Tuesday, August 6, 2019

Imperialist Policy Essay Example for Free

Imperialist Policy Essay To What Extent can it be argued that America Had an Imperialist Policy, Which Contradicted the Ideals Set down, By the Declaration of Independence? Annexation of the Philippines, the anti-imperialists protested over and over again, violated the very principles of independence and self determination on which the country (America) was founded. The above quotation summarises the key themes of this essay and the issues that will be explored. To examine the extent to which America had an imperialist policy, which contradicted the ideals, set down by the declaration of independence we must first analyse the terms used within the question and look at the ideals specified in the declaration of independence. Examples of when America showed this imperialist policy must then be examined to find to what extent they had one. Finally it must be investigated into reasons why America may have taken a turn towards imperialism which they were so strongly against when they broke from Britains rule in 1776. After thoroughly investigating and analysing the mentioned areas I will draw my conclusions as to the extent that America had an imperialist policy which contradicted the ideals set down by the declaration of independence. To begin with I shall explore the meaning of imperialism so that the question can be fully interpreted and answered fully. There are two meanings for the word imperialism below is the dictionary definition, which I will explain shortly. 1.The policy or principle of having and extending control over the territory of other nations, of creating or maintaining an empire, or extending ones countrys influence through trade and diplomacy. 2.An attempt by a developed country to interfere in the affairs of an underdeveloped country or countries. The first meaning is that imperialism is the expanding of one country into another countrys territory making them colonies and thus creating an empire, such as that of Britain in the 19th century controlling its colonies overseas. The second meaning of the word imperialism is that of a developed country influencing other countries by trade and diplomacy. It is this meaning that is often associated with Lenins view of imperialism as he felt that it was not necessarily about colonies but imposing control over another country through influence and tariffs. Using these interpretations it will be easier to analyse the actions taken by America and to find to what extent America had an imperialist policy. Now I have explored the meaning of imperialism I will go on to examine the ideals that were set down in the declaration of independence on 4th July 1776. For the purpose of this essay not all the issues raised in the declaration of independence are required so I will highlight the points that I feel are needed to answer the question best. Firstly the declaration refers to He meaning the King of Great Britain describing the injustices he has subjected the American colonies to. The first part I feel will highlight the issues within this essay talks about some of the injustices: He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws, giving his assent to their pretended legislation: For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world; For imposing taxes on us without our consent; For depriving us, in many cases of the benefits of trial by jury; The above speaks of some of the things that the American people felt were wrong criticising British imperialism. The second piece continues to describe what they feel is wrong condemning British actions: For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighbouring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries, so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introduction the same absolute rule into these colonies; For taking away our charters abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering governments; For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us all in cases whatsoever. He has abdicated government here by, declaring us out of protection and waging war against us. He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people. By declaring what they feel strongly against the American people are revealing their ideals of government and rule within a country. The final part of the declaration describes how America will continue once broken from British rule: We therefore the representatives of the United States of America, in general congress assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, FREE AND INDEPENDENT STATES; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. This section of the declaration of independence concludes the intentions of the American people and how they will continue as a state. Looking at the excerpts I have taken I will refer back to these during the essay to point out contradictions in the American policy to prove the argument that America had an imperialist policy. Having looked at the question and analysing the terms used within it I shall now explore reasons as to why American policy took a turn towards imperialism. America had been expanding since after the first landings in Jamestown and Plymouth with settlers moving west and further south rapidly consuming the great expanse of the American continent. This early expansion within the continent was purely for the settlement of the American people however; the movements of the 1890s took a different path. Overseas expansion into already populated areas not so much for settlement but for the purpose of tactical naval bases, trading outposts or commercial centers on major trade routes. One view of this new policy was from Walter LaFeber: The United States did not set out on an expansionist path in the late 1890s in a sudden, spur-of-the-moment fashion. The overseas empire that Americans controlled in 1900 was not a break in their history, but a natural culmination. The above view expresses that imperialism and expanding is simply natural progression for any country and it was Americas time to expand. In America at the time few people liked the idea of imperialism, expanding had shown them benefits such as those of California and Oregon but imperialism meant control over other peoples by military conquest or economic domination which they did not want to be a part of. These attitudes however began to change as the end of the frontier was reached, as John A Kasson, a diplomat said in the North American Review: We are rapidly utilising the whole of our continental territory. We must turn our eyes abroad, or they will soon look inward upon discontent. Again this view explored that expanding was something that came naturally once all a nations land was occupied. Now that the question has been explained and reasons for imperialism explored I shall continue to discuss examples to show to what extent America had an imperialist policy. The first example of America advancing towards an imperialist policy can be seen as the introduction of the Monroe Doctrine, which was expressed during President James Monroes seventh annual message to congress in December 1823. Within this