Advantages of Metamaterials

Advantages of Metamaterials Juan Castellanos The future is here and you wouldn’t believe how far research has come. Through countless experiments and hard work scientists have expanded the limits on what we thought to be impossible via advances in metamaterials. These so called â€Å"metamaterials† are artificially constructed improvements over naturally occurring materials commonly used in inventions. These metamaterials are altered at a Nanoscopic scale to give them new properties. Advances in the field of metamaterials could impact many aspects of life including: technology, medicine, and military combat. To fully understand what metamaterials are, we need to completely understand how they work. Metamaterials are created on a small scale in order to manipulate or alter incoming waves, causing them to behave differently than they normally would. This can include light, mechanical, sound, or electromagnetic waves. Through the use of metamaterials you could conceivably â€Å"stretch the law of refraction to its limits because you could make light bend in any direction you liked†(Grant Hapgood). For example, water has standard refraction, which produces a bent image since light travels throughwater at a different speed than it does throughair while â€Å"Metamaterials can make objects in waterappear to angle in the opposite direction, whichis known as negative refraction† (Clark). Metamaterials normally acquire their properties from structure rather than composition since they are engineered to have different properties than those found in nature. Metamaterials are going to innovate the next wave of technological advances that could make life easier. For instance, metamaterials can have a major impact on the commercial market by making wireless charging a possibility, affecting millions around the world that are in constant need of a convenient method to charge their portable devices. According to Business Insider major companies such as Samsung, Hewlett-Packard and Panasonic have cited metamaterials in recent patent filings (Wagstaff). Furthermore, metamaterials could potentially keep families in touch by enabling access to the Internet in areas around the world where it is currently unavailable. This is achieved by â€Å"an antenna on a moving object, such as a plane or automobile, to a satellite, facilitating a constant connection† (Clark). This antenna generates a connection that enables satellite-connected Internet to exist anywhere in the world. In addition, Metamaterials can save lives and prevents catastrophes b y being able to shield and redirect seismic waves away from buildings and other important structures. Researchers conducted an experiment in 2013 where seismic waves were artificially produced in soil and in the presence of metamaterials; probes determined there was a â€Å"modification in seismic energy distribution† (Brule, Javelaud, Enoch, Guenneau). The cloaking of seismic waves can be a bit more complex than say that of acoustic waves due to the nature of the medium (Sheng) but the benefits of such an advance could limit damage from natural disasters by protecting important structures such as power plants, residential buildings, and hospitals. Just in recent memory, seismic cloaking could have benefited Japan when their power plants were struck by a tsunami resulting in nuclear meltdowns and a 2010 earthquake crippled Haiti leaving millions of people devastated. These are just few examples of how metamaterials are revolutionizing the world we live in. Secondly, the military is also investing in metamaterial research in order to gain an advantage on the battlefield. As previously mentioned, metamaterials are designed to have characteristics their counterparts would not normally have, a prominent example is the ability to â€Å"produce plastic metamaterials that are superconductors of electricity† (Scharrett, Garrison). Replacing electric conducting metals with plastic conductors would result in less electrical resistance and â€Å"large drops in electrical resistance translate directly into reduced thermal buildup and major increases in the meantime between failures of electrical components† (Scharrett, Garrison). Moreover, a naval research program is funding a prototype that bends sound around a submarine in order to make it invisible to enemy sonar through the use of metamaterials that can manipulate sound waves. In addition, Army is researching metamaterials to build biological and chemical detectors. These metalli c nanostructures react electromagnetically to incoming molecules detecting single molecules that could be of great use for passenger or cargo screening (Hambling). The Holy Grail in all the research being poured in to metamaterials is the development of â€Å"invisibility cloaking†, the type we have only been able to imagine in movies and comic books. Duke University’s Yaroslav Urhumov says the U.S. Department of Defense is a â€Å"major sponsor of metamaterials and invisibility research and backing this up further is Miguel Navarro-Cia of Imperial College London who claims the military’s primary interest was in â€Å"making a cloak†(Wagstaff). Besides the obvious goal of being able to approach and attack enemies sight unseen, there are other possible functions for the military that could also be applied to civilian use such as â€Å"rendering parts of an aircraft invisible for pilots to see below the cockpit, or to rid drivers of the blind spot in a ca r† (Wagstaff). All these improvements and advances could potentially save casualties and be the difference between victory and defeat. Perhaps the most important utilization of metamaterials will occur in the field of medicine where it can directly help treat and save millions of patients. As opposed to bending light waves in order to make something invisible, metamaterials could also potentially lead way to a super microscope that can view objects as small as a singular strand of DNA. As Discover magazine puts it, this could â€Å"turbo charge biological research† (Grant, Hapgood). Conventional optics are hindered by the refraction limit, only allowing objects to be viewed up to a certain resolution, meanwhile â€Å"metamaterials having negative refractive index is theorized to create a lens having better capabilities beyond conventional lenses. A British scientist, Sir John Pendry, proposed that a thin slab of negative metamaterial might overcome the problems with common lenses to achieve â€Å"a perfect lens† that would focus entire spectrum† (Pendry 3966). One of the biggest tools against ca ncer is early detection; the difference between life and death is often determined by the stage the cancer is discovered. â€Å"By developing microwave devices and combining it with structures inspired by metamaterials, it can lead to a very cost effective device that can localize with high precision an abnormality within the human body† (Raghavan, Rajeshkumar 368). Moreover, In the future metamaterials could â€Å"absorb all light, to create heat to destroy cancerous tissue† (Tufts University). The researchers at the Tufts University School of Engineering and Boston University concentrated on metamaterial silk composites that are resonant at the terahertz frequency. At this frequency many biological and chemical components could be possibly used for biosensing in the human body. According to this research â€Å"The silk metamaterial composite is sensitive to the dielectric properties of the silk substrate and can monitor the interaction between the silk and the local environment. For example, the metamaterial might signal changes in a bio-reactive silk substrate that has been doped with proteins or enzymes (Tufts University). All these potential advances show how metamaterials will impact the medical field with great importance. In conclusion, metamaterials can have a advantage over naturally occurring materials due to alterations made at a small scale that allow for manipulation of any incoming waves that come in to contact. Metamaterials have introduced a wide array of possibilities previously thought unreachable. The use of metamaterials will be widely used in different fields and will result in beneficial developments for humanity. Therefore, metamaterials will have an impact on the future of humanity and the perception of what we know. Works Cited Clark, Marjorie. Metamaterials Are Quietly Shaping the Future of Radar 425 Business. 425 Business. N.p., 19 Feb. 2015. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. http://425business.com/metamaterials-quietly-shaping-future-radar/>. Hambling, David. 5 Metamaterials That Make Matter Invisible, Silent or Blindingly Fast. Popular Mechanics. Hearst Digital Media, 05 Mar. 2010. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. Luan, Pi-Gang. The Physics of Metamaterials. N.p.: National Central University, n.d. PDF. Metamaterials. Metamaterials. N.p., n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2015. http://www.iop.org/resources/topic/archive/metamaterials/>. Tufts University. Implantable silk metamaterials could advance biomedicine, biosensing. ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 13 August 2010. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/08/100812135938.htm>.

