Food safety Essay Example for Free

Food safety Essay However, according to Unit 04 Communication of Health Consumers Directorate-General of the European Commission (SANCO): The Codex, while being recommendations for voluntary application by members, Codex standards serve in many cases as a basis for national legislation. The reference made to Codex food safety standards in the World Trade Organizations Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS Agreement) means that Codex has far reaching implications for resolving trade disputes. WTO members that wish to apply stricter food safety measures than those set by Codex may be required to justify these measures scientifically. So, an agreement made in 2003, signed by all member states, inclusive all EU, in the codex Stan Codex 240 – 2003 for coconut milk, sulphite containing additives like E223 and E 224 are allowed till 30 mg/kg, does NOT mean, they are allowed into the EU, see RASFF entries from Denmark: 2012. 0834; 2011. 1848; en 2011. 168, â€Å"sulphite unauthorised in coconut milk from Thailand â€Å". Same for polysorbate E 435: see 2012. 0838 from Denmark, unauthorised polysorbates in coconut milk and, 2007. AIC from France. Only for the latter the EU amended its regulations with (EU) No 583/2012 per 2 July 2012 to allow this additive, already used for decades and absolutely necessary. Australia[edit]Food Standards Australia New Zealand is working toward ensuring that all food businesses implement food safety systems to ensure food is safe to consume in a bid to halt the increasing incidence of food poisoning, this includes basic food safety training for at least one person in each business. Smart business operators know that basic food safety training improves the bottom line, staff take more pride in their work; there is less waste; and customers can have more confidence in the food they consume. Food Safety training in units of competence from a relevant training package, must be delivered by a Registered Training Organization (RTO) to enable staff to be issued with a nationally recognised unit of competency code on their certificate. Generally this training can be completed in less than one day. Training options are available to suit the needs of everyone. Training may be carried out in-house for a group, in a public class, via correspondence or online. Basic food safety training includes: Understanding the hazards associated with the main types of food and the conditions to prevent the growth of bacteria which can cause food poisoning and to prevent illness The problems associated with product packaging such as leaks in vacuum packs, damage to packaging or pest infestation, as well as problems and diseases spread by pests. Safe food handling. This includes safe procedures for each process such as receiving, re-packing, food storage, preparation and cooking, cooling and re-heating, displaying products, handling products when serving customers, packaging, cleaning and sanitizing, pest control, transport and delivery. Also the causes of cross contamination. Catering for customers who are particularly at risk of food-borne illness, including allergies and intolerance. Correct cleaning and sanitizing procedures, cleaning products and their correct use, and the storage of cleaning items such as brushes, mops and cloths. Personal hygiene, hand washing, illness, and protective clothing. People responsible for serving unsafe food can be liable for heavy fines under this new legislation, consumers are pleased that industry will be forced to take food safety seriously. China[edit]Main article: Food safety in the Peoples Republic of China Food safety is a growing concern in Chinese agriculture. The Chinese government oversees agricultural production as well as the manufacture of food packaging, containers, chemical additives, drug production, and business regulation. In recent years, the Chinese government attempted to consolidate food regulation with the creation of the State Food and Drug Administration in 2003, and officials have also been under increasing public and international pressure to solve food safety problems. However, it appears that regulations are not well known by the trade. Labels used for green food, organic food and pollution-free food are not well recognized by traders and many are unclear about their meaning. A survey by the World Bank found that supermarket managers had difficulty in obtaining produce that met safety requirements and found that a high percentage of produce did not comply with established standards. [6] Traditional marketing systems, whether in China or the rest of Asia, presently provide little motivation or incentive for individual farmers to make improvements to either quality or safety as their produce tends to get grouped together with standard products as it progresses through the marketing channel. Direct linkages between farmer groups and traders or ultimate buyers, such as supermarkets, can help avoid this problem. Governments need to improve the condition of many markets through upgrading management and reinvesting market fees in physical infrastructure. Wholesale markets need to investigate the feasibility of developing separate sections to handle fruits and vegetables that meet defined safety and quality standards. [7] European Union[edit]The parliament of the European Union (EU) makes legislation in the form of directives and regulations, many of which are mandatory for member states and which therefore must be incorporated into individual countries national legislation. As a very large organisation that exists to remove barriers to trade between member states, and into which individual member states have only a proportional influence, the outcome is often seen as an excessively bureaucratic one size fits all approach. However, in relation to food safety the tendency to err on the side of maximum protection for the consumer may be seen as a positive benefit. The EU parliament is informed on food safety matters by the European Food Safety Authority. Individual member states may also have other legislation and controls in respect of food safety, provided that they do not prevent trade with other states, and can differ considerably in their internal structures and approaches to the regulatory control of food safety. France[edit]Agence nationale de securite sanitaire de lalimentation, de lenvironnement et du travail (anses) is a French governmental agency dealing with food safety. Germany[edit]The Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer. Protection (BMELV)[8] is a Federal Ministry of the Federal Republic of Germany. History: Founded as Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Foresting in 1949, this name did not change until 2001. Then the name changed to Federal Ministry of Consumer Protection, Food and Agriculture. At the 22nd of November 2005, the name got changed again to its current state: Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. The reason for this last change was that all the resorts should get equal ranking which was achieved by sorting the resorts alphabetically. Vision: A balanced and healthy diet with safe food, distinct consumer rights and consumer information for various areas of life, and a strong and sustainable agriculture as well as perspectives for our rural areas are