Billy Queen Essay Example for Free

Billy Queen Essay â€Å"Under and Alone† by Billy Queen is an interesting and illustrative book that tries to provide an in-depth analysis of an undercover life. The underlying theme of this book is to illustrate the difficulties of the personnel of law enforcement agencies and how they put their life in dangers for the betterment of the society. The ultimate purpose of this book to realize people of the sacrifices that law-enforcement make to keep them secure. Bill queen narrates the moral, social and ethical dilemmas and other related pathos of an undercover agent. He further points out how an undercover agent had to change his identity to achieve his goals and this identity change sometime changes the psychological patterns and habitual formations of the agent and he starts thinking to resemble himself with outlaw personalities and phenomenon. Billy Queen is one such agent who after military service in Veitnam joins the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. He serves in various undercover positions in his career that spans over sixteen years but his entry into the South Californian chapter of the famous American gang Mongols (he calls them as â€Å"a tight-knit collective of crazies, unpredictable and unrepentant badasses) is the most prominent and dangerous part of his life. Mongols is a larger group with twenty chapters all across America with a headcount of 350 indulged in various activities such as murders, drug and arms trafficking, stealing motorcycles etc. in several states. The book does not look into the activities of the Mongol gang only but also provides an insight into the motives of such activities. Billy Queen discloses the fact that the motives for the formation of the gang was not looting and plundering but it was formed by the veterans of WWII who after the end of war was hankering after a life of adventures that could inflate a war lifestyle. Another important aspect of the book is that it presents the psychological conflict in the personality of undercover agents as they have to indulge in activities that they abhor and fight against in their real life. Billy Queen suffers from the same ambivalent personality as he has to perform evil act to win the confidence of the gang. Manifestation of this wickedness and fulfilling the demands of the gang blurs his own identity and changes his thinking and he starts considering himself as Billy St. John. Hew describes that he participated in gang activities life purchasing and selling narcotics, doing arms trafficking etc. but avoided such activities like rape, murder and dope taking at all costs. These activities form the main plot of the story but the most intense and interesting episodes of the story are related to Billy’s effort to thwart the pernicious activities. Billy’s style is intense as his humanity was at stake. The crux of the matter is that he never sacrificed duty at the altar of any hurdles, even his humanity. The duration of Billy’s activities as a undercover agent (almost 28 months) is an important factor that make us realizes the height of Billy’s contribution as he was totally cut off from all the social ties i. e. family, friends, colleagues etc. But he provides another facet of the story that the grave criminal activities, they (members of Mongol) use to share a genuine camaraderie and during his prolonged undercover, he use to enjoy the love and carte of gangsters. He says in this regard that â€Å"I had no doubt these guys genuinely loved Billy St. John and would have laid down their lives for him. But they wouldnt hesitate to murder Billy Queen. † But he succeeds in escaping from this tough life and with an accomplished mission as finally he triumphs in collecting evidence that dispatched eighteen Mongols to federal prison.

Mechanisms of Adsorption of Aormatic Nitrogen Compounds

Mechanisms of Adsorption of Aormatic Nitrogen Compounds MECHANISMS OF ADSORPTION OF AORMATIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS AND AROMATIC COMPOUNDS ON METAL-ORGANIC FRAMEWORKS (MOFs) by JUN DAI Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) constitute a class of novel porous materials which have attracted significant interest due to their application in separation, storage, catalyst and sensing. Large surface area and porous cavity make MOFs excellent absorbents with huge uptake capacity. In this paper, we studied adsorption mechanisms of adsorption of indole and naphthalene on Basolite F300, Basolite A100 and MIL-100 (Fe) by two complementary spectroscopic methods. Fluorescence spectroscopy and near-UV/Visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy study demonstrate that naphthalene is quantum confined within the mesoporous cavity in F300. On the other hand, indole is weakly electronically bound to Fe (III) CUS in F300 and forms adsorption complex with F300. Direct spectroscopic proof of adsorption complex is provided by near-UV/Visible spectroscopy and fluorescence spectroscopy. Quenching of ligand-based fluorescence of A100 by indole is suggested and we propose adsorption of indole and napht halene onto A100 via Ï€-Ï€ interaction, spectroscopic proof is provided by fluorescence spectroscopy.   Table of Contents Title Abstract Acknowledgements and Dedication Table of Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) 1.2 Clean Fossil Fuels 1.3 Nitrogen Aromatic Compounds in Fossil fuels 1.4 Aromatic Compounds in Fossil Fuels 1.5 Methods of Denitrogenation 1.5.1 Microbial Denitrogenation 1.5.2 Hydrodenigrogenation (HDN) 1.5.3 Adsorptive Denitrogenation (ADN) 1.6 Activation of Open Metal Sites of Metal-Organic Frameworks 1.7 Adsorption of Aromatic Compounds and Aromatic N-heterocyclic Compounds on mesoporous MOFs with CUS: MIL-100 (Fe) and F300 1.8 Adsorption of Aromatic Compounds and Aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds on microporous MOFs without CUS: MIL-53 and A100 1.9 Research Objective 2 Experimental 2.1 Metal Organic Frameworks 2.2 Solvents, Aromatic compounds and N-containing compounds 2.3 Activation and Hydration of Metal-organic frameworks 2.4 Fluorescence Spectroscopy 2.5 Near UV-Vis Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (near UV-Vis DRS) 2.6 Model Fuels 2.7 Solid Mixture of Aromatic and Aromatic N-hetrocyclic compounds with MOFs 2.8 Stoichiometric adsorption complex of F300 and naphthalene in eicosane matrix 2.9 Kinetic adsorption of liquid indole on Basolite F300 (FeBTC) in liquid phase 2.10 Stoichiometric adsorption complexes of indole/naphthalene with MOFs 2.11 UV radiation 3 