flow or subsurface flow, horizontal or perpendicular flow ) , include engineered reedbeds and belong to the household of phytorestoration and ecotechnologies ; they provide a high grade of biological betterment and depending on design, act as a primary, secondary and sometimes third intervention, besides see phytoremediation. One illustration is a little reedbed used to clean the drainage from the elephants ‘ enclosure at Chester Zoo in England ; legion CWs are used to recycle the H2O of the metropolis of Honfleur in France and legion other towns in Europe, the US, Asia and Australia. They are known to be extremely productive systems as they copy natural wetlands, called the â€Å" Kidneys of the Earth † for their cardinal recycling capacity of the hydrological rhythm in the biosphere. Robust and dependable, their intervention capacities improve as clip spell by, at the antonym of conventional intervention workss whose machine ry age with clip. They are being progressively used, although equal and experient design are more cardinal than for other systems and infinite restriction may hinder their usage. FILTER BEDS ( OXIDIZING BEDS ) In older workss and those having variable burdens, dribbling filter beds are used where the settled sewerage spirits is spread onto the surface of a bed made up of coke ( carbonized coal ) , limestone french friess or specially fabricated fictile media. Such media must hold big surface countries to back up the biofilms that form. The spirits is typically distributed through perforated spray weaponries. The distributed spirits drips through the bed and is collected in drains at the base. These drains besides provide a beginning of air which percolates up through the bed, maintaining it aerophilic. Biological movies of bacteriums, Protozoa and fungi signifier on the media ‘s surfaces and eat or otherwise cut down the organic content. This biofilm is frequently grazed by insect larvae, snails, and worms which help keep an optimum thickness. Overloading of beds increases the thickness of the movie taking to clogging of the filter media and ponding on the surface. SOIL BIO-TECHNOLOGY A new procedure called Soil Bio-Technology ( SBT ) developed at IIT Bombay has shown enormous betterments in procedure efficiency enabling entire H2O reuse, due to highly low runing power demands of less than 50 Js per kilogram of treated H2O. Typically SBT systems can accomplish chemical O demand ( COD ) degrees less than 10A mg/L from sewerage input of COD 400A mg/L. SBT workss exhibit high decreases in COD values and bacterial counts as a consequence of the really high microbic densenesss available in the media. Unlike conventional intervention workss, SBT workss produce undistinguished sums of sludge, preventing the demand for sludge disposal countries that are required by other engineerings. BIOLOGICAL AERATED FILTERS Biological Aerated ( or Anoxic ) Filter ( BAF ) or Biofilters combine filtration with biological C decrease, nitrification or denitrification. BAF normally includes a reactor filled with a filter media. The media is either in suspension or supported by a crushed rock bed at the pes of the filter. The double intent of this media is to back up extremely active biomass that is attached to it and to filtrate suspended solids. Carbon decrease and ammonium hydroxide transition occurs in aerophilic manner and sometime achieved in a individual reactor while nitrate transition occurs in anoxic manner. BAF is operated either in upflow or downflow constellation depending on design specified by maker. Conventional diagram of a typical revolving biological contactor ( RBC ) . The treated wastewater clarifier/settler is non included in the diagram. ROTATING BIOLOGICAL CONTACTORS Revolving biological contactors ( RBCs ) are mechanical secondary intervention systems, which are robust and capable of defying rushs in organic burden. RBCs were foremost installed in Germany in 1960 and have since been developed and refined into a dependable operating unit. The revolving discs back up the growing of bacteriums and micro-organisms nowadays in the sewerage, which break down and brace organic pollutants. To be successful, micro-organisms need both O to populate and nutrient to turn. Oxygen is obtained from the ambiance as the discs rotate. As the micro-organisms grow, they build up on the media until they are sloughed off due to shear forces provided by the revolving phonograph record in the sewerage. Effluent from the RBC is so passed through concluding clarifiers where the microorganisms in suspension settee as a sludge. The sludge is withdrawn from the clarifier for farther intervention. A functionally similar biological filtering system has become popular as portion of place fish tank filtration and purification. The fish tank H2O is drawn up out of the armored combat vehicle and so cascaded over a freely whirling corrugated fiber-mesh wheel before go throughing through a media filter and back into the fish tank. The whirling mesh wheel develops a biofilm coating of micro-organisms that feed on the suspended wastes in the fish tank H2O and are besides exposed to the ambiance as the wheel rotates. This is particularly good at taking waste. MEMBRANE BIOREACTORS Membrane bioreactors ( MBR ) combine activated sludge intervention with a membrane liquid-solid separation procedure. The membrane constituent uses low force per unit area microfiltration or extremist filtration membranes and eliminates the demand for elucidation and third filtration. The membranes are typically immersed in the aeration armored combat vehicle ; nevertheless, some applications utilize a separate membrane armored combat vehicle. One of the cardinal benefits of an MBR system is that it efficaciously overcomes the restrictions associated with hapless subsiding of sludge in conventional activated sludge ( CAS ) processes. The engineering permits bioreactor operation with well higher assorted spirits suspended solids ( MLSS ) concentration than CAS systems, which are limited by sludge subsiding. The procedure is typically operated at MLSS in the scope of 8,000-12,000A mg/L, while CAS are operated in the scope of 2,000-3,000A mg/L. The elevated biomass concentration in the MBR procedure allows for really effectual remotion of both soluble and particulate biodegradable stuffs at higher burden rates. Therefore increased sludge keeping times, normally transcending 15 yearss, guarantee complete nitrification even in highly cold conditions. SECONDARY SEDIMENTATION The concluding measure in the secondary intervention phase is to settle out the biological floc or filter stuff through a secondary clarifier and to bring forth sewage H2O incorporating low degrees of organic stuff and suspended affair. TERTIARY TREATMENT The intent of third intervention is to supply a concluding intervention phase to raise the outflowing quality before it is discharged to the receiving environment ( sea, river, lake, land, etc. ) . More than one third intervention procedure may be used at any intervention works. If disinfection is practiced, it is ever the concluding procedure. It is besides called â€Å" outflowing shining. † Filtration Sand filtration removes much of the residuary suspended affair. Filtration over activated C, besides called C surface assimilation, removes residuary toxins. LAGOONING Lagooning provides colony and farther biological betterment through storage in big semisynthetic pools or lagunas. These lagunas are extremely aerophilic and colonisation by native macrophytes, particularly reeds, is frequently encouraged. Small filter feeding invertebrates such as Daphnia and species of Rotifera greatly assist in intervention by taking all right particulates. NUTRIENT REMOVAL Effluent may incorporate high degrees of the foods N and P. Excessive release to the environment can take to a physique up of foods, called eutrophication, which can in bend encourage the giantism of weeds, algae, and blue-green algaes ( bluish green algae ) . This may do an algal bloom, a rapid growing in the population of algae. The algae Numberss are unsustainable and finally most of them die. The decomposition of the algae by bacteriums uses up so much of O in the H2O that most or all of the animate beings die, which creates more organic affair for the bacteriums to break up. In add-on to doing deoxygenation, some algal species produce toxins that contaminate imbibing H2O supplies. Different intervention procedures are required to take N and P. NITROGEN REMOVAL The remotion of N is effected through the biological oxidization of N from ammonium hydroxide to nitrate ( nitrification ) , followed by denitrification, the decrease of nitrate to nitrogen gas. Nitrogen gas is released to the ambiance and therefore removed from the H2O. Nitrification itself is a two-step aerophilic procedure, each measure facilitated by a different type of bacteriums. The oxidization of ammonium hydroxide ( NH3 ) to nitrite ( NO2a?’ ) is most frequently facilitated by Nitrosomonas spp. ( nitroso mentioning to the formation of a nitroso functional group ) . Nitrite oxidization to nitrate ( NO3a?’ ) , though traditionally believed to be facilitated by Nitrobacter spp. ( nitro mentioning the formation of a nitro functional group ) , is now known to be facilitated in the environment about entirely by Nitrospira spp. Denitrification requires anoxic conditions to promote the appropriate biological communities to organize. It is facilitated by a broad diverseness of bacteriums. Sand filters, lagooning and reed beds can all be used to cut down N, but the activated sludge procedure ( if designed good ) can make the occupation the most easy. Since denitrification is the decrease of nitrate to dinitrogen gas, an negatron giver is needed. This can be, depending on the effluent, organic affair ( from fecal matters ) , sulfide, or an added giver like methyl alcohol. PHOSPHORUS REMOVAL Phosphorus remotion is of import as it is a confining food for algae growing in many fresh H2O systems. ( For a description of the negative effects of algae, see Nutrient remotion ) . It is besides peculiarly of import for H2O reuse systems where high P concentrations may take to fouling of downstream equipment such as rearward osmosis. Phosphorus can be removed biologically in a procedure called enhanced biological P remotion. In this procedure, specific bacterium, called polyphosphate roll uping beings ( PAOs ) , are selectively enriched and roll up big measures of P within their cells ( up to 20 per centum of their mass ) . When the biomass enriched in these bacteriums is separated from the treated H2O, these biosolids have a high fertiliser value. Phosphorus remotion can besides be achieved by chemical precipitation, normally with salts of Fe ( e.g. ferrous chloride ) , aluminium ( e.g. alum ) , or lime. This may take to inordinate sludge production as hydrated oxides precipitates and the added chemicals can be expensive. Chemical P remotion requires significantly smaller equipment footmark than biological remotion, is easier to run and is frequently more dependable than biological P removalA . Another method for P remotion is to utilize farinaceous laterite. Once removed, P, in the signifier of a phosphate-rich sludge, may be stored in a land fill or resold for usage in fertiliser. Disinfection The intent of disinfection in the intervention of waste H2O is to well cut down the figure of micro-organisms in the H2O to be discharged back into the environment. The effectivity of disinfection depends on the quality of the H2O being treated ( e.g. , cloud cover, pH, etc. ) , the type of disinfection being used, the bactericidal dose ( concentration and clip ) , and other environmental variables. Cloudy H2O will be treated less successfully, since solid affair can screen organisms, particularly from ultraviolet visible radiation or if contact times are low. By and large, short contact times, low doses and high flows all militate against effectual disinfection. Common methods of disinfection include ozone, Cl, ultraviolet visible radiation, or Na hypochlorite. Chloramine, which is used for imbibing H2O, is non used in waste H2O intervention because of its continuity. Chlorination remains the most common signifier of waste H2O disinfection in North America due to its low cost and long-run history of effectivity. One disadvantage is that chlorination of residuary organic stuff can bring forth chlorinated-organic compounds