The Future of Health Care Delivery in Canada Research Paper

The Future of Health Care Delivery in Canada - Research Paper Example Each provincial government delivers health services to the people on its own terms, making the harmonization of the health care delivery system very difficult, which in turn means that it is difficult to coordinate national health programs and as a result, any health challenges goes unaddressed, since each provincial government has to do its own audit. Therefore, this is a significant issue that needs to be addressed, through a possible overhaul of the system, to place healthcare under the responsibility of the national government, and thus achieve more coordination and harmonization of the health services delivered to the people. This will serve to ensure equity and fairness for all in the future. Secondly, the Canadian healthcare delivery system has major imbalances between acute and chronic treatment (Rachlis, 2004). The healthcare system in Canada was established on the basis of providing world-class treatment for major illnesses such as surgeries, while the chronic illnesses hav e been relegated to a level that is deficient (Rachlis, 2004). Consequently, there are few deaths resulting from major illnesses because the health care system is well developed for that, but there are major shortcomings in the area of chronic illnesses, which accounts for much of the lives lost in the country. Therefore, there is a great need for the country’s healthcare system to be developed further for chronic treatment capacities, which will ensure that the imbalance existing between the acute and the chronic treatments is effectively addressed in the future.

Reasons for Investing in Malaysia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Reasons for Investing in Malaysia - Essay Example It has long coastlines on both peninsulas. 63.6% of the population is between the ages of 15-64 years. The currency is the ringgit whose value fluctuates seasonally at between 3.3 and 3.8 to the US dollar. Malaysia is a highly stable country. It takes on a Westminster democratic structure of governance with Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin as the ceremonial monarch and head of State. The Prime Minister Mohammed Najib bin Abdul Razak is the current prime minister and head of government. The premier rises to power by virtue of leading the largest party in the lower House of Representatives. In the bicameral representation structure, there is an upper house consisting of 70 Dewan Negara (Senators) and (Dewan Rakyat) the lower house with 222 elected representatives. This structure has ensured stability and continuity. Before British rulers united it, Malaysia consisted of several autonomous states. The British joined them into the Federation of Malaya later to be known as Malaysia. After independence in 1963, there was a brief period of armed conflicts, which came to an end after the renegade state of Singapore was expelled from the federation. Since then, the country has been very stable. The majority of the population is made up of Malays with significant portions of Chinese and Indians. Malay is the official language while Islam is the official religion. However, Islamic law is only applied to the Muslims in matters concerning family and religious issues such as divorce, custody, and inheritance only. (Zainal et al 1994) Another obvious advantage is that the level of bureaucracy in Malaysia, especially when establishing a new business, is low and user-friendly. It takes about two or three licenses to invest depending on the nature of the intended business. Malaysia is classified as a medium developing country.  

La-Mg-Ni Based Alloys

La-Mg-Ni Based Alloys Abstract: Degradation behaviors of La2MgNi9, La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 alloys were studied. The results indicate that severe pulverization and corrosion are important factors leading to the capacity deterioration. However, it is puzzled that corrosion of the electrochemical cycled alloys is aggravated, which is inconsistent with the result that La2MgNi9 present poor cycling stability andalso the assumption that alloy with high Mg content is easy to be corroded. Then, the intrinsic anti-corrosion and anti-pulverization characteristics were mainly focused in the first part of this work. Immersion experiments demonstrate that the Mg-rich phases are more easily to be corroded. The intrinsic anti-corrosion resistance of the three alloys presents an improved trend which is inversely proportional to the abundance of the Mg-rich phases. However, the intrinsic anti-pulverization ability just presents an inverse trend, which is closely related to mechanical property of the phase structures. LaNi5 with the highest hardness is easy to crack, but the soft (La,Mg)Ni2 is more resistant to crack formation and spreading, suggesting a possibility to improve the anti-pulverization ability by adjusting the phase constitution. In general, the weaker corroded extent of La2MgNi9 in the electrochemical test is attributed to its better intrinsic anti-pulverization capability though the intrinsic anti-corrosion of La2MgNi9 is worse. As to La4MgNi19 which possesses excellent intrinsic anti-corrosion resistant, enhancement of the anti-pulverization ability is the key issue to improve the cycling stability. 1 Introduction Superlattice La-Mg-Ni based hydrogen storage alloys have received substantial attentions over the last decade because the excellent electrochemical performances used in nickel/metal hydride (Ni/MH) battery [1-5]. Up to now, A2B7 type alloys have been successful developed for the practical use [3]. However, AB2 and AB3 type alloys present poor cycling stability though the theoretical discharge capacities are higher than A2B7 type alloys [6-8]. In addition, A5B19 type alloys have been reported to possess good electrochemical performances, but they still need improvement to meet the practical application, especially on the cycling stability in the long-term reversible cycles [9-10]. It is well accepted that electrochemical capacity decrease of the metal hydride electrodes is caused by both the physical and chemical degradation [11-12]. In La-Mg-Ni system, factors affecting the capacity degradation were emphasized on pulverization and corrosion during the charge/discharge cyclings [13-17]. Corrosion leads to damage and disappearance of the phases which possess considerable hydrogen storage capacity. It has been reported that La-Mg-Ni alloys are easily to be corroded into La(OH)3 and Mg(OH)2 [13-15]. And these kinds of corrosion products are loose and passive which cannot protect the matrix for further corrosion [15-16]. Severe pulverization of La-Mg-Ni alloys during cycling had also been reported in many works [13-17]. Pulverization makes fresh surface of the electrodes alloys continuously exposed to the electrolyte and dramatically improves development of corrosion. Liu et al. classified the degradation process of the La-Mg-Ni-Co alloy into three stages: the pul verization and Mg oxidation stage, the Mg and La oxidation stage and the oxidation and passivation stage [14]. In addition, capacity degradation of the metal hydrides is closely related to the structural changes during absorption/desorption cycling. Our previous works demonstrated that transformation from crystallinity to amorphous viz. hydrogen induced amorphization (HIA) of La-Mg-Ni alloys occurred during the hydrogenation cycles and remarkably worsens both the gas-solid and electrochemical storage performances [18-19]. Understanding of the degradation mechanisms is the precondition for improvement of the cycling stability of the La-Mg-Ni based alloys. Several compounds including AB2, AB3, A2B7 and A5B19 type phase exist in this system, and the alloys usually present multi-phase microstructure. Though quiet a number of efforts have been applied on the degradation characters of the La-Mg-Ni based alloys, these works mainly focused on the overall capacity deterioration behaviors of the alloys. Diversity of the degradation characteristics of various compounds in this system is also lacking. In the present study, degradation mechanisms of three typical La-Mg-Ni alloys: La2MgNi9, La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 have been systematically investigated. In the first part of this work, corrosion and pulverization behaviors of the alloys, especially the intrinsic characteristics of the AB3, A2B7 and A5B19 type La-Mg-Ni phases during absorption/desorption cycling were generated. In a following paper, HIA and its in fluence on the hydrogen storage properties are discussed. 2 Experimental materials and methods 2.1 Alloy preparation The as-cast La2MgNi9, La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 alloy was prepared by induction levitation melting under argon atmosphere. The as-cast alloys were remelted twice for homogeneity. Appropriate excess of Mg was added in order to compensate for the evaporative loss of Mg during melting. Then the as-cast La2MgNi9, La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 alloys were annealed at 1143, 1173 and 1193 K respectively for 6 h protected in argon atmosphere. 2.2 Characterization The sample was fine polished and then etched using a mixed etchant (including water, ethanol, acetic acid, picric acid, nitric acid and hydrochloric acid) at 343K. Then metallographic microstructure of the alloys was observed using a laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM: Olympus-OLS4000). Phase constitution of the alloys was also characterized by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM: FEI-Qanta 400) under backscatter electron mode (BSE) applied on the unetched samples. The chemical composition of various phases was studied by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) equipped in the SEM. Crystal structures of the alloys were measured by an X-ray diffractometer (XRD: Bruker-D8 Advance) with Cu KÃŽÂ ±1 radiation. Micro-morphologies and selected area electron diffraction (SAED) were applied by means of a transmission electron microscopy (TEM: JEOL-2100 and FEI-F20) to examine the microstructural and crystallographic information. TEM samples were firstly crushed the bulk into fine powder , and then ultrasonic dispersion was performed in ethanol for 1800 s. Several drops of the mixed liquid were laid on a carbon membrane support on the copper grid, and dried in a vacuum oven. Particle size of the cycled alloys was tested by a laser particle size analyzer (Malvern-Mastersizer 3000) where the alloy particles were dispersed by absolute alcohol. Oxygen content of the electrochemical cycled and immersed alloys was performed on a nitrogen/oxygen tester (NCS-ON3000). Before the oxygen test, samples were immersed in deionized water for 24 h, then washed using absolute alcohol twice to remove the residual KOH, and dried in a vacuum drying oven. 2.3 Hydrogen storage properties Gas-solid cycling and PCT isotherm measurement were carried out by Suzuki -2SDWIN PCT system at 303K (Sieverts type). Before the PCT analysis, sample was activated as follow: evacuated at 473 K for 2 h, placed to 303K, hydrogenated under 3Mpa H2 (Purity 99.999%) pressure for 5 h, evacuated at 573 K for 2 h again. Each cycle consists of absorption at 2MPa for 600s and desorption by evacuating at 298K for 1200 s. For the electrochemical measurement, the alloy particles (40-50 µm) were mixed with carbonyl nickel powder in a weight ratio of 1:5 and cold pressed to form a pellet about 1g firstly. The pellets were then packed in a Ni foam substrate spot-welded with a Ni strip. The simulated three-electrode cell including a working electrode (metal hydride), a counter electrode (NiOOH/Ni(OH)2) and a reference electrode (Hg/HgO) was installed. Before electrochemical test, the alloy metal hydride electrode was immersed in 6 M KOH aqueous solution for 1d. The measurement to get the maximum capacity and cycling stability was to charge at current density of 105 mA/g for 4h followed by a rest of 10min, then discharged at the same current density to the cut-off voltage of -0.6 V. 3 Results and discussions 3.1 Microstructure and hydrogen storage performances LSCM and BSE micrographs of the three alloys are shown in Fig.1. Four contrasts can be detected in the La2MgNi9 alloy. The chemical quantitations of various contrast from EDS analysis are listed in Table 1, from which the four phases are speculated to be (La,Mg)Ni2, (La,Mg)Ni3, (La,Mg)2Ni7 and LaNi5. Five crystal structures including CaCu5-type, MgCu4Sn-type, PuNi3-type, Ce2Ni7-type and Gd2Co7-type are identified in XRD profile of the La2MgNi9 alloy, as shown in Fig.2. The structural parameters