Spatial Patterns Of Tropical And Temperate Deforestation Environmental Sciences Essay

Spatial Patterns Of Tropical And Temperate Deforestation Environmental Sciences Essay Global deforestation has become a major concern of human society. Belonging to the last untouched and pristine terrestrial ecosystems on earth, tropical forests in particular are a central issue of many conservation movements. Safeguarding global biological diversity has been widely approved as a political goal throughout the global community with forests playing a major role. Large and rare animals and pictures of burned forests have strengthened the belief in the moral and ethic injustice currently taking place in the tropics. Yet, we have to consider that this point of view originates in western society and mainly remains widely accepted in the developed world where for the most part no tropical forests exist. In contrast to the (partly) intact and less degraded forest ecosystems of the tropics, in the highly developed countries of the northern hemisphere large parts of temperate forest ecosystems have long vanished and been replaced by anthropogenic landscapes. This change in lan d use has resulted in the creation of severely transformed ecosystems fundamental for the economic and social development. These include, for instance, agricultural, pastoral, industrial and urban landscapes. The long time that has passed since their clearance often leaves temperate forests out of the current investigation on deforestation patterns. Rather, scientists concentrate on patterns of tropical deforestation, which is currently the most alarming regarding the net loss of forest cover. Generally, land degradation occurs to a great extent in forested areas since about 25% of total land degradation is associated with broad-leaved forests and 17% with boreal forests (UNEP 2007). With the severity of the consequences of global deforestation becoming evident, environmental and economic science is increasingly addressing the issue. Just recently, beginning in the late 1980s, environmental economists have been publishing new thoughts on valuing the environment and considering its ecological functions in economic decision-making (see de Groot 1987, 1992; Daily 1997; Costanza et al. 1997; among others). Nowadays, the interdependence and importance of forest ecosystem functions and services is widely accepted throughout scientific and economic literature. This development has raised the general awareness of the importance of well functioning and sustainably managed forests and has augmented the acceptance of forest conservation movements (at least in western societies). Supp orted by new technologies, such as satellite imagery and remote sensing methods, the study of deforestation processes and spatial patterns of deforestation has been facilitated at various levels and different scales at affordable costs. By using new technologies and approaches, many studies have been conducted in an attempt to estimate the extent of deforestation and to explain its causes. A great amount of studies focuses on the processes of tropical deforestation which is doubtlessly most alarming at the moment. However, other studies have approached deforestation from a global perspective and also for temperate forest ecosystems in particular. In light of the ongoing debates on deforestation, this paper first defines forest degradation and deforestation and then explores potential misunderstandings of such definitions. This discussion is followed by an analysis of the causes of global deforestation process and concludes with some key findings for tropical as well as temperate deforestation patterns. 2 Defining forest degradation and deforestation Drawing on the publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) (2009), the following section will shortly present the debate on the definition of forest degradation and deforestation in a global context. As the number of studies and policy instruments concerning forest degradation and deforestation are numerous it is necessary to establish a common language in order to draw mutual conclusions and to find applicable solutions. Being a serious environmental, social and economic problem, forest degradation and deforestation are issues of major concern discussed at various political levels as well as by the public. As consequences of deforestation become evident not only on the local but also on the global scale, finding consensus among different parties is of great importance for responding adequately to a daunting challenge. The definition of forest degradation and deforestation, however, is technically and scientifically difficult to define because it is viewed and perceived differently by various stakeholders who might have different objectives regarding forest use or conversion. Furthermore, discrepancies in the definition can have implications on forest related policy making processes as well as on the monitoring and enforcement of policies (FAO 2009). The FAO report argues that forest-related definitions [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] which are outcomes of international processes are policy tools and can have major economic, social and environmental implications (FAO 2009, p. 8). Besides monitoring purposes, forest-related definitions also determine financial flows and the allocation of financial incentives for various purposes (e.g. restoration or improvement measures, projects under the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD) program) (FAO 2009). 2.1 Deforestation Deforestation describes the process of land use change from forest to non-forest (FAO 2009). However, this quite simple definition based on certain thresholds of deforestation has the potential to cause conflicts when the individual factors are evaluated. Different nations, international organizations or ethnic groups might have differing perceptions and definitions of forest or non-forest. Drawing on the definition provided by the FAO, forests are defined as land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than five meters and a canopy cover of more than ten percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ (FAO 2005, p. 16). This definition does not include land that is predominately under agricultural or urban use (FAO 2004). Furthermore, deforestation can occur on different spatial and temporal scales which will be discussed later in the following section. 