important goals of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV). The Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety is under the control of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection. It exercises several duties, with which it contributes to safer food and thereby intensifies health-based consumer protection in Germany. Food can be manufactured and sold within Germany without a special permission, as long as it does not cause any damage on consumers’ health and meets the general standards set by the legislation. However, manufacturers, carriers, importers and retailers are responsible for the food they pass into circulation. They are obliged to ensure and document the safety and quality of their food with the use of in-house control mechanisms. Hong Kong[edit]In Hong Kong SAR, the Centre for Food Safety is in charge of ensuring food sold is safe and fit for consumption. India[edit]Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, is the regulating body related to food safety and laying down of standards of food in India. New Zealand[edit]See also: Food safety in New Zealand The New Zealand Food Safety Authority (NZFSA), or Te Pou Oranga Kai O Aotearoa is the New Zealand government body responsible for food safety. NZFSA is also the controlling authority for imports and exports of food and food-related products. The NZFSA as of 2012 is now a division of the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and is no longer its own organization. Pakistan[edit]Pakistan does not have an integrated legal framework but has a set of laws, which deals with various aspects of food safety. These laws, despite the fact that they were enacted long time ago, have tremendous capacity to achieve at least minimum level of food safety. However, like many other laws, these laws remain very poorly enforced. There are four laws that specifically deal with food safety. Three of these laws directly focus issues related to food safety, while the fourth, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act, is indirectly relevant to food safety. The Pure Food Ordinance 1960 consolidates and amends the law in relation to the preparation and the sale of foods. All provinces and some northern areas have adopted this law with certain amendments. Its aim is to ensure purity of food being supplied to people in the market and, therefore, provides for preventing adulteration. The Pure Food Ordinance 1960 does not apply to cantonment areas. There is a separate law for cantonments called The Cantonment Pure Food Act, 1966. There is no substantial difference between the Pure Food Ordinance 1960 and The Cantonment Pure Food Act. Even the rules of operation are very much similar. Pakistan Hotels and Restaurant Act, 1976 applies to all hotels and restaurants in Pakistan and seeks to control and regulate the rates and standard of service(s) by hotels and restaurants. In addition to other provisions, under section 22(2), the sale of food or beverages that are contaminated, not prepared hygienically or served in utensils that are not hygienic or clean is an offense. There are no express provisions for consumer complaints in the Pakistan Restaurants Act, 1976, Pakistan Penal Code, 1860 and Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority Act, 1996. The laws do not prevent citizens from lodging complaints with the concerned government officials; however, the consideration and handling of complaints is a matter of discretion of the officials. [9] South Korea[edit]Korea Food Drug Administration[edit]Korea Food Drug Administration (KFDA)[10] is working for food safety since 1945. It is part of the Government of South Korea. IOAS[11]-Organic Certification Bodies Registered in KFDA: Organic or related claims can be labelled on food products when organic certificates are considered as valid by KFDA. KFDA admits organic certificates which can be issued by 1) IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement) accredited certification bodies 2) Government accredited certification bodies – 328 bodies in 29 countries have been registered in KFDA. Food Import Report: According to Food Import Report,[12] it is supposed to report or register what you import. Competent authority is as follows: Product.

Promoting effective communication Essay Example for Free

Promoting effective communication Essay Describe five factors you consider when promoting effective communication: (remember to describe is more than just identifying, this requires a sentence for each one) There are a number of factors to consider in making sure that I can promote effective communication. Statistics show that we only listen to 7% of what is verbally said, 38% the way they are said and 55% non-verbal i.e. our body language, eye contact, gestures. So it is not so much of what we say that is important but how it is said. Verbal communication: 1. Tone and Pitch I need to make sure that the way in what I say things i.e. the tone and pitch of my voice suits the conversation. I might need to raise my voice in a group of many children trying to get their attention when they playing games. Where as in a small group of children were we are doing some structured learning I would talk a bit quitter, or even reading a story I would use voices for the characters in a book, making stories more interesting and so hope to keep the children’s attention. 2. Jargon I would try and use appropriate language, for instance when I am talking to a child I need to keep things simpler so that they can understand the instructions or topic of discussion. I would also kneel down or sit at the child’s level, to make eye contact, and to be sure they understand me. But when I am talking to an adult, I should adjust and speak at the appropriate tone and pitch in not to simple terms as if they are a child otherwise it may come across patronising. Non-verbal communication: 3. Body Language, expressions and gestures My body language, facial expressions and hand gestures, needs to suit the situation or topic. For example I might give a handshake, smile and a wave to a child leaving the session. These are all friendly gestures, and I would hope to get an appropriate response like a wave and smile back. There would not necessarily been any verbal communication but we both understand that it is a friendly goodbye. However I am aware that some cultures certain gestures could be offensive. A r standing with folded arms can indicate you are closing yourself of not open to listen or want to take part in the conversations. This can portray a negative message and make others feel uncomfortable. 4. Eye Contact I also make a lot of eye contact as this engages with the person I am speaking to and keeps them and me focused on what is being said. If there is little eye contact or other distractions then you can notice that there is not 100% focus. 5. Listening I would always listen at the person talking to me as this shows that I am engaged in the conversations/discussion and can act upon anything that is asked of me. If I just nod in acknowledgement and not really listen I could miss important information. If for example a child ask to go to the toilet and I just nodded without really listening, they might wet themselves and feel embarrassed and in future not trust to ask or tell me something.

