Zircon, Zirconia, Zirconium Minerals

Zircon may seem a bit drab next to those infomercials for cheap cubic zirconia jewelry. The zirconium minerals are a serious bunch. Zircon Zircon makes a nice gem but its out of favor these days. Zircon—zirconium silicate or ZrSiO4—is a hard stone, ranking 7 ½ on the Mohs scale, but other stones are harder and its colors arent unique. Tradition has a slim dossier on zircon; one site says that it was reputed to aid sleep, bring prosperity, and promote honor and wisdom, but hey, just having the money to own jewels is good for that. It does have some minor mineralogical distinctions. Its the only gem in the tetragonal crystal class, for what that is worth. And its the densest of the major gemstones, but that means a zircon of a given carat weight is smaller than any other gem of equal weight. Maybe zircon can gain more respect if we look at its value to geologists. Zircon grains occur almost everywhere there are sediments because the mineral is so tough. It rises through the crust in igneous rocks and is eroded into the stream system, washed out to sea, and laid down in the sediment beds where it becomes part of the next cycle of sandstone and shale—totally unaffected! Zircon is the ultimate geological recyclable; it can even endure metamorphism. That makes it a great indicator mineral. If you find it in granite in one place, and in a sandstone somewhere else, you have learned something about the geologic history and geographic setting that brought the zircons from the first to the second place. The other thing about zircon is its impurities, especially uranium. The uranium-lead (U-Pb) system of dating rocks has been refined to great accuracy, and U-Pb zircon dating is now a precise tool for rocks as old as Earth itself, some 4.6 billion years. Zircon is good for this because it holds these elements tightly. Zircon is usually pronounced ZURKn, although you also hear ZUR-KON. Zirconia/Baddeleyite Cubic zirconia or CZ is known as a fake diamond, but I think it should instead be considered a superior zircon. CZ is a manufactured oxide compound, ZrO2, not a silicate, and zirconia is a chemical name, not a mineral name. There is a naturally occurring form of zirconia, called baddeleyite. The difference between baddeleyite and CZ is the way the zirconium and oxygen atoms are packed: the mineral is a monoclinic  crystal and the gem is cubic (isometric), the same crystal structure as diamond. That makes CZ extremely hard—only diamond, sapphire, and chrysoberyl can scratch it. The United States stockpiles over 14,000 tonnes of baddeleyite for its zirconium content. Like zircon, it is useful for dating extremely old rocks, though unlike zircon its use is limited to igneous rocks. Baddeleyite is pronounced ba-DELLY-ite by most geologists, but those who know better pronounce it BAD-ly-ite. Zirconolite Zirconolite, CaZrTi2O7, is neither a silicate nor an oxide but rather a titanate. In 2004 it was reported to be even better for dating old rocks than zircon, yielding data as precise as the SHRIMP (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe) instrument allows. Zirconolite, though rare, may be widespread in igneous rocks but not recognized because it resembles rutile. The way to identify it for sure is by using specialized electron microscopy techniques on the tiny grains before deploying the SHRIMP on them. But these techniques can derive a date from a grain only 10 microns wide. Zirconolite is pronounced zir-CONE-alite. The Geologists Gem To get an idea of what people can do with zircons, consider what researcher Larry Heaman did, as reported in the April 1997 Geology. Heaman extracted zircon (and baddeleyite) from a set of ancient Canadian dikes, getting less than a milligram from 49 kilograms of rock. From these specks, less than 40 microns long, he derived a U-Pb age for the dike swarm of 2.4458 billion years (plus or minus a couple million), just after the close of the Archean Eon in earliest Proterozoic time. From that evidence he reassembled two big chunks of ancient North America, tucking the Wyoming terrane underneath the Superior terrane, then joined them to Karelia, the terrane underlying Finland and adjacent Russia. He called his results evidence of the worlds earliest episode of flood-basalt volcanism or Large Igneous Province (LIP). Heaman capped himself by speculating that the first LIP could reflect either (1) the waning of a vigorous mantle convection regime that prevailed during the Archean and completely dissipated mantle plumes for more than half of Earths history, or (2) the time of catastrophic collapse of a stable density stratification in the Earths core that led to a sudden increase in heat flux at the core-mantle boundary. This is a lot to get out of a few tiny bits of zircon and baddeleyite. PS: The oldest object on Earth is a grain of zircon thats nearly 4.4 billion years old. Its the only thing we have from deep in the earliest Archean, and it provides evidence that even at that time, Earth had liquid water on it.