doctrine it was expressed that America felt that European powers no longer had the right to interfere in matters involving the Western Hemisphere and the American continent. as a principle in which the right and interests of the United States are involved, that the American continents, by the free and independent condition which they have assumed and maintain, are henceforth not to be considered as subjects for future colonisation by any European powers This speech showed that America had interests in lands outside their own territory and were declaring that they saw the Western Hemisphere as their sphere of influence. It had long been hoped that America would one-day annex Canada or Mexico for extensive trade and greater unity against the European powers, the Monroe Doctrine supported this idea. In 1867 Secretary of State William Henry Seward finished negotiations with Russia for the purchase of Alaska with the aim of sandwiching in Canada ready for its annexation. The discussion of the Monroe Doctrine and the purchase of Alaska have shown that America did have an imperialist policy and contradicts the ideals that they set down: For imposing taxes on us without our consent; For taking away our charters abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering governments; For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us all in cases whatsoever. They themselves condemned the actions of the British for doing the above and now although they had purchased Alaska were subjecting its people to very similar events. The next example of Americas imperialist policy I shall explore will be Hawaii and Americas long hopes of annexing the islands. Hawaii was seen to be a key way-station in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and control of these islands would provide great military and commercial trade advantages. In 1875 a reciprocity treaty with Hawaii bound the Hawaiians to make no territorial or economic concessions to other nations as well as allowing sugar to enter the United States free of duty. This treaty increased Hawaiis economic dependence on America, this supports the Lenin view of imperialism discussed earlier as it shows America having domination over Hawaii via economic constraints. In 1891 King Kalakaua died and nationalist Queen Liliuokalani came to power. The new Queen disliked being ruled by a white minority and made way for a new constitution to give native Hawaiians more power. This caused trouble in Hawaii with the White Hawaiians revolting and America becoming involved militarily. The revolt was over in three days and the Queen surrendered. On 14th February 1893, the secretary of state John W Foster and officials from the new Hawaiian government signed a treaty annexing Hawaii to the United States. However only two weeks were left in president Harrisons term and the senate refused to approve the treaty. President Cleveland who came to power shortly later started an investigation into Americas involvement and found it to have been wrong. Cleveland decided to restore the queen to her throne but the provisional government established in Hawaii instead created the Republic of Hawaii. This backing down on America or Clevelands behalf shows that the pursuit of an empire was perhaps not so great or that Cleveland simply felt more strongly about the ideals of the declaration of independence. However in 1898 the issue of annexing Hawaii arose again this time with concerns over Japans interests in the islands. President McKinley sought an annexation treaty but this required a two-thirds majority vote in the senate. It was decided that a joint resolution be obtained rather than a treaty requiring a majority in both houses. With the new approach the annexation plans passed quickly through congress and McKinley signed it on 7th July 1898 annexing Hawaii which had been an American goal since the 1860s. Now despite the actions of President Cleveland the annexation of Hawaii was eventually achieved again showing Americas imperialist policy and how they contradicted their own ideals of not imposing power over another country or subjecting other peoples to laws or government foreign to their own. I will now go on to discuss part of Americas involvement in the Philippines during the war with Spain. On 1st May 1898 after the war had only been going on one week Commodore George Dewey crushed the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay. With this significant victory the Philippines were now within Americas grasp and by the 13th August after raising an expeditionary force they took Manila Bay and gained control of the Philippines. This expansion of America territory by military conquest shows Americas imperialist policy and as one of those against it at the time said: Dewey took Manila with the loss of one man and all our institutions. So it was obvious at the time to some people that Americas policy contradicted the ideals set down by the declaration of independence on which their country was founded. The Final example I shall explore focuses on the early 1900s and the events surrounding the Panama Canal. Great Britain had controlled the region in Central America, but while otherwise concerned had withdrawn troops from the area to allow for American plans of building an isthmian canal linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. President Roosevelt began selecting a route which would run through the Panama region of Colombia being 6 miles wide, he offered Colombia $10million and $250,000 annual rental for the land and permission. Colombia rejected his offer and he considered seizing the area but instead hinted to the inhabitants of the Panama region to revolt. Within a short time they did so and the new Republic of Panama was created with American support. A new deal was struck and the canal commissioned with Panama relying on America and America now controlling an extremely important trade route. This example again shows America putting themselves in positions to be in an advantage over other nations highlighting another aspect of their imperialist policy. I have now looked at the reasons why America may follow an imperialist policy, how the term imperialism can be interpreted and, have shown a number of examples when America showed this imperialist policy. I shall now conclude my finding to answer to what extent America had an imperialist policy, which contradicted the ideals set down by the declaration of independence. I have not shown all the examples of when America showed signs of imperialism that I discovered my research but I have highlighted those that I felt were most important. All of the examples used have proved that America did have an imperialist policy to some extent or another they have also shown that at times some Americans felt that this policy did go against the ideals on which their nation was founded. So I conclude that America did have to a large extent an imperialist policy which contradicted the ideals set down by the declaration of independence whether they themselves recognised this policy or not as going against their own beliefs. Dewey took Manila with the loss of one man and all our institutions.

