Essay --

Aerogel is a synthetic porous ultra-light material derived from a gel, in which the liquid component of the gel has been replaced with a gas, resulting in a solid with extremely low density and low thermal conductivity. Nicknames include "frozen smoke", "solid smoke", "solid air" or "blue smoke" owing to its translucent quality and the way light scatters in the material. However, it feels like Styrofoam to the touch. Aerogels are solid, rigid, dry materials that do not resemble a gel in their physical properties. Pressing softly on an aerogel usually does not leave even a minor mark; pressing more firmly will leave a permanent depression. Despite the fact that it is susceptible to to shattering, it is very strong structurally. Aerogels are good thermal insulators because they are adept at counteracting the three methods of heat transfer (convection, conduction, and radiation). They are good conductive insulators because they are composed almost entirely from a gas, and gases are very poor heat conductors. Silica aerogel is especially good because silica is also a poor conductor of heat (a metallic aerogel, on the other hand, would be less effective). Aerogels are poor radioactive insulators because infrared radiation passes right through silica aerogel. Aerogels by themselves are hydrophilic, but chemical treatment can make them hydrophobic. If they absorb moisture they usually suffer a structural change, such as contraction, and deteriorate, but this can be prevented by making them hydrophobic. Aerogel was discovered in the late 1930’s by chemist Samuel Stephens Kistler. He accomplished this by the process of supercritical fluid drying. A supercritical fluid is any substance at a temperature and pressure above its critical poi... ...st spacecraft. The particles vaporize on impact with solids and pass through gases, but can be trapped in aerogels. †¢ NASA used aerogel for thermal insulation of the Mars Rover and space suits. †¢ The US Navy is evaluating aerogel undergarments to be used as thermal protection for divers. †¢ Dunlop Sport uses aerogel in some of its racquets for tennis, squash and badminton. The production and use of silica aerogels is nonthreatening to the environment. No considerably hazardous wastes are created during their construction. The disposal of silica aerogels is harmless. In the environment, they quickly crush into a fine powder that is basically identical to sand. Additionally, silica aerogels are completely non-toxic and non-flammable. If they eventually find their way into widespread use, they could eradicate a very large amount of unwanted, hazardous plastic materials.

Would Juluis caesar be a good king

Would Julius Caesar be a good king? Julius Caesar takes place in ancient Rome in 44 B. C. He was never technically king, but he came close to having the powers of a king, but he got killed before he could become one. He is very arrogant throughout the story while he is still alive. He is pretty stubborn while being p retty manipulative Just like almost every character in the play. I don't feel like he will be a good king just because of his arrogance. He also had his good qualities like being a military astermind.Caesar shows us his arrogance throughout the play. For example in Act 1 Scene 2 he says â€Å"Such men as he be never at heart's ease Whiles they behold a greater than themselves, and therefore are they very dangerous. I rather tell thee what is to be fear'd than what I fear, for always I am Caesar† . In this quote we can see that is Caesar unashamed of how arrogant he is being. This arrogance would cause him to do other errors like he did later in the story like igno ring his wife's dreamHe was great ruler because he led Rome in the right direction, but by doing so, in the process he was an arrogant and selfish ruler. He was great for Rome as a ruler but not for the people. Just like Brutus said in Act 2 Scene 1 â€Å"And therefore think him as a serpent's egg which, natch'd, would, as his kind, grow mischievous, and ill shell. † Here Brutus is comparing Caesar to a â€Å"Serpent's Egg† that is should be destroyed before it hatches and becomes dangerous if he becomes king.They are not afraid of him ecause he is a tyrant but will become one if he becomes the king of Rome. In the book Julius Caesar manipulation seems like a varsity sport. In Act 2 Scene 1 Caesar really deceives the Romans. He is putting a show and refusing that he doesn't want the crown, even though he would secretly love it deep inside. He thinks that refusal to the crown in front of the public is a smart political tactic to get people to love him and think he less ambitious or for lack of better word desperate.This is also a form of reverse hycology as Caesar is using it to make the crowd like him and even consider making him king as he is not greedy and hungry for it. In conclusion Caesar would be a great king for Rome but not for the Romans. He is a genius in warfare but is very arrogant which cost him his life. If he was king his arrogance would definitely be his downfall. And the romans would find out that he was manipulating them, it was Just a matter of time. He would be a very good war chief of be a ruler with Pompey but not a king all by himself.