that may be carcinogenic or harmful to the environment. Residual Cl or chloramines may besides be capable of chlorinating organic stuff in the natural aquatic environment. Further, because residuary Cl is toxic to aquatic species, the treated wastewater must besides be chemically dechlorinated, adding to the complexness and cost of intervention. Ultraviolet ( UV ) light can be used alternatively of Cl, I, or other chemicals. Because no chemicals are used, the treated H2O has no inauspicious consequence on beings that subsequently devour it, as may be the instance with other methods. UV radiation causes harm to the familial construction of bacteriums, viruses, and other pathogens, doing them incapable of reproduction. The cardinal disadvantages of UV disinfection are the demand for frequent lamp care and replacing and the demand for a extremely treated wastewater to guarantee that the mark micro-organisms are non shielded from the UV radiation ( i.e. , any solids nowadays in the treated wastewater may protect micro-organisms from the UV visible radiation ) . In the United Kingdom, UV visible radiation is going the most common agencies of disinfection because of the concerns about the impacts of Cl in chlorinating residuary organics in the effluent and in chlorinating organics in the receiving H2O. Some sewerage intervention s ystems in Canada and the US besides use UV visible radiation for their outflowing H2O disinfection. Ozone ( O3 ) is generated by go throughing O ( O2 ) through a high electromotive force possible resulting in a 3rd O atom going attached and organizing O3. Ozone is really unstable and reactive and oxidizes most organic stuff it comes in contact with, thereby destructing many infective micro-organisms. Ozone is considered to be safer than Cl because, unlike Cl which has to be stored on site ( extremely toxicant in the event of an inadvertent release ) , ozone is generated onsite as needed. Ozonation besides produces fewer disinfection byproducts than chlorination. A disadvantage of ozone disinfection is the high cost of the ozone coevals equipment and the demands for particular operators. ODOUR CONTROL Smells emitted by sewerage intervention are typically an indicant of an anaerobic or â€Å" infected † status. Early phases of processing will be given to bring forth fetid gases, with H sulphide being most common in bring forthing ailments. Large procedure workss in urban countries will frequently handle the smells with C reactors, a contact media with bio-slimes, little doses of Cl, or go arounding fluids to biologically capture and metabolise the objectionable gases. Other methods of odour control exist, including add-on of Fe salts, H peroxide, Ca nitrate, etc. to pull off H sulphide degrees. Package Plants AND BATCH REACTORS To utilize less infinite, dainty hard waste and intermittent flows, a figure of designs of intercrossed intervention workss have been produced. Such workss frequently combine at least two phases of the three chief intervention phases into one combined phase. In the UK, where a big figure of effluent intervention workss serve little populations, bundle workss are a feasible option to constructing a big construction for each procedure phase. In the US, bundle workss are typically used in rural countries, main road remainder Michigans and dawdler Parkss. One type of system that combines secondary intervention and colony is the sequencing batch reactor ( SBR ) . Typically, activated sludge is assorted with natural entrance sewerage, and so assorted and aerated. The settled sludge is run away and re-aerated before a proportion is returned to the headworks. SBR workss are now being deployed in many parts of the universe. The disadvantage of the SBR procedure is that it requires a precise control of timing, blending and aeration. This preciseness is typically achieved with computing machine controls linked to detectors. Such a complex, delicate system is unsuited to topographic points where controls may be undependable, ill maintained, or where the power supply may be intermittent. Extended aeration bundle workss use separate basins for aeration and subsiding, and are slightly larger than SBR workss with decreased timing sensitiveness. Package workss may be referred to every bit high charged or low charged. This refers to the manner the biological burden is processed. In high charged systems, the biological phase is presented with a high organic burden and the combined floc and organic stuff is so oxygenated for a few hours before being charged once more with a new burden. In the low charged system the biological phase contains a low organic burden and is combined with flocculate for longer times. SLUDGE TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL The sludges accumulated in a effluent intervention procedure must be treated and disposed of in a safe and effectual mode. The intent of digestion is to cut down the sum of organic affair and the figure of disease-causing micro-organisms present in the solids. The most common intervention options include anaerobiotic digestion, aerophilic digestion, and composting. Incineration is besides used albeit to a much lesser grade. Sludge intervention depends on the sum of solids generated and other site-specific conditions. Composting is most frequently applied to small-scale workss with aerophilic digestion for mid sized operations, and anaerobiotic digestion for the larger-scale operations. ANAEROBIC DIGESTION Anaerobic digestion is a bacterial procedure that is carried out in the absence of O. The procedure can either be thermophilic digestion, in which sludge is fermented in armored combat vehicles at a temperature of 55A °C, or mesophilic, at a temperature of around 36A °C. Though leting shorter keeping clip ( and therefore smaller armored combat vehicles ) , thermophilic digestion is more expensive in footings of energy ingestion for heating the sludge. Anaerobic digestion is the most common ( mesophilic ) intervention of domestic sewerage in infected armored combat vehicles, which usually retain the sewerage from one twenty-four hours to two yearss, cut downing the BOD by approximately 35 to 40 per centum. This decrease can be increased with a combination of anaerobiotic and aerophilic intervention by put ining Aerobic Treatment Units ( ATUs ) in the infected armored combat vehicle. One major characteristic of anaerobiotic digestion is the production of biogas ( with the most utile constituent being methane ) , which can be used in generators for electricity production and/or in boilers for warming intents. AEROBIC DIGESTION Aerobic digestion is a bacterial procedure happening in the presence of O. Under aerophilic conditions, bacteriums quickly consume organic affair and change over it into C dioxide. The operating costs used to be characteristically much greater for aerophilic digestion because of the energy used by the blowers, pumps and motors needed to add O to the procedure. Aerobic digestion can besides be achieved by utilizing diffuser systems or jet aerators to oxidise the sludge. COMPOSTING Composting is besides an aerophilic procedure that involves blending the sludge with beginnings of C such as sawdust, straw or wood french friess. In the presence of O, bacterium digest both the effluent solids and the added C beginning and, in making so, produce a big sum of heat. Incineration Incineration of sludge is less common because of air emanations concerns and the auxiliary fuel ( typically natural gases or fuel oil ) required to fire the low calorific value sludge and zap residuary H2O. Stepped multiple fireplace incinerators with high abode clip and fluidized bed incinerators are the most common systems used to burn effluent sludge. Co-firing in municipal waste-to-energy workss is on occasion done, this option being less expensive presuming the installations already exist for solid waste and there is no demand for subsidiary fuel. Chapter THREE TERTIARY TREATMENT 3.1 SLUDGE DISPOSAL When a liquid sludge is produced, farther intervention may be required to do it suited for concluding disposal. Typically, sludges are thickened ( dewatered ) to cut down the volumes transported off-site for disposal. There is no procedure which wholly eliminates the demand to dispose of biosolids. There is, nevertheless, an extra measure some metropoliss are taking to superheat sludge and change over it into little pelletized granules that are high in N and other organic stuffs. In New York City, for illustration, several sewerage intervention workss have dewatering installations that use big extractors along with the add-on of chemicals such as polymer to farther take liquid from the sludge. The removed fluid, called centrate, is typically reintroduced into the effluent procedure. The merchandise which is left is called â€Å" bar † and that is picked up by companies which turn it into fertilizer pellets. This merchandise is so sold to local husbandmans and sod farms as a di rt amendment or fertiliser, cut downing the sum of infinite required to dispose of sludge in landfills. Much sludge arising from commercial or industrial countries is contaminated with toxic stuffs that are released into the cloacas from the industrial procedures. Elevated concentrations of such stuffs may do the sludge unsuitable for agricultural usage and it may so hold to be incinerated or disposed of to landfill. 3.2 TREATMENT IN THE RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT Many procedures in a effluent intervention works are designed to mime the natural intervention processes that occur in the environment, whether that environment is a natural H2O organic structure or the land. If non overloaded, bacteriums in the environment will devour organic contaminations, although this will cut down the degrees of O in the H2O and may significantly alter the overall ecology of the receiving H2O. Native bacterial populations feed on the organic contaminations, and the Numberss of disease-causing micro-organisms are reduced by natural environmental conditions such as predation or exposure to ultraviolet radiation. Consequently, in instances where the receiving environment provides a high degree of dilution, a high grade of effluent intervention may non be required. However, recent grounds has demonstrated that really low degrees of specific contaminations in effluent, including endocrines ( from animate being farming and residue from human hormonal contraceptive me thod methods ) and man-made stuffs such as phthalates that mimic endocrines in their action, can hold an unpredictable inauspicious impact on the natural biology and potentially on worlds if the H2O is re-used for imbibing H2O. [ 21 ] In the US and EU, uncontrolled discharges of effluent to the environment are non permitted under jurisprudence, and rigorous H2O quality demands are to be met. ( For demands in the US, see Clean Water Act. ) A important menace in the coming decennaries will be the increasing uncontrolled discharges of effluent within quickly developing states. 3.3 SEWAGE TREATMENT IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES Few dependable figures on the portion of the effluent collected in cloacas that is being treated in the universe exist. In many developing states the majority of domestic and industrial effluent is discharged without any intervention or after primary intervention merely. In Latin America about 15 % of gathered effluent base on ballss through intervention workss ( with varying degrees of existent intervention ) . In Venezuela, a below mean state in South America with regard to wastewater intervention, 97 per centum of the state ‘s sewerage is discharged natural into the environment. In a comparatively developed Middle Eastern state such as Iran, Tehran ‘s bulk of population has wholly untreated sewerage injected to the metropolis ‘s groundwater. However now the building of major parts of the sewerage system, aggregation and intervention, in Tehran is about complete, and under development, due to be to the full completed by the terminal of 2012. In Israel, approximately 50 per centum of agricultural H2O use ( entire usage was 1 billion three-dimensional meters in 2008 ) is provided through reclaimed cloaca H2O. Future programs call for increased usage of treated cloaca H2O every bit good as more desalinization workss.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Complex Systems and Decision Making Research Proposal