Monday, August 5, 2019

Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles (Au RLNPs)

Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) Improvement of Stability and Catalytic Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles by Silica Coating High Catalytic Performance of Raspberry-Like Gold Nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) and Enhancement of Stability by Silica Coating Kiouk Seo, Hien Mai Duy and Hyojong Yoo* Abstract. The raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) synthesized through the reduction of HAuCl4 by the use of NaOH and Brij35 surfactant show high catalytic activities in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol and ethanol electrooxidation. The enhanced catalytic activities of Au RLNPs are mainly due to their high surface area. However, Au RLNPs easily change to the spherical or aggregated nanoparticles in a treatment with acids, thiols, and cationic surfactants (ex, CTAB)), and are difficult to sustain the catalytic activities. To improve the stability and applicability, Au RLNPs core–silica shell nanoparticles (Au [emailprotected]2 NPs) were successfully synthesized in solution without losing their original morphologies through a simple solution-phase sol-gel process with the assistance of surface-stabilizing polymeric agent (Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)). In comparison with Au RLNPs and other Au nanoparticles, Au [emailprotected]2 NPs could be more easily recovered and recycled in the repeated catalytic reactions. Keywords Raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs), Silica coating, Catalytic reduction, Ethanol electrooxidation, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) 1. INTRODUCTION Noble metals have gained much attention over the past two decades due to their potentials in a wide variety of applications including energy conversion[1][2], chemical and biological sensing[3], and bioengineering[4]. Tremendous research efforts have been devoted towards the exploration of how to design nanomaterials with varied topographies that has led to the discovery of their fundamental size-, shape-, and component-dependent properties and the development of new applications[5][6][7]. Moreover, it has theoretically and experimentally found that arrays of asymmetric surface features, particularly deviations from spherical geometry, mainly impart unique anisotropy in material properties7. Apparently, to achieve such desired anisotropic topographies strict control is required. Conversely, this leads to a generation of particles with novel properties from the same materials by simply tuning the particle morphology. Furthermore, anisotropic geometry offers numerous unique features an d functionalities that are either difficult to obtain or even hardly obtained by simple size-tuning in spherical counterparts. Morphology of nanoparticles also strongly affects the catalytic performance. This is due to the surface anisotropy possessing a high density of low-coordinated atoms such as steps, edges, and defects serving as catalytically active sites which can markedly affect chemical and physical properties of nanoparticles[8]. Among those colloidal gold (Au) nanoparticles exhibit not only highly tunable architecture-dependent optical properties but also show excellent performance and high selectivity in a variety of heterogeneous green catalytic processes [ref][9][10]. For a better stability, catalytic performance, and reusability of Au nanoparticles, engineering new nanocatalyst system is thus considered one of the most critical tasks. Recently, in our group, we successfully synthesized raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) with rich edges and high surface areas through the reduction of HAuCl4 by Brij35 surfactant under basic condition in a controllable fashion [ref]. The synthesized Au RLNPs possess high surface areas and show the unique, highly-red shifted surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) due to the rough, raspberry-like surface of Au RLNPs. These structures also have high surface energies due to their plenty of tips and edges. These nanoparticles are stable and retain their raspberry-like geome try in basic or neutral conditions; however gradually reshape to the spherical geometry under a specific circumstance such as acidic condition. In order to exploit the unique shape-dependent properties of the Au RLNPs in a variety of catalytic applications, further modifications of nanoparticles