and phase abundance are refined and listed in Table 2. The results are in consistent with the metallographic observation that the main phase is (La,Mg)Ni3, then (La,Mg)Ni2and (La,Mg)2Ni7, but content of LaNi5 is rare. In case of the La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 alloy, metallographic and XRD characterization indicate that (La,Mg)Ni2disappears, (La,Mg)5Ni19 emerges and LaNi5 increases with elevation of the B-side stoichiometry. The main phase of the La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 alloy is (La,Mg)2Ni7 and (La,Mg)5Ni19 respectively, and the structural parameters and phase abundance are also listed in Table 2. Fig.3 displays P-C-Tcurves of the alloys, and the detailed data are given in Table 3. Theoretically, hydrogenation capability increases with reduction of the B-side stoichiometry in the La-Mg-Ni based alloys. However, the maximum hydrogen absorption content of the La2MgNi9 alloy is slightly lower than the La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 alloy. It is ascribed to the fact that some (La,Mg)Ni2 which can hardly absorb and desorb hydrogen at room temperature [8], existing in the La2MgNi9 alloy. The three alloys have analogic hydrogen absorption plateau. But both the desorption pressure and the reversible hydrogen capacity elevate with increase of the B-side stoichiometry of the three alloys. Reversible hydrogen capacity of the AB3-typed La2MgNi9 alloy is only 1.15 wt%, and the hysteresis effect is more evident than the other alloys. Electrochemical discharge curves and performances of the alloys are shown in Fig.4 and Table 3 respectively. Discharge capacities of the La2MgNi9 and La4MgNi19 alloy are lower than the La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 alloy. The lower discharge capacity of La2MgNi9 is due to the weak reversible hydrogen storage capacity. As to the La4MgNi19 alloy, it is attributed to high abundance of LaNi5 which is unsuited for the electrochemical application without alloying [20]. Furthermore, La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 presents better cycling stability than the other two alloys. Capacity retention after 100 cycles of the La2MgNi9 alloy is similar with that of the La4MgNi19 alloy. 3.2 Degradation characteristics after electrochemical cycling From morphology and EDS results of the alloys, it is clear that pulverization and corrosion have occurred after electrochemical cycling by 100 times (only La2MgNi9 alloy presents in Fig.5). XRD analysis shows that La(OH)3, Mg(OH)2 and La2O3 appear in the cycled alloys, as displayed in Fig.6. Likewise, morphology and SAED analysis of TEM confirm existence of La(OH)3 combined with La2O3 (stick-like), Mg(OH)2 (needle-like) and MgO (particles), which are marked with 1, 2 and 3 respectively as illustrated in Fig.7. The results are in consistent with the other literature studied on the corrosion products of a La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 alloy [21]. Detailed determinations of TEM are provided in the supplementary information (Fig.S1-S3). In addition, size and amount of La(OH)3 and La2O3 are obvious than that of Mg(OH)2 and MgO, indicating that corrosion of La is significant in the electrochemical environment. Mg(OH)2 and MgO are close to the alloy surface but very loose. It agrees well with the previous works that corrosion products of Mg are gel-type and cannot form a solid protection layer for further corrosion [15-16]. Compared among the three alloys, it is noteworthy that corrosion productions of the La2MgNi9alloy are less than the other alloys (see in Fig.6). Identically, oxygen contents of the electrochemical cycled alloys follow the order that La2MgNi9 1.5Mg0.5Ni7 4MgNi19, indicating that the corroded extent are aggravated (see in Fig.8). It is puzzled that the result is inconsistent with the electrochemical performances that La2MgNi9 possesses poor cycling stability. It also disagrees with the consideration that high Mg content is harmful to the corrosion resistance in La-Mg-Ni based alloys [22-24]. In order to comprehend this fact further, the intrinsic anti-corrosion resistance of the three alloys was investigated next. 3.3 The intrinsic anti-corrosion properties To avoid impacts of pulverization on the corrosion behaviors, the alloy particles with the same diameter (around 40 ÃŽÂ ¼m) were immersed in KOH solution at 60  °C for 15 d. Then the morphology, phase structure and oxygen content were measured for characterization of the intrinsic corrosion behaviors. SEM micrographs and EDS analysis of the alloy particles illustrate that severe corrosion occurred after immersion, the typical results are shown in Fig.9 (only La2MgNi9 alloy particles are given here). Compared to the electrochemical cycled alloys, the stick-like products which have been confirmed as composite of La(OH)3 and La2O3, are remarkable in the immersed samples which is due to aggravated corrosion at higher temperature. XRD profiles identify that the corrosion products are mainly La(OH)3, but La2O3 cannot be detected in the immersed alloys, as shown in Fig.10. Coincidently, SAED by TEM found that the stick-shaped phase is single-phase La(OH)3, as shown in Fig.11. The result suggests that La2O3 transforms to La(OH)3 during evolution of the corrosion process. Besides, Mg(OH)2 and MgO are also found existing in the immersed samples, and their morphologies are same with that in the electrochemical cycled alloys. However, Mg(OH)2can only be detected in La2MgNi9 from the identifications of XRD, indicating that corrosion of Mg is violent in La2MgNi9. Fig.12 is the oxygen contents of the immersed alloys, from which severity of corrosion of the three alloys are La2MgNi9 > La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 > La4MgNi19. To provide detailed information of the relationship between the corrosion behaviors and phase constitution, immersion test applied on the massive samples has also been studied (the condition is same with that of the powder samples). Fig.13 shows the SEM-BSE micrographs of the immersed samples (only La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 alloy are present here). Obviously, the corroded extent is inhomogeneous which is considered to be caused by differences of the anti-corrosion capabilities of the various phases. EDS analysis on two regions with diverse corrosion