Amalgam Definition and Uses

Amalgam Definition and Uses An amalgam is a type of alloy found in dentistry, mining, mirrors and other applications. Here is a look at an amalgams composition, uses, and the risks associated with use. Key Takeaways: Amalgam Simply put, an amalgam is an alloy of the element mercury.While mercury is a liquid element, amalgams tend to harden.Amalgams are use to make dental fillings, to bind to precious metals so they can be isolated later, and to produce mirror coatings.As with elements in other alloys, a small amount of mercury may be released by contact with an amalgam. Because mercury is toxic, amalgams may present health or environmental risks. Amalgam Definition An amalgam the name given to any alloy of mercury. Mercury forms alloys with almost all other metals, except iron, tungsten, tantalum, and platinum. Amalgams may occur naturally (e.g., arquerite, a natural amalgam of mercury and silver) or may be synthesized. Key uses of amalgams are in dentistry, gold extraction, and chemistry. Amalgamation (the formation of an amalgam) is usually an exothermic process that results in hexagonal or other structural forms. Amalgam Types and Uses Because the word amalgam already indicates the presence of mercury, amalgams are generally named according to the other metals in the alloy. Examples of important amalgams include: Dental Amalgam Dental amalgam is the name given to any amalgam used in dentistry. Amalgam is used as a restorative material (i.e., for fillings) because its fairly easy to shape once mixed, but hardens into a tough substance. Its also inexpensive. Most dental amalgam consists of mercury with silver. Other metals that may be used with or in place of silver include indium, copper, tin, and zinc. Traditionally, amalgam was stronger and longer-lasting than composite resins, but modern resins are more durable than they used to be and strong enough for use on teeth subject to wear, such as molars. There are disadvantages to using dental amalgam. Some people are allergic to the mercury or other elements in amalgam. According to Colgate, the American Dental Association (ADA) reports fewer than 100 cases of amalgam allergy have been reported, so its very rare. A more significant risk is posed by the release of small amounts of mercury vapor as the amalgam wears over time. This is primarily a concern for persons already exposed to mercury in daily life. Its recommended pregnant women avoid getting amalgam fillings. The ADA does not recommend getting existing amalgam fillings removed (unless they are worn or the tooth is damaged) because the removal process can damage existing healthy tissue and may result in the unnecessary release of mercury. When an amalgam filling is removed, a dentist uses suction to minimize mercury exposure and takes steps to prevent mercury from entering the plumbing. Silver and Gold Amalgam Mercury is used to recover silver and gold from their ores because the precious metals readily amalgamate (form an amalgam). There are different methods of using mercury with gold or silver, depending on the situation. In general, the ore is exposed to mercury and the heavy amalgam is recovered and processed to separate the mercury from the other metal. The patio process was developed in 1557 in Mexico to process silver ores, although silver amalgam is also used in the Washoe process and in panning for the metal. To extract gold, a slurry of crushed ore can be mixed with mercury or run across mercury-coated copper plates. A process called retorting separates the metals. Amalgam is heated in a distillation retort. The high vapor pressure of mercury allows for easy separation and recovery for re-use. Amalgam extraction has largely been replaced by other methods because of environmental concerns. Amalgam slugs may be found downstream of old mining operations to the present day. Retorting also released mercury in the form of vapor. Other Amalgams In the mid-19th century, tin amalgam was used as a reflective mirror coating for surfaces. Zinc amalgam is used in the Clemmensen Reduction for organic synthesis and the Jones reductor for analytical chemistry. Sodium amalgam is used as a reducing agent in chemistry. Aluminum amalgam is used to reduce imines to amines. Thallium amalgam is used in low temperature thermometers because it has a lower freezing point than pure mercury. Although normally considered a combination of metals, other substances may be considered amalgams. For example, ammonium amalgam (H3N-Hg-H), discovered by Humphry Davy and Jons Jakob Berzelius, is a substance that decomposes when it comes into contact with water or alcohol or in air at room temperature. The decomposition reaction forms ammonia, hydrogen gas, and mercury. Detecting Amalgam Because mercury salts dissolve in water to form toxic ions and compounds, its important to be able to detect the element in the environment. An amalgam probe is a piece of copper foil to which a nitric acid salt solution has been applied. If the probe is dipped in water that contains mercury ions, a copper amalgam forms on the foil and discolors it. Silver also reacts with copper to form spots, but they are easily rinsed away, while amalgam remains.

