Vampire Academy Chapter 7 Free Essays

SEVEN A COUPLE WEEKS PASSED AFTER that, and I soon forgot about the Anna thing as life at the Academy wrapped around me. The shock of our return had worn off a little, and we began to fall into a semi-comfortable routine. My days revolved around church, lunch with Lissa, and whatever sort of social life I could scrape together outside of that. We will write a custom essay sample on Vampire Academy Chapter 7 or any similar topic only for you Order Now Denied any real free time, I didn’t have too hard a time staying out of the spotlight, although I did manage to steal a little attention here and there, despite my noble speech to her about ? ®coasting through the middle.’ I couldn’t help it. I liked flirting, I liked groups, and I liked making smartass comments in class. Her new, incognito role attracted attention simply because it was so different than before we’d left, back when she’d been so active with the royals. Most people soon let that go, accepting that the Dragomir princess was fading off the social radar and content to run with Natalie and her group. Natalie’s rambling still made me want to beat my head against a wall sometimes, but she was really nice – nicer than almost any of the other royals – and I enjoyed hanging around her most of the time. And, just as Kirova had warned, I was indeed training and working out all the time. But as more time passed, my body stopped hating me. My muscles grew tougher, and my stamina increased. I still got my ass kicked in practice but not quite as badly as I used to, which was something. The biggest toll now seemed to be on my skin. Being outside in the cold so much was chapping my face, and only Lissa’s constant supply of skin-care lotions kept me from aging before my time. She couldn’t do much for the blisters on my hands and feet. A routine also developed with Dimitri and me. Mason had been right about him being antisocial. Dimitri didn’t hang out much with the other guardians, though it was clear they all respected him. And the more I worked with him, the more I respected him too, though I didn’t really understand his training methods. They didn’t seem very badass. We always started by stretching in the gym, and lately he’d been sending me outside to run, braving the increasingly cold Montana autumn. Three weeks after my return to the Academy, I walked into the gym before school one day and found him sprawled on a mat, reading a Louis L’Amour book. Someone had brought in a portable CD player, and while that cheered me up at first, the song coming from it did not: â€Å"When Doves Cry† by Prince. It was embarrassing to know the title, but one of our former housemates had been obsessed with the ? ®80s. â€Å"Whoa, Dimitri,† I said, tossing my bag on the floor. â€Å"I realize this is actually a current hit in Eastern Europe right now, but do you think we could maybe listen to something that wasn’t recorded before I was born?† Only his eyes flicked toward me; the rest of his posture remained the same. â€Å"What does it matter to you? I’m the one who’s going to be listening to it. You’ll be outside running.† I made a face as I set my foot up on one of the bars and stretched my hamstrings. All things considered, Dimitri had a good-natured tolerance for my snarkiness. So long as I didn’t slack in my training, he didn’t mind my running commentary. â€Å"Hey,† I asked, moving on to the next set of stretches, â€Å"what’s with all the running, anyway? I mean, I realize the importance of stamina and all that, but shouldn’t I be moving on to something with a little hitting? They’re still killing me in group practice.† â€Å"Maybe you should hit harder,† he replied drily. â€Å"I’m serious.† â€Å"Hard to tell the difference.† He set the book down but didn’t move from his sprawl. â€Å"My job is to get you ready to defend the princess and fight dark creatures, right?† â€Å"Yup.† â€Å"So tell me this: suppose you manage to kidnap her again and take her off to the mall. While you’re there, a Strigoi comes at you. What will you do?† â€Å"Depends on what store we’re in.† He looked at me. â€Å"Fine. I’ll stab him with a silver stake.† Dimitri sat up now, crossing his long legs in one fluid motion. I still couldn’t figure out how someone so tall could be so graceful. â€Å"Oh?† He raised his dark eyebrows. â€Å"Do you have a silver stake? Do you even know how to use one?† I dragged my eyes away from his body and scowled. Made with elemental magic, silver stakes were a guardian’s deadliest weapon. Stabbing a Strigoi through the heart with one meant instant death. The blades were also lethal to Moroi, so they weren’t given out lightly to novices. My classmates had just started learning how to use them. I’d trained with a gun before, but no one would let me near a stake yet. Fortunately, there were two other ways to kill a Strigoi. â€Å"Okay. I’ll cut his head off.† â€Å"Ignoring the fact that you don’t have a weapon to do that, how will you compensate for the fact that he may be a foot taller than you?† I straightened up from touching my toes, annoyed. â€Å"Fine, then I’ll set him on fire.† â€Å"Again, with what?† â€Å"All right, I give up. You’ve already got the answer. You’re just messing with me. I’m at the mall and I see a Strigoi. What do I do?† He looked at me and didn’t blink. â€Å"You run.† I repressed the urge to throw something at him. When I finished my stretches, he told me he’d run with me. That was a first. Maybe running would give me some insight into his killer reputation. We set out into the chilly October evening. Being back on a vampiric schedule still felt weird to me. With school about to start in an hour, I expected the sun to be coming up, not down. But it was sinking on the western horizon, lighting up the snow-capped mountains with an orange glow. It didn’t really warm things up, and I soon felt the cold pierce my lungs as my need for oxygen deepened. We didn’t speak. He slowed his pace to match mine, so we stayed together. Something about that bothered me; I suddenly very much wanted his approval. So I picked up my own pace, working my lungs and muscles harder. Twelve laps around the track made three miles; we had nine more to go. When we reached the third-to-last loop, a couple of other novices passed by, preparing to go to the group practice I’d soon be at as well. Seeing me, Mason cheered. â€Å"Good form, Rose!† I smiled and waved back. â€Å"You’re slowing down,† Dimitri snapped, jerking my gaze from the boys. The harshness in his voice startled me. â€Å"Is this why your times aren’t getting any faster? You’re easily distracted?† Embarrassed, I increased my speed once more, despite the fact that my body started screaming obscenities at me. We finished the twelve laps, and when he checked, he found we’d shaved two minutes off my best time. â€Å"Not bad, huh?† I crowed when we headed back inside for cool-down stretches. â€Å"Looks like I could get as far as the Limited before the Strigoi got me at the mall. Not sure how Lissa would do.† â€Å"If she was with you, she’d be okay.† I looked up in surprise. It was the first real compliment he’d paid me since I started training with him. His brown eyes watched me, both approving and amused. And that’s when it happened. I felt like someone had shot me. Sharp and biting, terror exploded in my body and in my head. Small razors of pain. My vision blurred, and for a moment, I wasn’t standing there. I was running down a flight of stairs, scared and desperate, needing to get out of there, needing to find? ­me. My vision cleared, leaving me back on the track and out of Lissa’s head. Without a word to Dimitri, I tore off, running as fast as I could toward the Moroi dorm. It didn’t matter that I’d just put my legs through a mini-marathon. They ran hard and fast, like they were shiny and new. Distantly, I was aware of Dimitri catching up to me, asking me what was wrong. But I couldn’t answer him. I had one task and one alone: get to the dorm. Its looming, ivy-covered form was just coming into view when Lissa met up with us, her face streaked with tears. I came to a jarring stop, my lungs ready to burst. â€Å"What’s wrong? What happened?