grades (as marked with 1 and 2 in Fig.13) shows no Mg but less O existing in region 1. Whereas, more Mg and O are detected in region 2 with severe corroded extent than region 1. Likewise, EDS-mapping indicates that the region possessing more Mg presents richer O, as shown in Fig.14. Similar result is more evident in the as-cast alloys, which is attributed to the inhomogeneous chemical composition and microstructure of the as-cast alloy, details can b e seen in the supplementary (Fig. S4 and S5). The aforementioned results demonstrate that the Mg-rich phases are easy to be corroded in the alkaline solution. It has been well demonstrated that Mg solubility in La-Mg-Ni alloys follows the order that (La,Mg)Ni2> (La,Mg)Ni3 > (La,Mg)2Ni7 > (La,Mg)5Ni19 > LaNi5 [25]. Thus the intrinsic anti-corrosion resistances of various phases in the La-Mg-Ni system are considered to be according with the inverse trend. This result is in agreement with several works where AB2and AB3 type La-Mg-Ni alloys have suffered serious corrosion after electrochemical experiments [8, 23-24]. The tendency is also exactly identical with that the anti-corrosion resistance is inversely proportional to the abundance of the Mg-rich phases. La2MgNi9 presents worse anti-corrosion capability because contents of the Mg-rich (La,Mg)Ni2and(La,Mg)Ni3 arehigher thanthe other two alloys. However, trend of the intrinsic anti-corrosion resistance is opposite to the corrosion extent of the three alloys after electrochemical cyclings. Concern to the fact that corrosion extent of the electrode alloys is also closely related to severity of pulverization during the electrochemical charge/discharge process, the pulverization properties of the alloys are carefully characterized then. 3.4 The intrinsic anti-pulverization properties In order to avoid influence of the additives in the electrochemical test on characterization of the intrinsic pulverization behaviors, the alloys are gaseous hydrogenated and dehydrogenated for 30 cycles. Morphology observation indicates that remarkable pulverization has occurred where decrease of the particle size and emergence of cracks can be seen clearly in the cycled alloys, as shown in Fig.15 (only La2MgNi9 alloy are present here). Then the particles sizes before (Sb) and after (Sa) cycling are measured and the size retention is calculated by Sb/Sa. It (Fig.16) shows that severity of pulverization for the three alloys are La2MgNi9 1.5Mg0.5Ni7 4MgNi19, which is just contrary to the tendency of the corrosion extent after the immersion experiment. Combined with the results of the intrinsic anti-corrosion and pulverization characterization, we can conclude that the weaker corrosion extent of La2MgNi9 in the electrochemical test is attributed to its better intrinsic anti-pulverization capability though the intrinsic anti-corrosion of La2MgNi9 is worse. It has been well accepted that pulverization is induced by the cell volume expansion upon hydrogen absorption [11-12]. Thus, large volume change leads to severe pulverization. Unfortunately, exact measurement of the volume expansion in the present work is difficult due to the multi-phase microstructure. Instead, we summarize the volume changes according to other experimental works where microstructures of these alloys are all sing-phase to ensure the accuracy as far as possible. Based on the data as listed in Table 4, there is no regular trend for the volume changes among the various structures in La-Mg-Ni system. And, no special relationship between the reported volume expansion data and the pulverization performances in the present work can be found. Besides, pulverization is believed to depend on the mechanical properties of the alloys [11-12]. Alloys with the more ductile character are more resistant to pulverization than the brittle materials. Usually, hydrogen storage alloys ar e hard and brittle, thus measuring ductility directly is difficult. Alternatively, Vickers hardness has been used to evaluate the preference of pulverization for the hydrogen storage alloys. And, previous works have found an almost inverse relationship between Vickers hardness and the pulverization rate [11-12, 30], suggesting the availability of Vickers hardness measurement on characterization of the anti-pulverization ability. Fig.17 gives indentations of the various phases in La2MgNi9 and La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 alloy. Evolution of Vickers hardness can be seen in Fig.18. It presents a linear relation between the Vickers hardness and B-side stoichiometry of the structures, which also agrees well with the pulverization behaviors of the alloys. Obviously, the mechanical property is an important factor affecting the anti-pulverization ability in the La-Mg-Ni phases. It is found that hardness differences of the AB3, A2B7 and A5B19 type phase are small. Under low loading of the hardness test, micro-cracks can hardly be observed in all the above three phases. Since the test force increase, micro-cracks can be seen in all these phases, but there is no obvious difference between them. Differently, LaNi5 is the hard phase, but hardness of (La,Mg)Ni2 is far more lower than the other phases. To comprehend more understanding on the crack formation of various phases, a massive sample with a polished surface was partial charged by electrochemical method, and the morphology and distribution of crack was observed. To highlight character of the hard and soft phase, the as-cast La2MgNi9 alloy was selected for the high abundance of LaNi5 and (La,Mg)Ni2. Microstructure characteristics of the as-cast La2MgNi9 alloy are given in the supplementary (Fig.S6-S7). As shown in Fig.19, quite a number of cracks can be observed in the sample which is only charged for 10 min. Most of the cracks exist in LaNi5 with the darkest contrast in the BSE image. One reason is that LaNi5 is the catalytic phase that primarily charged in the La-Mg-Ni system [31-32]. More importantly, it also ascribes to the brittle character of LaNi5 which agrees well with the above result that the hard phase is easy to crack formation. It is noteworthy that cracks are often stopped in front of (La,Mg)Ni2. Obviously, the soft phase is more resistant to crack formation and able to prevent the crack spreading. Similar result has been reported in other literatures where ductile secondary phases are believed to be beneficial to the cycling stability [33]. According to the above results, we can conclude that La4MgNi19 alloy is easy to pulverization as the high abundance of the hard phases LaNi5 and (La,Mg)5Ni19. As to La2MgNi9, little LaNi5 but existence of the soft (La,Mg)Ni2 and (La,Mg)Ni3 make it more resistant to crack emergence. These findings enlighten a way to improve the anti-pulverization ability by introduction appropriate abundance and distribution of soft secondary phases. 