A Summary of Chansons de Geste

A Summary of Chansons de Geste The chansons de geste (songs of deeds) were Old French epic poems centering around heroic historical figures. Dealing primarily with events of the 8th and 9th centuries, chansons de geste focused on real individuals, but with a large infusion of legend. Those chansons that survive in manuscript form, of which there are more than 80, date to the 12th through 15th centuries. Whether they were composed then or survived in oral tradition from the 8th and 9th centuries is under dispute. The authors of only a few of the poems are known; the vast majority were written by anonymous poets. Poetic Form of the Chansons de Geste A chanson de geste was composed in lines of 10 or 12 syllables, grouped into irregular rhyming stanzas called laisses. Earlier poems had more assonance than rhyme. The length of the poems ranged from about 1,500 to 18,000 lines. Chanson de Geste Style The earliest poems are highly heroic in both theme and spirit, focusing on feuds or epic battles and on the legal and moral aspects of loyalty and allegiance. Elements of courtly love appeared after the 13th century, and ​enfances (childhood adventures) and the exploits of ancestors and descendants of the main characters were related, as well. The Charlemagne Cycle A large proportion of the chansons de geste revolves around Charlemagne. The emperor is depicted as the champion of Christendom against pagans and Muslims, and he is accompanied by his court of Twelve Noble Peers. These include Oliver, Ogier the Dane, and Roland. The most well-known chanson de geste, and possibly the most important, is the Chanson de Roland, or Song of Roland. Charlemagne legends are known as the matter of France. Other Chanson Cycles In addition to the Charlemagne Cycle, there is a group of 24 poems centering on Guillaume dOrange, a supporter of Charlemagnes son Louis, and another cycle about the wars of powerful French barons. Influence of Chansons de Geste The chansons influenced medieval literary production throughout Europe. Spanish epic poetry owed a clear debt to the chansons de geste, as is most notably demonstrated by the 12th-century epic Cantar de mio Cid (Song of my Cid). The incomplete epic Willehalm by the 13th-century German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach was based on the stories told in the chansons of Guillaume dOrange. In Italy, tales about Roland and Oliver (Orlando and Rinaldo) abounded, culminating in the Renaissance epics Orlando innamorato by Matteo Boiardo and Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. The matter of France was an essential element of French literature for centuries, influencing both prose and poetry well beyond the Middle Ages.

Opening business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Opening business - Essay Example For example, Microsoft claims its MSN Hotmail (free of cost email service) as a global product. A global product or service can indeed be marketed as it is claimed by every major producer of global products. For example, Google markets its search engine in various countries with respect to the local social and cultural issues. Another example of car manufacturing and producing giant Toyota, who market their global products (such as Toyota Corolla) which are meant to be for the use in various regions of the world by different types of end-users with different specifications and different levels of customizations. However, this also is a very controversial claim. A true global product is the one which is produced with a same version for multiple regions of the world. For example, Michael Jackson's earth song is a global product, since it is meant to be for individuals belonging to different regions, ethnicities, social and cultural backgrounds. It is not like that a different earth song is made for people in India and there is a different version of earth song for people in Euro pe. Customer Relations Management (CRM) is the implementation of process of moving towards long-term, cost-effective, mutually beneficial trust with selected customers while maintaining interactive relationship2.