Liquid Phase Surface Nitriding of Al-5052

Liquid Phase Surface Nitriding of Al-5052 Abstract: Liquid phase surface nitriding of Al-5052 was performed using the heat of a TIG (tungsten inert gas) torch in a gas shielding which was a mixture of argon and nitrogen. The feasibility of obtaining nitride compounds at various TIG processing parameters and nitrogen contents in the shielding gas were studied. The presence of AlN phase being formed during surface nitriding was proved by X-ray diffraction analysis. Scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) analyzer was carried out to study the morphology and chemical composition of the nitride phase. The microhardness test was also performed on cross sections of treated layers. This measurement demonstrated that the surface hardness increased from 52 HV for the untreated aluminum alloy to as high as 1411 HV for the nitrided sample due to the formation of AlN phase in the treated layer. It was also found that, variation of nitrogen contents in the shielding gas has little effect on th e formation of AlN phase and its properties. It was also noticed that liquid phase surface nitriding reduced the wear rate to less than quarter of that of the untreated substrate. Introduction Liquid phase surface engineering including surface melting, alloying, and formation of composite layers on aluminum alloys have been studied and applied for more than three decades. High-energy sources such as laser and electron beam, as well as other heat sources like tungsten inert gas (TIG) process have been used for these treatments [1–3]. In order to improve the wear resistance, formation of hard nitride layers via liquid phase surface engineering on nitride former alloys like titanium and iron in atmospheres containing nitrogen have also been studied by a number of researchers [4–11]. Aluminum alloys like titanium are strong nitride former. Attempts have been made to form nitride compounds on aluminum and its alloys to enhance their wear resistant [12–16]. The majority of researchers have used plasma nitriding technique. The main disadvantage of plasma nitriding is formation of rather thin AlN layers, which are not suitable, and useful while high load bearing ability is required [12,13,17–19]. Some researchers have tried to form aluminum nitride via liquid phase surface engineering of aluminum using laser beam [14,20–24]. Sicard et al. [22] obtained thin nitride layers on aluminum based substrate by liquid phase laser nitriding. Carpene et al. [23] studied laser nitriding of pure iron and aluminum in nitrogen atmosphere using a pulsed nanosecond Excimer laser. Their study revealed that approximately all the phases predicted by the Fe-N phase diagram was observed in the case of liquid phase iron nitriding, while in aluminum, only AlN was formed . There are only a couple of works on liquid phase surface nitriding of aluminum using electric arc in atmospheres of argon and nitrogen [15,16]. Hioki et al. [15] introduced an aluminum nitriding method by heating aluminum in a mixture gas of argon and nitrogen using the heat of a TIG torch. By this treatment, a dense layer of aluminum nitride was formed on the surface of aluminum so that it improved the wear resistance of aluminum. Zheng et al. [16] reported an improvement in the microhardness and wear resistance of 1050 aluminum by nitrogen arc discharge at atmospheric pressure. The nitride formation mechanism via liquid phase surface treatment has not been completely realized. According to some researches [16,20,21], the plasma formation by the electric arc or laser irradiation on the substrate surface under nitrogen atmosphere allows ionization of nitrogen and penetration to some depth and then according to Al+N → AlN reaction, nitride layers grow in the melt pool. It has been reported that if the proportion of nitrogen gas exceeds 50% by weight, the paucity of argon gas might result in unfavorable effects on generation and stability of the electric arc [15]. Therefore, it is preferred that the shielding gas to be diluted by argon gas. In this study, TIG surface nitriding of Al-5052 in ambient nitrogen atmosphere will be carried out to investigate the effects of various TIG processing parameters such as current and travel speed as well as nitrogen contents on the formation of AlN on Al-5052 alloy. Subsequently, the hardness and wear resistance of the treated surfaces were studied. Experimental AA5052 aluminum plates with dimensions of 100 mm Ãâ€" 80 mm Ãâ€" 10 mm were used as the substrate. Prior to surface nitriding, their surfaces were sandpapered with 120 paper grit SiC and then cleaned with acetone. TIG surface treatment was carried out using a MERKLE TIG 200 AC/DC unit in alternative-current (AC) mode as a heat-generator. A coaxial argon gas flow was adjusted at a fixed amount of 9 l/min and high purity nitrogen gas (at flow rates of 3, 4, and 5 l/min) was blown into the molten pool to provide shielding. Tungsten electrodes with diameter of 2.4 mm and a constant distance of 2 mm from the specimens’ surfaces were used for all experiments. Surface melting trials were conducted to optimize the TIG processing parameters (Table 1). The effects of volume percentage of added nitrogen to the shielding gas and TIG processing parameters on the properties of the fabricated layers were studied. On the whole, liquid phase surface nitriding was performed under two different series of processing parameters. In the first