2.2 Forest degradation While deforestation is relatively easy to define, much more effort is required to define forest degradation. In 2002, a symposium of international forestry-related organizations consisting of the FAO, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) agreed on a common definition of forest degradation, defining it as the reduction of the capacity of a forest to provide goods and services (FAO 2009a, p. 9). This process occurs within the forest and negatively affects the characteristics of the forest, which can be of structural or functional nature and which determine the capacity to provide goods and services. Defining the latter two terms well is a challenging and demanding task. The definition can be comprehensible for one party but could be understood very differently or be misunderstood. For instance, with r egard to the REDD mechanism, forest degradation considers particularly the reduction in carbon stocks within a forest (FAO 2009b). However, there is still a lack of practically applicable approaches to measure the extent of forest degradation because the existing definition is not an operational formulation due to different perceptions of what forest degradation furthermore entails (FAO 2009). Therefore, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) has called for greater harmonization of internationally applicable definitions related to forests to facilitate monitoring and reporting on progress towards the achievement of the global objectives on forests and sustainable forest management [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦](FAO 2009, p. 8). 3 Processes of deforestation As described above, deforestation is a process of change in land use. Although it is currently being addressed widely at different political levels as well as by the public, it is not a new phenomenon. Since humankind began to control fire and to domesticate animals, forests needed to be cleared for various purposes. However, among great parts of western society forests nowadays are being valued very differently than even a hundred years ago. Scientific progress, environmental awareness, technical innovations and deliberative policies have made clear that deforestation has become an important and global issue. The following section shortly depicts the process of deforestation after which the underlying causes for this development and typical observable spatial patterns of deforestation will be presented. In general, it can be distinguished between natural and anthropogenic disturbance processes. Natural interferences occur naturally in the environment, in contrast to anthropogenic interferences which are human induced. While natural stresses occur rather on a small to medium scale and are of relatively short term, anthropogenic disturbances often occur on a medium to large scale and are long term processes. The former include forest clearances by natural wildfires, wind (storms), extreme weather events or changing climatic conditions (though being argued to be human induced). The latter includes timber extraction, pastoral uses, small shifting cultivation plots, induced forest fires and large scale forest conversion activities. Anthropogenic disturbances can either be intentional (direct), e.g. logging or land conversion, or unintentional (indirect), e.g. introduction of invasive species (FAO 2009). However, forest disturbance regimes become less predictable once natural and anthropo genic factors combine (FAO 2009). The two factors are often dependent on each other and combinations can be complex and take various forms. For instance, anthropogenic impacts on forest structure and dynamics in tropical mountain regions can have severe consequences for downstream areas during naturally occurring storm events in the form of floods and landslides. Further, human impacts influence the vulnerability of forests to degradation from natural causes, can negatively affect the successional regeneration process in naturally disturbed forests, and naturally occurring drought periods can be the cause for large scale forest fires ignited by escaped land clearing fires (Goldammer 1992). Moreover, global ecological feedback mechanisms can have far reaching impacts on anthropogenic forest interferences (Goldammer 1992); this will be addressed later in the paper. Usually, forest degradation is associated with a reduction of the vegetative cover (Lund 2009 in FAO 2009). Considering forest degradation as a continuous internal process caused either by natural or human induced disturbances, various thresholds can be defined, for example, in terms of percentage of canopy cover. Thus, when passing a certain threshold, a forest can be classified into various levels of degradation and eventually, when reaching a high level of openness, the forest cannot longer be defined as a forest (i.e. 10% canopy cover), although administratively it still might be considered forest land (FAO 2009). Deforestation can occur abruptly in a very short period of time by simply removing the lands tree cover. Under those circumstances, the forest is usually cleared for the purpose of land conversion for other forms of land use or for the substitution by monoculture plantations of exotic tree species. This form of deforestation, if sufficiently large, is easily detectable by remote sensing (FAO 2009). However, deforestation can also occur over a longer period of a subsequent forest degradation process caused by disturbances which vary in terms of severity, quality, origin, extent and frequency. The impacts occur on varying spatial and temporal scales and are dependent on the type and specific characteristics of the forest (FAO 2009). Its detection and measurement is relatively difficult as it implies a long-term loss of biomass, productivity or species composition that is difficult to assess, especially the impacts on soils, water, nutrients, biodiversity and the landscape. (FAO 2009, p. 13). Yet, forest degradation is not inevitably a prerequisite for deforestation. Forests can also exist as degraded forests for a long period of time without reaching the level of deforestation (Angelsen et al. 2008). 4 Causes for deforestation Various direct and indirect causes for tropical deforestation exist (Geist and Lambin 2002). Drawing on an earlier publication by the two authors (2001), the results are based on the analysis and interpretation of 152 subnational case studies within the tropics. Direct or proximate causes are human activities or immediate actions at the local level [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] that originate from intended land use and directly impact forest cover (Geist and Lambin 2002, p. 143). Indirect causes or underlying driving forces are fundamental social processes [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] that underpin the proximate causes and either operate at the local level or have an indirect impact from the national or global level (p. 143). In other words, direct causes for deforestation are the actual physical impacts on forest cover that degrade the forest or convert it to other forms of land use. Indirect causes, on the other side, are institutional arrangements or socio-demographic forces which facilitate the existence and emergence of the direct causes. At the proximate level, the results clearly show that deforestation in the majority of cases is caused by multi-factorial terms, that is, a combination of direct causes rather than by a single variable. The four single causes are (decreasing in relevance): agricultural expansion, infrastructure extension, wood extraction and other factors (land characteristics, biophysical drivers and social trigger events). The most frequent combination of direct causes is the agricultural wood extraction infrastructure expansion combination that ultimately leads to deforestation (3-factor term of causation) (Geist