Geology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Geology - Essay Example Because of these concerns, the prominent changes, at least many of it, occur so in the arctic region. The basis for this is strong positive feedback associated with occurs with ice and snow melt. As a fact, ice and snow are highly reflective and white, for this reason, when the ground or ocean beneath is revealed more absorption occurs. This leads to further warmingfurther melting etc Clearly the level of warming currently occurring in the arctic is having an enormous impact on the region and the magnitude of further warming is set to be disastrous for the region. Thus, the Arctic Climate Impact Assessment (ACIA) states: "The reduction in sea ice is very likely to have devastating consequences for polar bears, ice-dependant seals, and local people for whom these animals are the primary source of food." The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) is the world's largest species of bear and the largest land predator. There is a great difference in size between male and female polar bears, with the males (350-800 kg) weighing more than twice as much as the females (150-300 kg). Their body weight varies considerably during the season - especially female bears which can often double in weight between early spring and late summer. Compared to other bear species, the polar bear has a relatively small, long and narrow head, smaller and shorter fur-covered ears, and shorter, more powerful claws. Its longer predatory teeth and sharper molars have helped polar bears adapt to the arctic climate and its almost exclusively carnivorous lifestyle. The polar bear is the youngest species of bear and is closely related to the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis). In the wild, polar bears normally live to be 20-30 years old. Both males and females mature at the age of four to five years. Females often give birth to their first litter of cubs when they reach maturity, while males do not usually start mating until they are between eight to ten years old. Mating takes place in April-May, but delayed implantation (the fertilised egg stops developing at an early stage) means that foetal development does not commence until September-October. During late autumn, females go into hibernation and remain there for approximately four months. At about the beginning of January, between one and three cubs are born (depending on the mother's age and condition). The newborn cubs are extremely small, weighing only about half a kilo, but they grow rapidly due to the high fat content of their mother's milk. The cubs stay with the mother until they are two-and-a-half years old. The cub infant mortality rate is high and can exceed 70%. Only about a third of cubs r each the age of two. The polar bear is a circumpolar species and is found in arctic regions where there is access to sea ice throughout much of the year. Polar bear populations are found in Canada, Alaska (USA), Greenland, the Russian Arctic, the Norwegian Arctic and on the ice surrounding the North Pole. The global population of polar bears consists of roughly 20,000-25,000 individuals spread between 19 sub-populations. However, polar bears wander across enormous distances, so there are no major genetic differences between these populations. The distribution of polar bears in their habitat is far from even and is highly dependent on the availability of their prey. In the central areas of the polar icecap there is only very limited access to prey, and the density of polar bear

Ethan Frome :: essays papers

Ethan Frome In the novel Ethan Frome, the reader is presented with the character of Ethan, who seems to commit wrong and immoral acts throughout the book. From lust to lies, we see Ethan seemingly jump from one sin to the next. But one can only say these things about Ethan if they have a severe case of tunnel vision. If one looks at the entire character that is Ethan, he can see that while Ethan may commit immoral acts, he is a character that the reader reacts to in a very sympathetic way. At the beginning of Ethan’s story, the reader is told about a man who is in love with his wife’s cousin. A natural reaction to this idea would be to think that Ethan is a bad person, a man with no morals. But as the plot develops, we are shown the true nature of Ethan; a kind man forced into a marriage with a nagging and bothersome wife. Ethan has spent many years alone with his hypochondriac partner, and the entrance of Mattie into his life is the ray of hope and happiness that he needs to survive. Mattie is not portrayed as a home-wrecking tramp, and therefor the reader feels much differently toward the relationship between Ethan and Mattie than he otherwise would. Even though his affair with Mattie is most definitely an immoral act, the reader feels sympathetic to his situation. Perhaps in her depiction of the lonely man’s situation Warton evokes emotions that the reader has experienced in his own life, therefor causing the reader to become even more sympa thetic towards Ethan and his troubles. Even as Ethan is preparing to commit suicide, a sin that is definitely considered immoral, the reader feels both sympathy and relief that Ethan will escape his situation. When the reader finds out that he survived, there is a kind of let down that he will continue to be tormented in his situation for the rest of his life.