† I demanded, clutching her arms, forcing her to look into my eyes. But she couldn’t answer. She just flung her arms around me, sobbing into my chest. I held her there, stroking her sleek, silky hair while I told her it was going to be all right – whatever ? ®it’ was. And honestly, I didn’t care what it was just then. She was here, and she was safe, which was all that mattered. Dimitri hovered over us, alert and ready for any threat, his body coiled to attack. I felt safe with him beside us. A half hour later, we were crammed inside Lissa’s dorm room with three other guardians, Ms. Kirova, and the hall matron. This was the first time I’d seen Lissa’s room. Natalie had indeed managed to get her as a roommate, and the two sides of the room were a study in contrasts. Natalie’s looked lived in, with pictures on the wall and a frilly bedspread that wasn’t dorm-issue. Lissa had as few possessions as I did, making her half noticeably bare. She did have one picture taped to the wall, a picture taken from last Halloween, when we’d dressed up like fairies, complete with wings and glittery makeup. Seeing that picture and remembering how things used to be made a dull pain form in my chest. With all the excitement, no one seemed to remember that I wasn’t supposed to be in there. Outside in the hall, other Moroi girls crowded together, trying to figure out what was going on. Natalie pushed her way through them, wondering what the commotion in her room was. When she discovered it, she came to a screeching halt. Shock and disgust showed on almost everyone’s faces as we stared at Lissa’s bed. There was a fox on the pillow. Its coat was reddish-orange, tinged in white. It looked so soft and cuddly that it could have been a pet, perhaps a cat, something you’d hold in your arms and snuggle with. Aside from the fact that its throat had been slit. The inside of the throat looked pink and jellylike. Blood stained that soft coat and had run down onto the yellow bedspread, forming a dark pool that spread across the fabric. The fox’s eyes stared upward, glazed, over with a sort of shocked look about them, like the fox couldn’t believe this was happening. Nausea built up in my stomach, but I forced myself to keep looking. I couldn’t afford to be squeamish. I’d be killing Strigoi someday. If I couldn’t handle a fox, I’d never survive major kills. What had happened to the fox was sick and twisted, obviously done by someone too fucked up for words. Lissa stared at it, her face death-pale, and took a few steps toward it, hand involuntarily reaching out. This gross act hit her hard, I knew, digging at her love of animals. She loved them, they loved her. While on our own, she’d often begged me for a pet, but I’d always refused and reminded her we couldn’t take care of one when we might have to flee at a moment’s notice. Plus, they hated me. So she’d contented herself with helping and patching up strays she found and making friends with other people’s pets, like Oscar the cat. She couldn’t patch this fox up, though. There was no coming back for it, but I saw in her face she wanted to help it, like she helped everything. I took her hand and steered her away, suddenly recalling a conversation from two years ago. â€Å"What is that? Is it a crow?† â€Å"Too big. It’s a raven.† â€Å"Is it dead?† â€Å"Yeah. Definitely dead. Don’t touch it.† She hadn’t listened to me back then. I hoped she would now. â€Å"It was still alive when I got back,† Lissa whispered to me, clutching my arm. â€Å"Barely. Oh God, it was twitching. It must have suffered so much.† I felt bile rise in my throat now. Under no circumstances would I throw up. â€Å"Did you – ?† â€Å"No. I wanted to? ­I started to? ­Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Then forget about it,† I said sharply. â€Å"It’s stupid. Somebody’s stupid joke. They’ll clean it up. Probably even give you a new room if you want.† She turned to me, eyes almost wild. â€Å"Rose? ­do you remember? ­that one time? ­Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Stop it,† I said. â€Å"Forget about it. This isn’t the same thing.† â€Å"What if someone saw? What if someone knows ­Ã¢â‚¬  I tightened my grip on her arm, digging my nails in to get her attention. She flinched. â€Å"No. It’s not the same. It has nothing to do with that. Do you hear me?† I could feel both Natalie and Dimitri’s eyes on us. â€Å"It’s going to be okay. Everything’s going to be okay.† Not looking like she believed me at all, Lissa nodded. â€Å"Get this cleaned up,† Kirova snapped to the matron. â€Å"And find out if anyone saw anything.† Someone finally realized I was there and ordered Dimitri to take me away, no matter how much I begged them to let me stay with Lissa. He walked me back to the novices’ dorm. He didn’t speak until we were almost there. â€Å"You know something. Something about what happened. Is this what you meant when you told Headmistress Kirova that Lissa was in danger?† â€Å"I don’t know anything. It’s just some sick joke.† â€Å"Do you have any idea who’d do it? Or why?† I considered this. Before we’d left, it could have been any number of people. That was the way it was when you were popular. People loved you, people hated you. But now? Lissa had faded off to a certain extent. The only person who really and truly despised her was Mia, but Mia seemed to fight her battles with words, not actions. And even if she did decide to do something more aggressive, why do this? She didn’t seem like the type. There were a million other ways to get back at a person. â€Å"No,† I told him. â€Å"No clue.† â€Å"Rose, if you know something, tell me. We’re on the same side. We both want to protect her. This is serious.† I spun around, taking my anger over the fox out on him. â€Å"Yeah, it is serious. It’s all serious. And you have me doing laps every day when I should be learning to fight and defend her! If you want to help her, then teach me something! Teach me how to fight. I already know how to run away.† I didn’t realize until that moment how badly I did want to learn, how I wanted to prove myself to him, to Lissa, and to everyone else. The fox incident had made me feel powerless, and I didn’t like that. I wanted to do something, anything. Dimitri watched my outburst calmly, with no change in his expression. When I finished, he simply beckoned me forward like I hadn’t said anything. â€Å"Come on. You’re late for practice.† How to cite Vampire Academy Chapter 7, Essay examples

Critical Environmental Concerns in Wine Production †Free Samples

Question: Discuss about the Critical Environmental Concerns in Wine Production. Answer: Introduction: Winemaking is the process of manufacturing wine. It commences from choosing the grapes or other product and culminates in packing the refined and finalized wine in bottles. Grape is utilized as the sole ingredient in making wine in most of the cases, but sometimes other products like honey and other fruits are also used as wine ingredients. A person who is proficient in making wine is known professionally as a winemaker and sometimes as a vintner. The field of study consisting wine and wine production is termed as oenology (Boulton et al., 2013). This report outlines the fact that in order to pull through from the acute competition about wine making, it is essential to explore the contributing factors in regulating the price point of wine. An in depth discussion about the various input cost factors of wine production, the essential components of marketing force in wine production and lastly a case study of the winery and the winemaker has been discussed in this report to highlight the wine production competition scenario. The market scenario of wine manufacturing and production has witnessed massive changes in the last few years and is expected to transform further in the coming years. Globalization can be considered as an important factor in bringing massive changes in the wine production market. The influence from globalization on wine production can be evidently studied from the topographical, consumer utilization behavior and operational outlooks (Overton, Murray Banks, 2012). The independent winemaking company of Strenua is based in Chum Creek, Yama valley in the country of Australia. The two friends- Dale Wheeler and Rheon Dodd started the company. The owners were both fresh college graduates and utilized their university knowledge in managing the company. The first assignment of Strenua wine when they were placed in the market, sold out rapidly. The quality and flavor of the Strenua produce was very much appreciated by the public. The owners strictly practice organic farming and natural based fertilizers in the vineyard, which makes them environmentally sustainable and helps to enrich the biodiversity. It can be said that Strenua wine is a bright example of a successful wine producer. Overall, Strenua wine has received an overwhelming response and is continuing to be a hit with the public. In fact, Australian wine industry is considered one of the best in the world (Chong, 2014). The fierce competition in worldwide wine production and the increasing failure in gaining a wide consumer reach have led to a drastic fall in the profitability ratio. Winemakers in all the continents are believed to have fallen victims to this situation. As a result, in order to curb this disparaging effect of the losses, Strenua has called for the implementation of strategic changes in the cost management. This is because the calculation of the manufacturing cost of a single bottle of wine is considered to be a key portion in a wine making business. Strenua winemakers also use the manufacturing cost of a single bottle of wine as a benchmark in inspecting the cost effectiveness of the other production stages. Therefore, the determination of the right input cost is very important in a wine production business. The input cost in Strenua wine production business depends on various factors such as the practice of viticulture, the infrastructure of wine, disease and pest control methods, the process of growing and purchasing grapes and the practices of making wine (Corsi Strm, 2013). The Practice of Viticulture in Strenua The practice of viticulture in Strenua comprises preparing the soil, cultivating