and Lambin 2001). However, it is questionable to just project this result to the entire tropical forest biome. Each individual case of (small to large scale) deforestation can have a distinct history of the cause or need to change the land use form and might statistically not be represented in the current literature. Likewise, at the underlying, institutional level tropical deforestation is associated with synergetic driver combinations rather than individually operating forces. The five single driving forces are (decreasing in relevance): Economic factors, policy and institutional factors, technological factors, cultural factors, demographic factors (Geist and Lambin 2001). Here, the indirect factors are in the majority operating at the 5-factor term of causation, that is, all underlying factors together are argued to be driving deforestation in more than a third of all cases. In Lambin and Geist (2003), the two authors discuss regional differences in tropical deforestation in more detail. In fact, they argue that the processes of humid tropical deforestation in the three most important areas, namely Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, can vary to a great extent. Reasons for the regional differences are derived from three sets of factors: the environmental and land-use history, the particular combination of causes triggering and driving land-use change, and the feedback structure, that is the social and ecological responses to land-cover changes (p.24). Though, Rudel (2006) distinguishes more precisely the most important tropical forest areas (Central America the Caribbean, South America, West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, South Asia, and Southeast Asia) and depicts a detailed image of the relevant agents of deforestation (road builders, corporate loggers, forest managers, reserve advocates, urban enterprises and consumers). He argues that wh ile the size of the forest area decreases, the agents of change adjust their behaviour and act differently in respect to the actual forest size. The authors main conclusions can be shortly summarized as follows. As forests decline in size roads are ceased to be built, corporate enterprises stop exploiting the forests, community forest management becomes more effective, protected forest areas become less applicable for conservation measures, and degraded sites are reforested by urban consumers (Rudel 2006). Thus, the causes for deforestation and land use change are not static and since all factors are interdependent it is difficult to assess causes in a biome wide or global perspective. However, the quite general conclusions that are drawn by Geist and Lambin for the three major tropical forest areas (Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa) must be viewed cautiously. For instance, an extensive and diverse area such as central and western Africa is reviewed by means of only 19 case studies from eight countries. The results then are treated non-exclusive, are thus assumed to be comparable (although being quantitative as well as qualitative) and are used for drawing representative conclusions on the entire tropical Africa (Geist and Lambin 2001). Furthermore, the definition of deforestation that is used by the authors must be viewed critically since they use a broad and inclusive (Geist and Lambin 2001, p.17) definition which considers not only forest conversion (à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) but also different types of [forest] degradation (p.17). Nevertheless, Geist and Lambin (2001, 2002, 2003) provide a good overview of the existing causes for deforestation in the tropics an d relate underlying and direct causes (as well as accompanying occurrences) before they conclude with a quantification of the causative linkages. Also, they discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their chosen methodology and address potential biases and ambiguities to the reader adequately (2001, p. 17 ff). Also, it is important to stress the importance of roads or access in general to (remote) forest areas, which is a prerequisite for large scale anthropogenic interferences. This is true not only in the tropical forest biome but also in the temperate forest biome. In many logistic regression models for the assessment of deforestation patterns, the distance to roads is a major factor and closely related to deforestation processes (Mertens and Lambin 1997; Altamirano and Lara 2010; Echeverria et al. 2008; Wilson et al. 2005; among others). Although agricultural expansion is mentioned to be the most significant cause for deforestation, it should be mentioned that the intensification of agricultural practices, however, can have a positive effect on remaining forests since productivity increases and the pressure of expansion thus is reduced (cf. Barbier 2001). As the global human population and the demand for food and agricultural products increase, the importance of agriculture must not be neglected and should be incorporated into policy responses. In his book Logjam Deforestation and the Crisis of Global Governance, David Humphreys (2006) shortly describes the European deforestation process from an institutional economics perspective. He argues that, in contrast to Garret Hardins theory of the tragedy of the commons, common property regimes are crucial for the conservation of forest public goods (such as watershed protection or climate regulation) as long as land tenure rights and legal ownership are secured. Likewise, Elinor Ostrom (2002) argues similarly in her essay Reformulating the Commons and identifies several requisite attributes for the resource system and the appropriators in order for efficient self-governing associations to form. The most important attributes mentioned are the spatial extent of the resource system, the salience or dependence of the appropriators on the resource for a major portion of their livelihood, trust and reciprocity and autonomy, among others (Ostrom 2002, p. 5). Common property regimes can be defined as institutional arrangements for the cooperative (shared, joined, collective) use, management, and sometimes ownership of natural resources. (McKean 2000 in Humphreys 2006, p. 4). Humphreys (2006) states that in Europe the common use of forests under public ownership was widely respected until the Middle ages when the aristocracy and political elites organized the systematic and widespread displacement of commoners from common land, and the subsequent enclosure of this land by fencing (p. 6), thus, changing the property regime from public to private. Then, with the rise of the centralized state during the 16th to 18th century, forests were further enclosed and exploited with timber as a steady revenue source. In central Europe soon only few species were considered economically profitable. By conserving only economically valuable species, this instrumental, utilitarian and abstractionist logic eroded biodiversity in the forest and promoted the development of scientific f orestry [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (Humphreys 2006, p. 6). This socioeconomic development, an increasing demand for timber and fuel wood and a steadily growing population promoted the exploitation of temperate forests across Europe and lead to the degradation of the forest public goods which were considered unproductive in economic terms. The practices of enclosure and scientific forestry were later also brought to the European colonies in Africa, Asia, Australia and the Americas (Humphreys 2006) where currently remaining pristine tropical forests are experiencing a similar trend. To sum up this paragraph, again I use the words of David Humphreys since they convincingly make a point and cannot be formulated better. Enclosure during the medieval and colonial eras degraded and destroyed forest commons across the world. Forest degradation in the 20th and 21st centuries has rarely been due to poorly functioning common property regimes. It is invariably the result of the enclosure of commons by s tate and private interests, who overexploit the forests for economic gain and who have a totally different relationship to the forest than the commoners whom they displaced. (p. 7). 