Complex Systems and Decision Making - Research Proposal Example Other than weather, complex power transmission networks have been noted as the main reason electric power interruptions (Landstedt and Holmstrm, 2007; p 7). Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) according to Pandey (2008) is one that technology allows the industries to enhance the utilization of existing transmission, generation reserves as well as of power system performance; through a system that is more flexible and one which increase stability margins. On the other hand, the High Voltage Direct Current or HVDC is another technology particularly for long distance electricity transmission using submarine cables or overhead transmission lines (Ngamroo, 2004). The investigation will employ a highly controlled experimental design to examine use of both the HVDC and FACTS controllers in enhancing and/or stabilizing as well as strengthening the electrical power security in a power network. ... 4. To determine the benefits of adopting HVDC and FACTS controller in enhancement of power network systems 5. To determine the sustainability of HVDC and FACTS controller applications in enhancement of power network systems Problem StatementThe investigation examines the use of both the HVDC and FACTS controllers to stabilize electrical power security in power network and will further respond to the following research questions: Your name here 3 1. What is the efficiency of power security in electrical network systems through the use of HVDC and FACTS controllers in terms of::a. Network stability b. Reactive Power Loss c. Current Carrying Capacity 2. How reliable are HVDC and FACTS controller in enhancement of power network systems 3. What are the costs and benefits of adopting HVDC and FACTS controller in enhancingthe power network systems 4. How sustainable would HVDC and FACTS controller applications in enhancementof power network systems Methods The investigation will employ a highly controlled experimental design to examine use of both the HVDC and FACTS controllers in enhancing and/or stabilizing as well as strengthening the electrical power security in a power network. It will explore also other possible development of methodologies to find the suitable installation locations, correct size, and other pertinent information regarding the research variable with emphasis on a power system, especially in competitive electricity market. ScopeThis research hopes to design a project that will involve connections of inside utilities' in one's own territories that extend to an