such as endowing core-shell structure are thus required. Metallic nanostrutures of several different shapes have been coated with silica since the silica shells used as the coating material show substantial enhancement in the stability of the metal cores, particularly in aqueous solvents. Moreover, metallic nanostructured surface can readily functionalized by subsequently coating with silica and using silane-coupling reactions [ref]. Additionally, silica shells are chemically inert, transparent in the visible and IR regions of the spectrum, and readily converted to mesoporous layer [11]. For the direct encapsulation of Au nanoparticles within silica shells, the conventional techniques is employing coupling agents with silane group for the growth of silica shells on the surfaces of as-synthesized Au nanoparticles via the Stà ¶ber method [ref]. However, we experimentally found that directly applying this method to coat Au RLNPs brought challenges since the unusual size changes of Au RLNPs without disturbing the rough surface occurred. Herein, we report the synthesis of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs in solution through a simple solution-phase sol-gel process. To protect the high-energy surface of Au RLNPs, Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was used prior to the condensation of TEOS as a polymeric stabilizer. Au [emailprotected]2 NPs showed great enhancement in stability under the strongly acidic condition. The catalytic performance, recovery, and reusability of both Au [emailprotected]2 NPs and Au RLNPs were investigated using the reduction reaction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as a reaction model. We also found that and Au RLNPs were capable of electrocatalyzing alcohol oxidation reactions in alkaline media. 2. EXPERIMENTAL DETAILS 2.1. Reagents Polyoxyethylene glycol dodecyl ether ((C2H4O)23C12H25OH, Brij35, Acros Organics), hydrogen tetrachloroauratetrihydrate (HAuCl4†¢3H2O, 99.9%, Sigma–Aldrich), polyvinylpyrolidone ((C6H9NO)n, PVP10, average mol wt 10,000, Sigma–Aldrich), 4-nitrophenol (O2NC6H4OH, 99%, Sigma–Aldrich), sodium hydroxide (NaOH, 97%, Sigma–Aldrich), ammonium hydroxide (NH4OH, 28-30 wt % ammonia, Sigma–Aldrich), tetraethyl orthosilicate (Si(OC2H5)4 98%, Sigma–Aldrich), hexadecyltrimethylammonium bromide ((C16H33)N(CH3)3Br, 99%, Acros Organics), (3-mercaptopropyl)methyldimethoxysilane (CH3Si(OCH3)2CH2CH2CH2SH, 95%, Alfa Aesor), HCl, HNO3, and ethyl alcohol were used as received. All stock solutions were freshly prepared before each reaction. Prior to use, all glassware was washed with Aqua Regia (volume ration of 3:1 of concentrated HCl and HNO3; Caution: Aqua Regia is highly toxic and corrosive and must be handled in fume hoods with proper personal protection equ ipment) and rinsed thoroughly with deionized water. 2.2. Synthesis of raspberry-like gold nanoparticles (Au RLNPs) Au RLNPs with the mean size of approximately 60-70 nm were prepared according to our previous literature [ref]. Briefly, an aqueous Brij35 solution (1 mL; 19.3 wt%) was well mixed with NaOH (aq) (100  µL; 100mM) by shaking for 30 seconds. To this mixture, HAuCl4 (aq) (50  µL; 10 mM) was added, and shaken vigorously for 1 minute. The pale yellow reaction mixture then turned to blue within 5 minutes at room temperature. To make sure a complete reaction, this mixture was allowed to react for over 20 minutes before being collected by centrifugation (5 min; 13500 rpm), and redispersed in deionized water. 2.3. Synthesis of Au RLNPs@SiO2 NPs The preparation of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs was as follows: firstly, the as-synthesized Au RLNPs were dispersed in 1 mL of deionized water. Next, 0.235 mL polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP10) aqueous solution (128 mg of PVP10 in 10 mL of deionized water) was added to the Au RLNPs solution. The resulting mixture was then stirred at room temperature for 12 hours to ensure complete adsorption of PVP on Au RLNPs. Afterward, the PVP-capped RLNPs were purified by centrifugation (5 min; 13500 rpm), and redispersed in solvent mixture containing 1 mL deionized water and 7 mL ethyl alcohol. In the next step, tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS, 0.03 mL) and ammonium hydroxide (0.2 mL of 14.8 M NH4OH (aq.)) were sequentially added to the PVP-capped Au RLNPs aqueous solution and the reaction mixture was further stirred at room temperature for 4 h. After the completion of the reaction, the resultant Au [emailprotected]2 NPs were centrifuged, and purified by repeatedly washing in ethanol and centrifugation. 