Results 3.1 Spectroscopic Studies of adsorption of naphthalene and indole on mesoporous F300 and MIL-100 (Fe) with CUS 3.1.1 Solid Mixtures of MOFs and organic aromatic compounds 3.1.2 Fluorescence spectrum of pure naphthalene List of Figures Figure 1: Structure of MIL-100 (Fe) (see as S1 in supplementary) Figure 2: Structure of MIL-53 (Al) (see as S2 in supplementary) Figure 3: Common nitrogen compounds existing in fossil fuels Figure 4: Pathways for the transformation of quinoline Figure 5: Fluorescence spectrum of (A) 0.08 M liquid solution of naphthalene (NAP) in n-heptane, ÃŽ »exc = 280 nm, bandwidth: Exc. Slit 5 nm/Emi. Slit 5nm. (B) 0.08 M liquid solution of NAP in n-heptane with multi-Gaussian curve fitting Figure 6: Fluorescence spectrum of (A) pure naphthalene (NAP) ÃŽ »exc = 280 nm, bandwidth: Exc. Slit 5 nm/Emi. Slit 5nm (B) pure NAP with multi-Gaussian curve fitting List of Tables Table 1: MOFs used in this research and structure information Table 2: Physical property of common nitrogen aromatic compounds existing in fossil fuels 1 Introduction 1.1 Metal Organic Frameworks (MOFs) Porous materials are well studied and widely used in science and engineering industry. Recently, a novel kind of porous material ‘Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs)’ has emerged as potential competitor. MOFs are crystalline hybrid inorganic-organic porous solid formed by chemical metal-linker bounding1. Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) constitute a class of novel porous materials which have attracted significant interest due to their application in separation, storage, catalyst and sensing. The use of MOF as stationary phase in high resolution GC separation of aromatic hydrocarbons has also gained significant attention2. In comparison with adsorption on the MOFs in gas phase which has been well studied and understood, adsorption on the MOFs in liquid phase is much less known. MOFs have extremely large surface area and porous cavity, which make them excellent adsorbents with huge uptake capacity. As a class of coordination compound repeated by metal or metal clusters as SBUs (second building units) and organic linkers, the cavity ranged between that of Zeolite and mesoporous silica3. Regarding the structures, variety of MOFs can display either 2 dimensional or 3 dimensional structures depend on different organic linkers. It is also indicated by J. R. Karra and K. S. Walton that the relation between pore size and guest molecule size plays an essential role in the adsorption4. The MOFs being investigated in this research are mesoporous and microporous MOFs. For mesoporous MOFs the pore size can vary from 2 nm to 50 nm, while for microporous MOFs the pore size is less than 2nm. Pore size can be a key in adsorption on MOFs due to micropore filling mechanism2, which suggests adsorption capacity depends on molecular cross-sectional area rather than minimum diameter. MOFs are structurally stable under ambient environment. It is reported by many authors that MOFs remain stable under increased temperature and under oxygen. In this research, our investigation mos tly focuses on several common MOFS, and their commercial names are Basolite C300, Basolite F300, Basolite A100 and MIL-100 (Fe) (MIL=Materials of Institute Lavoisier). All Basolite C300, Basolite F300 and Basolite A100 are bought commercially, and MIL-100 (Fe) is made with the collaboration of Dr. Jing Li from Rutgers – New Brunswick. Table 1 shows the basic physical information of the MOFs used in this research. Table 1: MOFs used in this research and structure information MOFs/formula Surface area/m2g-1 Pore dimension/Ã… Pore dimension Ref. BET Basolite F300 1300~1600 21.7 3D Sigma-Aldrich,5 Basolite A100 1100~1500 7.37.7 1D Sigma-Aldrich, MIL-100 (Fe) 2200 25, 29 3D 5 MIL-100 family MIL-100(M) (M=Cr, Fe, Al) refers to a family of mesoporous Metal-Organic Frameworks built up from metal clusters and benzene-1, 3, 5-tricarboxylic (BTC) linkers. These MOFs possess large surface area and have recently attracted tremendous attention for applications in adsorption and separation due to the coordinated unsaturated sites (CUS) which can provide chance for Lewis acid-base interaction between guest molecules and metal ions or metal clusters. In Metal-organic frameworks, metal sites (SBUs) are coordinated with organic linkers. Open metal sites (CUS) may be available on these SBUs. CUS are very important in gas storage, separation, sensing, catalysts, and even biological systems6. Considerable amount of research on the adsorption of small molecules have been done recently. Evidence has shown open metal sites have essential influence on adsorption property in MOFs. It is reported that open Cu2+ metal sites in HKUST-1 contribute significantly to the high acetylene storage capa city7. Moreover, MOFs with CUS such as HKUST-1 are used in chromatography separation due to its specific feature to distinguish strongly and weakly electron donating analytes8. In additional, MIL-100 (Fe3+, Cr3+, Al3+) has been shown to have strong preference to adsorb N-heterocyclic compounds (Lewis base) in mixtures910. Hence, open metal sites can be potential Lewis acid sites, the possible interactions between guest molecules and open metal sites will be examined and discussed in this paper. In our research, MIL-100 (Fe) will be used to investigate the adsorption mechanisms between guest molecules such as indole or naphthalene and sorbent MOFs. Besides MIL-100, there is a commercially made MOF named Basolite F300, which has a similar chemical composition. Both Basolite F300 and MIL-100 (Fe) are built up by Iron and BTC linkers. However, due to the poor crystallinity, the actual structure of F300 is still not known at this time. Difference in iron content and carbon content in F300 and MIL-100 (Fe) is shown by D. Amarajothi and his co-workers5. The iron mass content in F300 and MIL-100 (Fe) are respectively 25% and 21%. The carbon mass content in F300 and MIL-100 (Fe) are respectively 32% and 29%. Pore dimension in F300 and MIL-100 (Fe) are respectively 21.7 Ã… and 25/29 Ã…. Structure of MIL-100 (Fe) is shown below: Figure 1: Structure of MIL-100 (Fe) (see as S1 in supplementary) MIL-53 family There are many types of MOFs that undergo hydrolysis, while there are other MOFs that remain stable within water. Water stable MOFs start to showing potential applications in drug delivery and imaging11. Many MOFs containing Al as metal sites and amino acids as organic linkers are stable in aqueous solution, and it is also possible to synthesize