Music is Essential to a Complete Education - 1398 Words

Education is the foundation that our entire society is built on. Without education, society could not grow and prosper. Without education, we wouldnt have things like electricity, plumbing, or any other common amenities that is present in our society today. Education is important to not only the children receiving it, but to their parents and members of the community as a whole. Education is offered to many in U.S. thanks to public education, and laws that say children must be in school until they are six-teen. Education incorporates not only the four main subjects people usually know, which are science and math, english, and social studies, but music education as well. Music Education is important to children because of the positive†¦show more content†¦(â€Å"Why Teach Music). The fact that music incorporates all these different subject areas is just one reason why it helps in other subjects. Music affects children in many ways. Children who study music have a larger vocabulary and better reading skills than students who do not study music. This helps them improve their essay writing, which is an important skill to have in high school and college. Studying music also helps the brain comprehend speech when there is noise or other distractions going on. This means that there is an even greater benefit to music education for kids with learning disabilities or children who lose focus easily. Music education also affects the way a persons brain comprehends the human language. This allows students to have an easier time learning a second language, which is now a very important skill to have when applying for jobs. Another benefit is that students who study music have a higher level of self-esteem, and are therefore more confident around others and more willing t o express themselves personality wise and they are more willing to express ideas they have. They are also then more willing to work as a team. Schools with music programs have, about, a twenty-seven percent higher graduation rate and a nine percent attendance rate than schools without a music program (11 Facts about Music). There is no exact age that is best to start learning a musical instrument. There are many stories of musicians, like violinistShow MoreRelated Evaluation of Books on String Theory1183 Words   |  5 Pagesand â€Å" Essential Elements for strings,† revealed three very different approaches to learning. The influence of time is greatly noticeable in comparing and contrasting these three approaches. â€Å"Essential Elements for Strings† was published in 1994 and the other two books in the 1960’s. After many years of studying education the approach to teaching students how to play an instrument has greatly improved. The increased knowledge in educational psychology is evident through comparing â€Å"Essential ElementsRead More The Importance of Arts Education Essay1498 Words   |  6 PagesThe Importance of Arts Education Jane Alexander, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), once said, â€Å"Many children are missing out on something which gives their education context, gives their lives depth and meaning, and prepares them to be the future workforce.† This â€Å"something† that she spoke of is music and art education. Unfortunately, she is entirely correct. We are currently seeing in our country a dramatic cut in arts education curriculum in our public schoolsRead MoreDo It For The Kids! 747 Words   |  3 Pagesbanana cinnamon waffles. The students have already placed their book bags in their assigned cubbies and are ready to begin the morning workout routine. Although Georgia public school teachers are capable of making an low salary, early childhood education is an enjoyable field and young people in search of a career should consider elementary school teachers because of job benefits, and an influential role in children’s academic and social d evelopment. A job is highly enjoyable when it is benefitedRead MorePlato s Theory Of Knowledge1413 Words   |  6 Pages Plato attempts to explain through several images of speech and conceptual examples the essence of what is and what is not true knowledge. Plato’s model of education is reflective of his belief that the purpose of education is to point towards knowledge of the form of the good and the formation of a good soul. How is knowledge achieved? Music and gymnastics in the process of working towards positive formation of the soul Why it is important: -Plato’s theory of forms-things that are in perfect andRead MoreHigh School And The Neural And Scholastic Benefits Essay1298 Words   |  6 PagesFord said, â€Å"Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.† Music can do much more than just affect the morals of young adolescents. It has often been debated whether the benefits of music in school are significant enough to encourage continued participation in music during highRead MoreEssay on Fine Arts Education Issues1541 Words   |  7 PagesFine Arts Education Issues According to the National Art Education Association’s goals for schools, â€Å"all elementary schools shall require students to complete a sequential program of art instruction that integrates the study of art production, aesthetics, art criticism, and art history,† (Clark, 1987). Elementary schools are having difficulty because they are cutting back on the fine arts programming and many non-specialist classroom teachers are expected to integrate the fine arts into theirRead MoreHigh School And The Neural And Scholastic Benefits Essay1626 Words   |  7 PagesGerald Ford said, â€Å"Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them a world of work, culture, intellectual activity, and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.† Music can do so much for the youth of the nation because it encourages group cooperation, independent study, and a way to relax. It has often been debated whether the benefits of music in school are significantRead MoreThe Music Of Jazz And Commercial Music872 Words   |  4 PagesDescription This ensemble is comprised of an auditioned group of 7th and 8th graders who have had at least one complete year of musical instruction. In this ensemble, the students will be exposed to different styles of the American musical art form of jazz which would include but not be limited to: swing, bebop, ballads, Latin/Afro-Cuban, and Commercial (Rock). The big band will rehearse and perform pieces and arrangements of the preceding styles as well as work on introductory jazz improvisatoryRead MoreMy Computer Is An Essential Tool For Course Assignments991 Words   |  4 Pagesstaple in American lives. As a college student, my computer is an essential tool for course assignments and communication with professors, peers, and loved ones. Considering I am a college student, I am constantly stressing over class assignments, financial situations, and personal issues. My computer is an outlet for stress that has access to games, movies, and music. As a college student, I am always looking for an easy way to complete tasks such as cooking, cleaning, and working out. My computer allowsRead MoreBenefits of Movement Education1359 Words   |  6 Pages Movement Education is a very instrumental tool in physical education today. Movement Education was founded by Rudolf von Laban in the early 1900s. Movement Education is a form of teaching which aims to educate and aid in the development of students’ motor skills through physical movement. There are many benefits regarding Movement Education, Dr. Karen Weiller Abels stated, â€Å"Children in movement education programs do much more than merely learn skills; they learn to apply movement elements and