Traditional Medicines: Tomorrows Miracle Drugs :: Journalistic Essays

Traditional medicines as they were passed on through generations formed the basis of health care in the earliest civilizations. New medical discoveries evolved from this foundation as the medical field developed throughout the ages. Of particular interest are the highly developed Turkish traditional medicines. Important trade routes from advanced societies such as the Chinese and Islamic nations passed through Turkey, thus introducing their respective medicinal knowledge to this area. In addition, Turkey has a large diversity of endemic plant species which provided them with the necessary natural products used in these "remedies". Dr. Nil Sari has translated Islamic medicinal documents and has identified traditional medicines used to treat what presently is termed "cancer". Professor John Snyder's lab has used Dr. Sari's discoveries to isolate a plant-derived bioactive compound and is currently in the process of synthesizing it. I joined Professor Snyder's synthetic organic lab group September 1995. I have been assigned my own project under his supervision. The research involves synthesizing a series of triazines with varying substituents. Triazines are molecules with three nitrogen atoms in its structure. These compounds will then be used as prototypes so that I may test different cyanide replacement reactions. In these reactions, cyanide replaces a specific original substituent on the triazine. Cyanide withdraws electrons from the rest of the molecule, making the atoms around the cyanide "electron-deficient". Dr. Snyder's lab synthesizes ringed molecules through an "inverse Diels-Alder" reaction. Generally, an orbital of an electron-deficient molecule with a "double-single-double" bond sequence overlaps with an orbital of an electron rich reactant. The overlapped orbitals form a bond, which in turn forms the reactants into a ringed molecule. Cyanide displacements are thus an important technique in preparin g electron-deficient reactants to form ringed molecules. The triazine series will also be used as testing molecules in the development of a "nitrogen-15" probe. Dr. Hodge Markgraf from Williams College is developing a nuclear magnetic resonance machine for the nitrogen-15 atom. NMR determines the structure of a molecule by plotting the nuclear-spin transitions of the atoms when exposed to an external magnetic field. So far, NMR has mainly focused on the hydrogen-1 and carbon-13 isotopes. The N-15 atom is also NMR active because it has an uneven number of protons (7) and therefore has magnetic properties. Traditional Medicines: Tomorrows Miracle Drugs :: Journalistic Essays Traditional medicines as they were passed on through generations formed the basis of health care in the earliest civilizations. New medical discoveries evolved from this foundation as the medical field developed throughout the ages. Of particular interest are the highly developed Turkish traditional medicines. Important trade routes from advanced societies such as the Chinese and Islamic nations passed through Turkey, thus introducing their respective medicinal knowledge to this area. In addition, Turkey has a large diversity of endemic plant species which provided them with the necessary natural products used in these "remedies". Dr. Nil Sari has translated Islamic medicinal documents and has identified traditional medicines used to treat what presently is termed "cancer". Professor John Snyder's lab has used Dr. Sari's discoveries to isolate a plant-derived bioactive compound and is currently in the process of synthesizing it. I joined Professor Snyder's synthetic organic lab group September 1995. I have been assigned my own project under his supervision. The research involves synthesizing a series of triazines with varying substituents. Triazines are molecules with three nitrogen atoms in its structure. These compounds will then be used as prototypes so that I may test different cyanide replacement reactions. In these reactions, cyanide replaces a specific original substituent on the triazine. Cyanide withdraws electrons from the rest of the molecule, making the atoms around the cyanide "electron-deficient". Dr. Snyder's lab synthesizes ringed molecules through an "inverse Diels-Alder" reaction. Generally, an orbital of an electron-deficient molecule with a "double-single-double" bond sequence overlaps with an orbital of an electron rich reactant. The overlapped orbitals form a bond, which in turn forms the reactants into a ringed molecule. Cyanide displacements are thus an important technique in preparin g electron-deficient reactants to form ringed molecules. The triazine series will also be used as testing molecules in the development of a "nitrogen-15" probe. Dr. Hodge Markgraf from Williams College is developing a nuclear magnetic resonance machine for the nitrogen-15 atom. NMR determines the structure of a molecule by plotting the nuclear-spin transitions of the atoms when exposed to an external magnetic field. So far, NMR has mainly focused on the hydrogen-1 and carbon-13 isotopes. The N-15 atom is also NMR active because it has an uneven number of protons (7) and therefore has magnetic properties.