or tilling the soil, planting a different mix of vines, trellising the vines and finally having the suitable machinery and products to fight pests and other wine related diseases. Primarily after a suitable Strenua vineyard has been chosen, the material of the soil and the pertaining climate conditions are researched so that the right method of cultivation for the soil is chosen. There are many cultivation methods available, which can be applied in winemaking. The selection of the most fitting cultivation method is necessary for maximizing the vine yields of Strenua (Robinson Harding, 2015). Along with the cultivation of the soil, there are other important factors of Strenua, which are equally important. They are having abundant amounts of air and moisture, which must be in the correct percentage to the available solid material and ample nutrition, must be provided to the plants so that they do not suff er from malnutrition. The superior production and cultivation of the finalized wine of Strenua depends much upon the initial process of soil preparation. An occurrence of negligence in the initial stage would hamper the bottled product of wine at the final stage. Each soil has certain specific qualities, which makes some cultivation methods more suitable than the others do. Generally, in Strenua the selection of the cultivation method depends upon the make-up of the soil, the conditions of the weather, the location of the chosen vineyard and the type of the wine which is to be cultivated. Wine makers who desire to amplify their vine harvests usually plant in places where there is copious water supply. In Strenua, the quality of the wine is supposed to depend upon the stabilizing between the leaf particles. The leaves produce better when they are exposed to good nutrition and air. The amount of grapes chosen to cultivate a crop also decides the wine quality, because if there are less productive leaves to sustain a huge harvest, then automatically, the quality of the wine diminishes. Strenua winemakers make use of the method of trellising in their wine production phases. In horticulture, trellising is the process of providing a structure or a design of latticework to sustain the climbing plants. This is the reason why trellising is used in wine production because vines are considered to be climbing plants. Usually, plants, which apparently show the characteristic of growing stronger, are trellised. Some vines require trellising and others do not. The requirement of trellising usually depends upon the strength of the vines, the climactic conditions, the type and the capacity of the soil. Snowier areas where there is high prevalence of frost injury, trellising is extremely required. On the contrast, in areas where there is less precipitation, vines do not show the tendency to grow much. As a result, trellising is not required in the drier areas (Smart, 2014). The efficiency and profitability of the Strenua vineyard depends upon the robustness and vigor of the vines. Therefore, it is extremely important to oversee and inspect the operating pest and disease control methods of a vineyard. Organic pest control methods are now popularly used in Strenua vineyards. Organic pest control methods supports, enriches the biodiversity, and makes the vines to develop strong endurance against harmful weeds. Chemicals are used rarely and must be duly approved before their application. Other disinfectants are also used to maintain the required safety and health standards of the vines. It can be said that the disease and pest control methods are indispensable to the successful functioning of the Strenua vineyard (Vine, Harkness Linton, 2012). The Practices of Winemaking in Strenua The expertise of a proficient winemaker can influence the taste of the wine. Nevertheless, there are many geographical differences in grapes and other wine producing ingredients, some useful techniques if applied in the cellar can bring a magical flavor in the wine. Hence, in Strenua innovative wine making practices hold great relevance in the wine production business. Some of the major winemaking practices in Strenua include: - Harvest date, Maceration Time, Fermentation Temperature, Punchdowns vs Pumpovers, Oak vs Steel Tank, Corks vs Screwcaps and others. The flavor of Strenua wine differs as in two types- Single flavor and complex flavor (Goodstein et al., 2014). The recipe of making single flavor wine is not very intricate and is quite simple. Though manufacturing of single flavor wine is much uncomplicated, they tend to be savory. Complex flavor wines require more time and care. The Strenua winemakers, in order to refine the taste of the complex flavor wines, use Split fermenta tion, the mixture of different kinds of oaks and the most interesting of all, the procedure of blending distinct materials (Hall, 2013). The Growing and Buying of Strenua Grapes Growing and buying of wines effectively is very crucial for the Strenua vineyard to prosper. Strenua winemakers prefer to grow their own grapes in their backyard instead of buying from the grape suppliers. Growing healthy grapes in Strenua requires many detailed works such as spending ample time and effort on training, weeding, netting and pruning the leaves (Bokulich et al., 2014). In addition to that, proper combating techniques against the pests, harmful diseases and the insects are also substantial. In some cases, due to the isolation of the location of the grape producing areas in Strenua, extra care has to be taken to manage any threat from wild animals and havocs caused by nature (Christ Burritt, 2013). Sometimes, Strenua winemakers favor to purchase superior quality grapes from reputed suppliers. Nowadays, grapes can be transported from the suppliers to the buyers in many ways. All over the world, varieties of grapes can be bought from the suppliers, ranging from the South A merican grapes to the polished Italian originated grapes. Strenua winemakers have free choice in buying grapes in accordance to their choices, needs and preferences. Another important fact, which must be noted while getting involved in buying grapes, is to have a durable transportation facility. Strenua has a good transportation set up which ensures that when the grapes reach to the winemakers, they are at their best condition (Wakeland, Colette Venal, 2012). Marketing is an important segment in the business of wine production. Every business requires an effective marketing program to increase the profitability by enlarging the sales ratio. Strenua winemaking sector is no exception. Strenua winemakers in order to create a profitable marketing approach utilize many important factors such as strategic pricing and segmentation of the market (Overton Murray, 2013). Pricing policy of Strenua Pricing is an important factor in winemaking business. Generally, the selling price of the Strenua wine is correlated with the quantity of production. The fixed costs of the utilized grapes cannot be lessened. These costs are also not dependable on the product quantities. The techniques, which are applied in the production of Strenua wines also sets a benchmark for the setting of the prices. Complicated techniques demand setting huge prices while the simple technique wines do not suffer from over expenditure. Packaging is an important art, which cannot be ignored in the Strenua winemaking business. Packaging also influences the setting of prices of Strenua wines. Elaborate packaging, such as a fashionable design of the bottle with an attractive label increases the overall manufacturing cost of the product and thereby increases the finalized price. Henceforth, pricing of a Strenua wine bottle inadvertently depends upon many important production factors (Piqueras-Fiszman, Spence, 2012 ). Market Segment practiced in Strenua Market segmentation is the process of segmenting the buyers based on characteristics, purchasing power, preferences and purchasing styles. Market segmentation helps the Strenua wine business to study and understand the buyers and their demands and then take necessary steps to fulfill their demands. Identification of the target market is extremely important for the Strenua winemakers because these will further help them to enlarge their sales quantity and bring in more profits (Cho, Bonn, Brymer, 2017). According to popular perception, Strenua winemakers generally categorize the buyers into the following segments, which are The perplexed buyer. They are overwhelmed by the availability of diversified ranges of wines. The status seeker. They prefer to buy wine to display their status symbol. The keen wine buyer. They purchase wine for the purpose of entertainment. The faithful wine buyer. They are the so-called connoisseurs of wine. The cost driven buyer. They tend to look for discount vouchers and the best deals in wines. The novice buyer. They are new and the probably the youngest buyers in the market. Conclusion In the light of the above discussion, it can be said wine making is a very lucrative business and continues to be so in the coming years. Organic farming and natural fertilizers are the new rage in winemaking. Winemakers all over the world including Strenua are implementing these techniques in order to maintain and sustain the biodiversity at the ecological level. In addition, proper pricing and marketing policies has to be followed by the winemakers to cut through the current competition prevailing in the wine market which Strenua had already done so. Intense competition leads to drastic losses in the profit ratio of the winemaking businesses. Thereby, it is evident that innovation and modernization is the key to success in winemaking. References Ashenfelter, O., Storchmann, K. (2014).Wine and climate change(No. 164854). Bokulich, N. A., Thorngate, J. H., Richardson, P. M., Mills, D. A. (2014). Microbial biogeography of wine grapes is conditioned by cultivar, vintage, and climate.