series, surface nitriding was performed in a constant mixture of argon and nitrogen gas atmosphere at various TIG processing parameters and in the second series the mix tures of argon and nitrogen gas shielding were changed while other TIG operating parameters were kept constant (Table 2). The voltage of TIG process was kept at a constant value of 15 V, the current varied from 75 to 150 A, and the travel speed differed from 50 to 200 mm/min. The heat input for each test was calculated using Eq. 1 [25]. Heat input (kJ/cm) = (0.48 Ãâ€" voltage Ãâ€" current)/(Travel speed) (1) The nitrided layers were characterized and analyzed by optical microscope (OM) and scanning electron microscope (Model:Camscan MV2300) equipped with an EDS analyzer. The samples used for microanalysis were polished metallographically to get smooth surfaces and then were etched with Kellers reagent for 15–30 s. The nitrided layers were also analyzed using a Philips X’Pert Pro X-ray diffractometer equipped with a Ni filter, Cu KÃŽ ± source operating at 40 kV and 30 mA. The cross-sectional hardness of the surface treated layer was measured by a MicroMet microhardness testers-Vickers with an applied load of 100-200 g and holding time of 15 s. The given values of hardness were average values taking from three to five measurement points at the same depth. The wear rates of the samples at room temperature and humidity of 45% were also evaluated by measuring the weight loss, using a pin-on-disc wear test machine. The cylindrical pins with a diameter of 4.9 mm were wire-cut from the untreated AA5052, surface melted and surface nitrided samples for the wear tests. A quench-tempered steel (AISI 52100) disc with a diameter of 37 mm and hardness of 59 HRC was chosen as the counter face. The testing parameters were 20N load, 0.3 mm/s sliding speed, and 250, 500, 750 and 1000 m sliding distance on a radius of 12.5 mm from the center of the disc. 3. Results and Discussions 3.1 Surface melting Fig. 1 shows a typical cross sectional view of a crack and porosity-free surface melted specimen achieved at a heat input of 2.16 kJ/cm (current of 100 A and travel speed of 200 mm/min). This figure also shows that the optical macrostructure of the cross section of the surface melted specimen is composed of three distinctive structures: Area 1 is the unchanged structure of the base metal. Area 2 with columnar structure, which is formed due to the high heat transfer rates because of rapid solidification and high thermal gradient between the melted zone and the base metal. Area 3 with equiaxed structure, which is emerged due to heat transfer rates during the melting process. 3.2 Surface nitriding: Effects of various TIG processing parameters Liquid phase surface nitriding was carried out under various TIG processing parameters in a constant mixture of nitrogen–argon shielding gases. Surface nitriding caused the formation of gray colored tracks, with 0.6–1.6 mm thickness and 3–6 mm width, indicating composition changes and possibly formation of aluminum nitride in the treated layer. A couple of other works have also reported similar observations [16,21]. Fig. 2a and b shows the effect of heat input on the depth and width of the treated zone. The depth and width of treated zone proportionally increased with increasing heat input. In addition, the change in gradient due to increased heat input is the same in both graphs. Fig. 3a and b shows the surface treated zone achieved at the minimum (N-1) and maximum (N-4) heat input used in this work, when the mixture of nitrogen–argon shielding gas was remained constant. In the sample with maximum heat input, the treated layer is larger and contains crack s, which are due to the formation of hard aluminum nitride and high temperature gradient. The rough nature of the treated layer is due the metal evaporation as result of high heat input. EDS analysis from the marked areas (Fig. 3c and d) reveals aluminum and nitrogen percentages for N-1 and N-4 specimens. Nitrogen content in the sample with maximum heat input (27.22 at%) was much lower than the nitrogen content in the sample with minimal heat input (40.41 at%). Increasing heat input results in dissolved nitrogen in the larger melting pool of aluminum and there would be less excess nitrogen. 3.3 Surface nitriding: Effects of shielding gas Surface nitriding was also processed at various volume percentage of nitrogen in the shielding gas when the other TIG processing parameters were kept constant. Fig. 4 shows the low magnification cross sectional SEM micrograph of sample N-5 (see Table 2), near its surface. According to this figure, the nitrided layers are consisted of two morphologies, one is dendritic morphology, and other is lamellar morphology dispersed between the dendrites. Similar morphologies are reported by other researchers [16]. Fig. 5 shows the high magnification SEM micrograph of sample N-5 that reveals these two morphologies, separately. Detailed SEM-EDS spot analysis (Fig. 5c and d) suggests that in lamellar structure, the dark areas are aluminum nitride and the bright bands are aluminum. The EDS analysis results disclosed that the atomic percentage of nitrogen and aluminum are almost 1:1 at the dark areas. X-ray diffraction patterns of the nitrided zone also confirmed peaks corresponding to hexagonal Al N phase (Fig. 6). Other researchers also reported formation of hexagonal AlN phase [12,16]. AlN phase was seen at 2ÃŽ ¸ = 33.216, 36.041, 