them in aqueous environment12. MIL-53(M) (M= metal as Al13, Cr14, Fe15, In16, Sc17) is a common family of microporous MOFs and has excellent water stability. Figure 2: Structure of MIL-53 (Al) (see as S2 in supplementary) The one dimensional pore structure of MIL-53(Al) is built by chains of corner-sharing octahedra aluminum clusters AlO4(OH)2 and anion form of benzene-1,4-dicarboxylic acid (BDC) as organic linkers connecting infinite numbers of metal clusters. MIL-53 (Al) has rhombic channels which have dimension of 7.3 x 7.7 Ã…. A huge Langmuir surface area of 1600 m2/g makes MIL-53 (Al) an efficient adsorbent. MIL-53 (Al) has extraordinary thermal stability up to 773 K. It is believed that the structure of MIL-53 (Al) undergoes a reversible structural change during process of adsorbing/desorbing water molecules, and is described as ‘breathing’13. The so-called ‘breathing’ process interchanges between large-pore (lp) form (Al(OH)[O2C-C6H4-CO2]) and narrow-pore (np) form (Al(OH)[O2C-C6H4-CO2]H2O) 13. The lp form has a dimension of 8.5 x 8.5 Ã… and is obtained when activated upon high temperature and under high vacuum, which takes away excess free BDC acids, oxygen and water trapped in the cavity during synthesis. The lp form is capable of adsorbing water molecules in vapor at room temperature, as a result, the MIL-53 (Al) shifts to its’ np form. As shown in the formula, the np form contains one trapped water molecule every unit or cavity. Hydrogen bonds are found to form between carboxylic groups on the linkers and adsorbed water molecules. Due to this ‘breathing’ feature, applications on selective adsorption of various compounds in gas phase have already gained interest and being reported14. The np form of hydrated MIL-53 (Cr) is able to selectively adsorb CO2 in presence of CH4 in gas phase. Upon adsorption of CO2 but not CH4, MIL-53 (Cr) returns to its lp form with an increased cavity volume of 1522.5 Ã…3 from np volume of 1012.8 Ã…3. In our research, we used Basolite A100 MOF from the BASF, which is commercially available and is equivalent to MIL-53 (Al). Similarly, A100 is build up with AlO4(OH)2 octahedral clusters connecting by BDC linkers, and gives a surface area of 1084 m2/g and pore volume of 0.51 cm3/g as determined by N2 physical-adsorption at 77 K. Additionally, XRD pattern of A100 is proved to resemble that of MIL-53 (Al)18. G. Blanco-Brieva and his co-workers have studied adsorptive removal of aromatic sulfur compounds from model liquid fuels on thermally activated A10019. 1.2 Clean Fossil Fuels Combustion of sulfur and nitrogen containing compounds in fossil fuels will bring adverse effect to public health, environment and economy. It is widely recognized that nitrogen compounds are normally carcinogenic and mutagenic. Separation of heterocyclic compounds from petro-chemical feedstock has become an urgent application leading to clean liquid fossil fuels. Fossil fuel is a primary source of energy on the earth, the intensive use of fossil fuels has raised environmental concerns. Beginning in 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began an ambitious program aiming to reduce the sulfur content of diesel fuels. As of July 11, 2010, the EPA required that the concentration of sulfur content in diesel fuels not exceed 15 ppm20. For certain ultra-clean gasoline, diesel fuels and jet fuels, sulfur level needs to be lower than 1 ppm21. Hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of diesel fuel has become an essential research interest, while the presence of nitrogen compounds in middle-distil late oil inhibits the ultra-deep hydrodesulfurization22232425. In HDS, sulfur compounds are hydrogenated to hydrocarbons and H2S over catalyst such as Zeolites9. However, the nitrogen aromatic compounds in crude oil are found to compete for the active sites on these catalysts to inhibit a deep HDS26,27. This gives rise to the necessity for denitrogenation in fossil fuels. Moreover, the combustion of nitrogen compounds in petroleum leads to the formation of NOx oxides, which is a group of highly reactive and persistent species and contributes directly to acid rain and greenhouse effect. The life time of NOx oxides in atmosphere is 120 years before being removed or destroyed through chemical reactions. The impact of 1 pound of NO ­x on warming the atmosphere is over 300 times that of 1 pound of carbon dioxide. EPA first set standards for NO2 in 1971, setting both a primary standard (to protect health) and a secondary standard (to protect the public welfare) at 0.053 parts per million (53 ppb), averaged annually28. Also the presence of nitrogen aromatic compounds in fossil fuels can lead to poisoning of refining catalyst, which will eventually cause a decrease in yield. Thus, denitrogenation is necessary for deep desulfurization and has drawn significant interest around the world due to the increasingly rigid regulations and fuel specifications in many countries. 1.3 Nitrogen Aromatic Compounds in Fossil fuels Fossil fuels are naturally-formed fuel that contains significant level of heterocyclic aromatic contaminants. There are some representative sulfur aromatic compounds such as benzothiophene (BT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT), representative nitrogen aromatic compounds such as indole and quinoline. Nitrogen aromatic compounds content in crude oil averages around 0.3%. Although the concentration of nitrogen compounds in crude oil is relatively low, the concentration turns out to be higher throughout the petroleum distillation process. Common nitrogen aromatic compounds in fossil fuels are shown in Figure 1.129 and physical properties of nitrogen aromatic compounds investigated in this research is shown in Table 2. Nitrogen aromatic compounds in fossil fuels fall into two classes. One is non-basic nitrogen compounds including indole and pyrrole due to the fact that the extra pair of electrons on N is contributed to the Ï€ electron cloud and is not available for interaction with acids. While the other class is basic nitrogen compounds such as pyridine, quinoline and their derivatives, in which the lone pair of electrons on N is available as an electron donor. Indole is one of the most common nitrogen compounds in fossil fuels, and it has been broadly studied. And we choose indole in our research due to the fact that indole is a weakly basic N-containing compound, which means it has a potential of selective adsorption against aromatic compounds and desorption is possible and reasonably convenient. Figure 3: Common nitrogen