E-Business and E-Commerce

INTRODUCTION E-Business is important in future perspectives considering that the amount of trade conducted electronically have grown extraordinarily since the spread of the Internet. E-bussiness uses the internet and other networks as well as a variety of Internet technologies to support e-commerce and business processes. It includes e-commerce, which is the buying and selling of products or services over the Internet. The Internet and related technologies have changed the way businesses are operated and people work. I.E-BUSINESS A. What is it Many businesses today are using Internet technologies to conduct business processes over the Internet. E-business can be defined as the use of the Internet and other networks, as well as Internet technologies to work and facilitate business processes, electronic commerce and enterprise collaboration within a company and with its customers, suppliers and business partners. Generally, any online exchange of information, money, resources and servi ces is a part of e-business. B. E-business infrastructureE-business infrastructure made up of a variety of components. It includes hardware, softwares, support services, human capital and telecommunication networks. Examples of hardware are computers, servers and routers. Human capital, such as information system specialists and programmers, is important to operate e-business processes. In addition, many companies use networks such as intranet that is a private network inside a company for managers and employees, and extranet, which links a company with its customers, suppliers and business partners outside the company.Other companies use a virtual private network (VPN) which provides a private line through the internet. It uses the public Internet backbone as a channel for private data communication (3:20). Thus, a VPN allows remote offices, business partners and customers to use the Internet, rather than expensive private lines, to reach company networks by using tunneling softwar e. This software encrypts data and then sends the data to their destination. II. E-COMMERCE A. What is itE-commerce is the buying, selling, marketing and servicing of products, services and information over the Internet and other networks. Many businesses use the Internet, intranet and extranet to support the commercial processes including advertising, sales, customer support and Internet security. Most advertisements on the Web are in the form of sending e-mails and banner ads, which is in shape of a long horizontal rectangle on the top of the Web page (3:10). These advertisements could attract a huge number of visitors to the advertised Web site.E-commerce website must help customers to welcome and serve them personally and efficiently in order to increase customer loyalty. B. E-commerce advantages and disadvantages E commerce has several advantages. For sellers, e-commerce is an effective way to reduce costs and enlarge their markets. They cut additional labor cost and they do no t need to print and distribute mail order catalogs. In addition, e -commerce allows customers to compare prices at different websites.Then, they make purchases at their homes at any time. E-commerce websites offer variety of products for example electronic books, music files and computer softwares. However, e-commerce has some disadvantages. Consumers are not willing to buy some products over the Internet because of security and quality concerns. Online furniture businesses, for example, have failed because customers want to test the comfort of an expensive item such as sofa before they purchase it (1:1).

Feather Anatomy and Function

Feathers are unique to birds. They are a defining characteristic of the group, meaning simply that if an animal has feathers, then it is a bird. Feathers serve many functions in birds but most notable is the critical role feathers play in enabling birds to fly. Unlike feathers, flight is not a characteristic restricted to birds—bats fly with great agility and insects fluttered through the air several million years before birds joined them. But feathers have enabled birds to refine flight to an art form matched by no other organism alive today. In addition to helping to enable flight, feathers also provide protection from the elements. Feathers provide birds with waterproofing and insulation and even block harmful UV rays from reaching birds skin. Feathers are made up of keratin, an insoluble protein that is also found in mammalian hair and reptilian scales. In general, feathers consist of the following structures: calamus - the hollow shaft of the feather that attaches it to the birds skinrachis - the central shaft of the feather to which the vanes are attachedvane - the flattened part of the feather that is attached on either side of the rachis (each feather has two vanes)barbs - the numerous branches off the rachis that form the vanesbarbules - tiny extensions from barbs that are held together by barbicelsbarbicels - tiny hooks that interlock to hold the barbules together Birds have several different types of feathers and each type is specialized to serve a different function. In general, feather types include: primary - long feathers located at the tip of the wingsecondary - shorter feathers located along the trailing edge of the inner wingtail - feathers attached to the birds pygostylecontour (body) - feathers that line the birds body and provide streamlining, insulation, and waterproofingdown - fluffy feathers located under the contour feathers that serve as insulationsemiplume - feathers located under the contour feathers that serve as insulation (slightly larger than down feathers)bristle - long, stiff feathers around the birds mouth or eyes (the function of bristle feathers is not known) Feathers suffer wear and tear as they are exposed to the elements. Over time, the quality of each feather deteriorates and thus compromises its ability to serve the bird in flight or to provide insulation qualities. To prevent feather deterioration, birds shed and replace their feathers periodically in a process called molting. Sources: Attenborough D. 1998. The Life of Birds. London: BBC Books.Sibley D. 2001. The Sibley Guide to Bird Life Behavior. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.Museum of Paleontology (University of California, Berkely)