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,111(1), E139-E148. Boulton, R. B., Singleton, V. L., Bisson, L. F., Kunkee, R. E. (2013).Principles and practices of winemaking. Springer Science Business Media. Cho, M., Bonn, M. A., Brymer, R. A. (2017). A constraint-based approach to wine tourism market segmentation.Journal of Hospitality Tourism Research,41(4), 415-444. Chong, S. (2014). Business process management for SMEs: an exploratory study of implementation factors for the Australian wine industry.Journal of Information Systems and Small Business,1(1-2), 41-58. Christ, K. L., Burritt, R. L. (2013). Critical environmental concerns in wine production: an integrative review.Journal of Cleaner Production,53, 232-242. Corsi, A., Strm, S. (2013). The price premium for organic wines: estimating a hedonic farm-gate price equation.Journal of Wine Economics,8(1), 29-48. Goodstein, E. S., Bohlscheid, J. C., Evans, M., Ross, C. F. (2014). Perception of flavor finish in model white wine: A time-intensity study.Food Quality and Preference,36, 50-60. Hall, C. M. (2013).Wine, food, and tourism marketing. Routledge. Overton, J., Murray, W. E. (2013). Class in a glass: capital, neoliberalism and social space in the global wine industry.Antipode,45(3), 702-718. Overton, J., Murray, W. E., Banks, G. (2012). The race to the bottom of the glass? Wine, geography, and globalization.Globalizations,9(2), 273-287. Piqueras-Fiszman, B., Spence, C. (2012). The weight of the bottle as a possible extrinsic cue with which to estimate the price (and quality) of the wine? Observed correlations.Food Quality and Preference,25(1), 41-45. Robinson, J., Harding, J. (Eds.). (2015).The Oxford companion to wine. American Chemical Society. Smart, R. (2014). Improved trellis systems-is Australia keeping up?.Wine Viticulture Journal,29(3), 55. Vine, R., Harkness, E. M., Linton, S. J. (Eds.). (2012).Winemaking: From grape growing to marketplace. Springer Science Business Media. Wakeland, W., Cholette, S., Venkat, K. (2012). Food transportation issues and reducing carbon footprint. InGreen technologies in food production and processing(pp. 211-236). Springer US.

Should Drugs Be Legalised in Sport free essay sample

I will be discussing sports has a whole industry rather than specifying one particular sport or event, taking the main issues and explaining both sides. Drug testing in sports is very common now. In most professional and some amateur sports events across the globe, drug testing is used randomly or the people that normally finish first second and third are drudges tested on a precautionary measure. They can turn up anywhere and at any time, and you must supply them with a valid drugs test within one hour of being notified that your national governing body has required you to undertake a drugs test. In most cases the urine drugs test is used but the blood drugs test and know the hair follicle drug test can be used. The most common is the urine test, but at major sports events the other two will be used. Case for legalisation The case for legalisation of performance enhancing drugs in sport is mostly made by the athletes themselves (‘currently an athlete is held ‘strictly liable ‘for whatever substances are found in his or her body. We will write a custom essay sample on Should Drugs Be Legalised in Sport? or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page such a strict liability provision rules out any defence’)( vassal gringo (2004). the Olympic games explained. Great Britain: Rutledge. 184-185. ) so even if the athlete unwillingly or unknowingly takes a drug, they will still be prosecuted to the full extent of the rules, and sometimes even law. In some countries (e. g. ; France) athletes that fail drugs tests are also arrested and sentenced for defrauding the public. Just imagine if you were in your teens, and your coach knowingly put drugs in your sports drink, but you didn’t know you had takes them, should you be banned for life and sometimes arrested. In this instance if some drugs were made legal in sports there ould not be all this secret taking and deceiving of the athletes and fans. Lots of athletes that fail drugs test claim that they have no knowledge they have taken anything illegal. (‘Dwain chambers denies knowingly taking a ‘designer steroid’ but was still banned from the Olympic games for life in 2004’)( )( vassil girginov (2004). the Olympic Games explained. Great Britain: Routhledge. 185-186) know this just might be and excuse. But imagine if he was telling the truth , if he didn’t know he was taking them should he still be banned?. There is also an argument about would it make the drugs safer as some athletes go to extreme lengths to make themselves better then there opponents. I have been there when athletes have been injecting themselves will bull hormone and horse hormone, to make themselves more worked up and stronger. Now these are very extreme methods of drug taking, they are also extremely dangerous to the liver and heart as they are not designed to produce or filter out that type of hormone, it’s the sale with any drug you are taking it because your body can’t produce it and it therefore makes you better. Now if some drugs were legalised there would be studies and tests done to make it as safe as possible. Doctors could also regulate you dosage and what you are taking moire easily, there fore not becoming addicted or reliant upon the drug that is being taken. This would save lives in some instances, as people just push further and further , if there were strict guidelines on how to take it when and were It would make it a much safer and more enjoyable sport to play and watch , as everybody is guilty un till proven innocent in the world of sport. It would also make the sport fairer. Is it fair that the athletes that don’t get caught taking drugs should have an advantage over the ones that don’t take the drugs? Drugs tests can only tell if you have been taking drugs that they know about. They cannot tell if you have just been taking drugs, as the have to screen for certain drugs. so if you have drug only you know about then you gain an unfair advantage, if everybody had that drug then there would be a more fair line drawn across the athletes, making them more equal and therefore making it a better sport to play and watch, now one wants to watch one person have an advantage, that isn’t natural or skill based and in. . Case against legalisation One point is that even if you legalise some drugs, will it make a difference many athletes will still want to use better ones than the ones that would be made legal(‘If doping was accepted then some athletes would still seek to gain an unfair advantage , by adopting a more is better policy. Checkin g whether or not agreed levels of drug usage were being adhered to would be difficult to monitor. )( Toohey Vial (2006). A social science perspective. 2nd ed. Oxford: CABI) so even if drugs were made legal the levels of drug you could take would be almost impossible to track, and regulate. As on athlete could just be taking more of the drug than the other people, and gaining and advantage anyway. athletes would also always find better ones than the ones that were legal and us them anyway , it would close the gap a bit of they were all taking some sort of drug legal or illegal , but overall would make no difference to if it is now were all forms of doping are illegal. Many people also think it is against the spirit/ethics of the sport in general (‘The use of performance enhancing drugs is contrary to the essence of sport, and the philosophy of the Olympics, which places its emphasis on fair and equal competition)( . )( Toohey Vial (2006). A social science perspective. 2nd ed. Oxford: CABI, pg 174-175. ) the spirit of fair play and sportsmanship I n sport are very important unwritten rules , and people can be more tarnished by breaking these than taking drugs. People think that you will tarnish the image and reputation of sporting events and sports, if you legalise drugs. there is also the argument about role models, know if drugs were made legal , you couldn’t just have the best ones taking the drugs , you would have to implement it nationally as well, so kids would maybe start taking the drugs to emulate there role models in there chosen sports, if it was ever legalised the dangers to children would always be the same there would have to be strict age policies and guide lines.