5 Spatial change patterns Only as recent as the last 150 years have tropical forests experienced a drastic human induced change in terms of forest cover and species composition in contrast to many temperate forest ecosystems which have experienced severe and large scale changes for much longer. While vast areas of tropical forest were still without anthropogenic pressure, temperate forest landscapes (in Europe i.e.) were, in relation to available land area, highly populated and forest ecosystems largely impacted and altered (Potapov et al. 2009). Today, it is estimated that over one half of the temperate forest biome has been fragmented or removed by humans, in comparison to nearly one quarter of the tropical forest biome (Wade et al. 2008) Tropical forests have recently experienced a constant loss of forest area. Achard et al. (2002) estimated a loss of tropical forest of 0.52 % for the period 1990-1997 and Hansen et al. (2008) estimated that 1.39 % of the total tropical forest area were lost between 2000 and 2005. Temperate forests, however, recently experience neither large net gains nor losses in forest area and some areas even show an increase in forest cover (FRA 2010). For the tropics, six general spatial patterns of the forest/non-forest interface were developed by Husson et al. (1995) which were used for example in Mertens and Lambin (1997) or Geist and Lambin 2001. The six types of patterns are: geometric, corridor, fishbone, diffuse, patchy, and island. Geometric patterns are related to large-scale clearings for modern sector activities, corridor patterns to roadside colonization by spontaneous migrants, fishbone patterns to planned resettlement schemes (yet limited to the Brazilian Amazon), diffuse patterns to smallholder or traditional subsistence agriculture, patchy patterns to high population density areas with residual forest patches, and island patterns to (peripheral) urban areas (Geist and Lambin 2001, p.66). Such spatial patterns are easily detectable once the deforestation process occurs quickly and when the connectedness of the forest area was large hitherto. These characteristics are more likely to be found in the tropical moist bro adleaved forest type (especially in South America and Africa (Wade et al. 2003)) and thus the spatial models depicted here are more adequate to be used in the tropical forest biome. Source: Geist and Lambin (2001), p. 66 For the temperate forest biome (here: Europe) Estreguil and Mouton (2009, p. 6) present four different and typical patterns of forest loss. Drawing on publications by Forman (1995) and Bogaert et al. (2004) they characterize local spatial forest loss by a) attrition (the disappearance of patches), b) shrinkage (decrease of the size of remaining patches), c) perforation (cleared holes within forest patches), and d) fragmentation (braking up of forest areas). Source: Estreguil and Mouton (2009), p. 7 6 Consequences of deforestation The consequences of deforestation can cause local scale and far reaching ecological feedback mechanisms such as atmospheric, hydrological and climatic changes (Goldammer 1992) and can furthermore have implications on the socio-economic environment. This, in turn, affects the whole forest ecosystem at large scale and in the long run. Regarding the current debate on a changing global climate, forests are of major concern since they serve as a great sink for atmospheric carbon. The wooden and photoactive biomass as well as forest soils sequester large amounts of atmospheric carbon. In comparison, forests store and sequester more carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem (Gibbs et al 2007). A great amount of the total human induced global carbon emissions is argued to be released from forest degradation and deforestation; a great amount in tropical regions since here deforestation rates are currently most striking. Calculations that not even include tropical forest fires estimate the amount of carbon released at 10-25% of the total human induced carbon emissions (Santilli et al. 2005; Houghton 2003). The proportion of carbon released by forests fires and burning of biomass is still difficult to determine but is practically responsible for great amounts of carbon and other harmful substances released into the atmos phere (Goldammer 1992; Houghton 2003). While tropical deforestation processes are estimated to significantly add to global carbon emissions and act as a source, temperate forests of the northern hemisphere are considered a carbon sink (Heath et al. 1993 in Potapov 2009; Goodale et al. 2002 in Houghton 2003). 7 Forest rehabilitation At any level of degradation, forest conditions can be improved and the process of degradation halted or even reversed. Essential for the rehabilitation of degraded forests are silvicultural or protection measures on degraded forest land or reforestation measures on non-forest land. These rehabilitation measures must be adapted to the specific ecological conditions of each individual area. If successful, those measures might eventually lead to a level of non-degraded forest (FAO 2009). In general, tropical forest rehabilitation is more complicated and requires more efforts than in temperate forests. From an institutional perspective, the implementation of rehabilitation or conservation measures by corporate enterprises is seldom achieved on a voluntary basis because (tropical) forests are mostly characterized by open access conditions and forest ecosystem services are public goods. Only if secure property rights are allocated, monitored and enforced and incentives for action are being provided are such measures more likely to be realized. Moreover, forest degradation and deforestation can be argued to be negative externalities that are often neglected by forestry or agricultural enterprises or even small-scale users. David Humphreys (2006) puts it as follows: While corporations are effective in supplying private goods, their efficacy in public good provision is highly questionable. Corporations have one overwhelming responsibility, namely to maximize shareholder value. This is a fiduciary responsibility in private law in most countries [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] (and) rationalizes both t he internalization of monetary benefits and the systematic externalization of social and environmental costs. (p. 11). For those ecologically negative externalities to be considered during decision making processes adequate policies and governance structures are required. In our current capitalist system of neoliberal economic policies, an ecologically and socially sustainable economy will be very difficult to achieve, if not impossible. 