Saturday, January 25, 2020

Reviewing Types Of Civil Engineering Projects Construction Essay

Reviewing Types Of Civil Engineering Projects Construction Essay The purpose of this essay is to find out what the needs for civil engineering project are and what input which a civil engineer would have into a project. Also the essay has asked to find a suitable project which has a significant size and have sufficient complexity to require civil engineering input throughout the design and construction.    The chosen project is Strait of Gibraltar crossing which is a tunnel or bridge project that would connect Spain to Morocco. The project has been proposed to Spain and Moroccan government to investigate the possibly of the project. The Strait of Gibraltar crossing could be one of biggest civil engineering project which linking the two continents and bring people closer to one another. The Strait of Gibraltar crossing tunnelling project is more suitable than bridge project because of deepness of the sea level. Bridge project is not suitable is deep sea area. The tunnelling idea came from The Channel Tunnel project which was discussed in lecture and similar idea could possible to use for the Strait of Gibraltar underwater tunnel project. But the area under the Strait is less stable than that under the English Channel due to an active major geologic concern and some severe earthquakes have occurred in that area. This has caused civil engineering to face problems because of the two very d eep Quaternary clay channels in the middle of the Strait sea and that makes the construction becomes complex.    The project was estimated 24 miles the length and 980 ft below sea level which is deeper than The Channel tunnel which makes it difficult for civil engineer to tackle the issue but with today technology anything can be solved. The tunnelling project could take least 20 years to complete because of the deepness of the sea and the problem which engineers facing. The project is underwater railway tunnel and also two railway terminals were proposed with this project as well. The tunnel is only used by electrical train. It was estimated that train can carry 9 million passengers from both countries through underwater tunnel. Also the tunnel can be use Freight vehicle shuttle to carry cars or buses, shipment and other product from Europe to Africa which would be benefit for both country and international countries. This tunnelling project will boost the economy and tourist attraction for both countries.    The advantage of the tunnel would be that it will allow shipping to pass easily. Although low bridge would be need to be an opening or swing bridge to allow shipping to pass otherwise it can cause traffic congestion. Bridges can be close for road and rail network due to the harsh weather such as high winds and therefore engineer prefer bridges than tunnel. Apart from tunnelling construction , civil engineering need to design a railway terminal for Spain and morocco and build highways and railway network to connect other countries . An engineer needs to build railway terminal need to allow passengers travel through the country. The terminal should have the high security to stop emigration coming into Europe .Also they need to think about the ventilation plant to allow the air inside the underwater tunnel escape. Ventilation is big problems from engineers because of the deepness of the sea level.   They also need to find solution how they are going to dig underground and how may bori ng machine need for the this kind of tunnel.   In every project all the civil engineer has big part of the project which every of them will be doing key roles which bring all together to complete the project successfully. For this particular underwater tunnel project, there are some roles which civil engineers have to do to complete the project.   These are five main roles which civil engineer will do in this Strait of Gibraltar underwater tunnel project:   Surveying This role is one of the main part of the civil engineering project process where civil engineer have to analysis the ground conditions of the Strait of Gibraltar underwater tunnel project where they have to collect soil samples from both Spain and Morocco lands from boreholes and by other geophysical techniques. Then engineer will make a best choice for the machinery and methods for excavation and ground support. This will reduces the risk of unexpected ground conditions. They also will have to measure the distance of the underwater tunnel. The surveying process takes lot of time until it is safe to build tunnel which is challenging to civil engineer. When the ground condition examined by surveyor then they have to measure the ground deepness and find out what kind nature of rock is available on the ground. Surveying role will help civil engineer to insure two halves of the tunnel met up at the same point when the engineer using boring machine for the digging process. The advantage of surveying is that it will insure the engineer that the Strait of Gibraltar underwater tunnel project will be safe and successful. So surveying always needed in every engineering project.   