compounds existing in fossil fuels Table 2: Physical property of common nitrogen aromatic compounds existing in fossil fuels Compounds Formula Melting Point, ÃÅ'Ã…  C Density, g/cm3 Dipole moment, D Acidity,pKa Maximum diameter, ÃÅ'Ã…  A Indole C8H7N 52~54 1.17 2.11 16.2 6.9 Quinoline C9H7N -15 1.093 0 4.85 7.2 Isoquinoline C9H7N 26~28 1.099 0 5.14 7.2 1.4 Aromatic Compounds in Fossil Fuels Fossil fuels contain significant amount of hydrocarbons, most of them are aromatic compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In this research we choose naphthalene as representative aromatic compounds, and in order to investigate the adsorption mechanism we use fluorescence spectroscopy and UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy to investigate electronic interactions upon adsorption onto MOFs. Naphthalene is the most simple and common aromatic compounds in PAHs. And naphthalene is commonly produced in petroleum refining and is then separated from the petroleum. Purification and separation of these aromatic rings is of interest in chemical industry. Naphthalene has a molecular length of 7.2 Ã… (largest diameter determined by ChemDraw 3D) and is non-polar. 1.5 Methods of Denitrogenation Microbial Denitrogenation Microbial process is an alternative pathway for denitrogenation. Microorganisms are known to consume natural organic compounds and convert them into carbons and energy, and they are capable of metabolizing certain molecules including nitrogen compounds from fossil fuels. The degradation of quinoline is well-characterized, and the transformation pathways are elucidated by M. Benedik et al29 (shown in Figure 1. 5). The degradation of isoquinoline is less understood but 1-oxo-1,2-dihydroisoquinoline is suggested as initial oxygenated product30. According to the finding of Claus, G, indole is readily degraded via catechol or transformed directly into tryptophan30, while carbazole is relatively more difficult to be degraded. One possible degradation pathway31 beginning with angular dioxygenation has been proposed by Ouchiyama, N., which finally enters TCA cycle after conversion to catechol or tryptophan32. Mechanisms for the degradation of other nitrogen compounds such as pyridine, quinol ine, acridine and their derivatives are reviewed in detail by J. Kaiser33. Recent research in microbial denitrogenation has revealed a promising future for application in selective removal of nitrogen- and sulfur-containing petroleum. However, as a major mechanism for the removal and metabolism of organic compounds from the environment, its’ characterization of the enzymes involving in the pathways is still under research29. And it has not been widely applied to the industry yet. Figure 4: Pathways for the transformation of quinoline Hydrodenigrogenation (HDN) Hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) is usually used to remove nitrogen compounds in fossil fuels during the refinery process, and Co-Mo catalyst is normally involved in the process. However, the HDS process is accomplished by reacting with hydrogen at high temperature and high pressure. It is energy-intensive, hazardous and costly. Thus, significant amount of researches have been done on HDN in order to reach a goal of being economic and environmentally friendly. Adsorptive Denitrogenation (ADN) Another promising way to selectively remove the nitrogen compounds in fossil fuels is adsorption on a porous material, Activated carbon34353637, Zeolites38, HCL-loaded silica-aluminas39, ion-exchange resins40, meso-silicas41,42, Ti-HMSs43, microporous carbon44, activated aluminas45, Ni-based adsorbents45, and NiMOs46 have been used for ADN. While recently the use of MOF adsorbents has gained significant interest in adsorption and separation of aromatic and heterocyclic compounds in liquid phase due to its’ high capacity, high selectivity, economic importance and most importantly energy saving 47. Moreover, MOFs can even be recycled and effectively reduce the cost. Adsorptive separation via â€Å"adsorptive denitrogenation (AND)† is preferred over industrial catalytic HDN10. Specifically, selective adsorption of N-heterocyclic compounds48 in presence of aromatic and aliphatic hydrocarbons in liquid phase49 is of interest, which is investigated in this research. 1.6 Activation of Open Metal Sites of Metal-Organic Frameworks Available CUS in MOFs is essential for the adsorption of Lewis basic compounds. Thus, to fully utilize the open metal sites in MOFs, activation is needed to evacuate the water molecules which are relatively weakly coordinated on these metals. Because MOFs are strongly adsorptive molecules, humidity can be crucial to the availability of open metal sites in MOFs. Specific treatment is necessary at certain temperature under vacuum in order to activate open metal sites. And protection of the sample against humidity is critical during experiments. Interestingly, it is discovered by K. Schlichte and his colleagues that upon activation the color of HKUST-1 would change from light cyan to dark navy50. This is confirmed by E. Borfecchia and his working group using UV-Vis, a red shift at LMCT edge and appearance of a shoulder in d-d band at around 600 nm in UV-Vis spectrum is observed and explained by the removal of water51. In addition to the activation of MOFs, partial reduction of MIL-100 (Fe) has been reported by H. Leclerc and his group52. Certain metal sites in MOF can be reduced, for example, Fe3+ in MIL-100 (Fe) can be reduced to Fe2+. According to their analysis of oxidation states via IR, outgassing at 423 K for 12 hour will give rise to a greater proportion of Fe2+ sites while minority of Fe3+ sites is reduced. However, outgassing at 523 K will result in that most Fe3+ sites are reduced. Fe3+ sites are more Lewis acidic sites than Fe2+, it is easier for Fe3+ to form coordination bond with nitrogen aromatics, which are good Lewis base. 1.7 Adsorption of Aromatic Compounds and Aromatic N-heterocyclic Compounds on mesoporous MOFs with CUS: MIL-100 (Fe) and F300 Although adsorption of small organic molecules on MOFs both in liquid phase and in vapor, such as toluene, benzene, xylene isomers2, etc., has been well studied in the recent years, to our knowledge the adsorption of fuse-ring aromatic hydrocarbons on MIL-100 in liquid phase has not been reported. M. Maes and his co-workers have reported adsorption of indole from heptane/toluene mixture solution on MIL-100 family9. Thus, mechanism of adsorption of aromatic compounds versus aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds on F300 has not been studied. According to many studies, the formation of complexes in liquid adsorption is usually assumed, but there is a lack of direct spectroscopic evidence. Adsorption of small aromatic ring compounds (benzene and p-xylene molecules) on MIL-101 has been published by K. Yang, et al2. Pore-size filling mechanism is discovered and discussed in this paper, indicating that pore-size and different substrate relates with molecular selectivity of organic compounds. Ho wever, the mechanism is still not understood. Fluorescence spectroscopy is a straightforward method for studying the adsorption mechanism between guest molecules and MOFs. Yet there are rarely papers studying characterization of adsorption of aromatic compounds in liquid or solid system by fluorescence spectroscopy. It is assumed based on fluorescence spectra that Lewis acid-base interaction promotes the adsorption of pyrene on Al2O3 from model fuel using octane as solvent53. While the fluorescence spectra was collected using a model sorbent aluminum chloride in methanol instead of actual Al2O3 in model fuel, spectroscopic characterization of adsorption complexes formed by MOFs and aromatic compounds or aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds by the fluorescence spectroscopy is still unknown to our knowledge. Another useful characterization method is near-UV/visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), which is excellent at detecting the variation or shift in electronic states on adsorption complexes forming by metal sites and guest molecules. The DRS was used to identify the interactions between aromatic amines and MOFs54 but it has not been used to explore the interactions between metal sites of MOFs and guest molecules as aromatic compounds or aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds. Thus, we aim to investigate the adsorption of large aromatic compounds on MOFs using two spectroscopic methods as fluorescence spectroscopy and near-UV/visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy. 1.8 Adsorption of Aromatic Compounds and Aromatic N-heterocyclic compounds on microporous MOFs without CUS: MIL-53 and A100 M. Maes and his colleagues have studied the adsorption of indole and methyl-substituted indole present in model fuel (heptane/toluene at either 80 vol. %/20 vol. % or 20 vol. %/80 vol. % combination) at initial concentration of 0.15 M on thermally activated MIL-53 (Al)9. The amount of absorbed indole intensively dropped in model fuel with toluene, which indicates a possible competitive adsorption. While no data of adsorption capacity for indole and substituted indole on MIL-53 (Al) in n-alkane solvent was reported, not enough experimental evidence or computational evidence can be used to prove the mechanism of competitive adsorption. Similarly, adsorption of indole, pyridine, pyrrole and quinolone on thermally activated MIL-53 (Al) has been studied in another paper. In this paper n-octane was used as solvent, however, no data for adsorption capacity of indole on MIL-53 (Al) has been reported55. Ï€-Ï€ interactions is suggested to be the major force that introduce the adsorption of indole or quinolone onto activated MIL-53 (Al), but no experimental evidence was given55. At the present time, no direct spectroscopic characterization of chemical bonds between aromatic or hetero-aromatic adsorbate and MIL-53 has yet been reported. Furthermore, adsorption of naphthalene on MOFs has not been reported to our knowledge. To investigate the adsorption mechanisms through fluorescence spectroscopy, it is essential to know the origin of the fluorescence from MOF itselft. It was discussed in a review paper by M. Allendorf, C. Bauer, R. Bhakta et al.56, that there are five modes for generating fluorescence in MOFs: linker-based, framework metal ions (charge transfer between linker and metal), adsorb

Teaching Philosophy Via the Internet Essay -- Technology Education Lea

I defend the practical value of teaching undergraduate philosophy courses in the Internet. Three important objectives of philosophical education can be achieved as effectively by electronic means as in the classroom. First, information about the philosophical tradition can be conveyed by hypertext documents on the World-Wide Web. Second, philosophical dialogue can be conducted through participation in an electronic forum. Third, close supervision of student writing can be achieved by means of e-mail submission of written assignments. In each case, I argue that the electronic method offers significant advantages to student learning. Many of the colleagues who discover that I have begun offering philosophy courses over the Internet express a similar set of reservations. Although they often grant that this must be an interesting project and sometimes admit that it may turn out to be worthwhile, they are uniformly skeptical about the prospect for its success. Accustomed as we have become to face-to-face interaction between instructor and student in the classroom, we find it difficult to imagine teaching philosophy in any other way. Thus, the introduction of alternative methods is often greeted with a suspicion that "this may be true in theory but does not apply to practice." With respect to use of the Internet to teach philosophy, this paper will allay that suspicion. In what follows, I identify three important objectives of philosophical education and show how each of them can be achieved while relying exclusively upon electronic communication. Indeed, in each case I argue that appropriate use of Internet resources provides clear advantages over the methods employed in a traditional classroom. Teaching philosophy on the Intern... ...ted is well-spent, since it results in important educational benefits for the students who participate. In addition, teaching on the Internet can make philosophy instruction available to many people who might otherwise lack an opportunity to acquire it. Those with impaired mobility, vision, or hearing can take advantage of electronically-mediated accommodations in order to participate in the educational process alongside those who do not face similar obstacles. Those whose geographical location or employment schedule prevents easy access to a traditional college classroom can join in a well-designed on-line course whenever it is convenient and wherever they are. In keeping with the theme of this Twentieth World Congress of Philosophy, teaching philosophy on the Internet will significantly contribute to the achievement of our goal of philosophy educating humanity.