Case Study Analysis for Hector Gaming Company free essay sample

Coupled with their success rate in their market niche, they were able to raise a large amount of capital through a stock transaction with an investment bank. Because of their growth and cash position, the top managers of HGC worked with a consulting firm to develop a strategic plan of action. The founder, Sally Peters, is considered to be one of the up and rising entrepreneurs. Her management skills have been able to get all the stakeholders to commit to having an organization dedicated to being innovative and growing inside and out. As well, there is a consensus between the managers on the path that the company should be on in the short and long term. (Larson, amp; Gray, 2011). Issues/Problems Identification: There are two main problems that are discussed 1) there does not exist a plan of action on how to achieve the short and long term goals upon which the managers have agreed, 2) the lack of control that the Founder/President really has over the company and achieving the goals, 3) lack of project’s priority and 4) keeping the competition from taking away key personnel that will help them enter into HGC market (Larson, amp; Gray, 2011). Analysis/Evaluation: The problem is that the Founder/President and the top management worked on strategy; however, they did not address the following: 1) identifying the project management structure, 2) defining the organization’s culture, 3) creating a responsibility matrix and 4) providing a communication requirement matrix to keep everyone on track and unified (Futrell, Shafer, and Safer, 2002). Recommendation: The Plan of Action that I would provide to Peters and her team is as follows: I. Create the Project Management Structure. Below is the Projectized Organization Structure that I would present to Peters for HGC. It would be based on separating the project management between the new product development and existing projects within their own units reporting directly to Peters. This will allow her to manage the development of new products and prevent everyone from creating their own. As well, the project management will be based on having a balanced matrix approach where the project manager has responsibility over defining what needs to be done; however, the functional manager controls how it is done. II. Define the Organizational Culture . The next step of the plan is to help HGC define its culture by the following aspects: i. Sense of identity- HGC’s market niche is young children. Therefore, the entire company needs to focus on products that will provide success in this arena. Any other focus would take away from the organization’s success ii. Legitimize the management system- While HGC is c ommitted to being an innovative company with knowledge sharing, the members must understand that the development of projects and the maintaining of existing projects are handled by those positions specifically. ii. Clarify and reinforce standards of behavior- the behavior of HGC needs to be reinforced as one that operate on everyone during one’s role, so that the clients are happy and the budgets are met (Larson, amp; Gray, 2011). III. Create a Responsibility Matrix b. The third step of the plan is to create a responsibility Matrix for HGC, so that each party clearly understands what each one is responsible for accomplishing (Larson, amp; Gray, 2011). Deliverables| Design| Development| Documentation| Testing| Purchasing| Quality Assurance| Manufacturing| Software Design| 1| 2| | 2| | 3| 3| Operating system documentation| 2| 2| 1| | | | 3| Prototypes| 5| 1| 4| 3| 3| 3| 4| Integrated acceptance test| 5| 2| 2| 1| | 5| 5| 1 Responsible2 Support3 Consult4 Notification5 Approval| IV. Create a Communication Requirements Matrix c. The last step of the Plan of Action is to assist HGC in creating a communication requirements matrix. This is a vital part of removing the problem of conflict within HGC and internal fighting over projects. This document will help define the process and procedures involved with communicating project information throughout the company. The plan will be the link between the process of managing the project information and distributing the information to the appropriate stakeholders in a timely manner. It will not communicate the actual project information itself; it only generates the procedures for the project manager or team members a) to follow, b) to gather and c) to create the project information ( Wiley Publishing, Inc. , 2008). Team Member| Project Manager| Stakeholder(Internal/Core)| Stakeholder(External)| President| Medium| Project Manager| | Communicates status weekly and participates in monthly stakeholder meeting| | Communicates status weekly and participates in monthly stakeholder meeting| Electronic| Stakeholder(Internal)| Feedback, issues/concerns| | | | Verbal| Stakeholder (External)| Issues/Concerns| Feedback, issues, concerns| | | Document and verbal| President| Issues/Concerns| | | | Document| References Futrell R T Shafer D F Safer L I 2002 Quality software project managementFutrell, R. T. Shafer, D. F. , amp; Safer, L. I. (2002). Quality software project management. Upper Saddle River, NY: Prentice Hall. 201305271727431378524065 Larson,, E. W. , amp; Gray, C. F. (2011). Project management: The managerial process. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Meredith, J. R. , amp; Mantel, Jr. , S. J. (2011). Project management: A managerial approach, 8th edition. Jefferson City: John Wiley amp; Sons. Richm an, L. L. (1955). Improving your project management skills. New York: AMACOM. Wiley Publishing, Inc. (2008). Project management communications bible. Indianapolis: Wiley Publishing, Inc.