2.4. Catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol The catalytic reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) over nanoparticles in the presence of NaBH4 was carried out to assess the catalytic activity. In a typical experiment, 2 mL of deionized water, 1.7 mL of 0.2 mM 4-NP, and 1 mL of 15 mM NaBH4 solutions were mixed in a quartz cuvette followed by the addition of 1 mL of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs solution. The color of solution changed gradually from yellowish to clear as the reaction proceeded. UV-Vis spectra were recorded at a 5-minute intervals to monitor the progress of the reaction. 2.5. Ethanol electrocatalytic oxidation All electrochemical measurements were carried out in a conventional three-electrode cell at ambient temperature (~25ËÅ ¡C) using WPG 100e Potentiostat (WonAtech Inc.). The fabrication of working electrode is as follow: Prior to electrochemical experiments, glassy carbon (GC) electrode was sonicated in ethanol and deionized water successively. 10  µL of RLNP suspension was dropped onto carbon disk and the solution is dried at room temperature. Platinum and Ag/AgCl were employed as counter and reference electrodes, respectively. With an aqueous mixture of 0.5 M KOH and 1.0 M ethanol as electrolytes, at least 10 cycles of cyclic voltammetry were carried out before recyclable voltammograms were recorded. Throughout the cyclic voltammetry experiments, the potential window was between -0.2 V and 0.8 V. Prior to experiments, the electrolytes were degased by bubbling with nitrogen for 30 min. 2.6. Characterization The nanoparticles were imaged using a Hitachi S-4800 scanning electron microscope (SEM), and a JEOL JEM-2010 Luminography (Fuji FDL-5000) Ultramicrotome (CRX) transmission electron microscope (TEM). Samples were prepared for TEM by concentrating the nanoparticle mixture by centrifuging twice for 5 min at 13500 rpm with resuspension in 100 ÃŽ ¼L nanopure water and immobilizing 10 ÃŽ ¼L portions of the solution on Formvar-coated Cu grids. Extinction spectra were recorded with a UV-vis spectra spectrometer (UVIKON XS). Solution pH was measured using an Orion 420 A+ pH meter. 3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Initially, the highly monodisperse Au RLNPs with controlled diameters ranging from 60 to 70 nm (Fig. 1a and S1) [Images and size distribution of RLNP] were prepared according to protocols developed previously.ref Polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was then employed as a primer and a direct growth of silica onto the PVP-capped Au RLNPs to obtain Au [emailprotected]2 NPs was carried out using solution-phase sol-gel method with TEOS as a precursor. PVP, which have been often used as a surface-stabilizing polymeric agent to prepare spherical Au core – SiO2 shell nanoparticles,ref was used to protect the high-energy surface of Au RLNPs. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs (Fig. 1b-d) show the well-established core-shell structure in which the as-synthesized Au RLNPs were uniformly and individually encompassed within silica shells whereas still sustaining their rough and edge-rich surfaces advantageous to catal ytic performance. The average diameter of individual Au [emailprotected]2 NPs was xxxxx (xxx particles was evaluated, Fig 1e). With respect to RLNPs cores, the average size was nearly similar to that of RLNPs before silica-coated (Fig S1). The UV-Vis spectra plotted in Fig. 1f, a noticeable broadeness in the corresponding surface plasmon bands in Au [emailprotected]2 NPs compared to that of Au RLNP were observed. It is well know that the weaker and broader surface plasmons are observed,, due to the change of refractive index of surrounding environment after silica coating step[b1].ref [Fig 1] High catalytic efficiency of Au nanocatalysts were mainly due to their high roughness and plethora of edge-rich surfaces and corners.ref Thus it necessitates assessing whether catalytically active surfaces of the synthesized nanoparticles are stable in various environments. HCl, CTAB, and MPTS were introduced into the colloidal solution of the as-synthesized RLNPs in order to understand the stability of Au RLNPs in different ambiences. Fig. 2 shows typical SEM images displaying changes in geometries of Au RLNPs as adding diverse reagents. It is experimentally observed that Au RLNPs collectively changed to spherical nanoparticles with the smooth surface as adding HCl (Fig S2)ref corresponding to a blue-shift in UV-Vis spectrum toward approx. 