Article Review on Air Quality

Brief Overview The Environmental Health Perspectives is an article by Marshall, Brauer, and Frank that was published in 2009. The main focus of the paper was on the interrelations that exist between air pollution, and physical activity, and the relation of these two factors to the design of a neighborhood or community. According to the article, the modified environment poses numerous impacts on public health, depending on the relationships among such fundamental factors as design of the neighborhood, physical activity, patterns of design, water and air pollution, in addition to safety, in transportation. The authors, therefore, conducted a study to investigate the interplay of two of the most critical factors of the above; air pollution exposure and walkability. The authors defined walkability as the measure of the conduciveness of an environment to walking. According to the study, outdoor air pollution and physical inactivity were the leading causes of impairments in health (Marshall, Brauer Fran k, 2009). Introduction The quality of air in the environment, inside homes, schools, and other essential areas is essential not only to ensure the comfort of individuals but also the health of its inhalants. Despite great advances in technology, air quality controls, and consumer awareness, the issue of air quality and pollution has remained to be a particular area of concern. Air pollution from internal combustion engines, acid depositions and indoor air pollution have, for example, furthered the decrease in air quality in numerous communities. Such increase has numerous crucial implications to the professionals in the environment, with the bottom line being to try harder in their bid to reduce air pollutants in order to ensure air that is of high quality (Davis, 2003). This paper will, therefore, review an article related to the issue of air quality and commend on its implication on environmental professionals. The article in this case is Environmental Health Perspectives. The article makes several key points on the issue. For example, the authors argued that the ozone, vehicle exhaust, and other air pollutants found within many cities were the key causes of many health outcomes in individuals living in such environments. Such health outcomes included cardiopulmonary mortality, impaired development in lungs, atherosclerosis, and asthma, reduced lung activity, several cancers, diabetes, and reduced weight in babies. The article also argues that air pollution can be blamed for obesity and overweight because it reduces the motivation of individuals to participate in outdoor physical activities. The authors also indicate that air pollution and poor air quality reduces walkability, or the rate at which individuals walk around their neighborhoods. To stress their point, and come up with some evidence for their claims, the authors carried out a study to estimate of air pollution and come up a walkability score for a neighborhood in Vancouver. As it follows, t he claims the study makes can be believed as the researchers provide enough information and evidence as to why they make certain claims (Marshall, Brauer Frank, 2009). The studies concluded that all the three attributes measured in the study that is the ozone concentrations, NO concentrations, and walkability rates exhibited a gradient of urban to rural with low- ozone concentrations, high walkability levels, and NO concentrations. The study indicated that the richer neighborhoods exhibited lower concentrations of ozone, and NO, and the poorer neighborhoods exhibited higher concentrations of NO, and walkability, but, with low- ozone concentrations. The study also studied another area in the population, the ‘sweet- spot area’ which was indicated to have low- air pollution with high levels of walkability (Marshall, Brauer Frank, 2009). The conclusions of the study indicate that air pollution affects negatively the ability of individuals to participate in physical activity. Conclusion It is essential to realize that high levels of air pollution have detrimental effects on the health outcomes of individuals. As it follows, environmental professionals must come up with ways and methods of controlling air pollution and increasing air quality so as to safeguard the health of individuals. One of the ways they can accomplish this is by establishing policies that can control the rate at which the air is polluted. This would ensure that cities and urban areas are safer places to walk and live. References Davis, D. (2003). When smoke ran like water: tales of environmental deception and the battle   Ã‚  Ã‚   against pollution. New York: Basic Books. Marshall, J. D., Brauer, M. Frank, L. D. (2009). Healthy neighborhoods: walkability and air    pollution. Environmental Health Perspectives, 117(11):   1752-1759.