Southwestern University free essay sample

Expenses (MOE) will be gradually phased out as announced by ACHED Manila. A provision of R. A. 292 of Section 4 states that any income generated by the University or College aside from tuition fees and other charges, as well as from the operation of auxiliary services and land grants, shall be retained by he university or college, and may be disbursed by the Board of Regents/Trustees for instruction, research, extension, or other programs/projects (Novo, 2000) Surging del Sure State University (STUDS) being a venue for convenient training session in different fields like agriculture, vocational and fishery, professional education, information technology, research and other trade crafts, SIP would enable the faculty and staff of SUCH with working abilities to become productive members of the school as well as, the students to earn while learning (Unified Manual of Operation for SIP of CAPS, 2008). What then are income generating projects? Income generating projects or SIP is a program that aims to optimize and promote the use of the schools under/untilled resources by assisting technically and financially viable income-generating activities in order to support and further enhance its primary function of serving quality education to its students. We will write a custom essay sample on Southwestern University or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page In short, the primary reasons for the establishment of SIP in SUCH are summarized as follows: Strengthen instruction, research and extension tensions to S s SIP provide facilities and technologies necessary for the hands-on projects serve as silent legman of the SUCH and powerful tools in disseminating technologies. Generate additional income for the school to enable flexibility in financial management and attain fiscal autonomy. Provide venues for faculty and staff members to hone their business acumen and augment their income. Provide model projects that students may replicate after graduation. Serve as vital contribution of SUCH to countryside development through the production of quality planting materials and other products accessible to low-income families. Provide the institution the opportunity to maximize the utilization of its human and non-human resources (Unified Manual of operation for of caps, 2008). This study came very timely when CAPS has Just created a new organizational structure involving the office of the Auxiliary Services in which the in-charge is given the task to plan and to implement income generating projects which is believed to be a potent factor of helping the school augment its limited income. It has been four (4) years since SIP has been personalized at CAPS. It is within this context that the researcher thought of conducting a study on the business operations of the income generating project where it focused on the personnel management, reduction management, financial management and marketing management in order to assess whether the business operations meet the target expected from them and/or if they did not, necessary changes and project modifications may be implemented to improve their operation. The result of this study is hoped to establish intervention program for the operations. On the basis of the findings, recommendations will be offered. Statement of the problem This study assessed the business operation of Income Generating Projects of Surging del Sure State University. Findings shall serve as basis in formulating intervention scheme. 1. What is the business profile of Income Generating Projects as to: 1. 1 type of business; 1. 2 capitalization; 1. 3 number of years of existence; 1. 4 location? 2. What is the level of assessm ent of the business operations of SIP in terms of: 2. 1 personnel management; 2. Production management; 2. 3 financial management; 2. 4 marketing management? 3. What are the problems encountered along the business operation of the SIP? 4. Is there a significant difference in the business operation of the Gasp with respect to the business profile? 5. Is there a significant difference on the problems encountered in the business operation of the Gasp with respect to profile variables? 6. Based on the result, what intervention program may be proposed? Significance to the Study The findings of this study would be significant to the business operations of income-generating projects particularly in Surging del Sure State University. The pattern that could be established as a result of this study would also be useful in pre-determining the possible problems that would be encountered in the course of operating similar organizational setups. II. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY The study used a descriptive design employing survey technique. This was deemed appropriate because the study described and analyzed existing conditions and the operations that were going on. Specifically, the study focused on the business operation of income generating projects in terms of personnel management, production management, financial management and marketing management. Instruments Used The researcher of the study used a validated researcher-made questionnaire as the main tool of the investigation. The questionnaire asked for the assessment of the business operation of SIP in terms of personnel management, production management, financial management and marketing management. These also contained questions on the problems commonly encountered in the operation as far as the stated variables are concerned. Validation of the instrument was done by presenting it to the expert on questionnaire construction. The corrections were reflected in the questionnaires before the administration of the instrument. The instrument was refined by the author-researchers in which each question corresponds to the following scales: Scale Parameter Verbal Quantitative Interpretation Description 4 3 2. 60 3. 39 High Often 2 1 . 80 2. 59 LOW occasional 1 1. 00- 1. 79 very low seldom 3. 40 4. 00 Very High Always