4 Conclusions In the present study, corrosion and pulverization behaviors of three typical La-Mg-Ni alloys: La2MgNi9, La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 and La4MgNi19 have been systematically investigated. All the alloys present multi-phase microstructure with (La,Mg)Ni3, (La,Mg)2Ni7and (La,Mg)5Ni19 as the main phase respectively. La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 possesses better electrochemical properties among the three alloys. It is found that pulverization and corrosion with the main product La(OH)3, combined with La2O3, Mg(OH)2 and MgO, have occurred after the electrochemical cycling. The overall corrosion extent of the electrochemical cycled alloys follow the order that La2MgNi9 1.5Mg0.5Ni7 4MgNi19. Immersion test demonstrate that the Mg-rich phases are easy to be corroded in the alkaline solution. The intrinsic anti-corrosion resistance are found to be La2MgNi9 1.5Mg0.5Ni7 4MgNi19, which is inversely proportional to the abundance of the Mg-rich phases. However, the intrinsic anti-pulverization ability just presents an inverse tre nd that La2MgNi9 > La1.5Mg0.5Ni7 > La4MgNi19. It is found that the mechanical property is an important factor affecting the anti-pulverization ability. Vickers hardness elevates with increase of the B-side stoichiometry of the various phases, which agrees well with the pulverization behaviors of the alloys. Furthermore, LaNi5 with the highest hardness is found to be easy to crack formation, but the soft (La,Mg)Ni2 is more resistant to crack formation and able to prevent the crack spreading. The weaker corrosion extent of La2MgNi9 in the electrochemical test is attributed to its better intrinsic anti-pulverization capability though the intrinsic anti-corrosion of La2MgNi9 is worse. Acknowledgments The authors are grateful to the Natural Science Foundation of China (NO. 51371094) and Natural Science Foundation Application of Inner Mongolia (NO.2014MS0526) for financial support. References [1]J Chen, N Kuriyama, H T Takeshita, H Tanaka, T Sakai, M Haruta. Hydrogen storage alloys with PuNi3-type structure as metal hydride electrodes. Electrochemical and Solid State Letters, 2000, 3: 249-252. [2]T Kohno, H Yoshida, F Kawashima, T Inaba, I Sakai, M Yamamoto, M Kanda. Hydrogen storage properties of new ternary system alloys: La2MgNi9, La5Mg2Ni23, La3MgNi14. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2000, 311: L5-L7. [3]S Yasuoka, Y Magari, T Murata, T Tadayoshi, J Ishida, H Nakamura, T Nohma, K Masaru. Development of high-capacity nickel-metal hydride batteries using superlattice hydrogen-absorbing alloys. Journal of Power Sources, 2006, 156: 662-666. [4]Y F Liu, Y H Cao, L Huang, M X Gao, H G Pan. Rare earth-Mg-Ni-based hydrogen storage alloys as negative electrode materials for Ni/MH batteries. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2011,509: 675-686. [5]J J Liu, S M Han, Y Li, L Zhang, Y M Zhao, S Q Yang, B Z Liu. Phase structure and electrochemical properties of La-Mg-Ni-based hydrogen storage alloys with superlattice structure. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2016, 41: 20261-20275. [6]J Guo, D Huang, G X Li, S Y Ma, W L Wei. Effect of La/Mg on the hydrogen storage capacities and electrochemical performances of La-Mg-Ni alloys. Materials Science and Engineering B, 2006, 131: 169-172. [7]B Liao, Y Q Lei, G L Lu, L X Chen, H G Pan, Q D Wang. The electrochemical properties of LaxMg2-xNi9 (x=1.0-2.0) hydrogen storage alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2003, 356-357: 746-749. [8]T Yang, T T Zhai, Z M Yuan, W G Bu, S Xu, Y H Zhang. Hydrogen storage properties of LaMgNi3.6M0.4 (M=Ni, Co, Mn, Cu, Al) alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2014, 617: 29-33. [9]A Fà ©rey, F Cuevas, M Latroche, B Knosp, P Bernar. Elaboration and characterization of magnesium-substituted La5Ni19 hydride forming alloys as active materials for negative electrode in Ni-MH battery. Electrochimica Acta, 2009: 54: 1710-1714. [10]Z Y Liu, X L Yan, N Wang, Y J Chai, D L Hou. Cyclic stability and high rate discharge performance of (La,Mg)5Ni19 multiphase alloy[J]. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2011, 36: 4370-4374. [11]T Sakai, K Oguro, H Miyamura, N Kuriyama, A Kato, H Ishikawa. Some factors affectin the cyble lives of LaNi5-based alloy electrodes of hydrogen batteries. Journal of Less-Common Metals, 1990, 161: 193-202. [12]D Chartouni, F Meli, A Zà ¼ttel, K Gross, L Schlapbach. The influence of cobalt on the electrochemical cycling stability of LaNi5-based hydride forming alloys. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 1996, 241: 160-166. [13]B Liao, Y Q Lei, L X Chen, G L Lu, H G Pan, Q D Wang. Effect of the La/Mg ratio on the structure and electrochemical properties of LaxMg3à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã¢â‚¬â„¢xNi9 (x=1.6-2.2) hydrogen storage electrode alloys for nickel-metal hydride batteries. Journal of Power Sources, 2004, 129: 358-367. [14]Y F Liu, H G Pan, Y J Yue, X F Wu, N Chen, Y Q Lei. Cycling durability and degradation behavior of La-Mg-Ni-Co-type metal hydride electrodes. Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2005, 395: 291-299. [15]X Z Sun, H G Pan, M X Gao, R Li, Y Lin, S Ma. Cycling stability of La-Mg-Ni-Co type hydride electrode with Al. Transaction of Nonferrous Metal Society of China, 2006, 16: 8-12. [16]P Zhang, Y N Liu, J W Zhu, X D Wei, G Yu. Effect of Al and W substitution for Ni on the microstructure and electrochemical properties of La1.3CaMg0.7Ni9-x(Al0.5W0.5)x hydrogen storage alloys. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 2007, 32: 2488-2493. [17]Y H Zhang, D L Zhao, B W Li, H P Ren, X P Dong, X L Wang. Cycle stability of La0.7Mg0.3Ni2.55-xCo0.45Cux(x=0-0.4) electrode alloys. Transaction of Nonferrous Metal Society of China, 2007, 17: 816-822. [18]Y M Li, H W Zhang, Y H Zhang, H P Ren. Changes of the crystal struc