520 nm which can be assigned to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of gold nanospheres. This phenomenon could be attributed to the oxidative etching effect which has been employed to control the size of other noble nanostructures in recent papers [12] [13] [14]. Meanwhile, as shown in Fig. 2a, much agglomeration occurred as adding CTAB. However, it is interesting to note that the aggregation also occurred without disturbing their raspberry-like motifs, as adding MPTS (Fig. 2b). The SPR changes shown in UV-Vis spectra (Fig. 2e) further confirmed this aggregation. The introduction of such reagents, which might affect the hydrodynamic layer thickness of Au RLNPs, accounts for this unusual alteration in particles size. The [emailprotected]2 NPs however exhibited no geometrical change when HCl was added. As shown in Fig. 3a, SEM images show that the [emailprotected]2 NPs still retained their original raspberry-like morphology without any observable agglomeration. This observation is also consistent with results obtained from UV-Vis spectra (Fig. 3b) that there was no detectable shift in SPR peak of the core-shell nanoparticles after HCl had been added. Ethanol comprises a lower toxicity, a higher theoretical energy density (8.01 kW.h kg-1) than methanol (6.09 kW.h kg-1) and formic acid (1.74 kW.h kg-1), and fewest environmental issues[15] [16]. Moreover, ethanol is a renewable source that can be easily produced massively from the chemical industry or fermentation of biomass. In this study, electrooxidation of ethanol [HM2]in KOH solution was performed to probe relative electrocatalytic activities of the synthesized nanoparticles. Fig. 4 shows the cyclic voltammograms of RLNPs, HCl-etched RLNPs[HM3], and [emailprotected]2 NPs for ethanol electrooxidation. It is clear that the RLNPs exhibit almost substantially higher electrocatalytic performance with a forward oxidation current (iF) value of 0.56 mA compared to that for HCl-etched RLNPs (iF, 0.07 mA). The high electrocatalytic activity of the RLNPs is attributed to the existence of high energetic surfaces in raspberry-like morphologies. However, [emailprotected]2 NPs did not show an y electrocatalytic activities over the entire potential window. This is explained that silica shells hindered the electron transfer between gold cores and electrode due to silica shells are insulating. The catalytic reduction of 4-NP to their corresponding derivatives, 4-aminophenol, in the presence of NaBH4 was chosen as a model reaction in order to evaluate the catalytic activity of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs. It is well established that the reduction of 4-NP by NaBH4 is thermodynamically feasible but kinetically restricted without a catalyst. The reduction progress was monitored by UV-Vis absorption spectra after the addition of catalysts. The characteristic absorption peak of 4-NP aqueous solution was located at 400 nm after NaBH4 had been added. First of all, in the absence of catalysts the reduction reaction of 4-NP did not proceed even with a large excess of NaBH4. However, when catalysts were introduced, the reduction of 4-NP was clearly observed. The absorbance of the reaction mixture at 400 nm gradually decreased as the reaction proceeded, along with the concomitant increase of 300 nm peak, corresponding to 4-aminophenol. Fig. 4 illustrates the UV-Vis spectra changes of 4-N P as a function of reaction time in the presence of Au RLNPs (Fig. 4a) and Au [emailprotected]2 NPs (Fig. 4c). Fig. 4e shows the change in concentration of 4-NP was plotted versus time, providing a general view to compare catalytic activities of Au RLNPs and Au [emailprotected] ­2 NPs (Ct: absorbance of 4-NP at specific reaction time, t; C0: initial absorbance of 4-NP as catalysis starts). The Ct/C0 is measured from the relative intensity of absorbance (At/A0). As can be seen, Au RLNPs exhibited comparatively higher catalytic activity than their core-shell counterparts, possibly owning to silica shell hindering the diffusion of reactants onto inner gold active sites. Interestingly, in the presence of HCl, the catalytic activity of Au [emailprotected]2 NPs however was not only improved, but also dramatically higher than that of Au RLNPs which was suffering from the morphological change, leading to severe degradation of active sites (Fig. 4e). In addition, we also investigated the d egree of reusability of the two catalysts. As shown in Fig. 5, the catalytic efficiencies of Au RLNPs decreased remarkably after reused 3 times whilst Au [emailprotected]2 still retained good catalytic performance for as far as 7 cycles. It is apparent that the stability and reusability of Au RLNPs were improved significantly after encapsulated into silica shell, resulting in maintenance in their catalytic activity. 