Explain the relationship between money supply and inflation Essay

Explain the relationship between money supply and inflation - Essay Example money supply and the level of inflation within a specific period of time. Link between money supply and inflation Trying to relate money supply to inflation is not as direct as it sounds as numerous factors also play significant roles in predicting or measuring inflation (Mankiw 2008). However, the link between money supply and inflation is easily explained as a near natural occurrence since when money is in high supply within an economy the demand for it reduces. In this scenario the market is able to afford higher prices for commodities because money supply has increased. At the same time the consumers are not able to revert back to the old prices as long as the buying power of their currency is still under value erosion. Economic theories Economic theories also affect how this relationship is explained. The monetarism theory for example, expresses the relationship in the form of MV = PT which translates to; M = Money Supply V = Money Velocity P = Price Level T = Transactions In th is scenario transactions are constant just as velocity is while supply and prices are directly related (Browne and Cronin 2010). The fundamental argument set forth by monetarism theory is that rising money supply leads to inflation in the situation that the rise in the former exceeds growth of the National Income. It is still under this that T = Transactions is replaced with Y = National Income in many occasions as near-accurate measurements of the former always prove to be difficult. The new equation derived therefore reads; MV = PY. According to Bernanke and Woodford (2006), one notable proponent of monetarism, Friedman stated that ‘†¦ inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon’. Further arguments state that inflation is generally as a result of uncalled-for swells in a nation’s money supply. In respect to velocity, monetarists claim that it is fixed and if it varies the variants are insignificant. The same case applies to the output which is represented by Y and both V and Y are fixed in the short term. An example lies below; When MS = $2,500 and V = 4 ----- Y = 10,000 units Eqn. 2,500*4 = 10,000 With doubling of MS comes doubling of price level as elaborated below; 5,000*4 = 20,000 In the above scenarios Friedman stated that increase in MS takes between 9 to 12 months to result to increased output (Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel and MacPherson 2008). He further stated that it is after another year that output will be at equilibrium with increase in prices to put up with already high money supply. AD & AS model (Hornle 2008) When considering aggregate demand and supply model it is clear to see that when there is increase in money supply there will be increased spending. This will essentially result to a shift of the Aggregate Demand to the right (Hornle 2008). In this scenario producers then engage more of their resources in order to meet the rising demand. The resultant effect is an increased national output that is beyond t he equilibrium level causing an inflationary gap in the economy. With increased production producers enrol more employees therefore increasing their expenditure. In this scenario workers are willing to work for longer periods as there is a corresponding rise in their nominal wage. With continued increase in prices money loses value and a movement is witnessed along the newly formed Aggregate Demand (Woodford 2008). It is at this

Continuning Academic Success Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Continuning Academic Success - Essay Example According to Karabenick & Newman (2006) goal setting for students is one of the ways that students can use to evaluate and assess their progress. Achieving and attaining set goals enables the student see the difference in progress. Whenever students analyze their own school assessments, class participation, and so on, they often become more interested in the analysis because it is relevant to them. While reflecting on the data, students have an opportunity to set goals for themselves. Once a student has set goals and objectives in their school work, they naturally become accountable to their actions to make sure that whatever they do is in line with their goals. This helps a student develop a sense of accountability not just in their school work but generally in life. Goals and objectives of a student are primarily based on their academic endeavors and therefore setting of the goals is one of the ways that as student will be able to improve their performance. The advantage of setting goals in academics is that a student is able to set a higher standard for their performance. This consequently helps them improve their performance in different fields of academics. According to Boekaerts (2010) student performance is primarily based on self evaluation and setting of goals that are aimed at improving the grades. With goals and objectives that are practical and achievable, a student is able to enhance confidence in them as well as pride in achieving better grades and succeeding in academics. This is particularly effective when a student achieves one of the goals. The acquire confidence to achieve more and work harder towards higher goals. In addition, the student is able to develop pride in their performance. This is because they have worked hard for that particular performance. Goals and objectives are very essentials for students as it helps them set a clear path for their future career. Most of the times, majority of the students find