37.917, 49.816, 59.350, 66.054, 69.731, 71.440, 72.629, 81.090 and 94.844 (PDF no. 25-1133). There are other peaks in the XRD patterns at 2ÃŽ ¸ = 38.473, 44.740, 65.135, 78.230, 82.438, and 99.081, that correspond to face centered cubic aluminum structure. Fig. 7 shows the high magnification cross sectional SEM micrographs of samples that were surface nitrided under various volume percentages of nitrogen in shielding gas. The morphologies of the samples treated with different nitrogen flow rates (3, 4 and 5 l/min) were similar to each other and by changing the nitrogen flow rate, the atomic percentage of nitrogen in the dark bands did not changed, significantly (Table 3). However, it seems that the thickness of the dark bands increased with increasing the volume percentages of nitrogen gas shielding. Meanwhile, bright areas increased that indicate d aluminum content changed by reducing the amount of nitrogen in the gas mixture. 3.4 Microhardness Table 4 compares the average microhardness of a number of surface melted samples with that of the base metal. In surface melted samples, the hardness of the surface melted layer reduces by increasing of the heat input applied. Nevertheless, minimum hardness of the surface melted samples (81 HV) was much higher than that of the base aluminum substrate (52 HV). Table 5 shows the average microhardness of a number of surface nitrided samples being compared with that of the base metal. The increase in hardness was due to the formation of AlN phase in the nitrided zone. In surface nitrided samples by decreasing the heat input, the size of the treated layer decreased and hence, the solidification rate increased, resulting in a finer grained structure. In addition, by reducing the heat input, nitriding pool shrinks and nitrogen content rises from about 27 to 40 %at and therefore the relative amount of nitride compounds is increased in the layer. The hardness of the nitrided sample achieved a t higher heat input (HV 1109) is lower than that of the sample nitride at lower heat input (1411HV), which is close to the hardness value reported by others [13,16]. Furthermore, various volume percentages of nitrogen in the gas shielding had an insignificant effect on the average hardness of the nitrided zone. Fig. 8 illustrates the microhardness profiles along the depth of the layer achieved for surface melted (M-1) and nitrided (N-5) samples. These profiles indicate that the microhardness of the surface nitrided sample is much higher than that of the surface melted sample. The hardness for the surface melted (M-1) sample reached 148 HV and for the surface nitrided (N-5) sample increased by up to 1411 HV. Besides, the hardness of the nitrided layer along treated zone does not vary significantly and abruptly reduce to the hardness of the base material that can be an indication of in depth diffusion of nitrogen in the surface treated zone. 3.5. Wear resistance The weight losses of the worn untreated substrate, surface melted and surface nitrided samples against sliding distance are shown in Fig. 9. As it is shown, the weight loss after 1000 m sliding reduced from 4.2 mg to 2.9 and 1.2 mg, respectively, for the untreated aluminum, surface melted (M-1) sample (with highest hardness among surface melted samples) and surface nitrided (N-5) sample (with highest hardness among surface nitrided samples). According to these results, the wear rates of the surface melted and nitrided aluminum are about 69% and 28% of that of the untreated aluminum. Besides friction coefficients varied from 0.81 to 0.71 and 0.54 for untreated substrate, surface melted and surface nitrided samples respectively. It is obvious that grain refinement and presence of hard aluminum nitride phases have a positive effect on the wear resistance of the melted and nitrided samples. Similar improvement in wear resistance by formation of nitride layer has also been reported in oth er studies [11,13,14,16]. Fig. 10 shows the scanning electron micrographs of the worn surfaces of the untreated, surface melted and surface nitrided samples after 1000 m sliding distances. Plastic deformation including deep grooves on the worn surface of the untreated sample are signs of abrasive wear mechanism. After surface melting processing, the surface hardness increased and the intensity of the grooves reduced. Fig. 10c shows the worn surface of the surface nitrided sample, which has the lowest wear rate among the samples. Worn surface of the nitrided sample are smoother than those of the other samples that is due to presence of AlN phases in the nitrided layers and its higher hardness. Conclusions Liquid phase surface nitriding of Al-5052 by TIG process in ambient nitrogen atmosphere resulted in the formation of nitrided layers containing hexagonal AlN hard phase with two morphologies of dendritic and lamellar. Increasing the heat input resulted in reduced nitrogen content in the nitrided layer and thus AlN content reduced in the layer. The hardness of the surface nitrided layer reached to 1411 HV as compared to 52 HV for untreated aluminum alloy. Meanwhile, various volume percentages of nitrogen in the gas shielding had no significant effect on the morphology and the average hardness of the nitrided layers. Liquid phase surface nitriding resulted in the formation of AlN phase and hence increased the hardness of the treated layer that in turn reduced the wear rate to less than quarter of that of the untreated aluminum.