Friday, September 27, 2019

Discuss the role of the nurse in the decision-making process when Essay

Discuss the role of the nurse in the decision-making process when caring for patients with complex needs - Essay Example The needs of the patient shall be outlined below. The physical endurance of patients with congestive heart failure is lower as compared to normal patients. Consequently, their emotional and physiological concerns cause major changes in the quality of their lives. These patients often perceive the quality of their lives based on their health status and limitations in self-care. They also see programs which focus on patient education and disease management as programs which can help improve the quality of their life and decrease hospital readmission rates (Chelho, et.al., 2005, p. 1). Congestive heart failure is a disease which reduces the patients’ ability to care for themselves mostly because of weakness caused by their weaker cardiac and respiratory systems (Hosenpud and Greenburg, 2007, p. 3). It afflicts many patients past the age of 70 and most of them are often readmitted to hospitals because of poor disease management (Hosenpud and Greenburg, 2007, p. 4). ... 111). There are various models which focus on different aspects of the patient’s health. For this patient, Lydia Hall’s Care, Cure, and Core Model shall be used as an assessment and care model. Lydia Hall’s model specifies that patients have basically three needs – the physical, the medical, and the social needs (McCoy, 2011). By fulfilling these needs, chronically ill patients can be adequately cared for. This model can be used in order to assist with patient education, management of maintenance medications, and delivery of physical and emotional support. Through medication management and provision of social support, patient hospitalization can be reduced; the patient’s ability to self-manage his disease can be ensured; exacerbations can be prevented; and hospital readmissions can be reduced (Quaglietti, et.al., 2000, p. 259). Lydia Hall’s model provides a framework for open communication between patients and nurses and it has three interrel ated elements which refer to medical and clinical management of patients. The care circle of the Hall’s model emphasizes on the intimate care provided by the nurses to the patients – in terms of assistance during bathing, dressing, and in the conduct of their daily activities (Tuohy and Birnbach, 2001, p. 135). In caring for the CHF and the breast cancer patients, the care model of Hall’s framework refers to the hands-on care provided by the nurses to the patients. This care includes the process of providing a relaxing environment for the patients, especially one which encourages open communication and trust between nurses and patients. Through open communication, the patients

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Short answers about Introduction to Political Economy Essay - 1

Short answers about Introduction to Political Economy - Essay Example y of scale, extensive spending on irrecoverable costs over time, taking political actions to exclude competitors, having exclusive ownership/delivery of a specific resource or service, and receiving a legal grant to exercise domination over a market. 3. Companies are motivated to compete with each other by influences such as potential market gains and the economic power that may result. Competition can also produce benefits by casting innovation and advancement as necessities, rather than gratuities. Collusion is a tempting option for companies, especially in markets where only a few businesses tend to dominate. Collusion can result from regular conference calls that necessitate inter-corporate strategizing, can be a means of controlling wages, and allows participants to benefit from the resulting price stability. 4. The regulation of trade presents potential benefits, as well as concessions. Restrictions help to protect companies from competition, particularly on an international basis. However, as a consequence of this security, the spread of unfair policies that favor domestic businesses will surely pose as a barrier to global commerce. Another problem is that markets would become limited as less resources were available due to regulations. 5. Capture theory refers to the tendency for government market regulation agencies to act in the interest of the industry they regulate, rather than the consumers. The result is that the agency head essentially becomes the president of a pseudo-monopoly. The public-interest theory states that the government needs to step in and regulate industry due to the likelihood of the public struggling without guidance, and that this supervision is in the best interest of the people. 6. The ten planks of the communist manifesto include: 1) Abolish private ownership of land, 2) heavily progressive tax system, 3) dismissal of inheritance rights, 4) seizing the property of all dissenters, 5) exclusive government monopoly of credit and

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Global Economic Environment and Marketing Essay - 2