Total Quality Management in Healthcare Environment

Total Quality Management in Healthcare Environment EVALUATING HEALTH IMPROVEMENT (UNIT FIVE) BY AKINADE TOYESE In this paper we will discuss how to cultivate total quality management and develop a culture of on-going improvement with focus on a public health organization. We will also identify ways to incentivize employee performance and evaluate incentives in terms of motivational effectiveness. BRIEF SUMMARY OF A PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATION IN NIGERIA AND THE POPULATION IT SERVES The University College Hospital Ibadan is a public health organization which was established in November 1952 by parliament act to respond to the training need of medical personnel and other health care professionals in Nigeria and other West African Sub-Region (UCH, 2015). Her vision is to be the â€Å"flagship† tertiary healthcare institution in the West Africa sub-region, which offers world-class research, training and services, and first choice for seeking specialist health care (UCH, 2015). Although the hospital is primarily a tertiary institution, it has appendages of community-based outreach activities in six cities where it provides primary and secondary healthcare services. It has fifty-six service and clinical departments and runs ninety-six consultative out- patient clinics a week in fifty specialty and sub-specialty disciplines. There are also special treatment clinic for the treatment of sexually transmitted diseases and the people living with HIV/AIDS (UCH, 2015). However, because of the breakdown and poor state of primary health care facilities in the region (UCH, 2015) â€Å"the hospital still caters for lots of primary and secondary healthcare burden. The number of patients in the accident and emergency of the hospital averages six hundred thousand annually, and about one hundred and fifty thousand new patients attend the various out-patient clinics annually. The institution enjoys a full patronage of both national and international clientele due to its manpower, facilities, and track records†. STEPS TO TAKE TO CULTIVATE TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND DEVELOP A CULTURE OF ONGOING IMPROVEMENT. Health Care Systems throughout the world are undergoing significant changes. These changes are due to acknowledgment of either medical errors or system errors (Ruiz and Simon 2004). Other factors responsible for these changes include: Legal obligation for quality management (Moeller et al. 2000), the sophistication of medical care and increasing costs of health care (Ramanathan, 2005). Total quality management seeks to create a culture whereby all employees are continually examining and improving the organization of their work with a view to satisfying customer requirements (Goodwin et al., 2006). This is especially critical for health institution in that better health is the â€Å"raison d’à ªtre† of a health system, and unquestionably its primary or defining goal (WHO, 2000). Joiner and Scholtes (1985) discussed total quality management under three key components: the client as the defining factor in determining quality, the teamwork as a means to unifying goals and a scientific approach to decision-making based on data collection and analysis. Furthermore, quality chain idea can be used to cultivate total quality management. According to Morgan (1994) quality chain is described as chain of suppliers and customers. Goodwin et al. (2006) examined the health of the quality chain in four discrete stages: Inspection: Usually an after-the-fact screening process to assess the quality and conformity of services or products produced. Quality control: Monitoring the process of service delivery at each stage in the chain in order to eliminate the causes of unsatisfactory performance. Quality Assurance: Assessment of the systems quality and the steps taken to improve quality. Total quality management: The application of quality management principles at every level of the organization. This medium will necessitate a change in behavior amongst staff to commit to the quality management agenda. Finally, it is recognized that several elements need to be in place to help such organizations move in the direction of improving the quality of care on a systematic basis. These include the availability of training for the staffs, the development of teamwork among the staff, the development of a structure to support quality improvement, and a set of standard measurable targets through which to assess change (Goodwin et al., 2006). WAYS TO INCENTIVIZE EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AND EVALUATE MOTIVATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS OF INCENTIVES Incentives for the employee are to motivate the employee to perform better and have long lasting effect on their performance. If â€Å"you get what you pay for,† then it presumably follows that one should pay for what one ultimately wants (Cutler 2005). If a health program’s primary objective is good patient or population health outcomes, it would seem natural for performance incentives to reward good health or health improvement directly rather than the use of health services or other health inputs. Rewarding health outcomes rather than health input use not only creates strong incentives for providers to exert effort, but it can also create incentives for providers to innovate in developing new, context-appropriate delivery strategies (Grant and Kimberly, 2013: 4). Incentive can be monetary or non-monetary (Asaad Assaf, 2011). The monetary incentive can be performance-related pay such as the increment in salary, bonuses, and other financial benefits such as housing allowance or health care compensation. Non-monetary incentives include: words of appreciation, thank you letter, nomination of department employee of the month, sending an employee to a conference, flexible work hour (Asaad Assaf, 2011). Meanwhile, the extent to which staffs can participate in decision-making and how much support they receive from their managers also motivate the employee to perform better (Goodwin et al., 2006). Nevertheless, there is a need for a public health organization to adopt a method for motivating and rewarding its staffs. Performance-related pay is one approach to using pay to provide an incentive to individuals to work more effectively to meet organizational goals, both in terms of quality and efficiency (Goodwin et al., 2006). Performance-related pay can be seen as one approach to using pay to provide an incentive to individuals to work more effectively to meet organizational goals, both in terms of quality and efficiency (Goodwin et al., 2006). It won’t be encouraging if two persons receive the same pay when one is performing much better than the other. When there is a performance-related pay incentive for a hardworking staff or a job well-done, it will motivate the staff to do more for the improvement of the organization and also encourage the other staff to be effective and hard working in other to meet the organization goals. In conclusion, Goodwin et al. (2006) had explained that â€Å"the experience with PRP is mixed and its transfer to the health sector has been associated with a range of problems: Tension is often created in providing performance-related incentives to individuals, since this can preclude their ability to work towards wider organizational objectives. In health care, team contribution prevails over the contribution of individual members of staff. The power of professional organizations enables them to resist management initiatives. The agency relationship between health care professionals and patients can exclude and disadvantage employers. Employers try to retain insiders rather than recruit outsiders, even if they have to pay more. However, if PPR is applied to the right organization or system-wide needs, it may enable individuals to work more for the benefit of the organization. References: Armstrong, M. H. Murlis, (1994) Reward Management: A Handbook of Remuneration Strategy and Practice, London: Kogan Page Asaad, A., F.A. Assaf, (2011) ‘Incentive for Better performance in Health Care’, Sultan Qaboos, University Medical Journal, 11 (2) pp: 201-206, Available at: http://:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3121024/, (accessed: 04/04/2015) Cutler, D., (2005) Your Money or Your Life: Strong Medicine for America’s Health Care System,  USA: Oxford University Press. Goodwin, N., G. Reinhold, V. Iles, (2006) Managing Health Services, Understanding Public Health Series, Maidenhead: Open University Press pp. 143-152 Grant M., S. B. Kimberly, (2013) Pay-for-performance incentive in low and middle income country health programs, national bureau of economic research, NBER Working Paper Series, Cambridge, p. 4 Johnson, O. A., (2011) ‘Total Quality Management (TQM) Factors: An Empirical Study of Kwara State Government Hospitals’, Ethno Med, 5(1) pp. 17-23 Joiner, B., P. Scholtes, (1985) Total Quality Leadership vs. Management by Control, Joiner and Associates Moeller, B., J. O’Reilly, J. Elser, (2000) ‘Quality management in German health care the EFQM excellence model’, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 13 pp. 254-258. Morgan, P., (1994) Total quality management, in E. Monica (ed.) Management in Health Care, A Theoretical and Experiential Approach, Basingstoke: Palgrave MacMillan. Ramanathan R., (2005) Operational assessment in hospitals in Sultanate of Oman. International Journal of Operations Production Management, l25 pp. 39-54. Ruiz U., J. Simon, (2004) ‘Quality management in healthcare: A 20-year journey’, International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, 17 pp. 23-33. UCH, (2015) ‘UCH vision and mission’, Available at: http://uch-ibadan.org.ng/content/vission-and-mission, (Accessed 06/04/2015) â€Å"University College Hospital, Ibadan†, (2015) Wikipedia, Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_College_Hospital,_Ibadan, (Accessed 06/04/2015)