The Effects of Child Abuse and Neglect :: Violence Against Children

Imagine being a child and having your own father or mother hitting or burning your body, making sexual advances towards you, or just never being there for you when you need them. Becca, who decided to keep her last name anonymous, told about her experiences with being abused as a child in the Admit to Child Abuse web page. She told of her story by saying that she was "the victim of child sexual abuse and was abused for approximately 7 years by my father. Even at my age (22) now it is hard to put what happened to me into words" (Admit to Child Abuse). Well, more abuse like Becca's happens to children in today's society and they are victims of just those things. Many people may not realize this but child abuse has become prevalent in the United States throughout these past couple of years. Not only are children being physically abused but they are also being sexual abused, emotionally abused and neglected by people that are suppose to be the closest to them. There are many signs and ef fects of abuse, depending on the child that is being abused. Throughout this paper, each form of abuse will be addressed and those forms will be analyzed to find a proper treatment for these problems. Under law, a physically abused child means "a child less than 18 years of age whose parents responsible for the child care... inflicts physical injury by other than accidental means which causes substantial risk of death" (Safe Child Abuse). In other words, physical abuse is when a person physically touches a child and harms them in some way. This is something that is not being done by accident. It is also considered to be physical abuse when a caregiver, which does not have to be the parent, creates or allows certain situations to happen that would cause the child to be in danger. A physically abused child is easier to spot out then an emotionally or sexually abused child. This is because there are usually physical indicators, like bruises, cuts, and burns on the children's body that are being abused. Some more physical indicators would be bite marks, swelling on any parts of the body, and fractures in awkward places. Behavioral indicators from the child to look out for when determi ning if someone is being physically abused is if the child avoids physical contact with others, gives inconsistent versions about injuries that they have, does not seem to want to go home after school, seems frightened of parents and there are also many more.

Medicine and Drugs - Direct to Consumer Pharmaceutical Marketing Essay

The Problems of Direct to Consumer Pharmaceutical Marketing      Ã‚  Ã‚   In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration relaxed its restrictions on direct-to-consumer marketing of pharmaceuticals. Prior to this ruling, drug manufacturers were prohibited from mentioning both the name of the drug and its indications in consumer-directed advertisements without also including a large amount of technical information about the drug, including all known side effects, contraindications, and dosage recommendations (Stevens, 1998). In addition to interfering with the appeal of the advertisements, such requirements rendered broadcast ads infeasible due to time constraints, and hindered ads in print media due to cost and space availability. These requirements were abolished in the 1997 FDA policy changes, and pharmaceutical companies were permitted to market drugs by name as treatments for specific conditions, with the minimal requirement that ads give mention to major risks identified in clinical trials (Melillo, 2001). As a result, manufacturer expenditures on direct-to-consumer advertising, which totaled $791 million in 1996, rose to $2.6 billion for the year 2000 (Mitchell, 2001). Television, radio, and print media became saturated with ads promoting treatments for conditions ranging from depression to high cholesterol. Names such as Zoloft, Claritin, and Lipitor, which were previously known mostly to health professionals, quickly became part of the national vocabulary. Consequently, spending on prescription drugs has increased significantly over the past several years as consumers are enticed to seek advertised medications (HealthBizNews.com, 2001).    This new face of drug marketing has sparked a raging debate about the accompanying e... ...e of drug advertising?" Business Week. May 22, 2000. p52. Melillo, Wendy. "Direct-to-Consumer Drug Advertising Under Fire Senate to Determine if Such Work Hikes Prescription Costs." Adweek. May 21, 2001. Mitchell, Steve. "Drug advertising raises concerns." www.msnbc.com. 2001. Miller, Susan. "Rx view: DTC Ads Provide the Right Prescription." Brandweek. June 2 29, 1998. "Selling Drugs." American Demographics. January, 1998. p. 26. Shapiro, Joseph and S. Schultz. "Prescriptions: How your doctor makes the choice." US News and World Report. February 19, 2001. p. 58. Stevens, Tim. "To Your Health." Industry Week. September 7, 1998. p. 56. "Subcommittee Hears Debate on Cosumer Drug Advertising." www.healthbiznews.com. 2000. Tanner, Lindsey. "Health and Science: Doctors propose ban on drug advertising." Nando Times. www.nando.net. June 18, 2001.