Global Economic Environment and Marketing - Essay Example The changes that have taken place in the world economy have led to the replacement of the traditional trade methods by capital movements. It can be observed that the global economy has given the local economies only a subordinate role in the market operations (Kotler et al., 2012). Economic systems have changed from what was traditionally known to new systems, which have taken into consideration the areas that are affected by globalization. The areas considered in modern economic systems include governance in various countries operating in the global market, capital and trade flows, hierarchy of command in terms of transport and communication, services funded through taxes and many others (Masterton &Pickton, 2004).The field of marketing in the global economy has experienced dynamic changes as well. Therefore, companies operating in the global economy should put into consideration these aspects and employ changes that fit the requirement of marketing in the modem global economy. The report will focus on McDonald, which is a multinational corporation operating in the fast food industry and supplying millions of customers across the world. (Solomon, 2009). The Macdonald Company has established its branches in almost all countries of the world. In this regard, the company experiences varied economic challenges and opportunities in different countries. With the current world economic state, the developing countries are struggling to better their economic status (Drummond et al., 2003).. In this case, the McDonald company experiences reduced economic gains in the developing countries compared to the developed nations. Another challenge that faces MacDonald Company in the global economy is the stiff competition in the developed economies. In this regard, it can be witnessed that operating in the international markets requires outstanding skills and knowledge since it involves dealing with high-level risk. Essentially, operating in a

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Engineering and Constructions Executive Summary Essay

Engineering and Constructions Executive Summary - Essay Example The input is first amplified and then converted to digital signal, before the signal is listened through the speaker it is converted back to analog. Circuit explanation The power supply section converts the alternating wave to a direct wave. A transformer, Rectifier Bridge and a voltage regulator are the main components of the power supply. A mixer mixes two signal and produce a mixed wave. A graphic equalizer has basically three sections; a splitter, filters and a combiner. Splitter splits a signal and filter filters a particular frequency. Combiner combines the frequencies after filtration. Voltage and power amplifiers are utilized to enhance the power and quality of the signal. Circuit calculation Assumptions are made and values for mixer transistor, input, power supply, graphic equalizer, and voltage and power amplifiers are calculated to produce the circuit. Circuit test The calculated values are tested on the circuit and it is found that the calculated values have approximately same results on the circuit. Project cost The total cost of the components is almost $36.24. The industry partner cost is about $4800 and the total student cost is about $11200. Review of Risks The risks involved in the utilization of electricity and other electric instruments could be minimized by following the rules and regulations of electric safety. Labs safety instructions must have an importance. The risk management strategy should be followed and in case a plan fails a second plan should be there. Wider Professional issues Project should be managed properly to finish the project in time. The project should be consulted with the industry partners to remain the project on track. Research is made to verify that there is nothing that is not known considering the project. Control Procedures Scheduling of the project would be a better control procedure. Project should be divided into various parts and each part is scheduled accordingly. Conflicts will be minimized by considering a ll the options. A change strategy should be there and industry partners could impose any changes in the project. INTRODUCTION The word ‘Karaoke’ is taken from the Japanese language, where ‘kara’ and ‘oke’ are combined to drive the meaning of ‘karaoke’. The word ‘kara’ means ‘blank’ and ‘oke’ is derived to term orchestra. In general, a machine that eliminates the lead vocalist from a song or a music video is known as karaoke machine. The karaoke machines were developed to provide a singer with the full orchestra. At places where there is a need of orchestra and it is impossible to provide a singer with the full orchestra, karaoke machines are utilized to fulfill the lacking of band or orchestra. Audio cassette tapes and video cassette tapes were employed by the early karaoke machines. By the advancements in the technology, karaoke machines used compact disks, video compact disks and DVDs. Now a day the digital electronics revolutionized the technology and the basic structure of karaoke machine is changed as compared to its early version. The title of our project is â€Å"Transistor Level Implementation of Karaoke Machine with six-band Graphic Equalizer†. In the project our mission is to develop a karaoke machine with a six band equalizer. The karaoke machine is utilizing transistor instead of op-amps. The circuitry is not a complex one. The concept of six band graphic equalizer has enhanced the division of frequency into its various

Monday, September 23, 2019

Cochlear Implants and the Culture of Deafness Essay

Cochlear Implants and the Culture of Deafness - Essay Example This paper will examine whether the introduction of the neonatal hearing screening program has changed how the deaf community thinks about cochlear implants and further highlights the role the deaf community and cochlear implants advocates. A social model of deafness is part of disability that is linked to arising from the disabled people themselves, friends, family members, associated political and social networks. One aspect that discourages the understanding of an impaired condition by the promoter of cochlear implants is lack of impression. The Deaf Community insists that arguments concerning the deaf be made from the perspective of the deaf party and not his parents or the society. There are individuals in the society who do not understand the use of cochlear implants on the hearing impaired. In this case, they tend to assume the use without exactly knowing what they are meant for. Such insinuations obvious in the society neglect the deaf person’s opinion. While the techn ology may be useful in trying to boost a person’s self-esteem it is only convenient as aiding device and not as a curative one. Children’s deafness persists on a bionic ear, while their hearing is still impaired. This defeats the relevance of the hearing aid. To assert further on needlessness of the bionic ear, cochlear implants cannot aid in improving a person’s cognitive or their language skills. Users of cochlear implants will, therefore, be still dependent on other persons who do not have hearing impairment issues in their day to day lives. The deaf persons will require translation and adaptive learning process in order to fit in the social structure of the hearing population. Deaf persons and other individuals with hearing ‘problems’ go-ahead to form their own structures of social interaction that enhances their own method of communication. Such groups may include those of persons with cochlear implants.

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Greek tragedy Essay Example for Free