A report about Internet/intranet and server requirements :: Computer Science

A report about Internet/intranet and server requirements The internet server An Internet server delivers WebPages to computers via a telephone or broadband connection called a dial up connection. This can be done to computers anywhere in the world as long as they are connected to the internet. An internet server has something called DNS enabling. This allows a website to be found from that websites own server e.g. when someone types www.microsoft.com, the website is associated to Microsoft server so the website is delivered to your computer screen. The Intranet Server The intranet server is similar to the internet server as it delivers WebPages to computers however it is for LAN (local area networks). This means the pages are private and run through localised cabling. The WebPages are not available to computers outside the LAN and dial up connections are not enabled. Organisation the internet and intranet Internets are organised by numerous internet servers connected through a permanent broadband connection. For protection the servers are protected from other computers putting viruses and harmful materials by firewalls. Intranets are local so other computers outside the Local area network (LAN) cannot connect to the network. Ways of connected to the internet 1. Dial up modem-mainly used at home, works by dialing a telephone number of an internet server and connects via that. Standard connection is 56kb. This means it sends 56,000 bits per second. 2. LAN-Delivers the internet to a network of computers via a proxy server. The proxy server connects to the internet and delivers the internet to all the connected computers in a local area network. 3. ISDN (integrated services digital network)-a telephone connection that is designed to deliver digital information for computers but also can deliver audio signals for telephone conversations. It is generally faster than standard modem connections, usually 64kb or 128kb per second. 4. Broadband-Digital telephone connection that is constantly connected, delivering data much quicker than other connections at speeds 10, 20 or even 50 times quicker than your standard 56kb connection. Instead of using a modem it uses a router allowing a permanent connection. Web Server Requirements Web servers can be as fast or powerful as the user requires. This is dependent on what system they are running. A standard internet server will be 500MHZ, have 256MB of RAM and have around 8GB hard drive space. Of course all of these can be expanded dependent on the users needs. Also it depends on how many users are on the network. The more users, the faster the server will be required to allow a good internet