Design designing tunnel is one of the most important and big parts of what civil engineers will do need in Strait of Gibraltar underwater tunnel project. In this project civil engineer will have to design similar design of The Channel tunnel or The Seikan Tunnel which both of them has similar design. The design of the underwater tunnel should be two main tunnels where one line is for Spain to Morocco and other line is Morocco to Spain, a service to tunnel for emergency services and a tunnel which connects both main tunnels for air circulation. Civil engineers most design the tunnelling project very carefully , the designer has to design station location for emergency services , maximum gradients for the trains using the tunnels, minimum curve radius of the trains and the location of obstructions such as tube lines, building foundations, sewers and other tunnels. These are the mains things which designers have to design it before the construction start. Also apart from designing unde rwater tunnels, they will have to design the railway terminals for the passengers. The terminal design should be modern and unique and also designer should design a border immigration building to stop the immigration. The advantage of completed design is that the civil engineer will be able to start the construction of the underwater tunnel by looking at the design.   Construction civil engineers will be more involved in the construction which is the main part of the tunnelling process. Civil engineering will dig the underwater tunnel by boring machine where they have to pass from soft clay to hard rock. They will use different method tunnel construction   to dig underwater tunnel depends on the ground conditions, the ground water conditions, the length and diameter of the tunnel drive, the depth of the tunnel , the logistics of supporting the tunnel excavation, the final use and shape of the tunnel and appropriate risk management. There will be many engineers involves in underwater tunnel construction where they will follow the designer to make sure everything going as a plan and the design. In the construction there are two types of roles, those roles are planning and site supervision of the construction. Engineer will need to plan the construction where they have to sort out how long is going to take the tunnel to be completed, also as well as planning there is management of the construction which controls the timetable of the construction .Site supervision is a role which engineers will be on the site to make sure everything has done properly, they also need to deal with any problems which they face in underwater tunnel. Also engineers need to construct international highways for both countries to help passenger travel through the country and also connect the highways to other countries as well.    Service / Maintenance service, and maintenance is another role which civil engineering will need to think about it. Civil engineers will be involved in inspecting it and recommending maintenance throughout the life of the structure of the underwater tunnel. One thing that engineers need to think is ventilation plant for the tunnel. They need two ventilation plants to help them clear the air inside the undersea tunnel. The main job of servicing tunnel is to keep clean and secured the underwater tunnel and also on service tunnels they should have a bus or car for an emergency accident to help the passenger to travel to the surface.   Contractor this is another role which engineers need to consider in civil engineering project. Contractor role is to looking after the construction site and managing the vendors and trades. Contractors have to estimate the cost of the project after investigating the construction site. Contractor is in charge of affording all the tunnelling materials, paying the engineers and workers , buying or renting constructions equipment such as construction machines and tools and also necessary services for the construction of the underwater tunnel project .   Every civil engineer will do their own specific roles which they enjoy. From those main five roles, I mostly enjoy three of the roles, which are surveying, design and construction. The reason why I have chosen those three roles are that of the way these roles challenging me and the skills which improve my ability. Surveying is the practice of measuring angles and distances on the ground which requires maths skill to calculate the distance, designing a project will need a good IT skill which I have and its also challenging me as well and finally construction works are mainly to do with communication and management skills, these two are not my strongest skills but as I said that I like something challenge me and this encourage me to improve those weakest skills. From those three roles I can be able to perform Surveying and design role well enough. The other two roles service/ maintenance and contractor are not my specific roles which I enjoy because they are not challenging to me.   From those top three I only one of I can be able to perform strongly which is surveying role. Surveying role is more suited to the skill and enthusiasms I have got .Maths skill is one of the main skill which needed for surveying to calculate the distance among two places and solve problems and the maths skill to me is the strongest skill. I find the surveying more enjoyable and I have an enthusiasm toward it.   Conclusion   To sum up the essay, this has shown that every civil engineering project needs some major roles to complete the project successfully and by the time. All the roles require specific skill and commitment toward the project. Tunnelling project is the hardest project in civil engineering field because of the amount of the time that surveyor has to investigate in tunnelling project. But with today technology surveyor can investigates the project in less amount of time. The Strait of Gibraltar underwater tunnel project is always needed a surveyor to investigate the ground conditions because of the geological issue in both lands. Therefore surveying is main key of any particular project. However design and construction roles are also part of the project but both links to surveyor which decides whether to start the project.  