8 Conclusion The scientific progress towards an understanding of ecological forest processes and deforestation patterns has recently fueled the debate on the true value of intact forest ecosystems. With the recent tendency of accelerated anthropogenic forest conversion into other land uses, the impacts of considerable small-scale disturbances along with large-scale conversions accumulate to such an extent that they become measurable on a regional and even global level. Although forest ecosystems are of central importance regarding the economic development especially in humid tropical countries, Hansen et al. (2008) argue that forest governance is still impaired by a lack of timely information on forest cover change. They conclude that a mixed strategy for monitoring should include data at multiple temporal and spatial resolutions (p. 9443) providing a feasible and cost-effective methodology to produce timely, precise, and internally consistent estimates of biome-wide forest clearing (p. 9443) (Hansen et al. 2008). However, global governance on forest ecosystems is currently not sufficiently developed. A biome-wide assessment of the forest development must therefore be viewed critically. Rather, a decentralized assessment of the causes and processes of deforestation should be aimed at to find appropriate political answers to halt deforestation and promote a socially and environmentally sustainable forest management. Goldammer (1992) points out that a reliable assessment of tropical forest development requires detailed knowledge of interacting ecological processes, namely the consideration and connection of small-scale impacts with large-scale feedback mechanisms. Thus, not underestimating the social importance forests play, a comprehensive understanding of deforestation processes and patterns requires an interdisciplinary approach from an ecosystem perspective that considers ecological, economic and social sciences. Word count: 4558 (list of references excluded)

Rate of Isomerism of [Co(en)2Cl2] Essay

In the course of this experiment the rate of isomerism for the coordination complex cis[Co(en)2Cl2]Cl was determined using UV/Vis spectrometry. Using a range of wavelengths the optimum spectrometer setting for analysis was identified. The corresponding maximum and minimum absorbance of the cis and trans isomers respectively at 540 nm meant that it was selected as the wavelength to determine the rate of conversion between the isomers. The first order rate constant was calculated to be 0.0092 m-1 which is somewhat similar to the literature value of 0.00845 m-1 (Brasted and Hiriyama 1958). The half-life (t 1/2) was found to be 75.34 minutes. Introduction: The compound [Co(en)2Cl2]+ is known as a coordination complex, that is, it consists of a Cobalt atom surrounded by an array of molecules to which it is bound, called ligands (Brown 2010). In this case the ligands are Ethylenediamine which are ‘bidentate’, meaning bound in two locations. These ligands are bonded between the two Nitrogen atoms as seen in figure 1 below. This complex occurs in two geometric isomers, cis-[Co(en)2Cl2] + and trans-[Co(en)2Cl2] +. In this experiment the Chloride salt form of the complexes were used i.e. cis-[Co(en)2Cl2]Cl. Figure 1: The Trans and Cis isomers of [Co(en)2Cl2]+ Source: Shapter ,J. 2014 Experiment 1: Rate of Isomerism cis[Co(en)2Cl2]Cl, Flinders University, Australia The Cis- isomer form of the complex which is purple in solution reacts to form the Trans- isomer which is green in solution. This experiment uses spectroscopy to quantify the conversion of the Cis into the Trans isomer due to the fact that the concentration of the Cis isomer is proportional to the difference in absorbance of the two complexes in solution. This isomerism of the Cis-form is a first order reaction and its rate is expressed in equation 1 below. Equation 1: By measuring the optical densities at time 0, t and infinity the rate constant k can be determined with equation 2, a rearranged and substituted form of the formula used above. Equation 2: a) Which rearranges to give: b) Experimental: Solutions of 2 Ãâ€" 10-3 M Cis- and Trans-[Co(en)2Cl2]Cl were prepared and placed in volumetric flasks of 100 ml and 10ml volumes respectively. Samples of these solutions were placed in cuvettes and measured in a spectrometer over the range of wavelengths between 350 and 700 nm. The Varian Car 50 UV-Vis spectrometer recorded the absorbance of the two isomers and produced a print out which was used to identify the correct wavelength for further spectroscopy (see Appendix 1). Using the SP – 880 Metertech spectrometer, the absorbance was measured and recorded as seen in Table 1. Next the Cis isomer solution was warmed in a water bath at 40 degrees Celsius and a sample was taken and cooled in an ice bath. The absorbance of the sample was then measured using the wavelength previously selected. This was repeated at ten minute intervals for an hour. Finally a last sample of the cis[Co(en)2Cl2]Cl was analysed with the spectrometer 24 hours after to determine the value. Results: Table 1: Absorption of the Two Isomers at Various Wavelengths Wavelength (nm) Cis Trans 350 0.468 0.144 360 0.289 0.090 370 0.207 0.087 380 0.180 0.091 390 0.170 0.091 400 0.466 0.397 410 0.123 0.070 420 0.092 0.057 430 0.066 0.049 440 0.049 0.047 450 0.041 0.048 460 0.043 0.048 470 0.049 0.045 480 0.061 0.039 490 0.076 0.031 Wavelength (nm) Cis Trans 500 0.093 0.025 510 0.110 0.020 520 0.124 0.017 530 0.134 0.017 540 0.137 0.020 550 0.134 0.025 560 0.129 0.034 570 0.122 0.044 580 0.116 0.055 590 0.065 0.109 600 0.102 0.071 610 0.095 0.075 620 0.085 0.074 630 0.073 0.067 640 0.060 0.055 650 0.049 0.049 660 0.035 0.038 670 0.026 0.028 680 0.018 0.020 690 0.013 0.013 700 0.009 0.008 Figure 1: Absorbance against Wavelength of Cis and Trans Isomers Table 2: Absorbance of Cis Isomer at 540 nm Time (min) Cis Abs ln[Dt-D∞] y = -0.01104 X – 2.40936 10 0.117 -2.51331 -2.519758607 20 0.108 -2.63109 -2.630158414 30 0.100 -2.74887 -2.74055822 40 0.093 -2.8647 -2.850958026 50 0.089 -2.93746 -2.961357833 60 0.082 -3.07911 -3.071757639 t ∞ 0.036 Figure 2: Natural Logarithm of the Cis Isomer Absorbance against Time Table 3: Slope, Y intercept and Regression Error Generated by Linest Function -0.01104 -2.40936 0.00036364 0.014162 0.995679 0.015212 921.711268 4 0.21329205 0.000926 Calculations: Mass of Cis Isomer Required to Make 2 x 10-3 M 100ml M = Mass/(Volume Ãâ€" Molar Mass) Mass req. = 2 Ãâ€" 10-3 Ãâ€" ((100/1000) Ãâ€" 285) = 57mg Mass of Trans Isomer Required to Make 2 x 10-3 M 10ml M = Mass/(Volume Ãâ€" Molar Mass) Mass