Obesity Is Not a Personal Problem

Obesity is Not a Personal Problem As the obesity wave crashes over the United States, more Americans are paying out of pocket to flourish the $33 billion commercial diet industry (Spake 283). As American’s waistbands continue to expand, they immerse themselves in one of the largest, most scandalous consumer markets: the weight loss industry. Amanda Spake, author of â€Å"Rethinking Weight†, addresses the question as to who should cover the overall cost of weight loss programs. Spake challenges that insurance companies should pay for the expenses that obese people encounter. This, she states, is due to the fact that obesity is a biological â€Å"disease† and it should be treated and paid for like any other critical illness (283). In this article, Spake does not present the importance of physical activity, only discussing unsuccessful dieting experiences and bad genetic makeup. Although Spake briefly suggests that exercising is an advantage to those who are obese, she puts the solitary blame for obesity on the genetic aspect. From 1986 to 2000, the number of people who are severely obese–which is identified by having a body mass index of 40 or more–has quadrupled, from about 1 in 200 adults to 1 in every 50. This startling statistic has caused more people to be aware of this rising occurrence that has swept over the United States. Obesity has medical professionals worrying; not only are the numbers of overweight people continuing to rise but weight-related medical costs are soaring. Healthcare costs for illnesses due to obesity have now exceeded those related to both smoking and alcoholism. The obesity epidemic is a big contributor to skyrocketing health care costs in the United States, partly due to the weight-related diseases that come hand-in-hand with obesity. Ailments such as type II diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and high cholesterol are closely connected to obesity and an alarming 80 percent of obese adults suffer from one of these life-threatening diseases (Spake 283). Many research foundations are now connecting obesity to a person’s genetic makeup, calling it a biological development that an individual cannot control. Spake suggests that insurance companies should cover the costs of obesity as it is a genetically and biologically determined disease thus the individual does not have the ability to lose weight on their own. As a result, researchers suggest that including the treatment of obesity in health care plans might bring science and sanity to the anarchy of weight loss (Spake 286). Many researchers do not identify obesity as a disease in fear that unhealthy weight-loss programs will someday be considered acceptable treatment and ultimately mandated to be covered by insurance. Although Spake validates her assertions by backing up her words with credible opinions and statistics, she weakens her argument by not addressing the importance of physical activity. Maria Pfisterer is an obese mother who Spake claims has tried every weight-loss strategy imaginable. However, nowhere does it say that in addition to the drugs and â€Å"quick-weight-loss fads† Pfisterer had attempted to include an exercise regime. She claimed that all of the programs she tried resulted in a few pounds lost and quite a few more gained; always returning to the same 197 to 202 pound range. Being overweight is the result of one thing: eating more food than one burns (Spake 285). Nowhere in the article does Spake suggest that physical activity is a effective, healthy and inexpensive way to lose weight, choosing to put forth the idea that weight loss comes only from high-priced dieting programs. In her article, Spake claims that genetics are the sole factor for obesity in America. There are many other factors mentioned in the article that play into someone’s weight including the food they eat, their level of physical activity, and societal factors such as advertising. Also, Spake quotes Arthur Frank, director of George Washington University’s Weight Management Program, â€Å"So saying to an obese person who wants to lose weight, ‘All you have to do is eat less,’ is like saying to a person suffering from asthma, ‘All you have to do is breathe better’† (284). Obesity and asthma are two very different things therefore should not be compared. An individual who is overweight can take control of their weight-gain by taking more personal responsibility and making healthier choices. However, asthma is an inflammatory disorder that can strike at any time which causes an individual to wheeze or gasp for air where an individual cannot control its effects. Not everyone agrees that obesity should be considered a disease, some stating that the obesity epidemic can be overturned by individuals taking more personal accountability for their wellbeing and opting to make healthier lifestyle choices (Spake 283). In an alarmed attempt to make readers believe that obesity should be considered a disease and insurance companies should cover the cost of the individual’s expenses, Spake fails to provide enough evidence to support her claim. She maintains that overweight people have a genetic flaw that causes them to be susceptible to weight gain. Physical exercise, which is seldom mentioned in Spake’s article, is an important weight loss tool that helps to burn the extra calories an individual’s body does not burn on its own. Spake portrays a defective argument that invalidates her main purpose. People with health insurance should look to see what is covered and seek healthier, less-expensive alternatives to fix the things that are not included. Regardless of what â€Å"Rethinking Weight† suggests, overweight individuals have an equal opportunity to replace their existing lifestyle with healthier habits. Works Cited Spake, Amanda. â€Å"Rethinking Wight. † Writing and Reading for ACP Composition. Eds. Thomas E. Leahey and Christine R. Farris. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2009. 282-88. Print.