Friday, January 17, 2020

African Americans in the U.S. Essay

African Americans (American Blacks or Black Americans), racial group in the United States whose dominant ancestry is from sub-Saharan West Africa. Many African Americans also claim European, Native American, or Asian ancestors. A variety of names have been used for African Americans at various points in history. African Americans have been referred to as Negroes, colored, blacks, and Afro-Americans, as well as lesser-known terms, such as the 19th-century designation Anglo-African. The terms Negro and colored are now rarely used. African American, black, and to a lesser extent Afro-American, are used interchangeably today. Recent black immigrants from Africa and the islands of the Caribbean are sometimes classified as African Americans. However, these groups, especially first- and second-generation immigrants, often have cultural practices, histories, and languages that are distinct from those of African Americans born in the United States. For example, Caribbean natives may speak French, British English, or Spanish as their first language. Emigrants from Africa may speak a European language other than English or any of a number of African languages as their first language. Caribbean and African immigrants often have little knowledge or experience of the distinctive history of race relations in the United States. Thus, Caribbean and African immigrants may or may not choose to identify with the African American community. According to 2000 U. S. census, some 34. 7 million African Americans live in the United States, making up 12. 3 percent of the total population. 2000 census shows that 54. 8 percent African Americans lived in the South. In that year, 17. 6 percent of African Americans lived in the Northeast and 18. 7 percent in the Midwest, while only 8. 9 percent lived in the Western states. Almost 88 percent of African Americans lived in metropolitan areas in 2000. With over 2 million African American residents, New York City had the largest black urban population in the United States in 2000. Washington, D. C. , had the highest proportion of black residents of any U. S. city in 2000, with African Americans making up almost 60 percent of the population. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Atlantic Slave Trade, Atlantic Slave Trade, the forced transportation of at least 10 million enslaved Africans from their homelands in Africa to destinations in Europe and the Americas during the 15th through 19th centuries. European and North American slave traders transported most of these slaves to areas in tropical and subtropical America, where the vast majority worked as laborers on large agricultural plantations. See Slavery. Between 1440 and 1880 Europeans and North Americans exchanged merchandise for slaves along 5600 km (3500 miles) of Africa’s western and west central Atlantic coasts. These slaves were then transported to other locations around the Atlantic Ocean. The vast majority went to Brazil, the Caribbean, and Spanish-speaking regions of South America and Central America. Smaller numbers were taken to Atlantic islands, continental Europe, and English-speaking areas of the North American mainland. Approximately 12 million slaves left Africa via the Atlantic trade, and more than 10 million arrived. The Atlantic slave trade involved the largest intercontinental migration of people in world history prior to the 20th century. This transfer of so many people, over such a long time, had enormous consequences for every continent bordering the Atlantic. It profoundly changed the racial, social, economic, and cultural makeup in many of the American nations that imported slaves. It also left a legacy of racism that many of those nations are still struggling to overcome. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Civil Rights Movement in the United States, political, legal, and social struggle by black Americans to gain full citizenship rights and to achieve racial equality. The civil rights movement was first and foremost a challenge to segregation, the system of laws and customs separating blacks and whites that whites used to control blacks after slavery was abolished in the 1860s. During the civil rights movement, individuals and civil rights organizations challenged segregation and discrimination with a variety of activities, including protest marches, boycotts, and refusal to abide by segregation laws. Many believe that the movement began with the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 and ended with the Voting Rights Act of 1965, though there is debate about when it began and whether it has ended yet. The civil rights movement has also been called the Black Freedom Movement, the Negro Revolution, and the Second Reconstruction. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. AAVE Distinctive patterns of language use among African Americans arose as creative responses to the hardships imposed on the African American community. Slave-owners often intentionally mixed people who spoke many different African languages to discourage communication in any language other than English on their plantations. Moreover, many whites were unwilling to allow blacks to learn proper English. One response to these conditions was the development of pidgins, simplified mixtures of two or more languages that speakers of different languages could use to communicate with each other. Some of these pidgins eventually became fully developed Creole languages spoken by certain groups as a native language. Significant numbers of people still speak some of these Creole languages, notably Gullah on the Sea Islands of South Carolina and Georgia. African American Vernacular English (AAVE), also called black English or Ebonics, is a dialect of English spoken by many African Americans that shares some features with Creole languages. Microsoft  ® Encarta  ® 2009.  © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Thursday, January 9, 2020