Is Human Sexuality The Result Of Nature Or Nurture

Introduction To Human Behaviour: †¨18435577†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ To what extent is human sexuality the result of nature or nurture?†¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ The nature and nurture of the human sexuality has been a debate argued among researchers and scientists. With regards to human sexuality, both nature and nurture become an integral factor in making the sexual beings that we eventually get to be. From our hereditary inclinations to how our associates influence our advancement, our childhoods have a tendency to be one long trek into adulthood that is neither pre-customised or totally formed by outside components, this trek incorporates the blooming of our sexual nature. his debate is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behaviour reflects the influence of genetically arranged maturity or whether it comes from learning and experience.This essay will disclose to what degree human sexuality is the consequence of nature or nurture; it will likewise relate sexuality to the Biopsychosocial. †¨Ã¢â‚¬ ¨ The nature of the human sexuality is the outflow of sexual sensation and related closeness between individuals; it is a characteristic of what makes us human. It is likewise an approach to express the totality of adoration between a man and a lady The title sexuality becomes simpler to comprehend when it is isolated into three segments: sexual introduction, sexual conduct, and sexual character.†¨The primary part calls attention to the way of a person’s fundamental sexual appreciation for otherShow MoreRelatedThe Nature And Nurture Of The Human Sexuality932 Words   |  4 PagesThe nature and nurture of the human Sexuality has been a debate argued among scientists and philosophers. It is believed that human sexuality is the key to reproduction and survival. This debate is concerned with the extent to which particular aspects of behaviour reflects the influence of genetically arranged maturity or wether it comes from learning and experience. 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The Brass Button free essay sample

Arvada, with its commonly mispronouncedsecond a, is a fairly unremarkable suburban city with unmistakablecow-town roots and a general, somewhat depressing, conservative aura. Ishould, however, give it credit for its rather cozy, safe environmentwhich caused my family to settle in its ranch-style housing. Not tomention that the school system is incredible and community involvementis the norm, but the lack of diversity is sickening (its 93.2%Caucasian). Dont get me wrong, I love this town, but some things aboutit depress me. This is why I am semi-relieved to declare that the personwho has most influenced the way I view life is an old Chinese womanwhose name I never even knew. My childhood was spent in a crampedduplex with a chain-link fence separating it from a graffiti-plasteredplayground with park benches cemented to empty sidewalks. Often, I wouldcarry my bike on my shoulder as I jumped the fence and then ride themakeshift bike trails. We will write a custom essay sample on The Brass Button or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page I would see her sitting on one of thosepark benches watching me. Little did she know I was watching her too.She had a tight face and, to be honest, it took me months to decidewhether she was a woman or a man. Yet once I looked into her eyes, Iknew. On her seemingly hairless head, she always wore a faded turquoisecap, but her most noticeable garment was a heavy, ratty purple coat withmany clasps and ridiculously long pockets. Whether it was a hundreddegrees or a blinding blizzard, she wore that coat. At first Ionly saw her in the park, but not long after our first meeting, I beganto notice her everywhere. I spotted her walking around town. To beperfectly honest, I grew a bit nervous and slightly troubled by hercontinuous presence wherever I turned. Yet, after observing her day-inand day-out, I developed an affinity for seeing her as we drove aroundthe neighborhood. I realized that I needed to know this old lady. Iwanted to know more about her, hear her stories and discover why she wasalways so eager to take a walk around our boring neighborhoods ofArvada. I began to notice her unusual habits while on theplayground with my sister. Strangely, she would toddle about picking upjunk and shoving it into her bottomless pockets, be it squashed aluminumcans, pieces of glass or even cracked lighters, she would keep them. Icould not understand why anyone would want such trash. But, then Iremembered that this old lady was far from ordinary, and, after a longtime, I gathered the courage to meet this spectacularindividual. She was huddled on that same ancient park benchwatching the children push each other down the slide when I took a seatnext to her. Hello, I mumbled. She seemed torecognize the word as she turned her wrinkled face toward me. She smiledand so did I. She breathed deeply, as if to start a monologue, and thenbegan speaking in Mandarin. I was devastated that I could not understandher. My dreams of hearing her tales were shattered, yet I continued tolisten to her speak out of courtesy. Suddenly, she grasped my hand,reached into her pocket and pulled out a beautiful brass button. Sheplaced it in my palm and closed my hand. Smiling and keeping eyecontact, she pointing to the emerald leaves of the surrounding trees,closed her eyes, and listened to the birds. Then she stood, bowed andwalked away from the bench, stopping to pick a purple daisy. Finally,she looked back at me, smiled, and walked away. I sat for amoment, examining the brass button, so simple with its round shape, yetso complex with its intertwining patterns. And then it hit me, themessage she was trying to convey. The reason she walked around town wasbecause she knew how to appreciate life, and the reason she picked upher treasures on the streets was that she loved the simple things. Myheart suddenly acknowledged the true meaning of life. This amazing oldwoman taught me what we are here for: to live life to its fullest and tolove it while we can. I now appreciate the small things in life and liveeach day as if it were my last. I am one with nature and treasuresimplicity. I wish I could have thanked her for opening my eyes, but Inever got the chance. Although my old friend has long since passed on,her legacy lives with me, purple coat and all.