Free Society Essay Example

Free Society Essay Example Free Society Essay Free Society Essay People have many different definitions for the term free society. Some may consider their society as free when that society deems them rights and free will, as the Bill of Rights establishes, while others consider a free society to be one that does not discriminate against those noted as unpopular by their peers. In order to feel safe, one must have his or her respective natural rights; however, in order for a society to truly be considered â€Å"free,† it cannot establish social labels such as unpopular and popular. In my definition, a free society would have a definite absence of social labels, and happiness and safety could be established for everyone. A free society should not pride itself on the safety of the unpopular, but rather upon its lack of those considered unpopular. We cannot create an elitist society in which all people are considered popular; however, a society should not tag people as popular or unpopular. When applied, social labels create a separated society, and cliques form. Recently, a homosexual student at Rutgers University committed suicide because his â€Å"more popular† classmate posted a video on the Internet of him having sexual encounters with another student, which resulted in profuse bullying. This lead to his decision to ultimately end his life in order to escape the results of his unpopular lifestyle choices. With the creation of social labels comes risks that appear more prominent for those who do not â€Å"hang out with the right crowd. In societies with social labels, people not only get labeled as popular and unpopular, but in many cases, more realistically as predator and victim. A society without social labels would successfully avoid social discrimination and abuse between social classes. Social labels cannot be a component of a free society because they prevent universal safety. The terms popular and unpopular place people in usually fixed social classes. P! nk, a famous pop artist, underlines the importance of social accepta nce in her songs, â€Å"Raise Your Glass† and â€Å"Perfect. â€Å"Raise Your Glass† highlights the importance of universal and self-acceptance, while the â€Å"Perfect† music video shows the effects of external pressures the lack of self-acceptance. In the â€Å"Perfect† music video, a young woman succumbs to the pressures of being popular and fitting the popular image. In her case, the effects included self-mutilation, loss of self-confidence and self-respect, and social displacement and withdrawal. Contrary to the â€Å"Perfect† music video is P! nk’s â€Å"Raise Your Glass† video, which celebrates all lifestyle choices and ortrays a society that completely accepts everyone and does not discriminate or impose judgments. When juxtaposed with â€Å"Raise Your Glass,† â€Å"Perfect† reveals the true benefits that result from a lack of social labels compared to the agony that can result from their application. When a soc iety labels others socially, those being labeled may not be able to fully accept themselves. P! nk shows the brutal effects of the pressures caused by social labels and that accepting everyone, regardless of social status, leads to ultimate happiness. : A free society cannot allow for the creation or use of social labels and placement in social classes. The implementation of social labels has imposed negative outcomes that have devastated not only individuals, but the families of those individuals as well. Universal safety can only be established through the ban of social labels, and therefore a ban of social discontent. A free society is defined by its lack of social labels and, therefore, universal safety.

Singapores Aging Workforce Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Singapores Aging Workforce - Essay Example Also, in Singapore, the government and employers need to focus on grouping the elderly and their talents before throwing choices at them. It has been believed that Asian countries, with their industrial boom, are busy facing the challenges of financial burdens and over population, where the aging population has a sizable share. In response to this the government and the employers alike have been weighing their possibilities for making use of this as a strength besides offering this segment of people a chance to explore various avenues and gain stability where finances and health care are concerned. The basic trend in Singapore's policy for its aging workforce is a progressive one. The policy implications for this attitude are the society at large as well as employer choices in the basic organizational framework. According to the recent trends, the government has made announcements in its latest budget that it will scale down the contribution rates of workers above 50 years of age so as to accommodate a higher rate of employability of older and low wage workers with a phasing scheme of the contributions to the CPF. Now, the worker earning $50 a month and aged 35 years or older will only pay the full new contribution rate of 13% at a monthly wage of $1,500. (Singapore Budget, 2007) Economic Implications In Singapore, the older low-wage workers are the ones who are affected the most by the changes in the economy owing to the fact that they invariably find it more difficult that most others to learn new skills and upgrade themselves. Apart from this, there is a serious dearth of ways to get re-employed if they lose their jobs where their families do not manage to effectively make ends meet. This has prompted the government to introduce Workfare in the latest budget in order to supplement the wages and savings of older low-wage workers. According to the 2007 Budget, this will also lead to various modifications in the CPF system in order to cater for those options that will complement the Workfare scheme. In this context, it must be pointed out that Singapore is yet to experience the phenomenon called wage supplements despite the fact this concept has been met with ample success in various other countries. For example, the US has developed the Earned Income Tax Credit which negates the level of income tax for low-wage workers. Instead, this act supplements the income actually earned by these people thus giving them more benefits and an impetus to pay taxes or contribute to the Provident Fund. Along the similar lines, the UK has a Working Tax Credit. The schemes provided under this plan have been useful as far as reduction of poverty is concerned, apart from encouraging people to work to show them that they can reach out to the government and the government will certainly reach back to them. For the Singapore government, the implications of these comparisons are many. On the planning boards, the problems in formulating and implementing such plans are clear. To start

Comparative paper between aboriginal people of canada and palestinian Essay

Comparative paper between aboriginal people of canada and palestinian people - Essay Example As a result of introduction of Indian Act, the government took the power of controlling the lives of aboriginal people and their lands (Hallett 100). The Aboriginal people were denied their rights. The Indian Department that was in charge of the Indian affairs took the full control over the lands that was reserved for the aboriginal people. They also took control of the resources and trade among the aboriginal people. The government took advantage of the act and used as a way of controlling these people. The government decided where these people could live. However, this legislation was never following what it stood for; it was being violated. The aboriginal people had so many social issues. In 1600s, the aboriginal people were engaging in trading activities that involved trade of firearms, minerals, and fur. Due to competition in trading, conflicts between tribes emerged that resulted in division of these people. The aboriginal people lost their self knowledge (McNab & Ute 51). Loss of self knowledge, according to the anishinaabe, was just like losing their culture that was assisting them in development. The aboriginal people lost these through the introduction of integration of residential schools and pilot programs. These programs were not favoring the aboriginal people but they were meant to westernize them. The current generation of aboriginal people is not able to access their knowledge of the past and anything concerning their culture. As a result, they are no longer able to keep their culture (Neu & Richard 98). Furthermore, this lack of self knowledge has led to the loss of identity of the aboriginal people. They are no longer able to set goals and objectives for themselves. Without identity, aboriginal people have lost their culture and this is shown by the way they present themselves in the society. In addition, loss of language by anishinaabe people is another social issue.