Poly Canyon Essay -- Descriptive Nature Essays Observation

It is a sunless morning shrouded in mist. The clouds look ominous with the threat of rain. It is quiet, for no creatures are awake yet, not even the hikers. The air is crisp and smells fresh after a night covered in the ocean fog. A Eucalyptus grove stands at the trail entrance with a deliciously pungent greeting that carries through the air. Along the trail as the foliage gets thicker, it is evident that Mother Nature knows the autumn season has arrived. Leaves have begun to turn the fall colors and drop to the trail floor. Even the poison oak has participated in autumn and looks colorful and festive. Golden Eucalyptus leaves litter the trail like sparkling, perfume-infused flecks of gold. The effect is magical. It is the perfect atmosphere to begin our ascent of Poly Mountain. Turning off the beaten path, we made our way single file and marching like army troops, up the steep trail leading to a sloping canyon filled with wonders. There, upon the bluff, stood a pair of deer staring blankly at us as we snapped furiously with our cameras to hold this moment forever. Just as soon as the deer had appeared through the mist, they vanished. As the trail weaved higher and further away from civilization, birds, squirrels and deer emerged from their warm nests, burrows and dens. Bird songs fluttered through the air and more deer scampered down the trail heading to isolated meadows to fill their bellies with the delicious vegetation that Poly Canyon has to offer. Poly Canyon, located directly behind Poly Mountain, is filled with flora. Some is abundant like the Yucca Plant and poison oak. There are also some less abundant species that cover the hills. The Coastal Live Oak trees are gentle gi... ...e. It was the perfect moment; serene and natural. Nobody wanted to leave. After being in such a high state, going back down the mountain into the real world was deflating. As we descended down to the â€Å"Poly P† and to the campus below, reminders of civilization became more evident. Plastic bottles littered the trail. Pillow cases from the â€Å"P† were strewn all through the Yucca. Corroded barbed wire lined the gate back to the real world. We came across a water tank embedded in the hill, surrounded by fences and warning signs. Patches of Star Thistle littered the path and grabbed at our feet. The asphalt of the parking lot was ugly and covered the ground like a blanket of death for all the plant life on the hills. This â€Å"welcome† back to civilization made us yearn to climb back up the stairs to our heavenly view and escape civilization once again. Poly Canyon Essay -- Descriptive Nature Essays Observation It is a sunless morning shrouded in mist. The clouds look ominous with the threat of rain. It is quiet, for no creatures are awake yet, not even the hikers. The air is crisp and smells fresh after a night covered in the ocean fog. A Eucalyptus grove stands at the trail entrance with a deliciously pungent greeting that carries through the air. Along the trail as the foliage gets thicker, it is evident that Mother Nature knows the autumn season has arrived. Leaves have begun to turn the fall colors and drop to the trail floor. Even the poison oak has participated in autumn and looks colorful and festive. Golden Eucalyptus leaves litter the trail like sparkling, perfume-infused flecks of gold. The effect is magical. It is the perfect atmosphere to begin our ascent of Poly Mountain. Turning off the beaten path, we made our way single file and marching like army troops, up the steep trail leading to a sloping canyon filled with wonders. There, upon the bluff, stood a pair of deer staring blankly at us as we snapped furiously with our cameras to hold this moment forever. Just as soon as the deer had appeared through the mist, they vanished. As the trail weaved higher and further away from civilization, birds, squirrels and deer emerged from their warm nests, burrows and dens. Bird songs fluttered through the air and more deer scampered down the trail heading to isolated meadows to fill their bellies with the delicious vegetation that Poly Canyon has to offer. Poly Canyon, located directly behind Poly Mountain, is filled with flora. Some is abundant like the Yucca Plant and poison oak. There are also some less abundant species that cover the hills. The Coastal Live Oak trees are gentle gi... ...e. It was the perfect moment; serene and natural. Nobody wanted to leave. After being in such a high state, going back down the mountain into the real world was deflating. As we descended down to the â€Å"Poly P† and to the campus below, reminders of civilization became more evident. Plastic bottles littered the trail. Pillow cases from the â€Å"P† were strewn all through the Yucca. Corroded barbed wire lined the gate back to the real world. We came across a water tank embedded in the hill, surrounded by fences and warning signs. Patches of Star Thistle littered the path and grabbed at our feet. The asphalt of the parking lot was ugly and covered the ground like a blanket of death for all the plant life on the hills. This â€Å"welcome† back to civilization made us yearn to climb back up the stairs to our heavenly view and escape civilization once again.

Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughter House Five :: Biography Biographies Essays

Kurt Vonnegut and Slaughter House Five Kurt Vonnegut is one of the favorite dark humorists of the past century. Combining humor and poignancy, he has become one of the most respected authors of his generation. For twenty years, Kurt Vonnegut worked on writing his most famous novel ever: Slaughter House Five. The novelist was called "A laughing prophet of doom" by the New York Times, and his novel "a cause for celebration" by the Chicago Sun-Times. However, Vonnegut himself thought it was a failure. He said that, just as Lot's wife turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back, so his book is nothing but a pillar of salt. Kurt Vonnegut tied in personal beliefs, characters, and settings from his life into the novel Slaughter House Five. Kurt Vonnegut grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He alluded to Indiana in his writings frequently and considered himself a Midwesterner. There were three traumatic experiences Vonnegut talked about in this novel that happened to him as he was growing up. One was when his father took him to the pool when he was young and taught him to swim by the "drown if you don't" method. Another time, he and his family went out to see the Grand Canyon. As he was looking over the edge his mother touched him and he wet his pants. The third experience he mentioned was when his family was touring a cave, he was very scared and then the tour guide asked everyone to turn off all their lights and it was pitch black except for two glowing red dots from his dad (Modern Critical Interpretations 4). These experiences showed through Vonnegut's novel as his alienation from others throughout the book (Novels For Students 464). Kurt Vonnegut's personal beliefs in life, we also in Slaughter House Five. Vonnegut believes that only heart believes in freewill but it is non-existent. In his novel he writes about a group of aliens called tralfamadorians who come and take Billy to their world and put him in a zoo (Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 75). While Billy is with them, they teach him this also, and they are obviously the far superior race. Another belief that Vonnegut has, is that war is horrible, he says "war is not an enterprise of glory and heroism, but an uncontrolled catastrophe for all involved" (Novels For Students 265).

Buddhists’ religious beliefs with regard to health and healthcare

Buddhism is considered as both a philosophy and a religion involving a number of practices, beliefs and traditions based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, commonly referred to as Buddha – â€Å"the awakened one†. Buddha, who lived in the northeastern part of India in the 6th and the 4th centuries BCE, taught about dukkha (helping the sentient beings escape suffering), achievement of nirvana as well as about escaping what Buddhists believe, is the cycle of suffering and rebirth. The religion has got two branches – the Theravada and the Mahayana (Coward & Rattanakun, 1999).While these two branches enjoy a widespread following across Asian countries, Buddhism has grown tremendously over the centuries and can now be found in every part of the world. Considered one of the world largest religions, the current estimates by different sources put the followers of Buddha at about 1. 5 to 1. 6 billion people. The understanding of ill health by westerners and Buddhists is similar but the latter group lays more emphasis on having a balance interaction between the body and the mind and also between life and the environment as the source of good health.According to Buddhists, when this balance is upset, illness would arise. In correcting such imbalances, the Buddhists’ practices stress the need for a spiritual strength couple with an overriding sense of purpose in life which is based on a compassionate service for others (Coward & Rattanakun, 1999). According to Buddhists, this does not only make it possible for a person to create value even when faced with the severest of adversities like sickness or disease but enables one to learn from the experience for his or her personal growth.Since Buddhists believe in rebirth, human birth is considered as the start of a highly precious opportunity. To them, it is a unique occurrence since it presents an opportunity for the full development of human mind as well as realization of the compassion. With regard to conception, Buddhists believe that a child is conceived when consciousness merges with an already fertilized egg. It is then therefore that life begins. It is for this that Buddhists permit birth control methods that prevent conception but prohibit abortion. Death in Buddhism is an important occurrence and is viewed as a transition to the next life.A lot of spiritual energy is devoted to death and there are practices that must be observed to provide peace for the dying people. According to the Buddhists, death occurs in stages which involve disintegration of life’s physical elements into various subtle elements which culminates into the disappearance of the consciousness from the body (Coward & Rattanakun, 1999). Because when a person dies peacefully he or she would have high chances of a better rebirth, Buddhists strive to composed and calm the mind of the dying person through prayers and some special texts.Buddhism is a religion full of rituals that are geared tow ards promoting health. The Theravada Buddhists are known to burn the bodies of the dead. Because the body of the Buddha was cremated, this group of Buddhists practices this ritual in every part of the world. When a person is dying, monks are invited to comfort him or her. Prayers and verses are said to them to prepare them for their peaceful death. The bodies are then burn upon death (Coward & Rattanakun, 1999). A major conflict between Buddhism religious beliefs and the popular medical culture is on the bioethical decision making.While Buddhists uphold life and consider it sacred and therefore everyone should continue to live as much as possible, they do not believed that this should be promoted at all cost (Coward & Rattanakun, 1999). For example, Buddhists have little regard for the life support machines which they consider useless when the mind is no longer conscious. Being conscious and feeling less pain are the two basic factors that determine when a person should die accordin g to Buddhists. Once the conditions are extreme, Buddhists believed that it would be appropriate to die and therefore a natural and peaceful death would be much in order.In conclusion, it is clear that the views on health by Buddhists and the modern medicine are quite incompatible. However, they can be used to complement each other. An understating of the Buddhists’ perspective on health and healthcare may serve to widen the scope of the modern medicine through adoption of the rich philosophies of Buddhists on health and life. References Coward, H. G. & Rattanakun, P. eds (1999). A cross-cultural dialogue on health care ethics, Wilfrid Laurier University Press: Toronto.