Greek tragedy Essay The hero in a Greek tragedy I want to compare with the hero Dante in the Divine Comedy is Oedipus in Sophocles Oedipus the King. Concerning their respective process of self-knowledge acquisition, we find some differences: their original recognition of self is dissimilar, and so are their method and result of self-pursuit. First, Oedipus and Dante have different perceptions of self. In Oedipus the King, Oedipus confidently knows who he is and where he comes from-a exiled wanderer saving the Thebans from the Sphinx. On the contrary, in Canto 1 of the Inferno in the Divine Comedy, the author/the protagonist Dante gets lost in the forest of darkness, a symbol of human vice. He is in the dark and perplexed at who he is. Comparing with Oedipus the Greek hero who daringly does his will (he believes human intelligence can compete with God), Dante the Christian hero rather hesitates about himself and thus follows the guide Virgil. Second and accordingly, their method to explore self-knowledge is different: Oedipus does this with human reason whereas Dante with pious belief in God. Oedipus does not intentionally pursue self-knowledge, but just tries his best with intellect to find the truth one after another about the murderer (himself) of the then king Laius-which can be seen as his process to find self-knowledge. Contrarily, through a sacred journey, Dante acquires self-knowledge by following Virgil and Beatrice, and in person seeing the sins and punishments in the Inferno, the redemption in the Purgatory, and the Providence in the Paradise. Paradoxically, the way for Oedipus to gain self-knowledge (truth) drives him into affliction when he step by step gets to know his identity-a patricidal murderer and the cause of plague while Dante acquiring self-knowledge knows that the happiness of eternal life lies in true faith and Providential Love. While Oedipus self-truth is acquired from his downfall (the physical blindness), Dante the protagonists self-knowledge is sublimated into a will in contact with God. All in all, as a tragic hero in search of self-knowledge, Oedipus reflects reason and humanity. It is because in the 5th century B.C., the Sophoclean age, people questioned the nature of everything with reason and thereby faces the dilemma of believing human reason or praying God. But in the theocentric Middle Ages, as a Christian hero, Dante, whose thinking and conceptions are based on religious beliefs, resorts to Gods Infinite Mercy to find self-knowledge and the meaning of life.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Learning Acitivity Essay Example for Free

Learning Acitivity Essay 2.Identify and describe three leadership styles. Provide examples of these styles in society? Authoritarian Leadership is one that takes personal charge of decision-making, and demands that group members obey orders (Macionis, 2013. P110). Bill Gates is a great example of authoritarian leadership. Bill had a vision after he took lead of the company and he used all possible resources within his reach and made a dream reality. Bill Gates did not consult others on which way his company should take. Democratic Leadership is making a point and including everyone in the decision-making process (Macionis, 2013. P110). Dwight Eisenhower is one of the best people for this. While serving as a General in the Army he had a task to get the alliance all on the same page this he took great pride and hard work doing so. Laissez-faire Leadership allows group to function more or less on its own (laissez-faire in French means â€Å"leave it alone†). (Macionis, 2013. P110). The Danish government adopted this style of leadership and allowed cannabis to be smoked and allowed open prostitution. 3.What does the research by Solomon Asch and Stanley Milgram show us about the ability of social groups to affect the opinions and behavior of group members? The research showed that people when under pressure by peers or an authoritative figure conform. Solomon Asch (1952) recruited students for what he told them was a study of visual perception (Macionis, 2013, p. 110). But what he did was make the students form a small group and put pressure on one of the students. Asch showed them card 1 with a normal line then asked them to match it to card 2 that had three lines on the card. One third of the students chose to answer the question incorrect just like the other students. Stanley Milgram, a former student of Solomon Asch’s conducted conformity experiments study of his own (Macionis, 2013, pg.111). Milgram had a more controversial experiment he took male subjects and put them in electric type of chair to show how punishment affects learning. The teacher to start with 15v and each time that one of the subjects got it wrong the voltage would increase and even though the levels of voltage reached 450 volts Milgram was astonished how eagerly people obeyed authority. .