The Construction Material Concrete Construction Essay

The Construction Material Concrete Construction Essay The process of curing concrete, handling it in different climatic conditions and the various diseases that can arise in concrete structures are the key points of this paper. The word concrete is derived from a latin word concretuswhich means compact or condensed. Concrete is a thick composite artificial stone like material which is made by mixing cement (generally Portland cement) and various other aggregates, such as sand, pebbles, gravel, shale, etc., with water and allowing the mixture to harden by hydration. Since the ancient times it had been used in constructing structures and today also it is used more than any other man made construction material in the world. COMPOSITION Depending upon the reqirement of the structure,the proportions of the main ingredients discussed below are varied to avail different types of concrete. By doing so the finished product can be tailored to its application with varying strength, density, or chemical and thermal resistance properties. CEMENT Portland cement is a basic ingredient of concrete. It consists of a mixture of oxides of calcium, silicon and aluminium. Portland cement and similar materials are made by heating limestone (a source of calcium) with clay, and grinding this product (called clinker) with a source of sulfate (most commonly gypsum). WATER When water is added in a cementitious material, cement paste is formed through the process of hydration. The cement paste glues the aggregate together, fills voids within it, and allows it to flow more smoothly. Water should be added in the mix very carefully as less water in the cement paste will yield a stronger, more durable concrete; more water will give an free-flowing concrete with a higher slump. Impure water used to make concrete can cause problems when setting or in causing premature failure of the structure. In the process of hydration many different reactions occur at the same time. As the reactions proceed, the products of the cement hydration process gradually bond together the individual sand and gravel particles, and other components of the concrete, to form a solid compact mass. AGGREGATES The presence of aggregate greatly increases the robustness of concrete above that of cement.Following are the different items which could be used as aggregates: Sand, natural gravel and crushed stone Recycled aggregates (from construction, demolition and excavation waste) and manufactured aggregates like air-cooled blast furnace slag and bottom ash Decorative stones such as quartzite, small river stones or crushed glass are sometimes added to the surface of concrete for a decorative exposed aggregate finish. CURING OF CONCRETE The term curing concrete signifies the process of stopping freshly poured concrete from drying out too quickly. Unless the concrete mass is not cured, or if it is left out to dry out on its own, it will not develop the full bond between all of its ingredients. In order to form a water cement paste, water is added in Portland cement after which chemical reactions take place in the mixture turns the paste into a bonding agent. This reaction is known as hydration and it produces a stone-like compact substancethe hardened cement paste. Both the rate and degree of hydration, and the resulting strength of the final concrete, depend on the curing process that follows placing and consolidating the plastic concrete. As long as the mixture contains water and the temperature conditions are favorable, the process of Hydration continues ,though at a decreasing rate . The strength of concrete is dependent on crystal growth within the concrete matrix through the process of hydration If water is not adequate, the crystals cannot grow, due to which the concrete is unable to attain the desired strength. The presence of water through proper curing of the concrete facilitates the crystal growth that encloses the gravel and sand mix, causing interweaving with each other. .The time-span of the process of Curing begins from the time of consolidation and ends at the point where the concrete reaches its design strength. The period can vary from a few days to a month or longer. For most structural use, the curing period for cast-in-place concrete is usually 3 days to 2 weeks. During this period, the concrete mass should be kept moist and as near 73F as practical. Bridge decks and other slabs exposed to weather and chemical attack usually require longer curing periods. The time span of the curing period also depends on the factors such as type of cement used mix proportions required strength size and shape of the concrete mass weather conditions and temperature future exposure conditions SIGNIFICANCE OF CURING A proper and effective curing process helps in improving various properties of concrete such as freeze and thaw resistance strength watertightness wear resistance volume stability. Serviceability and apperance The compressive strength of concrete that has been properly cured is 75 to 95 per cent more than the concrete that has not been cured. Figure 1 illustrates this by comparing the compressive strength of concrete(at 180 days) for which the surface has been either kept moist for the entire duration of 180 days or is kept moist for various periods of time and allowed to dry out or is allowed to dry out from the time it was first made.It is quite clearly depicted that the compressive strength of the concrete is highest when it is fully cured for the entire period of 180 days. Fig 1:Moist curing effect on compressive strength of concrete source:www.tpub.com The permeability and absorptivity of concrete mix depends upon the porosity of the mix ie whether the pores and capillaries are discrete or interconnected. The porosity of the mix is reduced overtime through proper and effective curing of concrete thereby increasing the durability of concrete. Also, proper curing of concrete mix will reduce crazing, dusting and scaling of the slab thereby ensuring better serviceability and appearance. STAGES IN CURING PROCESS After the concrete mix have been placed, it is imperative to keep it moist and maintain specified concrete temperatures.The process of curing starts immediately after the placement of concrete and it goes through two stages : Initial curing stage: time of placement to initial set. This stage would include all the deliberate action taken between placement and final finishing of concrete. Approximate conditions during the initial curing period should be forecast prior to construction. Under this stage,the rate of strength gain of the concrete is minimal. The various aspects to be dealt with construction initial curing period as shown in diagram below are : verifying evaporation conditions: concrete temperatures, wind velocity, air temperature, and relative humidity are required to be taken into account during placement. These elements are used to make nomograph to calculate the evaporation rate and to determine whether critical drying rates exist. Using the concrete placing temperature, the time of initial setting can be estimated. The time of initial setting is the optimal time for application of final curing. Major items requiring attention during construction-initial curing period. Source : www.fhwa.dot.govt Onsite adjustments for Excessive drying: In order to reduce evaporation rates of bleed water the following two adjustments could be made- reducing concrete placing temperatures- Cooling aggregate stockpiles, cooling mixing water, or using ice for mixing water are very effective ways of reducing concrete temperatures. use of evaporation reducers. Evaporation reducers are water emulsions of film-forming compounds. The film-forming compound is the active ingredient that slows down evaporation of water. There is also a benefit from the water fraction of the evaporation reducers, in that it compensates to a small degree for losses of mixing water to evaporation.Evaporation reducers may need to be applied several times, depending on the conditions. Concrete that are liable to quick drying is required to be covered with wet gunny bag or wet hessian cloth properly squeezed, so that the water does not drip and at the same time, does not allow the concrete to dry. This condition should be maintained for 24 hours or at least till the final setting time of cement at which duration the concrete will have assumed the final volume. The Final curing stage: The final curing period is defined as the time interval between application of curing procedures and the end of deliberate curing. Final curing methods fall into four categories: Water curing : Water curing can be done in various ways like immersion,ponding, spraying or fogging and wet covering.This is by far the best method of curing as it satisfies all the requirements of curing, namely, promotion of hydration, elimination of shrinkage and absorption of the heat of hydration. Curing a house slab by flooding. Source: http://www.builderbill-diy-help.com/curing-concrete.html The precast concrete items are normally immersed in curing tanks for a certain duration. Pavement slabs, roof slab etc. are covered under water by making small ponds. Vertical retaining wall or plastered surfaces or concrete columns etc. are cured by spraying water. In some cases, wet coverings such as wet gunny bags, hessian cloth, jute matting, straw etc., are wrapped to vertical surface for keeping the concrete wet. For horizontal surfaces saw dust, earth or sand are used as wet covering to keep the concrete in wet condition for a longer time so that the concrete is not unduly dried to prevent hydration. The diagram below summarises the major criteria for using water-added curing methods. Major features of curing with added water. Membrane curing : this curing method is mostly used when there is less availability of water in the region where curing is done. Under this method, concrete could be covered with membrane which will effectively seal off the evaporation of water from concrete. A continuous seal over the concrete surface is maintained by means of a firm impervious film to prevent moisture in concrete from escaping by evaporation. Some of