Life vs Novel: How Hemingways Life Affected his Writing :: History

Life vs Novel: How Hemingway's Life Affected his Writing Ernest Hemingway was born in Oak Park, Illinois during the summer of eighteen ninety-nine. During his sixty-one years of life he wrote many famous novels and novellas. One thing he said in his life that made his readers see where his stories came from was a comment made to fellow writer F. Scott Fiztgerald. â€Å"If something in life hurts you, he said, you should use it in your writing.† (http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/barrons/frwlarm.asp). The difficult experiences that Hemingway endured throughout his own life, whether consciously or unconsciously, inserted in this novel is what lists it among his artistic achievements. Hemingway joined the Italian Red Cross as an ambulance driver during WWI. During his time in Italy he was injured by a trench mortar shell and for quite a while would elaborate the story to make it more glorious and him more heroic than he actually was, the only thing known for sure was that he went to a hospital in Milan and fell in love with a nurse named Agnes von Kurowsky. â€Å"Scholars are divided over Agnes's role in Hemingway's life and writing, but there is little doubt that his relationship with her informed the relationship between Lieutenant Henry and Catherine Barkley in A Farewell to Arms.† http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/farewell) Hemingway was a very blunt writer. He describes things exactly as he sees them in great depth and he never minces his words. As Raymond S. Nelson says, "Hemingway tried to tell the truth about his times, to correct the 'lies' which former generations told, whether wittingly or unwittingly." ("http://www.bookrags.com/notes/fta/" http://www.bookrags.com/notes/fta/ ) This is obvious in his very graphic descriptions of things throughout the novel and also in the way he does not sugarcoat any of the events that occur within the novel itself. Another essence of Hemingway’s life that is apparent in the novel is his indifference to immediate family. â€Å"Hemingway's parents were God-fearing Christians and patriotic Americans, staunch upholders of middle-class values. Hemingway thought them boring. He went out of his way to do things counter to his mother's wishes. She gave him cello lessons; he set up a boxing ring in her music room.† ( http://www.classicnote.com/ClassicNotes/Authors/about_ernest_hemingway.html ). In the novel itself Hemingway’s character has no concern about his family back in America, he tends to forget about them completely, as does Catherine Barkley.

Legalized gambling in Hawaii Essay

The streets of Las Vegas Boulevard, which are littered with advertisements picturing naked girls willing to provide their services for a price, can be a scary place as someone takes a stroll. Drunk men stumble out of strip clubs and casinos, and girls in gaudy clothing and stilettos apply lipstick at their post. Nobody knows when someone lurking in the shadows might pop out with a knife to steal an unsuspecting person’s wallet. Or even worse, a friendly-looking stranger walking in the opposite direction could be waiting to come across the right person to drag into a dark alley, muffle their screams so that their cries for help blend into the noisy background of the streets, and do the unthinkable. The tolerance of drugs, prostitution, gambling, 24-hour liquor sales, gang violence, and the emphasis on the nightlife give Las Vegas its nickname, Sin City. Also known as The Entertainment Capital of the World, Las Vegas is a world-wide attraction for people from all walks of life. Whether visitors are seeking relaxation in one of Las Vegas’s five-star hotel casinos along with entertainment, gambling, shopping, and fine dining; employment or a new home in the nation’s fastest growing community, or the permissible use of money for sex-related services; Las Vegas thrives off of their tourism industry. Sometimes referred to as Hawaii’s ninth island, Las Vegas is a popular vacation spot for residents of Hawaii. Seeing as how Hawaii, along with Utah, is one of the only two states in the country where gambling is illegal, Hawaii residents visit Las Vegas to delight in part in guilty pleasure. Every week, as many as 3,000 people from Hawaii visit Las Vegas, and a growing amount of former Hawaii residents have made Sin City their new home (www. visitlasvegas. com). Facing billion dollar deficits and on the prowl for ways to increase revenue, Hawaii law makers have brought into question whether legalizing gambling would be a beneficial way of economic development. Dennis Arakaki, head of the Hawaii Family Forum and Hawaii Catholic Conference says, â€Å"people in Hawaii like gambling, but they realize it is not a very good idea to legalize it. Gambling isn’t a good way to deal with your financial problems, either personally or as a state. † Although gambling bills are pitched every year, Republican Governor, Linda Lingle is against the introduction of gambling to the islands (The Philadelphia Inquirer). In fact, the legalization of gambling in Hawaii is misleading in terms of increasing revenue and employment opportunities for the state. It will take away from the beauty and culture of the islands that visitors come to see. Although gambling supporters tend to leave this part out, the legalization of gambling will bring the hidden impact of gambling addiction to many people of Hawaii. Allowing gambling to be legal won’t necessarily rid the state of its billion dollars of debt. While gambling is a way to make money, The Drake Law Review says that figures are overestimated as a way of persuading government officials to allow gambling into our community. For example, in Quincy, Illinois, a betting parlor was estimated to bring in 200,000 dollars in tax revenue. Its actual earnings turned out to be barely one-third of that estimated figure. The future of the economy cannot always be predicted accurately. Therefore, to say that a gambling establishment will bring in a certain amount of money is literally taking a gamble. What the Drake Law Review is saying is that the amount of revenue is knowingly exaggerated as a way of misleading the community to think it is a way to get rich quick. It is also usual