Memory Process Paper Essay

I remember playing the game Trivial Pursuit and in order to win this game it came down to me acquiring to answer one question. I racked my brain truly hard trying to remember this particular answer. The question inquired about a particular mountain I by no means heard of or could remember learning about. This paper will describe the beliefs of functioning recollection, short-range recollection, long-standing recollection, the part of encrypting, in addition to the simplicity of recovery in the recollection progress. I participated on an online remembrance test, Speed Match and Memory Matrix, to assess my short-term memory. The test consisted of memory accuracy and visual recollection. Concepts of Functioning Memory, Short, and Long-Span Memory Long-span memory and short-span memory have two diverse stages of storage (Cowan, 2001). There is a system of capacity and duration in the short-span memory. In short-span recall data can be detained for a few seconds, before the long-term memory has received it. Long-term memory data can be received, when processing data in short-term memory immediately. The memories system works to retain reminiscences, in an extended period of time, and even forever would be considered a long-period of memory. Long-span recollection is collected of more than a few diverse modules: semantic recollection, procedural recollection, episodic recollection, and declarative recollection. Declarative recollection is reminiscence of accurate data. For example, important dates such as anniversary and birthday, names of individuals, and faces of people would be considered declarative memory. Procedural recollection is remembrance for habits and expertise. For example, bike riding or learning to toss a football would be considered a procedural recollection. Semantic recollection is retention for universal understanding and details about the world, in addition to  reminiscence for the guidelines of judgment that are used to assume other realities. For example, reading a chapter in an educational course textbook is considered to be semantic memory. Episodic recollection is recollection for occasions that transpire in a specific place, context, or time. Speed Match and Memory Matrix Results I took an online memory test from the Lumosity Internet site that invented memory measuring tests called speed match and memory matrix. These tests are apparently a clinically premeditated measure of intellectual performance that practices and unidentified exclusive procedure to interpret game results into some suggestion of cognitive meaning (Lumosity, 2013). The speed match and memory matrix tests are also considered to be used as â€Å"Assessment,† which give scores grounded on performance, but provides without question no clarification of those scores. Speed Match consists of use to think faster than normal rate, having faster response time, moving up the speed of his or her cognitive processing, and exercising his or her working memory. My score in speed match was 210, which meant average accuracy in speed memory. The objective was to recollect the symbols, but to reply rapidly. It was not a particularly amusing game to play, but then again a round is reasonably short, so I did not have much time to invest trying to progress on my previous scores. Simultaneously, it is not really clear to me if playing this game could actually â€Å"speed up my cognitive processes.† There were an abundant amount of impulse-based twitch games. For example, this game had side-scrolling intergalactic shooters that were used to take over the arcade section, which were more stimulating and had more replay assessment than Speed Match. These games were just as capable of assisting in faster thinking and having quicker response times. Memory Matrix consists of the use in learning individuals’ names for the first time, retention the name of somebody you have met, and exercising your working recollection. My result in the memory matrix game was 935, which meant above average in recalling facts. The Lumosity Internet site dwelled more on the importance of face-name remembrance, which ultimately came off, a little gimmicky, compared to my above review on speed match. Nevertheless, while the emphasis on human faces in Memory Matrix was slightly more than an appealing catch, the process behind the game ensures  the facts of having an established tool for improving working recollection. Studies have revealed that partaking in reasonable physical activity momentarily can lift flanker test response time. Role of Encrypting and Retrieval in the Recollection Method Once material has been encoded and put away in recollection, it must be recovered in order to be put in use. Remembrance recovery is significant in virtually every phase of daily living, from recalling where your car is parked to new skills of learning. At hand are numerous aspects that can impact how reminiscences are recovered from long-span recollection. With the aim of fully comprehending this method, it is significant to discuss more about precisely what is retrieval in addition to the various features that can influence how reminiscences are recovered. Remembrance recollection comprises of the memory being reconstructed, frequently making use of rational structures, partial recollections, descriptions or hints. For example, writing a response on an college exam regularly comprises memorizing tads on data, then after restructuring or encrypting the continuing data founded on these limited reminiscences. Reminiscence retrieval includes recognizing figures after coming in contact with it again. Reminiscence retrieval includes reeducating oneself with information that was formerly learned. This frequently makes it stress-free to recollect and retrieve data in the upcoming future in addition to improving the strong point of reminiscences. Despite the fact it may be exasperating or very stressful, research has revealed that these involvements are enormously shared, characteristically arising at least twice each week for most young individuals and three to five times per week for older adults (Cowan, 2001). In several circumstances, individuals can even recollect specifics such as the main letter that a sentence begins with (LaBar & Cabeza, 2006). Assess Variables Connected with Encrypting Data and Ease of Recovery The three main independent variables in my experiment with memory matrix and speed test were free recall, cued recall, and recognition (Cowan, 2001). My dependent variable from these tests consists of the number of words I correctly remembered. My memory test ran having a within-subjects design, which entailed of three diverse lists of 22 items, each charted by a diverse type of memory test. I formed a relationship between the target words and their respective cues. Then, when the cues were presented to me in the test phase, I relied on these associations to aid me in recalling the target words. Conclusion There are different phases of memory realization, from perception to sensory memory, to short-span memory, and long-span memory. Memory is the capability to encrypt or encode, collect and recollect information. The three main practices intricate in the human memory are storage, encoding, and reminiscence (retrieval). Furthermore, the practice of memory association is considered to be one or the other part of the encoding or encrypting process or the storage procedure, which is understood as a detached process. References Speed Match and Memory Matrix. (2013). Lumosity. Retrieved from: http://www.lumosity.com/app/v4/dashboard Cowan, N. (2001). â€Å"The magical number 4 in short-term memory: A reconsideration of mental storage capacity†. Behavioral and Brain Sciences 24: 97–185. LaBar K.S., & Cabeza R. (2006). â€Å"Cognitive neuroscience of emotional memory†. Nature Reviews Neuroscience 7: 54–64. Carver L.J. & Bauer P.J. (2001). â€Å"The dawning of a past: The emergence of long-term explicit memory in infancy†. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General 130: 726–745.