Friday, September 20, 2019

HR Practices At Shell Pakistan Limited

HR Practices At Shell Pakistan Limited Pakistans first oil field was discovered in the late 1952 in Baluchistan near a giant Sui gas field. It covers 122.67 square kilometers (47.36 sq mi). Pakistan Petroleum and Pakistan Oilfields explored and began drilling from Toot area is one of the oldest oil producing regions in Pakistan with the first oil well was drilled in 1964 when President Ayub Khan encourages a mineral development policy. The commercial production started in 1967. There are about 60 million barrels of oil in place with 12%-15% of which is recoverable. At its peak during 1986, the field was producing approximately 2,400 barrel of oil per day. Oil production was entirely confined to the Potwar Plateau till 1981, when Union Texas Pakistan discovered its first oil-field in Lower Sindh. By 1998-1999, the Lower Sindh gas-fields were producing more oil than the Potwar Plateau. Since then, new deposits have also been found here. In 2005, the Vancouver-based International Sovereign Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited, Pakistans national oil company, to develop the Toot field.   Pakistan has not experienced many new oil fields coming online. As a result, oil production has remained fairly flat, at around 60,000 barrels per day (bbl/d). Due to Pakistans modest oil production, the country is dependent on oil imports to satisfy domestic oil demand. As of November 2006, Pakistan had consumed approximately 350 thousand barrels of oil and various petroleum products, of which, more than 80 percent was imported. The majority of oil imports come from the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia as the lead importer. In Pakistan transport sector in the biggest user of the petroleum products use 48%, energy sector uses about 36%, and industrial sector which has a share of 12 % while remaining 4% is shared by the residential sector. There are almost four major national oil companies currently involved in the sector, namely Oil and Gas development corporation limited (OGDCL), Pakistan petroleum limited (PPL), and Pakistan state oil company limited and Pakistan oilfields limited (POL). http://i95.photobucket.com/albums/l140/tortoise_bucket/Shell-Skull-Iran-Animated.gif Introduction of Shell Pakistan Limited The documented history of Royal Dutch Shell plc (commonly known as Shell) in Pakistan dates back to 1903 when partnership was struck between The Shell Transport Trading Company and the Royal Dutch Petroleum Company to supply petroleum to Asia. In 1928 when Royal Dutch Shell plc and the Burmah Oil Company Limited (was a leading British oil business) in India were merged and Burmah Shell Oil Storage Distribution Company of India was born. After the independence of Pakistan in 1947, the name was changed to the Burmah Shell Oil Distribution Company of Pakistan. In 1970, when 51% of the shareholding was transferred to Pakistani investors, the name of changed to Pakistan Burmah Shell (PBS) Limited. The Shell and the Burmah Groups, retained the remaining 49% in equal proportions. In February of 1993, as economic liberalization began to take root and the Burmah divested from PBS, Shell Petroleum stepped into raise its stake to 51%. The years 2001-2 have seen the Shell Petroleum Company successively increasing its share, with the Group now having a 76% stake in Shell Pakistan Ltd (SPL) an expression of confidence The second largest oil company in the country, Shell Pakistan has successfully positioned itself as the preferred oil and Gas Company in Pakistan, leading the field in its commitment to customer service, quality of products, safety and environmental protection. Currently shell has been operating for over more than 90 countries and territories and has been providing its products and services. Shell Pakistan is divided into 8 functional areas i.e. Retail, Lubricants, Aviation, Operations, Finance, Corporate, Human Resource and Commercial Fuels. It has played a leading role in energy demand of Pakistan. It represented in all aspects of the upstream and downstream oil business in Pakistan, in exploration both onshore and offshore, in refining, as well as a 26% share holding in the white oil pipeline( an oil pipeline from Port Qasim to the Pak-Arab Refinery (PARCO) at Mehmood Kot, Multan District, Punjab,). As Shell has a rich legacy and long association with Pakistan, it operates over 800 retail stations, it has the leading market share among foreign petroleum retail businesses in Pakistan. HR BUSINESS STRUCTURE OF SHELL A business needs people to achieve its goals. In every organization the business activities are performed by different people working in different departments like marketing, finance, IT, and others, but HR is the one whose functions are not only associated with performing its own department activities but also to look over the activities of other departments. In two words, it is charged with the overall responsibility for deciding upon and implementing strategies and policies aligned with organizations goals and getting the things done from people and then with the management of individuals and departments. Shells HR activities are not dependent on a respective country level but they are categorized into three different levels. HR Business (Global) Shells HR Business has been operating at the global level and evolved in designing the replica of various businesses like Retail, supply and distribution, commercial, global functions, manufacturing, chemicals, finance/controllers, etc. Centre of Excellence (Regional) The people working in centers of excellence are on the regional level and are responsible in making overall policies, setting remuneration, expatriation, and making policies for competence development. HR Country (Respective country) At the country level they are the people like HR managers so where ever shell has been operating the respective country includes HRM. The policies aligned to the business and functions are implemented here and the managers are responsible in conveying what needs to be done. Shell Pakistan is dealing at this country level so our further discussion will be based on the activities of HR country Pakistan. HR Departments Structure at Country Level The responsibilities for HR department at country level are not divided into different sub-departments rather; there are the job positions in the hierarchy which are responsible in having certain duties to be performed and to hold certain responsibilities. The benchmarks are as follows: Employee Relations/Industrial Relations Employee and Industrial Relations at shell are maintained by the HR account managers who focus on the morale and motivation of employees and how they feel about working for Shell, as well as building strong relationships with employee representatives. A lot of Hr managers time is spent in communicating and consulting with Shell staff and representative bodies to ensure theyre aware of decisions at all levels, that they feel involved in the decision-making process. Learning and development Learning development is another seat for the account manager at the table within HR, the HR account manager helps in achieving of business strategies and operational plans. It helps in providing and developing key capabilities to meet the demands and challenges of the business. Working on the design and delivery of learning programs covering Leadership Development, Technical/Professional Development, and the Personal and Business Skills portfolio are the basic responsibilities for manager. Recruitment Country level HRAM provides a recruitment process that brings the best of the worlds talent to Shell and goes for top graduates and experienced professionals whose skills will secure long-term competitive advantage for the company. Policy The next HRAM is responsible in implementing policies that comes into shells basic business principles which includes core values, honesty, integrity, respect for people and the promotion of trust, openness, teamwork and professionalism, and pride in what they do. HRM enforces employees to follow up with these policies. HR PROCESS OF SHELL PAKISTAN LIMITED The process gets started with the planning of HR needs. The first basic need f HR is to make sure that the right number and right people are there at the right time. By performing job analysis it comes to know that the right people are there, by knowing surplus and shortage situations it can work on right quantity and time. Job analysis is done at the global level so Shell at country level is responsible in taking the actions on the situations of surplus and shortage. Surplus of Employees It is in the companys policy not to hire more than 500 employees. During surplus the employees are given the opportunity to apply for other jobs within country at shell and clear the selection process or other then that the HR management refers the excessive employees to other big organizations. Shortage of Employees In case of shortage the company satisfies the term fill in the vacancy in which it gives first priority to its internal employees to apply for the proceeding vacancy and then it goes for external recruitment to fill the place which has been left over by the promoted employee. RECRUITMENT AT SHELL PAKISTAN Those individuals who want to see their future at shell decides upon the way in which they want to proceed with it. There have been different recruitment methods that HR department has been considering: Methods of Recruitment Head hunter firm Shell outsources the responsibility for recruitment when it seeks to recruit a top level professional with defining the requirement grounds of maturity and competence. The organization is in a favor of equal opportunity employer where men and women both are preferred. The outsourcing is done so that the higher position does not become the victim of nepotism or corrupt system. Global Recruitment Shell appreciates the best fit employees for the above positions for which the HRAM put efforts in bringing global talent to Pakistan and it is normally done for the senior position. As Leon GM of Shell says, Global recruitment is done for global talent Internal Recruitment This method receives the primary concern at shell in which the internal employees are more preferred to apply and get selected for the positions on a fair basis as they also have to go through the overall selection process. As internal employees are more familiar with the culture, work unit, rules and regulations so it benefits the organization as well in cost saving. Moreover, there are no promotion opportunities for employees so the internal recruitment has turned out to be an alternate motivational factor to work unit. The employees can apply by visiting the companys intranet. Advertisement Advertisement opens another way for the job seekers. The advertisement is based on job specification in which all the requirements are mentioned which perhaps reduces the possibility of untalented individuals to apply. As the Gm said that going into job description is a lengthy process. The blind box strategy has been proved not that helpful for the HR managers at shell because they applied this strategy for twice but no adequate response was received. Employee Referrals When the company posts the job offers on the notice board or on its intranet for the internal employees then it also runs the possibility that employees will get their referrals along. Job search (cyberspace) Cyberspace is categorized