The Case Against Capital Punishment Essays - Human Rights

The Case Against Capital Punishment John H. Whitehead Professor Roth Whitehead 1 A Moratorium on The Death Penalty Should Be Enacted In Illinois Due to the recent releases of newly exonerated Death Row inmates, individuals and organizations are calling for a moratorium- a cooling off period for state executions. The cases of just a few inmates makes it apparent that this would be a necessary step to save innocent lives. After 17 years in prison, Illinois Death Row inmate Anthony Porter was released from jail after a judge threw out his murder conviction following the introduction of new evidence. This reversal of fortune came just two days before Porter was to be executed. As reported in USA Today, Porter's release was the result of investigative research as conducted by a Northwestern University professor and students. The evidence gathered suggested that Porter had been wrongly convicted. Were these new revelations and the subsequent release of Porter a lucky break or a freak occurrence? Not likely, reports DeWayne Wickham, also of USA Today. He points out that since the reinstatement of the death penalty in the United States in 1976, of those sentenced to death, 490 people have been executed while 76 have been freed from Death Row. This calculates into one innocent person being released from Death Row for every six individuals that were executed. This figure correlates with the 1996 U.S. Department of Justice report that indicates that over a 7-year period, beginning in 1989, when DNA evidence in various cases was tested, 26% of primary suspects were exonerated. This has led some to conclude that a similar percentage of inmates presently serving time behind bars may have been wrongly convicted prior to the advent of forensic DNA typing. Whitehead 2 Amnesty International, in its 1998 report Fatal Flaws: Innocence and the Death Penalty, supports the American Bar Association's call for a death penalty moratorium. Michelle Stevens, a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, reported that in 1998 Illinois State Representative Coy Pugh (D-Chicago) introduced a resolution calling for a bi-partisan panel to study the death penalty in Illinois. During the study all executions would be postponed. This proposal was initially killed but revived following the recent releases. Yet, this call for a moratorium on the death penalty is not the first time that state executions have been opposed. Throughout its history capital punishment has been opposed on many premises. In discussion forums across the world many individuals often cite deterrence of crime as a viable defense of capital punishment. However, comprehensive studies, including the 1994 FBI Uniform crime Report, indicate that capital punishment does not serve as a deterrent to crime. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, the death penalty not only does not deter crime- among states that have either abolished or instituted the death penalty crime and murder rates have remained unchanged. Additionally, Eric Pooley of Time magazine, in his research, reports that no proof exists to substantiate claims that capital punishment discourages crime by anyone other than the criminals whom are executed. Glenn Lammi, of the Washington Legal Foundation is quoted as saying that there are no convincing studies [connecting] the death penalty and the crime rate. Whitehead 3 In the absence of persuasive studies linking capital punishment and crime rates, who better to turn to than the individuals who walk the thin blue line- law enforcement officials may be better equipped to address this subject. Time magazine reports that 67% of polled police chiefs also did not believe that the death penalty deters [crime such as] homicide. According to a 1994 Government Accounting Office report (GAO) substantial evidence indicates that courts have been unfair in death sentencing. The 1990 GAO report, summarizing numerous capital punishment studies, confirmed a consistent pattern of evidence indicating racial disparities in the charging, sentencing, and imposition of the death penalty. The GAO also revealed that those who murdered whites were more likely to be sentenced to Death Row than those who murdered blacks. According to the Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) nearly 40% of those executed since 1976 have been black although blacks only comprise 12% of the U.S. population. And in just about every death penalty case, the race of the victim was white. The DPIC goes on to report that in the