Importance to the performance of the business Essay

Identify aspects of the business training and development programme and explain its importance to the performance of the business? What is training? Training is the acquisition of a body of knowledge and skills, which can be applied to a particular job. Training includes all forms of planned learning experiences and activities designed to make positive changes to performance in a job. The benefits of training There are number of major benefits that flow from training: It increases productivity of workers within a business. It helps achieve the businesses objectivities by having more knowledge within the business. Improved efficiency results from saving from material costs due to reduced wastage, improved delivery performance, improved delivery performance, reliability and range of products or services to customers. At Haydon this means less wasted teaching time lessons starting on time lessons planned and run efficiently. Creates a more flexible work force. At Haydon this could help when a teacher is off sick and another teacher has the ability to teach another subject for example an Ict teacher who can also teach economics. If effective should improve the competitiveness of an organisation. As well as improving its productivity and service to customers. At Haydon this mean’s improved student grades. Retaining staff, surveys have shown that training costs less in the long run than recruiting full trained workers from outside the organisation. Recruited, fully trained employees tend to leave much sooner than employees the organisation has trained itself. Haydon should try to train staff already at the school to do jobs rather than hire some one from outside. Improves image of a business. As it will be able to keep staff and have well trained staff where parents will want their children to go to school.l Training adds to competitiveness In a ‘knowledge economy’ training & development take on a greater importance than ever before. The company that trains and develops its staff is best placed to have better educated students and therefore gain competitive advantage. What is development? Development approaches the individual and his or her motivation from a different angle from that of training. While training is typically concerned with enabling the employee to contribute to meeting the objectives of Haydon better, personal development is more concerned with enabling individuals to develop themselves in the way that best suits individual needs. The two will come together. By helping individuals to develop themselves, they will be more inclined and better able to contribute to helping Haydon meet its objectives. Why adopt training and development? Haydon & other organisations organise training and development programmes for many reasons. Training and development programmes may be introduced to: Motivate employees and increase job satisfaction, thereby reducing absentees and student leaning Establish the most effective and efficient working methods in order to maximise the education of students and remain competitive The resources needed for Haydon training can generate significant costs. It is important that training needs are correctly identified and the required standard of skill is established. The training programme needs to be administered efficiently and evaluated, so the results achieved by the Haydon teachers that have received training should be compared with the standard of performance it was hoped to achieve How does a business know if training is needed? The business could ask the employees to see if they need or want any training. When filling a vacancy they could use the job description to find skills and knowledge required for the job. Also look at the performance of the school e.g. exam results Induction training Induction is the process of introducing new employees to their place of works new surroundings and the people they will be working with. Induction also provides information to help new employees start work and generally fit in. This induction programme enables Haydon to introduce new employees to the business and tell them about the many achievements and procedures it has produced over the years. The induction programme is supposed to make the new employee feel more aware of the different functions of the business as a whole, so they can know what the business is about instead of the specific job he/she has to take on in the future. The induction usually contains information about the organisation’s policies and objectives, future career opportunities Pay, training and fringe benefits Health and safety, the requirements of the job. Good induction programmes can successfully balance the amount of information that needs to be conveyed with the length of time, so employees can ma intain their concentration. In house training courses This is where employers run courses inside their own organisation the courses might be held in an office or in a smart training centre owned by the business. The main benefits of in house training are: > They are cheap to run > Course content is made to suit the business > Examples can be related to the business work > Everyone knows each other. External Training courses These are more expensive because they include fairly luxurious accommodation in lavish surroundings and the guest speakers are highly paid. This means employers have to think very seriously about the value of the courses to the business. Mentoring Mentoring involves a trainee being ‘paired’ with a more experienced employee. The trainee carries out the job but uses the ‘mentor’ to discuss problems that may occur and how best to solve them. Often trainee teachers work with a mentor who is responsible for their early training and development. The student teacher will watch the mentor teach before starting his/her own teaching. The mentor will then give an ongoing guidance to the student teacher on how best to improve his/her performance and the trainee will take any problems and difficulties he/she is facing to the mentor to seek advice. Coaching This is rather similar to mentoring but the difference is that the coaching involves helping the young employee to acquire high quality skills in a number of specific management areas. These skills include communication with staff, budgeting, how to appraise and how to carry out disciplinary procedures. Vocational Courses These provide training in job related skills for example office skills: the QCA (Qualifications and Curriculum Authority) took over the role of the NCVQ (National council for Vocational Qualifications, set standards for workplace competences which can be assessed both in the workplace and at college by examining bodies such as Edexcel, OCR and AQA. Job Rotation Is giving staff a range of jobs in rotation, which widened their experiences and increases their skills Job enlargement Is where staff is given extra tasks to do this gives management a better idea of the employees true capacity and ability. Job enrichment Adding more interesting and difficult tasks to the job to motivate and tro see how capable they are. Types of training at Haydon Induction Training The induction training takes place in July, which can be up to 3 weeks long this will include > Assessment > Reports > Behaviour management > Child protection > Special needs > Being a form tutor > Administration > Health and safety > Contracts > Classes > Syllabus > Courses Training days All employees have to attend this as it is where school issues are disused and they are trained on things like equal opportunities within the school. The 1996 Educational Act legally requires these training days. Specialised Courses Some courses which Haydon have done are: > Use of fire extinguishers: a specialised trainer came in to school to train the staff how to use them. > Man handling courses: is for staff looking after disabled students so they no how to look after the student and what they are and aren’t allowed to do. > Web design: this needed to be taught because of the new syllabus this was run by miss Boorman. Mentoring Every newly qualified teacher has a mentor at Haydon within the same subject the mentor has to do weekly meetings to review progress, observe their teaching skills and give feed back, and need to be their for support and motivation. On the Job training This is when a trainee at Haydon will work along side a qualified employer and observe teachers to gain experience. This means the trainee acquires their training st the school. This is known as job shadowing. External Training Haydons staff have gone on courses such as first aid which are done out side the business. Haydon also have to do external training for changes in the syllabus for example how to mark the coursework. I have shown why Haydon should train its employees and how it can be identified. Ive shown different types of training used how Haydon benefits from it and how the employees benefit from it.

The Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mr. Mark Twain

After the Civil War and through the nineteenth century, local color literature was most dominant in American literature. From the very beginning, within the first few pages, or even sentences, the evidence of local color prevails in the novel of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, written by â€Å"Mr. Mark Twain† (106). Local color is defined by Donna Campbell of Washington State University as â€Å"fiction and poetry that focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, topography, and other features particular to a specific region.† The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of the greatest examples and reveals all the characteristics of local color writing. The first characteristic of local color writing is setting. The setting is the most fundamental element of the story. It is geared towards the emphasis of the limitations nature imposes; settings are usually isolated. The settings and the metaphors and life lessons it imposes are crucial to the development of the story and its characters. At the beginning of the adventures Huckleberry (Huck) and Jim set out on, the two runaways find each other at Jackson Island. The uninhabited, remote location, is the beginning of the struggles the two face. The pair are isolated for much of the novel upon a raft down the Mississippi River in hopes to make it to Cairo, Illinois, â€Å"[but], the second night a fog begun to come on† and separated the two temporarily putting them past their desired destination (154). Generally, the larger idea of theShow MoreRelatedThe Adventures Of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain810 Words   |  4 PagesBefore Mark Twain started to write two of his most famous novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark was known to use his characters to display his own thoughts and opinions. â€Å"This device allowed him to say just about anything he wanted, provided he could convincingly claim he was simply reporting what others had said.† (Twain , 1283). Mark Twain used this process to be a foundation of his lectures, by manipulating his popularly with his readers. 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