for professionals, internees, and graduates. There are application forms which need to be filled with an attached resumes. POST-RECRUITMENT PROCESS Initial Screening CV/Resumes The individuals curriculum vitae (CV) and resumes are taken into consideration when making selection decision. Shells HR management primarily focuses on the format of the resume of the candidate in other words they short list these resumes on format and pattern bases. Application Form Those candidates who apply on the internet have to register themselves for filling up an application form given on the website of shell. Here it encourages those candidates who are eligible on the criteria as decided by the company. Those candidates are short listed who meets the required criteria and they also enclose their resumes along here. The internal candidates are already registered who just need to log in while applying for the new job. SELECTION Interview Those candidates whose application forms are short listed are invited for an interview. Here an individuals culturally fit requirement is given a close consideration and two interviews are conducted. The first interview is taken by the manager of HR department and then short listed from here are sent for the second interview which is taken by the department managers along with the senior managers. Candidates behavior is also of a keen interest to an interviewer and he is assessed against capacity, achievement, relationship skills and technical skills. Background Investigation There is no specific need of background investigation because the documents that an employee carries along on the interview day become a clear evidence of employees profile. For some positions the degree and experience background is important but mostly an employee can be from any background but must be eligible for the position. Medical Requirement Minimum fitness to work is required as it is set by the Centre of excellence. The country level Hr manager while considering the main factors can reject who does not fit to the minimum requirement. ORIENTATIONAT SHELL PAKISTAN LIMITED Internally selected candidates Employees who are internally selected are given no orientation as they have already been through it and are familiar with the norms, values and culture of the organization. The work introduction is made by the line manager and the employee gradually learns about new work. New Employees The new employees when join the company they are given a set of documents in which they can make themselves aware of the framework in which policies are set so that it makes an organization a good place to work. The documents can contain the following lessons: Code of conduct and ethics Anti-corruption and bribery Anti-trust in which whistle blowing is considered as unethical Policies around harassment and gender A new employee is introduced with the work unit but its his/her responsibility as well to go, shake hand and introduce him or her to others. Moreover there are communications meetings which makes them socialize and they are also given the organization tour. Curriculum activities performed by employees The employees are also offered to attend a day in which there are number of ground activities they need to perform including group discussion, presentations, exercises, real case studies, team building activities and others, to analyze how individual can grapple with different business scenarios. It is done at the global level. LEARNING AND TRAINING Shell believes that the best way to learn is by doing. The emphasis is being on shadowing people and then if the lacking is found during performance evaluation then the employees are trained by on-the-job methods. The new employees are shadowed by which they are assigned to the line managers and observe how the work is to be carried out, what are the daily responsibilities and a lot more. They keep on learning about their work so they develop overtime. The employees are not rotated on the jobs as the promotions are restricted but it can be done by a communication or negotiation with line managers. For suppose, If an employee wants to learn about the new work or job then he can ask of it from the line manager and by the mutual discussion between them he can learn farther. There are specific indicators which analyze the need for training and are computed on the yearly based performances. Analyzing Training needs Accept Error The Hr department keeps the record of employees to evaluate their performances and to see whether they are set into the environment. It looks that the person must be culturally fit, behavior is good, does the work by own, performance is good, and dont tries to dominate over others. Many times the employees are imaged as a perfect candidate for the position during an interview process but the time when the reality appears and if it is opposite then the HR manager does consider it as an accept error. It indicates that an employee needs more of the training. The person is given a period of six months in which he or she is trained to fit into the specific requirements and evaluation also goes a long time to time. Competence profile There are competence profiles for each job and people are supposed to be assessed together on profiles. For instance, firstly the people are shadowed and then if somebody needs to acquire leadership skills, negotiation or interpersonal skills or any other skill then for that there are programs like on-the-job training such as; Work Assignments Team tasks Projects Shadowing people Links to websites with different universities Management articles and research publications DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING There are international programs for employee development and training. The pure development is been made through foreign courses which are considered as a part of off-the-job training and the training which helps a little in development of an employee are virtual courses. Foreign Courses Foreign courses are considered as the development of an employee as the HR director stated, There are public and foreign courses which is a part of the overall development, we look at the individuals job performance and potential so everybody doesnt go for that and everybody may think that unless are gone for a course they cant be able to learn, but learning and development are two different things. You should need to be learning all the time and as development is the costly process so we limits off the candidates. Virtual courses (Shell Open University) These are the online courses by which an employee can learn by browsing the shells official website where one can get the access to shell Open Universitys web page and learn all the relevant things. PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL Performance appraisal is done by two way process: Goal Performance Appraisal Shell set targets for improvement and measures, appraises and then reports performance. There is a competency profile for each job according to which an employee is assigned to the different work-related goals that need to be achieved. GPA is given on the evaluation whether the goals have been achieved. Ranking Ranking is a process alike on which the individuals are compared within their departments and the best ranker receives the reward. There is a structured budget so only one person will be receiving the reward. As the HR manager stated, Everybody cant be man of the match in every match. REWARDS AND BENEFITS TO EMPLOYEES The employees are benefited and rewarded on many different grounds. Some of them are as follows: Internal recruitment The internal employees are given the first priority to apply for the next positions. This has been made as an alternate for promotions. Competitive Salary The competitive salary is based on market conditions so the experienced and the one with high skills is probably the one who is paid high. Performance-related pay and bonuses When the employee accomplishes goal-performance appraisal then he/she is rewarded with bonuses or sometimes it gets the increase in salary. Club memberships The employees are given different club memberships and are also offered to participate into its activities in which they are awarded as well by the clubs. Vehicles The employees are given cars and pick and drop facilities. The top managers are also benefited with fuels. Annual paid leaves The employees are given annual paid leaves for which there salary is not deducted. Flexible working practices The environment of the work place is made so flexible and interesting that the employees feel secure and remain concentrated while being at the work place. The timings are also flexible so that employees cannot think about taking out time for some of his/her off the job related work during job. Long Service Awards Shell recently held a long service awards distribution ceremony in 2010 at Karachi in which the eligible staff who had completed 30, 25, 20, 15, 10 years of experience in the company were awarded. Champions trophy The champions trophy-east was launched in 2009 to recognize and reward account managers and sales managers for the commercial fuel teams in east. It was aimed to energize the sales professionals and appreciate the outstanding performances .From Pakistan Ehtesham saleem, AM for a Pakistan commercial fuel was awarded. Traveling vouchers In 2009 shell evaluated its top 3 sales performers in east and they were given travel vouchers valued at 3,000pounds, 2,500 pounds, and 2,000 pounds for the first, second and third winner respectively in which the account managers from Pakistan were also included. Other benefits and rewards include: Maternity/paternity leave and possible sabbaticals Mobile bills Shell fuel cards Pension/ retirement plans Healthcare coverage Recommendations Shell is one of the biggest organizations globally, but as it has all the policies designed at global level so it costs high at regional level. The demands of culture and needs of employees vary from country to country. So for every region the policies should be well designed and structured according to the needs of the employees. It is very time consuming because the HR department working in Pakistan has to gather all the information regarding performance appraisals, promotions etc and then all of this information is sent at a global level, it can create a communication gap without the HR department working at a global and a regional level. Policies should not only be implemented but should also be created according to the employees, because the supervisor or the manager to whom the employee reports directly only knows about his/her performance. Conclusion HR department in every organization plays a vital role in managing all the activities which are related to profitability and management of employees which are main assets of an organization. Shell is a multi-national organization which is working at a global and regional level. All the policies are made for the benefit of the employees, they consider everyone equally none is favored or prioritized unless he/she is capable and prove themselves by fulfilling the tasks assigned. They motivate their employees by providing them the opportunity to apply for a vacant position which shows that how much they are valued. Team work is valued because they consider that an employee is no good to the organization if he/she cannot cope up with the team, everyone can work for themselves but a true dedicated individual is that who matches his desired needs with the organization demands.