req. = 2 Ãâ€" 10-3 Ãâ€" ((10/1000) Ãâ€" 285) = 5.7mg k k = (ln[D0-D∞] -ln[Dt-D∞]) / t k = 0.0092 m-1 ln[Dt-D∞] ln[D0-D∞] -3.0718 -2.5198 Half life t 1/2 = ln[2/k] = 75.3422 min Error Propagation: Measured weight of isomers Cis 56.7mg Trans 5.7mg Resolution of Scales ‘Satorius Extend’: 0.1mg Volumetric glassware 100ml  ± 0.1 ml ‘A’ Class 10ml  ± 0.025 ml ‘A’ Class Discussion: Methanol was used as a solvent in this experiment to avoid the chemical interactions that may have occurred had water been used in its place (Mahaffy 2011). In the initial solution of the Cis isomer accuracy wasn’t as important as it was being measured to find the optimal wavelength for analysis as seen in Figure 1 and Appendix 1. Preparation of the Cis Isomer solution measured to produce Figure 2 required a mass of the compound as close as possible to the calculated amounts (See Results – Calculations) in order to produce results that allowed for the accurate determination of the rate constant (k) and half-life (t1/2). The relationship between k and t1/2 is that k is a factor in the formula of t1/2 (See Results – Calculations) and determines what unit of time that the half-life is expressed in (in this case minutes-1). Figure 1 plots the absorbance of the two isomers against the various wavelengths from 350nm 700nm. From this graph the wavelength of 540nm was id entified as the ideal to be used to determine the reaction rate of the isomers. This was due to the local maxima of the Cis isomer at this  point which coincides with the local minima of the Trans isomer. This data is confirmed by the printout of the Varian Car 50 UV-Vis spectrometer which also marked the 540nm point on its plot (see Appendix 1). This clear difference in absorption of the two isomers at this wavelength meant that the rate of inter-conversion could be determined. The graph of the natural logarithm of the absorbance of the Cis isomer against time can be seen in figure 2. By observing the points on the plot a straight line of decay confirms that this reaction is first order, a logarithm of the measured absorbance values (Christian 2010). Calculations were carried out on the data in table 2 to determine the k and t1/2 (see Results – Calculations). The k value calculated of 0.0092 m-1 roughly matches the figure generated by the linest function 0.01104m-1 (see Table 3, top left) and is also similar to the literature value of 0.00845m-1. With the calculated k value of 0.0092 the t1/2 was determined to be 75.3422 minutes. Slight variations between the k value calculated from the points in figure 2 and that generated by the linest function can be accounted for by the fact that the linest function is a calculate d line of best fit and so does not fit the data points collected exactly but is an approximation. The slight difference between the literature value of k 0.00845m-1 and the calculated k of 0.0092m-1 can be accounted for by human error in time, volume and mass measurement. The range of error in this measurement is  ±0.00075 which is the difference between the calculated and literature values. Conclusion: In this experiment the rate constant (k) was determined to be 0.0092m-1  ±0.00075 and the t1/2 was calculated to be 75.3422 minutes. References: Brasted, R. Hirayama C. 1958 The cis-trans Isomeration of Dichlorbis-(ethylenediamine)-cobalt(III) Chloride and Dichlorbis-(propylenediamine)-cobalt(III) Chloride in Alcohols, Journal of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, University of Minnesota. Vol. 80 pp 788 – 794. Brown, T. LeMay H. Bursten, B. Murphy, C. Langford, S. & Sagatys D. 2010. Chemistry: The Central Science, Pearson, Australia. pp 1196 – 1197. Christian, G. 2010. Analytical Chemistry 6th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, USA. pp 159, 270 – 271. Mahaffy, P. Bucat, B . Tasker, R. Kotz, J. Treichel, P. Weaver, G. & McMurry, J. 2011. Chemistry: Human Activity, Chemical Reactivity, Nelson Education, Canada. pp 99, 115 – 116. Appendices: Appendix 1: Figure 3: Absorbance of Cis and Trans Isomers at Various Wavelengths (Varian Car 50 UV-Vis spectrometer)

Intro to MT

What is Medical Technology? Branch of laboratory medicine which deals with the diagnostic or therapeutic applications of science and technology. Also known as Clinical Laboratory Science A dynamic healthcare profession that deals with the study and practice of diagnostic laboratory medicine. Ruth Heinemann (1963) The application of principles of natural, physical, and biological sciences to the performance of laboratory procedures which aid in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases.Anna Fagelson (1961) The branch of medicine concerned with the performance of laboratory determinations and analyses used in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease and the maintenance of health. Walters The health profession concerned with performing laboratory analyses in view of obtaining information necessary in the diagnosis and treatment of disease as well as in the maintenance of good health.Republic Act NO. 5527 An auxiliary branch of laboratory medicine which deals with the examination by vari ous chemical, microscopic, bacteriologic and other medical laboratory procedures r technique which will aid the physician in the diagnosis, study, and treatment of disease and in the promotion of health in general.Medical Technologist A person who engages in the work of medical technology under the supervision of a pathologist or licensed physician authorized by the Department of Health in places where there is no pathologist and who having passed the prescribed course (Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology/Bachelor of Science in Public Health) of training and examination is registered under the provision of this Act. Nature of Work Medical Technologists perform complex chemical, biological, hematological, immunologic, microscopic, and bacteriological analyses, including: Microscopically examine blood and other body fluids.Make cultures of body fluid and tissue samples to determine the presence of bacteria, tungi, parasites, or other microorganisms. Analyze samples tor chemical content or a chemical reaction and determine concentrations of compounds such as blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Type and cross match blood samples for transfusions. Evaluate test results, develop and modify procedures, and establish and monitor rograms to ensure the accuracy of tests.In what way will it be of help and importance to our society? To improve the management of health conditions using various means of identifying the causes and nature of diseases. To aid other health professionals in decision-making as well as in therapeutic directions; Ultimately to deliver an excellent patient care and improve the quality of life. Field of Specialty Hematology Clinical Chemistry Clinical Microscopy (Parasitology) Microbiology (Bacteriology, Mycology) Blood Bank & Transfusion Practices

Sea Turtle Pictures

Origin of the Civil Rights Movement - 1157 Words