the materials, which can be used for this purpose, are bituminous compounds, polyethylene PLASTIC SHEETING source:www.builderbill-diy-help.com or polyester film, waterproof paper, rubber compounds etc. When waterproofing paper or polyethylene film are used as membrane, care must be taken to see that these are not punctured anywhere and also see whether adequate lapping is given at the junction and this lap is effectively sealed. Application of heat : When concrete is subjected to higher temperature it accelerates the hydration process resulting in faster development of strength. Concrete cannot be subjected to dry heat to accelerate the hydration process as the presence of moisture is also an essential requisite. Therefore, subjecting the concrete to higher temperature and maintaining the required wetness can be achieved by subjecting the concrete to steam curing. The exposure of concrete to higher temperature can be done by Steam curing at ordinary pressure, Steam curing at high pressure ,Curing by Infra-red radiation ,Electrical curing. Traditional steam curing of concrete pipes (www.construction-int.com) Miscellaneous : Calcium chloride is used either as a surface coating or as an admixture. It has been used satisfactorily as a curing medium. Both these methods are based on the fact that calcium chloride being a salt shows affinity for moisture. The salt not only absorbs moisture from atmosphere but also retains it at the surface. This moisture held at the surface prevents the mixing water from evaporation and thereby keeps the concrete wet for a long time to promote hydration. Formwork prevents escaping of moisture from the concrete, particularly, in the case of beams and columns. Keeping the form work intact and sealing the joint with wax or any other sealing compound prevents the evaporation of moisture from the concrete. This procedure of promoting hydration can be considered as one of the miscellaneous methods of curing. At the end of the curing process majority of cement gets hydrated.There is slow rate of compressive strength gain of around 50-100 psi/hours and little exothermic heat generation. In the entire process of curing if one of the curing procedures is used initially, it may be replaced by one of the other procedures after the concrete is 1 day old, provided that the concrete surface is not permitted to become dry at any time. After the termination of the curing process the adequacy of a curing program could be verified.Although strength is the primary variable around which curing specifications are based several other approaches can also be used like Surface Water Absorption: the amount of water a dry concrete specimen absorbs in the first minute or so after contact with liquid water is directly related to the quality of the curing of the near-surface zone of the concrete. This method has direct applicability to verifying curing. The method is reasonably applied to cores, which can be dried to a constant low moisture content before testing. Rebound Hammer: The rebound hammer method basically measures the modulus of elasticity of the nearsurface concrete. This may actually recommend the method for use in evaluating the curing of concrete pavements, where near-surface effects are considered most important. The test method is suitable for in-place measurements. Laboratory work has shown that rebound numbers of uncured concrete exposed to modestly severe drying are reduced by about 50 percent at 7 days relative to well-cured concrete. Strength of Cores: The strength of concrete is strongly affected by inadequate curing, and, in theory, could be detected by measuring strength of cores. the effects of poor curing are only strongly apparent in the properties of the top 50 mm of concrete, and sometimes even less. Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity: The ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV) method is an indirect measure of the modulus of elasticity of concrete. The modulus of elasticity of concrete tends to increase with increasing hydration (or quality of curing) of the cement paste fraction of the concrete. UPV testing can be set up in a number of configurations, each of which tends to focus on slightly different features of the concrete. A simple pulse velocity taken through a piece of concrete, which is the traditional way of using UPV to investigate concrete properties, gives information on the average quality of the concrete. Abrasion Resistance: The degree of curing has been shown in numerous research publications to be strongly reflected in the abrasion resistance of the cement-paste fraction of concrete. This truth is easily verified qualitatively using an electrically powered wire brush and observing the ease with which the near-surface mortar can be removed from a small spot of concrete. Poorly cured concrete is easily abraded away, while well-cured concrete is quite difficult to abrade away with such equipment. DISEASES OF CONCRETE Deterioration of concrete buildings is becoming a cause of concern now a days. Often the structures located along open water, lakes, rivers and oceans are extremely vulnerable to attack from the harsh environment i.e. salt, moisture, humidity, carbon dioxide, etc. cracks, spalls and rust stains are some of the visual symptoms of the deterioration of concrete. CRACK Crack is the most common diseases of concrete structures and it occurs as a result of material discontinuity. Thermal and shrinkage cracks can be associated with high cement content and high strength concrete. Usually cracks occur in the concrete structures due to various reasons such as excess water in the mix ,rapid drying of the concrete, improper strength concrete poured on the job, lack of control joints, if Concrete is poured on frozen ground, alkali-silica reactionetc. In order to prevent cracks in concrete structures, following preventive measures could be taken: Estimate in advance the quantity of water to be mixed to get the required concrete mix. Adding too much water in the mix is one of the main causes of cracked concrete Do not pour concrete on the frozen ground .A compacted subgrade could be used to pour concrete upon to prevent cracking Cut control joints into the concrete so that the slab will be able to shrink and expand with temperature changes. Control joints should be cut the same depth of the slab and spaced a maximum of three times the thickness of the concrete. The slab must retain enough moisture so that the drying and shrinking happens as slowly as possible in the days and weeks after pouring. Curing helps the concrete to retain moisture in the concrete so that it can continue to gain strength to resist cracking. CRACKS ON CONCRETE SURFACE Source:www.homebuildinginformation.com FROST When the concrete is critically saturated i.e. approximately 91% of its pores are filled with water then deterioration of concrete from freeze thaw actions may occur. When water freezes to ice it occupies 9% more volume than that of water.In case there is no space in concrete for this expanded volume , a kind of distress is caused which will result in loss of concrete surface. A surface active agent should be added to the concrete mixture in order to prevent frost in a concrete structure. This creates a large number of closely spaced, small air bubbles in the hardened concrete which would act as expansion chambers to relieve the pressure build-up. It is to be noted that concrete with high water content and high water to cement ratio is less frost resistant than concrete with lower water content. ABRASION AND CAVITATION Hydraulic Concrete structures are affected by Abrasion-erosion due to the action of debris rolling and grinding against surface. The sources of the debris include construction trash left in a structure, riprap brought back into a basin by eddy currents because of poor hydraulic design or asymmetrical discharge, and riprap or other debris thrown into a basin by the public. Mechanical abrasion is usually characterized by long shallow grooves in the concrete surface and spalling along monolith joints. general abrasion and cavitation erosion results in coarse aggregate exposed concrete surface, concrete uneven surface, resulting in holes. In order to prevent the structure to suffer from abrasion the concrete should include the maximum amount of the hardest coarse aggregate that is available and the lowest practical w/c. In addition to this,high-range water-reducing admixtures (HRWRA) and condensed silica fume have been used to develop high compressive strength concrete 97 MPa (14,000 psi) , at this strength the concrete mix assumes a greater role in resisting abrasion-erosion damage. Also vacuum-treated concrete, polymer concrete, polymer-impregnated concrete, and polymer portland cement concrete could also be used to increase the abrasion resistance. In existing structures, balanced flows should be maintained into basins by using all gates to avoid discharge conditions where eddy action is prevalent. ABRASION source:www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca CARBONATION Carbonation is a chemical reaction between atmospheric carbon dioxide and hydrated cement compounds which causes a reduction in the alkalinity of the concrete. The permeability and moisture content of the concrete directly affects the rate of carbonation . Pop-corn like calcite crystals present in carbonated paste. source:www.concrete-experts.com In the process of carbonation the calcium bearing phases present in the concrete mass are attacked by carbon dioxide of the air and converted to calcium carbonate.In this process the alkalinity of the concrete is lowered from an initial pH of around 13.5 to around 8.5 over some years. One method of testing a structure for carbonation is to drill a fresh hole in the surface and then treat the cut surface with phenolphthalein indicator solution. This solution will turn [pink] when in contact with alkaline concrete, making it possible to see the depth of carbonation. In order to combat the process of carbonation aquron products from Allcrete industries could be used which helps in the following ways seals out moisture to a depth of 100mm or more reduces oxygen permeability by a