4. CONCLUSIONS Acknowledgments: This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (2011-0008968). This research was also supported by Hallym University Research Fund 2012 (HRF-G-2012-3) References and Notes 1 [1] Linic, S.; Christopher, P.; Ingram, D. B. Nat. Mater. 2011, 10, 911. [2] Jiang, R.; Li, B.; Fang, C.; Wang, J. Adv. Mater. 2014, DOI: 10.1002/adma.201400203. [3] Zhang, Y.; Guo, Y.; Xianyu, Y.; Chen, W.; Zhao, Y.; Jiang, X. Adv. Mater. 2013, 15, 3802. [4] Tokel, O.; Inci, F.; Demirci, U. Chem. Rev. 2014, 114, 5728. [5] Tawfick, S.; Volder, M. D.; Copic, D.; Park, S. J.; Oliver, R.; Polsen, E. S.; Roberts, M. J.; Hart, A. J. Adv. Mater. 2012, 24, 1628. [6] Jones, M. R.; Osberg, K. D.; Macfarlane, R. J.; Langille, M. R.; Mirkin, C. A. Chem. Rev. 2011, 111, 3736. [7] Sau, T. K.; Rogach, A. L. Adv. Mater. 2010, 22, 1781. [8] Quan, Z.; Wang, Y.; Fang, J. Acc. Chem. Res. 2013, 46, 191. [9] Zhang, Y.; Xiao, Q.; Bao Y.; Zhang, Y.; Bottle, S.; Sarina, S.; Zhaorigetu, B.; Zhu, H. J. Phys. Chem. C 2014, 118, 19062. [10] Liu, X.; He, L.; Liu, Y.-M.; Cao, Y. Acc. Chem. Res. 2014, 47, 793. [11] Park, J.; Yoo, H. Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 2014, 185, 107. [12] Li, B.; Long, R., Zhong, X.; Bai, Y; Zhu, Z.; Zhang, X.; Zhi, M.; He, J.; Wang, C.; Li, Z.-Y.; Xiong, Y. Small 2012, 8, 1710. [13] Liu, M.; Zheng, Y.; Zhang, L.; Guo, L.; Xia, Y. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2013, 135, 11752. [14] Chiu, C.-Y.; Yang, M.-Y.; Lin, F.-C.; Huang, J.-S.; Huang, M. H. Nanoscale 2014, 6, 7656. [15] Hong, W.; Wang, J.; Wang, E. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 2014, 6, 9481. [16] Antolini, E.; Gonzalez, E. R. J. Power Sources 2010, 195, 3431. [b1]When gold NPs’ re encapsulated within silica, there’s generally red-shift in the absorbant peak of SPR. Please check this data once again. [HM2]In Fig. 4, I think it better to insert the 2 images of RLNP and Hcl-etched RLNPs to say that the latter surface is not as edge-rich as the former. [HM3]Considering how to name RLNPs whose morphology was change to sphere as adding HCl

Sunday, August 4, 2019

Winston Churchill :: essays research papers

Winston Churchill SIR WINSTON CHURCHILL, (1874-1965), British leader. English on his father's side, American on his mother's, Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill embodied and expressed the double vitality and the national qualities of both peoples. His names testify to the richness of his historic inheritance: Winston, after the Royalist family with whom the Churchills married before the English Civil War; Leonard, after his remarkable grandfather, Leonard Jerome of New York; Spencer, the married name of a daughter of the 1st duke of Marlborough, from whom the family descended; Churchill, the family name of the 1st duke, which his descendents resumed after the Battle of Waterloo. All these strands come together in a career that had no parallel in British history for richness, range, length, and achievement. Churchill took a leading part in laying the foundations of the welfare state in Britain, in preparing the Royal Navy for World War I, and in settling the political boundaries in the Middle East after the war. In WORLD WAR II emerged as the leader of the united British nation and Commonwealth to resist the German domination of Europe, as an inspirer of the resistance among free peoples, and as a prime architect of victory. In this, and in the struggle against communism afterward, he made himself an indispensable link between the British and American peoples, for he foresaw that the best defense for the free world was the coming together of the English-speaking peoples. Profoundly historically minded, he also had prophetic foresight: British-American unity was the message of his last great book, A History of the English-Speaking Peoples. His dominant qualities were courage and imagination. Less obvious to the public, but no less important, was his powerful, original, and fertile intellect. He had intense loyalty, marked magnanimity and generosity, and an affectionate