The Value Of Fair Value - 938 Words

The fair value option allow all entities to select and measure eligible items at a fair value at a specified date. The decision involved in whether to elect the fair value option have following conditions. The conditions include that it could be applied instrument by instrument, could be irrevocable which means it cannot be changed and the last condition is applying only to instrument and not to only specified risks, specific cash flows, or portions of that instrument. The fair value option allows business entities to use fair value to measure specific financial assets and financial liabilities in accordance with their own needs and in the initial and subsequent measurement. FASC 825-10-25 One of the main advantages of fair value accounting is that it provides a basis for reporting financial information on a company to provide users with accurate valuation of assets and liabilities. When the assets or liabilities of the price rising or are expected to increase, the company will be the value of the assets or liabilities, to reflect it will get the assets or liabilities, to reflect its assets or will receive payment to lift their responsibilities. On the contrary, the company marked the value of the assets or liabilities, to reflect the market price of any ability decreased. The fair value accounting limited a company, it may be possible to manipulate its net income sometimes. The management, may deliberately arrange some asset sales, for example, the use of gains or losses,Show MoreRelatedFair Value3818 Words   |  16 Pages| Abstract This document is concerned with the relationship between the financial crisis and fair value accounting. Its purpose is to make an understanding of the strengths and limitations of fair value accounting. The report also gives some examples of fair value accounting measures used in several Australian companies. In this report, City Weat Water LTD and JB HI-FI LTD are used to explain that. Introduction With the modern transportation and communication technology development, in the industrialRead MoreFair Value768 Words   |  4 PagesCase analysis: Classification of instruments in fair value hierarchy Instrumental 1 In the case, there was a significant decrease in the volume and activity for the instrument because of (1) significant widening of the bid-ask spreads in the markets and the widening continued throughout Q4 2012 (2) a significant decrease in the volume of trades comparing with historical level in Q4 (3) no recent transactions. According to 820-10-35-54-c, it was reasonable to determine that market is not activeRead MoreFair Value948 Words   |  4 PagesProbability of retention is important because it will have a huge impact on customer value and goodwill impairment. The following table will illustrate how different retention rates can affect goodwill impairment. For the next step, we will ask management for historical customer attrition data or other support to confirm the accuracy of the 75% retention rate assumed. Retention Rate | Customer Relationship value | Goodwill | Goodwill Impairment | 65% | 21 | 27 | 130 | 70% | 24 | 24 | 133 | Read MoreFair Value3868 Words   |  16 PagesExhibit 1 1. (Exhibit 1: Total Product) Between points A and B the marginal product of labor is: A) increasing. B) zero. C) falling. D) infinite. Ans: C Exhibit 2: Total Product and Marginal Product | Labor per Day | Total Products (units per period) | 0 | 0.0 | 1 | 1.0 | 2 | 3.0 | 3 | 7.0 | 4 | 9.0 | 5 | 10.0 | 6 | 10.7 | 7 | 11.0 | 8 | 10.5 | 2. (Exhibit 2: Total Product and Marginal Product) The marginal product of the second worker is: A) 1Read MoreFair Value Hierarchy1283 Words   |  6 PagesMemorandum to: Accounting department of family finance co. from: Daisy subject: fair value hierarchy date: december 15, 2012 Introduction Family Finance Co. (FFC), a publicly traded commercial bank, invests in a variety of securities in order to enhance returns greater than interest paid on bank deposits and other liabilities. The primary investments of FFC are collateralized debt obligation, mortgage-backed securities, auction-rate securities, equity securities in nonpublic companies, interestRead MoreFair Value Accounting2122 Words   |  9 PagesMoving towards Fair Value Accounting In the past, historical cost measures were mainly used for reporting as they are reliable. However, historical cost is only relevant upon acquiring the asset and becomes irrelevant as time passes. On the other hand, fair value-based reporting, which accounts for changes in fair values, can produce balance sheet figures that provide a better reflection of the company’s value. This is also why accounting bodies are moving towards fair value accounting (FVA). OneRead MoreFair Value Measurement2356 Words   |  10 PagesFAIR VALUE MEASUREMENT: IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES AND CHALLENGES (PART 1) (by Tuam Kwok Choon and Ng Kean Kok) INTRODUCTION Since the promulgation of fair value accounting by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB), the subject matter has been hotly debated by industry players and professionals of the accounting fraternity the world over. Many problems and pitfalls have been highlighted on the mark-to-market premise. For example, David Gwilliam and Richard H.G. Jackson (2008) noted thatRead MoreThe Fair Value Model1477 Words   |  6 PagesThe provision is enforced by opinion 25 that denotes the need to include various aspects such as net income and compensation costs. Through the use of the fair value model, the company is able to have a transparent structure that enhances the commitment of the stakeholders and workers. Therefore, the principles emphasize the pro-forma values and integration of various market performances to reflect in the final financial report. Compliance with the regulations gives the business a wide breadth ofRead MoreIs Fair Value Accounting Really Fair?102 1 Words   |  5 Pages For our project, we wanted to pick the topic, â€Å"Is fair value accounting really fair?† The first part of our presentation was simply explaining what fair value accounting is. This is the amount for which an asset could be exchanged, or a liability settled, between knowledgeable, willing parties in an arm’s length transactions. According to the Financial Accounting Standards Board, the price that would be received to sell an asset or price to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction betweenRead MoreDefining Fair Value Essay1280 Words   |  6 PagesIFRS: Companies may use either historical cost or revalued amount. Revalued amount is fair value at date of revaluation less subsequent accumulated depreciation and impairment losses (Touche, 2009). Canadian and U.S. GAAP use historical cost as the basis of measurement for property, plant and equipment (Touche, 2009). Revaluations are prohibited in both Canadian and U.S. GAAP (Touche, 2009). So what does that me an for companies not sure of what to choose or needs guidance? Even when a particular