TV Violence :: essays research papers

TV Violence A major topic of conversation nowadays is whether or not voilence on television causes children to bahave more violently. Shortly after I began to research this topic, I realized that it is not a clear cut issue. Evidence can be easily found to support each position. In the following essay I will examine the different positions that can ba taken on this topic and try ro form my own view on the affect violent TV has on chidren. The first position I will examine is the one in which it is believed that, without a doubt, violent TV increases the likelyhood that a child will behave in a violent manner. This stands is examined in the Maclean's article intitled,"Power to the people. Television's teen Rangers Kick up a storm. The author of this article, Particia Chrisholm, explains a heated debate over the affects that the kids show "The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" has on children. According to this article, the "hemeted lycra covered Rangers" acts as a bad influence on children. Many parents have come to believe that the childen try to act like the kids hreo's. A cocerned mother, Kathryn Flannery went so far as to petition the CRTC. The CRTC responded by saying that "the show is avassively to violent."(Chrisholm 1994 p.52) As a result of the petiton, many stations voluntarily refused to air the controversial kids show. This case shows the power that people can have over the CRTC. Unfortunately, the parents were not able to entirely shield their children from the Power Rangers TV show. Many US broadcasters, available on cable, continued to air the show. Another study that supports this belief that TV violence causes children to act more violently is an experiment conducted by Leonard Eron and his collegues. In these studies, Leonard Eron and his collegues studied childern for a number of years and measuread peer ratings obtained from each child's classmates. By doing this, they could see if violent TV changed the attitudes of the children. In the end, it was concluded that violent TV significantly affected the way in which the children behaved. The other position that can be taken when discussing this issue is one in which people believe that violent TV does not affect the behavior of children. In the Canadian Forum article, "TV and The Child Savers. Bad Habits and The Boob Tube" this position is discussed. The author, Thelma McCormack discusses the goals of the action group that refers to themselves as the Child Savers. According to this article, the Child Savers believe that "Programs which contain gratitous violence will not be shown on television.

Linguistics and Children Essay

This assignment will firstly explain the meaning of the following terms, communicative competence and metalinguistic awareness. Observations have shown that children do imitate older peers and adults when speaking as well as signs of creativity from an early age when developing language. Then the second section will evaluate the roles of creativity and imitation in regards to learning spoken English. This assignment will focus on the spoken English of young children. Part 1 Communicative competence – Is a term that refers to the way in which a language user communicates efficiently and successfully depends upon their communicative competence. Linguist Noam Chomsky depicted a variation within the term ‘linguistic’ which he divided into to competence and performance. The term linguistic performance is associated with incorrectly and/or repeated ungrammatical delivered actual utterances of language in use. Linguistic competence refers to the knowledge of the language system which will enable the speaker to distinguish the utterances that are grammatical in the language from those that are not. (Chomsky, 1965 cited in Book3, pg 48) However linguist Hymes believed speakers need to attain distinctive skills in performance such as what is the socially appropriate turn of phrase to accomplish the desired effect as well as knowing when to speak. With regards to children as well as learning the construction and sounds of particular languages they are actually learning the discourse procedures of their communities. The term also incorporates word meaning, grammar and pronunciations well as applying language aptly, verbally, written and non- verbal cues such as body language. (Book3, pg 201) Metalinguistic awareness – Is a term used to define an individual’s ability to reflect on the use of language in with regards to clarifying the transfer of linguistic skills and knowledge across languages. When a language user’s metalinguistic awareness develops they start to create new and refined use of metaphors such as the simile â€Å"life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get† they also begin to realise that statements can have an implied meaning as well as a factual meaning. They may even start to identify sarcasm along with contrariness which connects with an individual’s capability of telling and /or understanding jokes, manipulating language (Kerper, 2009) Part 2 Children can acquire language as a result of imitation however it isn’t the initial method into language acquisition due to children demonstrating creative practice of language. (Book 3, pg 27) Infants produce a variety of sounds during the initial year of their life in addition to experimenting with vocal play. (Book 3, pg 8) The rate of development differs between each child, for example it is rare for a child to skip the babbling stage, which usually occurs at the average age of 11months, and another factor that assists speech development is physiological maturation. (Book 3, pg9) Benedict, 1979 cited in Book 3, pg19 researched development of vocabulary of a small group of children (8) during the course of six months. The findings demonstrated children’s ability to understand and create words between the ages of 10 months and on average 1 year 9 months. By the time the child is 11 months and 15 days they are usually attain a comprehension vocabulary of twenty words. The process of attaining words in production takes longer than it does in comprehension, comprehension can usually occurs 4 months before production. With regards to ‘imitation’ the role of the caregiver (a term used for those individuals who spend the most time interacting with and looking after the child. ) (Book 3, pg 11) much research has been done in this area whereby the emphasis is on a pair in this case it involves the child and their main caregiver, this is also known as a