pore-blocking process brings up the alkalinity of the concrete purging and binding chlorides in the colloidal silicate hydrogel formed in the pores and capillaries of the concrete It is to be noted that when Concrete is treated within 24 hours of casting ,it will be protected for life against carbonation problems and aged concrete, once treated, will become immune to further deterioration. CORROSION Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures is well known to be Concrete Cancer, which happens to be a significant area of concern in the area of infrastructure and building across the world. Corrosive species can enter the concrete mix if the ingredients of the concrete mix such as water, aggregates, additives are contaminated.When such corrosive species reacts with the chemical compounds under the porous nature of concrete,the problem of corrosion occurs. Corrosion damage to the reinforcing steel results in the build-up of voluminous corrosion products, generating internal stresses and subsequent cracking and spalling of the concrete as shown schematically in the diagram below: Figure 2source:www.corrosion-club.com source:www.zoranthepainter.com Corrosion mechanism Concrete Cancer The most frightening thing is that the corrosion can be going on under the surface and will not be noticed until the concrete starts visibly disintegrating. The outcome of such corrosion is that concrete reduces its strength and also the steel re-enforcing within the concrete can rust and the pressure this creates can cause the concrete to crack and crumble. Buildings in coastal areas are especially at risk. The preventive measures to avoid such kind of concrete cancer are listed below: Epoxy coating: The concrete structures that are exposed to deicing salt may benifit from use of epoxy-coated, hot dip galvanised or stainless steel rebar. Epoxy coated rebar can easily be identified by the light green colour of its epoxy coating. Applying Sealants: After the process of curing, penetrating sealants must be applied. Sealants include paint, plastic foams, films and aluminum foil, felts or fabric mats sealed with tar, and layers of bentonite clay, sometimes used to seal roadbeds. corrosion inhibitors: calcium nitrite can also be added to the water mix before pouring concrete. Generally, 12 wt. % of calcium nitrate with respect to cement weight is needed to prevent corrosion of the rebars. Extreme weather conditions such as high ambient and concrete temperature, low relative humidity or a mere 40 F or less average daily air temperature for more than 3 consecutive days, tend to impair the quality of freshly mixed or hardened concrete thereby giving detrimental results. Therefore, it becomes imperative to handle concrete with caution both in extreme hot and cold weather. EFFECTS OF HOT WEATHER AND PROPER HANDLING On the compressive strength: When the temperature of concrete is high cement hydrates at a much faster rate, it sucks up water and grows crystals around the aggregate particles but dont have time to grow strong . Although, the early strength will be higher but 28-day strength suffers. If the concrete is about 18 hotter than normal (for example, 88 instead of 70), the ultimate compressive strength of the mix will be about 10% lower. On the colors of integrally colored concrete: under hot weather conditions , slump decreases rapidly as the cement sets up and and more mixing water is needed. In integrally colored concrete,this can lead to variations in water content which can result in significant differences in concrete color between adjacent pours. Surface drying: high concrete temperature and hot dry wind across the concrete can cause more drying and surface shrinkage. Thermal differentials: sometimes the hot weather condition makes one part of the concrete mass warmer than another part. If this differential is greater than about 20F then concrete gets cracks. Difficulty in maintaining air content can be a problem in warm concrete. Mixing is more likely to drive air out of the concrete making the level difficult to control. Dealing with hot weather concreting Plastic shrinkage is a particular problem in hot weather concreting. As a general rule, each 10o F increase in ambient temperature reduces slump about 1. A switch from ASTM C494 Type A to Type D water reducing and set retarding mix may be part of an effective plan for hot-weather concreting. Aggregates forms a major part in a concrete mix so its temperature has the greatest effect on concrete temperature. Shading of aggregate piles is ideal, although not always possible. Using cool water is another way to get cool concrete. Ready mix producers in hot climates use chilled water or ice to lower the concrete temperature. Retarding admixtures can also contribute towards controlling concrete in warm weather. When the concrete is hot, the setting time is very quick .At that time Retarder can be added at the plant or on the job site . Retarders delays the setting time but they also give the concrete more time to dry out, so curing is critical. Retarders come as straight retarders or as water-reducing and retarding admixtures. Mid-range water reducers can increase the air content of the concrete. For concrete that is to be stamped, consider using step retardationadding retarder to the mix after half of the batch or after one-third and two-thirds have been placed. For textured concrete one of the strongest things to do in hot weather is step retardation. In order to avoid slump loss superplasticizer (high-range water reducer) could be used. These admixtures can increase slump without affecting the concretes final strength or appearance. Before placing the concrete on a subgrade wet down everything, subgrade and forms, with cool water so moisture isnt absorbed from the concrete, which can lead to cracking. In order to prevent the evaporation of surface water use a monomolecular film or evaporation retarder as soon as the concrete is down and bull floated. These materials evaporate after a couple of hours. Monomolecular film will prevent plastic shrinkage cracking and surface crusting. In hot and dry weather curing needs to start as soon as finishing operations are completed. A white pigmented curing compound could be used with plain gray concretein order reflect sunshine. Also the white curing blanket could be used for the same purpose. A white pigmented curing compound on plain gray concrete white curing blankets keep the concrete cooler by reflecting can help reflect some heat from the sun the sun In a hot climate, stain the concrete in the coolest part of the day as staining concrete relies on a chemical reaction that happens faster in hot weather.If concrete is stained in 95 to 100 weather ,it can ruin the entire job. Staining is best done early in the day when the concrete is cooler For an overlay installation it is advisable that the concrete surface temperature should be between 50 and 80.Installing an overlay during the hottest part of the day amidst direct sunlight could adversely affect the quality of the result. EFFECTS OF COLD WEATHER AND PROPER HANDLING During cold weather until the concrete gains compressive strength of 500psi , it is under threat of either getting freezed up which in turn could break up the matrix or the concrete mix sets at a very slow pace. Below 40F the hydration reaction basically stops and the concrete doesnt gain any further strength. when the ground is cold, the concrete in contact with it will be cold and will set more slowly. This can lead to the problem of crusting, with the top part of the concrete set and the bottom still soft. During the process of shifting the concrete mix from the ready mix plant to the job site there will be some heat loss. While placing concrete in cold it is advisable to remove all snow and ice from that area. Also any standing water should also be removed that could get mixed into the concrete. In case of a frozen land, it is advisable to thaw it using hydronic heat pipes and blankets (such as those from Ground Heaters), or electric blankets (check out Power Blanket). It is also suggested to Warm up anything that will come in contact with the concrete, including forms and any embedments, to at least 32F. Covering everything with tarps the day before the pour, will keep it dry and warm enough.also blankets could be used for the same purpose as well. Place triple layers of insulating blankets at corners and edges that could freeze. Wrap any protruding rebars. Make sure the blankets wont blow off during the night. Ground heaters Inc Portland cement association While placing decorative concrete in cold weather it is suggested to use a dial pocket thermometer or an infrared thermometer to test the concrete temperature as it is needed to be kept above 50F for the concrete to keep gaining strength. Also on exterior concrete, customers should be reminded to keep deicing chemicals off the surface during the first winter. Deicers can lead to spalling of newer concrete. During the process of finishing concrete in cold weather, it is advisable to let all the bleed water to evaporate first otherwise water-cement ratio would increase surface of concrete would get weak. Bleed water is basically the concrete particles settling (like mud in a stirred up pond) and squeezing out all the extra water. Vacuums can also be used for this purpose. It should also be noted that sealing concrete in cold weather conditions is very risky. Power blanket Layfield Group In order to keep the slab warm hydronic heating pipes or electric heating blankets could be used. These are laid on top of the slab and insulated. Also, in case it is too cold to even place the concrete, then the only option left is to enclose the work and heat the air. In case of an enclosure,it is required to consider the potential problem of carbonation. With unvented heaters (salamanders), or even with gas-powered equipment, the carbon dioxide levels can increase. This carbon reacts with the concrete, creating a chalky carbonated layer at the surface which is unacceptable. To fix this problem use heaters that exhaust to the outside of an enclosure or building and just blow in warm air. Maintain the concrete temperature above 40 degree