for gambling businesses, most of which hold government franchises, to request and receive five-year tax waivers. The building of new hotel casinos will surely create more jobs; however, the Illinois Business Review conducted a study showing the over-optimism in the expectancy of jobs. When comparing the employment and unemployment rates from before and after the introduction of gambling in Illinois, the opening of over 7,000 new jobs were not beneficial. It did not decrease the unemployment rate because most of the people who were hired for the new jobs were simply shifting from previous employment. The slight increase of employment could have been attained without legalizing gambling. Research done by the New Mexico Coalition Against Legalized Gambling shows that the legalization of gambling, which is supposed to be a strategy for economic development, actually causes economic decline. A study done in South Dakota showing that the legalization of gambling caused a decline of interest in auto sales, retail, recreational services, business services, and all other services excluding those of hotel service, supports the opposition of bringing casinos to Hawaii. The study shows that legalization of gambling will have a negative impact on local businesses because people will choose to invest their money elsewhere. Instead of taking part in recreational activities such as heading down to Sea Life Park to swim with the dolphins, tourists might choose to invest their time and money gambling in a hotel casino. Instances like that, where money is going toward the prosperity of casinos, have a negative financial impact on local businesses. In Atlantic City, there was an increase in homelessness and crime after the introduction of casinos. The increase of the rate of crime led to a decrease of property value for many communities. Crime rates are on the rise in places where legalized gambling is prevalent. Some may see the legalization of casinos in Hawaii as a way to enjoy the beach, go for a hike, see a luau, and be able to stop off at a slot machine to have some fun before heading to their room, but in reality Hawaii is not about gambling. The term, Aloha Spirit, is the attitude Hawaii is famous for. This is a way of describing the overall kindness and friendly acceptance that residents portray. When looking at a 2006 crime rate chart comparing both Honolulu and Las Vegas, Las Vegas exceeds Hawaii in all categories. The following numbers are actual examples: murder, 17 to 152; robbery, 956 to 5,381; aggravated assault, 1583 to 6680; and vehicle theft, 6288 to 19677. According to cityrating. com, when looking at a population of one million in the cities of Las Vegas, Nevada and the Honolulu, Hawaii, both violent and property crime rate percentages in the city of Las Vegas are not only greater than Honolulu, but above the national crime rate average as well. This suggests that the association that the city of Las Vegas has with gambling may contribute to the increase of crime. Bringing the slots to our neighborhood means bringing all the cons that come with it, thus destroying the Aloha Spirit. The presence of hotel casinos in Hawaii will deteriorate and draw away from the beauty and the culture of the islands that visitors come to see. Year-round warm climate and the inviting outdoors of the playful ocean and mountainous scenery attract people to the tropics of Hawaii. Along with this, another selling point of Hawaii is the cultural experiences visitors take part in to learn about the history and ways of life in the islands during their stay. This makes Hawaii the ideal destination for family vacationing, as opposed to Las Vegas, which attracts visitors by means of their casino and entertainment industry, and is ultimately meant for those who are 21 and over. Violence and crime associated with the presence of gambling would lead communities to be deemed unsafe. Instead of visiting the islands to learn about the culture, tourists may spend more time at the slot machines. Gambling is a serious behavioral problem with its own signs, symptoms, and treatments, that if brought to Hawaii, brings residents closer to the risk of gambling addiction. Gambling is like a cigarette, people know it is harmful, yet they still do it. Quitting is hard and when the person finally realizes they want to quit, it is often times too late. According to (www. helpguide. org), a problem with gambling puts a strain on relationships, interferes with obligations and responsibilities at home or in the workplace, and leads to financial catastrophe. Gambling leads people to do things that they normally wouldn’t do such as steal money to gamble or repay debts, resort to drugs or alcohol to cope with depression, and violent behavior as a means of coping with situations. Statistics show unfavorable results for gamblers. Divorce rates amongst gamblers are double than that of non-gamblers. The suicide rate of gamblers is a whopping twenty times higher than that of non-gamblers, and one in five gamblers will attempt to take their own life. While gambling doesn’t become a dangerous addiction to everyone, a person with an addiction problem will effect those around them, whether they are family, friend, or stranger. Children who have parents who are addicted to gambling may become neglected and turn to gangs, drugs, or alcohol. Just as a child who has a parent who smokes is more likely to smoke, a child who has a parent who gambles is more likely to gamble as well. Passing a law that legalizes gambling in Hawaii and brings casinos to our neighborhood misleads people with over-optimistic promises of prosperity. In actuality, instead of economic development, legalized gambling will lead to economic downfall. Part of the downfall to legalizing gambling is taking away from the beauty and culture of the islands by bringing distractions and destruction. To destruct the culture is to shatter morality by exposing people to consequences of gambling addiction. As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Have you ever thought that maybe there is a reason why people like to leave what happens in Las Vegas behind? Works Cited Niesse, Mark. The Philadelphia Inquirer. Associated Press Gambling Causes Economic Decline. New Mexico Coalition Against Legalized Gambling â€Å"crime rates†. . â€Å"gambling addiction†. . â€Å"tourism†.