term called a dyad. The findings from this research revealed that the person the child has most direct contact with impart the language surroundings that the child will model. Other linguistic modelling that adults provide is through caregiving schedules, for instances bathing and feeding, these routines provide occasions for conventional interactions concerning language. ‘Peek a boo’ A customary game that is usually played between infant and caregiver and generally in Western cultures. (Book 3, pg14) As a rule the adult attempts to grasp the infant’s interest the concealing their eyes behind a hand or an object after which a type of discourse occurs, for example the adult might say ‘Are you ready? ‘Then the infant’s vocalisations or actions are indicated as a response. This sequence of question –and – reply is continued until the apprehension develops at this point the adult takes their hand away or removes the object and says ‘Boo! ’ (Book 3, pg 15) Trevarthen and Aitken , 2001 cited in Book 3, pg 15 believed this kind of game could be termed ‘protoconversations’, because it is similar to a conversation. It requires turn – taking, each person’s turn relies on the previous is input of the partner, therefore it is contingent, the partners understand the sequence disclose the same intention. Therefore this kind of interaction initiates ceremonial features of conversations before young children are able to speak but prompt passage to language. A universal observation made regarding the type of dialogue directed to children by adults is that the dialogue differs to that addressed to other adults. Consequently caregivers amend their dialogue for instance delivery slowed down, intonation is amplified and an elevated pitch may be used. Older children also adapt their dialogue for younger children comparable to adults, this is also evident that older children are emulating adults and implementing this technique to young children. (Book 3, pg15) this dialogue style is referred to as child directed speech (CDS). Clifton Pye, 1986 cited in Book 3, pg 16 observed a community in Central America called Quiche, they spoken one of the native Mayan languages. The results showed a difference in the way in which Quiche caregivers and Western caregivers adapt their dialogue for young children. Regardless of this cultural difference in caregiver – child interaction, the children in the Quiche community were able to speak fluently in their native language. Shirley Brice Heath’s research 1983 cited in Book 3, pg 16 of black working-class English speaking community discovered that adults in this community didn’t usually use ‘baby talk’ when interacting with young children. The ways in which children’s grammar develop could also be due to imitation as well. Descriptive grammar is a term referring to how children organise and structure speech, it doesn’t link to the correct ‘English’ people should use. Investigations into children’s grammar showed that a constant procedure is involved in the attainment of grammar. Crystal, 1995, cited in Book 3, pg 25 acknowledged seven stages ranging from formative years to adolescent. In the early stages of grammatical development children apply brief utterances of two to three words without any grammatical markers; children are usually aged between 18 months to 2 years. In the next stage of usually 3 years children start to add markers to words such as tense ( I played), plural (one cat, two cats). The second stage within Crystal’s paradigm is a term called telegraphic speech during this stage, children do not use grammatical markers instead they use verbs, temporal adverbs, adjectives and nouns. The crucial information is apparent because the details and trimmings are removed; this telegraphic quality is stated in children’s imitation of adult’s speech. Also during the second stage it has been noted that children’s speech will likely to be: a more water; baby drink; allgone sticky. However in this instance it is unlikely that children will have heard adults make these types of utterances which means they can be depicted as unique utterances, and since the meaning will be comprehensible, this utterance can also be viewed as a success. This all goes to illustrate that even at the first stages of language development children are showcasing their creativity. Most adults especially parents have heard their child/ran emulate them using adult expression and even intonation. With regards to creativity and language development, numerous researches from the theories L. S. Vygotsky (1967) and Jean Piaget (1962) cited in Gillen, 2009 has found that there is a substantial link between play and language learning. Play encourages children’s imaginative thought process through playing with objects that will then eventually lead to a better understanding of their environment. As the child’s ability to create more meaningful representations develop so does the more complex their play becomes. Bloom, 1993, p.216 cited in Gillen, 2009, p 56. Observed that a ‘spurt’ in first words was usually due to development in play behaviours. From observations children unconsciously obtain rules about real-life behaviour, and implement what they have observed into their play with a mixture of their own imagination. When children are involved in pretence games with other children it is called sociodramatic play, within this type of play it is suggested that children practice different registers of talk that they observe to fit in with that role. To conclude it seems as though the interactions typically viewed of caregivers and infants are not essential and general characteristic initial language experience. There was a variance in comprehension and creation of vocabulary. Evidence derived from research of language acquisition is usually carried out from a limited collection of cultural and social backgrounds so the findings of primitive grammatical development in English are from language users of the normal criterion of the language. The section regarding play and language development suggests that creativity and imitation interlock, it appears that both coincide together it appears both weigh evenly in terms of forming spoken English. References Gillen, J. , (2009) Block C, Learning English, Unit 17 The relationship between play and language learning, The Open University Kerper, M,. J. ‘Metalinguistic awareness as defined through research’ San Diego State University 2009-08-10 Mayor, B. , Mercer, N. and Swann, J. (eds) Learning English, London, Routledge/The Open University.