Wednesday, January 1, 2020

The Prioress, By Geoffrey Chaucer - 1116 Words

The Prioress, as the superior nun, is an emotional and sentimental woman of God who wears her emotions on her sleeves and loses control over every little events. Although she attempts to keep her composure, she often lapses into a melancholic temperament. The character of the Prioress in Geoffrey Chaucer s Canterbury Tales is introduced as an elegant, sophisticated nun, but she is actually a prejudiced person. It is Chaucer s intent in her presentment to show that the nun is inconsiderable, irreligious, and infantine. As her features are looked at mindfully, we can discover her longing for a different life, motherhood, or merely a longing for what she cannot have as contrary to the primary attributes of a nun. Appearance wise, the†¦show more content†¦One contradiction is the Prioress s loving nature towards animals. It is at odds with her vindictiveness and unmerciful attitude towards the Jews in her tale. Her maternal instincts will also be shown to be highly relevant to a discussion of her contradictory character. Chaucer tells the reader of the Prioress s fascination with helpless animals, and her kind treatment thereof, to show a complexity of this lady s character. Her cloak is elegant, and her coral-bead rosary is more of a piece of jewelry than a religious artifact. These are also indications that the Prioress is more concerned with material possessions and a comfortable life, than with the bare, impoverished life of a nun, free of wealth and fine clothing. In further examination of the Prioress s appearance, also of importance after the Prioress s habit is her jewelry. The Prioress gives the boy in her tale the very colors of her green and coral beads to symbolize his chastity and martyrdom. The Prioress speaks of the boy: This gemme of chastitee, this emeraude/ and eek of martirdom the ruby bright (175 – 176). The Prioress s ambiguous brooch is also suspect, with its inscription of Love Conquers All. The discrepancies of the Prioress are brought more when she tells her tale. In the General Prologue, it