Critical theory and professionalism Essay

In what ways can critical theory shed light on professionalism? This presentation explores how critical theory can provide a perspective for critiquing professionalism in education. In so doing the nature of the relationship between the professionalisation and social movement trends in education is addressed. An attempt at a definition of professionalism is going to be the focus of the first part of the presentation. Several concepts articulated within critical theory are discussed for their relevance to the issue of professionalism. The work of the Frankfurt School is underlined, drawing parallels to the work of Gramsci and Freire. In the final analysis, specific issues and questions raised by the perspective of Critical Theory are reflected upon as they apply to the professionalisation of education. The concept of professionalism Literature on professionalism is in its abundance. There have been many attempts at providing a clear definition, including the government-led agendas calling for higher degrees on professionalism in education. It can be noted at the outset that attempts at coming up with a definition of professionalism in education have struggled to agree on a particular one. Freidson (1994) has concluded that the use of the term professionalism is inconsistent. He argues that professionalism is ‘The Third Logic’, claiming that professions are occupational groupings that exercise relatively high degrees of control over the conditions as well as how they carry out their work. This kind of arrangement provides a mechanism for organising some aspects of social life in a way that properly deploys specialist knowledge. Professionalism is therefore viewed as a mode of social coordination and competes with, and provides some insulation from, both market and bureaucratic forms of organisation. It has also been viewed as â€Å"a state of mind† or ideology that reflects a way of thinking about the cognitive aspects of a profession and the characteristics that typify a professional (Van Ruler, 2005). In other words, in the case of teaching, professionalism is the cultural means by which we give meaning, purpose, definition, and direction to work as professionals and the place of practitioners in society. It can therefore be claimed that there is no universal agreement of the concept. It has been implored by some authorities for teaching to become evidence-based profession like medicine and law. Hargreaves, for example describes teaching as the â€Å"paradoxical profession†. He asserts that of all the jobs that are, or aspires to be professions, only teaching is expected to create the human skills and capacities that will enable individuals and organizations to survive and succeed. (Hargreaves, 2003). Carr (1992) has suggested that in this ‘extended’ view of educational professionalism, education and teaching are to be understood by reference to the elaborative network of public duties, obligations and responsibilities in which teaching as a social role is implicated. It can be asserted that if teaching is a profession, there has been an assumption that teachers should be equipped with capacities for autonomous judgement and the freedom to exercise this judgement. It could be considered inappropriate for politicians or employers to dictate to teachers what is or is not worthy of inclusion in the school curriculum, or what kinds of knowledge and skill are crucial for the professional conduct of teaching. It is with this view in mind that Flinders (1980) has argued that teaching is an open-ended activity. Helsby (1995) claims that professionalism is subject to geographical and cultural differences and it can be understood as relating to exceptional standards of behaviour, dedication as well as a strong service ethic. This view is supported by Bryan (2003) who argues that professional work can be seen to be increasingly influenced by politics. This can be justified by the claim that the policies of governments are ideologically driven, hence professionalism may be understood as constructs which develop in response to ideological influences. Thomas (2012) uses professionalism as a descriptor of a combination of teachers’ specific capabilities and knowledge, the purpose and ethical underpinnings of their work, the extent to which they are able to exercise independent and critical judgement, their role in shaping and leading changes in their field, and their relationship to other stakeholders. Despite the vicissitude of the notion of professionalism in education, standard analyses of how this concept can be applied in public services such as teaching and nursing have stressed the importance of specialist knowledge  and expertise, ethical codes as well as procedures concerned with training, induction and continuing professional development (Flexner, 1915; Larson, 1977; Langford, 1978; Eraut, 1994). Attached to this view of professionalism is the assumption that in exchange for a greater say in matters related to school and teaching, teachers are expected to submit to greater levels of scrutiny and work roles that go beyond classroom teaching (Stone-Johnson, 2013). In this exchange there is a shift of power whereby as the work of the teachers becomes increasingly professionalised, teachers appear to have surrendered degrees of professionalism. The critical project in education supervenes from the postulation that pedagogical practices are linked to social practices, and that it is the task of the critical intellectual to identify and address injustices in these practices. The Frankfurt School’s perception of Critical Theory was driven by an underlying commitment to the notion that theory as well as practice must inform the work of those who seek to transform the oppressive conditions that exist in the world. Their ideas influenced other great critical theorists such as Freire and Gramsci. If the notion of critical theory is to be linked to the debate on professionalism, it can be argued that the development of critical pedagogy out of critical theory has changed the way through which the role of the teacher is seen, particularly the professional position of the teacher in the society. It has been argued that there has been a widespread erosion of professional autonomy in recent years (Barton et al, 1994, Whitty et al 1998). This has been a result of the centralisation of control over all aspects of teacher’s work such as curriculum (National Curriculum, literacy and numeracy hours), assessment, (SATs, QAA/ Ofsted Inspections) and conditions of service (imposed by the employers in a controlled quasi-market regulated by centralist funding formulae, league tables and inspection regimes.) (Freidson, 2001). This can be corroborated by a survey of teachers carried by Helsby and McCulloch (1997) as it showed that the government onslaught of edicts and initiatives demolished professionalism. It has been argued the formulation of policy documents have positioned the teacher as fundamentally impotent in terms of curriculum design. The teacher  has been reduced to a mere curriculum deliverer. This is mainly to system of communication that is viewed as one-sided by educational critiques. Murphy and Fleming (2010) have attempted to deal with this issue by using the Habermas’ notion of communicative action. They argue that, for Habermas, the essential feature of communicative action is that it aims at reaching agreement. Furthermore in order for that agreement to be not only mutually acceptable but satisfactory, its participants must be willing to make and defend validity claims such as claims of truth, rightness and truthfulness. Habermas’ notion accedes to the fact that while validity claims are raised automatically in everyday communication, it is only when communication aims primarily at reaching consensus, and when participants provide reasons for their argument, that rationality actually manifests itself. It can be argued that in the case of professionalism, Critical Theory is meant to herald a liberatory education that empowers stakeholders, fosters curiosity and critical thinking, and provides a means for crucial successful bottom-up, top-down engagement in the political arena. The introduction of a prescriptive and centralised National Curriculum has greatly weakened the professional confidence of teachers, (Helsby and McCulloch, 1997). It has also left them uncertain of their ability to cope and of their right to take major curriculum decisions. This has resulted in the government having more control over the teaching profession, (Meyer- Emerick, 2004). Critical theory prefers to call this process ‘one-dimensionality’ of life. Thus this extended the existing understanding of power and its impact on the construction of knowledge. Gramsci was deeply concerned with the manner in which domination was undergoing major shifts and changes within the industrial western societies. He developed a theory of hegemony, whereby he sought to explain the manner by which these changes were exercised more and more through the moral leaders of the society (including teachers) who participated in and reinforced universal ‘common sense’ notions of what is considered to be truth in society. This is consonant with Foucault’s questioning of what he termed ‘regimes of truth’ that were upheld and perpetuated through the manner in which particular knowledge was legitimated within the context of a variety of power relationships within the society. Foucault’s perceptions of power is not  solely at play in the context of domination, but also in the context of creative acts of resistance and these are produced as human beings are interact across the dynamic of relationship and shaped by moments of dominance and autonomy. Such a viewpoint challenges the dichotomised standpoint of either domination or powerlessness of power as enticed by radi cal education theorists. Thus it can be argued that Foucault’s writing on knowledge and power shed light on a critical understanding of the teaching profession in relation to authority. More so it does open the door to a better understanding of power relations within the context of teaching practice.