Civil Rights To obtain access to basic privileges and the rights to U.S. citizenship for African Americans mass popular movements or civil rights movement took place. Civil rights movements began in 19th century, but it reached its peak in 1950s and 1960s. At both local and national levels movements are led by both African Americans and the whites. These people raised their appeals without any violence but with negotiations and legal means. The student movement of 1960s and the modern women rights movement was greatly influenced by the 20th centurys largest social movement (Civic Voices, 2013). The centre of the civil right movement was South America where racial discrimination was there, while education, economic, legal and political processes were blatant. At the beginning of 19th century, the Black was made politically and economically powerless, because of the local government and state laws which placed restrictions on the voting qualifications. These laws were also known as Jim Crows Laws. Education, voting rights and social segregation were the three areas on which movement was primarily addressed (Civic Voices, 2013). The Brown Decision The Supreme Court decision which was passed in 1954 for Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas led to a thrash about for civil rights. The racial segregation of public schools was outlawed by the landmark decision. The decision was condemned by the whites, especially in South, the white supremacist group likeShow MoreRelated The Origin of the Civil Rights Movement Essay1820 Words   |  8 Pagesequality, he is found at the origin of the Civil Rights Movement. The Pan-Africanism movement, the rage following the Red Summer, and the Great Migration continued the efforts of W.E.B. Du Bois. The bold and striking words and actions of Marcus Garvey showed whites that blacks would not be called an inferior race any longer. Following World War II, many bounds toward racial equality were made and Brown versus the Board of Education poured gasoline onto the civil rights fire. Around 1900Read MoreThe Voting Rights Act Of 1965947 Words   |  4 PagesThe Supreme Court rulings led to a number of acts which helped the civil rights movement attain its goals. The first example is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. On January 23rd, 1964, the 24th amendment stopped the poll tax, which initially had been introduced in eleven southern states after reconstruction to make it difficult for poor blacks to vote. On August 10th, 1965, Congress passed the Voting Rights Act, making it easier for Southern blacks to register to vote. Anything that could limit theRead MoreImpact Of John F Kennedy On The Civil Rights Act Of 19641080 Words   |  5 PagesJohn F. Kennedy had a major influence on the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 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Harrold mainly focuses his book on the abolitionist movement and the effect of slaves on its expansionRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War958 Words   |  4 Pagesstates supporting slavery, into a head on collision course: the Civil War. Slavery and the Civil War are more intertwined than face value would ever suggest. For some, the major cause of the Civil War was about slavery, this should not be a shock to anyone, but sadly, it commonly is misinterpreted. 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One of the most influential times for change in the lives of disabled Americans occurred during the 1960s and 1970s, and became know as the Disability Rights Movement. Structured Inequality/Rationale: After the world wars and Vietnam War, there were many disabled American veterans who faced challenges and prejudice they had not experienced before. Alongside those fighting in the Civil Rights Movement were disabled veterans andRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement1286 Words   |  6 PagesThe Civil Rights movement is one of the most important acts to change the way not only African Americans were able to live their lives but all races and colors. It would slowly break down the social, economic, political, and racial barriers that were created by the The Age of Discovery and Transatlantic Slave trade. I believe without the Civil Rights acts our country would result to be no better than what it was when the Emancipation Proclamation just took effect. In the 1950s and long before, SouthernRead MoreEssay on The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson1624 Words   |  7 Pagesincluding the anti-war movement, the civil rights struggle, and the liberation movements. From the lunch counter sit-in of Greensboro, N.C. in 1960 and the rise of Martin Luther King, Jr. to the Black Power movement at the decades end, Anderson illustrates the brutality involved in the reaction against civil rights, the radicalization of some of the movements youth, and the eventual triumphs that would change America forever. He also discusses womens liberation and the feminist movement, as well as the

Willy And The American Dream - 1273 Words

Willy and the â€Å"American Dream† Willy Loman is a traditional man who exemplifies the traditional American values. Willy Loman has reached the old in which he cannot continue fighting for success as a traveling salesman. Confronted with termination of his job as a salesman, Willy began to have flash backs of his past life. At this important part Willy’s presence of his older son Biff has returned home for a visit, and Willy’s old desire for his son to be a traditional success in life is renewed. But the tensions between the two people Willy and Biff are also renewed. The â€Å"American Dream† is the belief that through hard work one might find happiness through having wealth. Wealth and happiness is the center of our lives as Americans we all†¦show more content†¦Dave was an â€Å"eighty-four-year-old salesman who had drummed merchandise in thirty-one states and who could now simply go into his hotel room, call the buyers, and make his living in his green velvet slippers† (Kay Stanton ton,). This view of a successful career as a salesman made Willy Loman reconsider his decision instead of going to Alaska he chose to be a salesman. He saw someone to look up to and to envy to be like and that is what strived Willy Loman to be a salesman. After thirty-five years of his career of being a salesman knowing that â€Å"he was good with his hands, but willy Possessed too much snobbery to admit that his own density was a simple career as a carpenter† (Death of a Salesman, 35). For willy Loman the difference between a salesman and a carpenter meant a lot to him, but Willy Loman stuck with his job as a Salesman. At the very age of sixty Willy Loman had a built himself a family and had to sons Biff and Happy. No matter what happened they will love and respect their father just as their mother Linda wanted them to. Willy Loman was fortunate enough to find a woman who devoted her whole to enable him and treat in a way no one else would dare to. â€Å"She more than loves him, she admires him, as though his mercurial nature, his temper, his massive dreams and little cruelties, served her only as sharp reminders of the turbulent longings† (Death of a Salesman, 5 act one). Linda was oneShow MoreRelatedWilly Loman And The American Dream1968 Words   |  8 Pagesdependent on its environment and the people that surround it. Ideas that can have many different meanings based on the person, such as the American Dream, can lead children into a life of confusion, since they dont know which meaning to stick to. 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In many senses Willy represents the idea of the everyman, the average working class man trying to get ahead, this is reflected in his attachment to

Business Statistics Consumer Confidence

Question: Discuss about theBusiness Statisticsfor Consumer Confidence. Answer: Introduction The article selected aims to put forward the requisite retail trade related data for the first month of 2017 i..e January. Retail trade is significant as it acts as an indicator of the underlying consumer confidence and also the economic health. Additionally, the major factors that have had a major influence on the retail trade growth during the given period have also been highlighted using statistics as an enabling tool. Further, through the breakup of the various components and their respective variation, an enhanced understanding of the changes can be developed. The essay herein focuses on discussing the article from the perspective of statistics usage in terms of various techniques, data types and data presentation techniques to summarize the given data. Suggestions to bring improvement in the given article are also offered from the user perspective. Analysis The data source for the data represented in the article seems to the CBA or Commonwealth Bank of Australia as no other source has been acknowledged. Further, the data type represented in the article selected is of ratio type as all the data used exists in the form of numerical values with a clear zero being defined. Also, the key data in relation to retail trade is expressed using various graphical aids wherever possible which is supplemented by a narrative description of the key data so that to enhance the useful data available in limited space (Flick, 2015). In order to summarize the data where time series is required, a graphical approach has been preferred rightly so because it is compact and tends to represent information in a user friendly manner which allows for better understanding of the trends with regards to the individual states and also the various broad components of the retail trade. This further facilitates drawing of meaningful conclusions which would be difficult if the same is not captured in a graphical or tabular format (Eriksson Kovalainen, 2015). There is use of descriptive statistics in the article as the various description is essentially based on figures that have already been observed and based on this available data, analysis is being conducted using various statistical techniques in order to obtain the visible trends. There is no usage of inferential statistics as there is no demonstration of the actual data being used to derive any conclusions about probably a population from which the given sample may be derived. The focus of the article is to be informative and apprise the reader with the ongoing trend and simultaneously account for the influential factors responsible for the same. Based on this comments have been offered with regards to the underlying strength of association between the retail trade and relevant factors identified Thus, using descriptive statistics the retail trade data for January 2017 has been captured and in order to put this number into perspective additional data has been provided in this regar ds with reference to historical numbers to facilitate comparison and drawing reasonable conclusion (Hair et. al., 2015). There has been extensive use of variation deployed in the given article which is immensely useful for putting the data collected into perspective. This includes comparison with the corresponding retail data which was obtained in the same month i.e. January of the previous years. Infact the percentage change in retail trade is derived by computing the variation in January data with regards to the corresponding December 2026 data in the various categories. Also, by understanding the variation in the retail trade and other key variables such as consumer confidence, tourism earnings and household savings an attempt has been made in order to explore the underlying relationships. Also, measure of central tendency in terms of average has been used in the content of quoting the average growth rate over 10 years (Fehr Grossman, 2003). The article does not focus on deriving conclusive results between retail trade and the other independent variables which could have potentially demanded the us e of inferential statistics to comment on the underlying significance. However, the focus of the article is only on offering potential explanation for the current month (Hastie, Tibshirani Friedman, 2011). An improvement in terms of presentation of information could be to add some lines on the expected future trend in retail trend particularly highlighting the key variables that could be significant. Also, since the estimates are to be made over the short term only, it is quite plausible to do so with accuracy which would increase the relevance and utility for the users. Also, it would have been better if in the graph capturing goods and services, the corresponding trends in key goods could have been represented which would have enhanced the overall information available (Flick, 2015). Summary The focus of the selected article is to present the January 2017 retail data growth, however since in isolation this number would have limited utility, hence the various relevant trends have been represented so that the users can derive meaningful conclusions. In this regard, the focus is on usage of ratio data types considering the numerical values and the clear notion of zero. Further, graphical aids have been used to represent data on a time series so as to hint the various trends in not retail inflation but the trends in various states as well. The use of descriptive statistics techniques has been quite wide as all the population data is readily available and no inferences need to be drawn. The various causal relations are directed in order to explain the key factors and their impact on the retail trade which partially provides hint for the future also considering the expected changes in the same factors. Also, in relation to the data presentation, the trends of various prominent components in goods could have been added so as to communicate to the user the pivotal contributors. References Eriksson, P. Kovalainen, A. (2015).Quantitative methods in business research (3rded.). London: Sage Publications. Fehr, F. H., Grossman, G. (2003).An introduction to sets, probability and hypothesis testing (3rded.). Ohio: Heath. Flick, U. (2015).Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research project (4thed.). New York: Sage Publications. Hair, J. F., Wolfinbarger, M., Money, A. H., Samouel, P., Page, M. J. (2015).Essentials of business research methods (2nded.). New York: Routledge. Hastie, T., Tibshirani, R. Friedman, J. (2011).The Elements of Statistical Learning (4thed.).New York: Springer Publications.