nature with a puckish humor. Oratory, in which he ultimately became a master, he learned the hard way, but he was a natural wit. The artistic side of his temperament was displayed in his writings and oratorical style, as well as in his paintings. He was a combination of soldier, writer, artist, and statesman. He was not so good as a mere party politician. Like Julius Caesar, he stands out not only as a great man of action, but as a writer of it too. He had genius; as a man he was charming, gay, ebullient, endearing. As for personal defects, such a man was bound to be a great egoist; if that is a defect. So strong a personality was apt to be overbearing. He was something of a gambler, always too willing to take risks. In his earlier career, people thought him of unbalanced judgment partly from the very excess of

Fred McFeely Rogers :: Mister Rogers Mr. Rogers

Fred McFeely Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover between 1946 and 1948. Mr. Rogers received his BA in Music Composition in 1951, from Rolling College in Winter Park, Florida. After college, Mr. Rogers studied in the Ministry and intended to preach after he was ordained in 1962, but was diverted by television. Mr. Rogers began working for a local Children’s channel series â€Å"The Children’s Corner.† While working for this local channel, In 1963, Mr. Rogers moved to Toronto where he began working for a Canadian Broadcasting Company and had his debut in â€Å"MisteRogers† In 1966 he received the rights to move the program to Pittsburgh. Here, Mr. Rogers aired his Internationally known â€Å"Mr. Rogers Neighborhood† from 1968 – 2001. Mr. Rogers has received many awards for his television show. He received 4 Emmy awards, 1 for lifetime achievement. He received the Peabody Award in 1983 â€Å"in Recognition of 25 beautiful years in the neighborhood.† Mr. Rogers also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Contributions to childrens education. As stated by President George W. Bush at the ceremony, â€Å"Fred Rogers has proven that television can soothe the soul and nurture the spirit and teach the very young.† Not all of Mr. Rogers life was perfect. Throughout his career, Mr. Rogers has faced some criticism and even had some Urban Legends develop. â€Å"I feel the greatest gift we can give to anybody is the gift of our honest self† as put by Mr. Roger. When in fact, that is not how others always viewed him. One of these Urban Legends was the claim that Mr. Rogers had a violent past. Fred McFeely Rogers :: Mister Rogers Mr. Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. He studied at Dartmouth College in Hanover between 1946 and 1948. Mr. Rogers received his BA in Music Composition in 1951, from Rolling College in Winter Park, Florida. After college, Mr. Rogers studied in the Ministry and intended to preach after he was ordained in 1962, but was diverted by television. Mr. Rogers began working for a local Children’s channel series â€Å"The Children’s Corner.† While working for this local channel, In 1963, Mr. Rogers moved to Toronto where he began working for a Canadian Broadcasting Company and had his debut in â€Å"MisteRogers† In 1966 he received the rights to move the program to Pittsburgh. Here, Mr. Rogers aired his Internationally known â€Å"Mr. Rogers Neighborhood† from 1968 – 2001. Mr. Rogers has received many awards for his television show. He received 4 Emmy awards, 1 for lifetime achievement. He received the Peabody Award in 1983 â€Å"in Recognition of 25 beautiful years in the neighborhood.† Mr. Rogers also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom for Contributions to childrens education. As stated by President George W. Bush at the ceremony, â€Å"Fred Rogers has proven that television can soothe the soul and nurture the spirit and teach the very young.† Not all of Mr. Rogers life was perfect. Throughout his career, Mr. Rogers has faced some criticism and even had some Urban Legends develop. â€Å"I feel the greatest gift we can give to anybody is the gift of our honest self† as put by Mr. Roger. When in fact, that is not how others always viewed him. One of these Urban Legends was the claim that Mr. Rogers had a violent past.

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Use of Frameworks in Skills-Based Learning :: Graduate College Admissions Essays

Use of Frameworks in Skills-Based Learning    During the 1990s, many science programs across the country replaced concepts-based learning with skills-based learning. Many teachers, however, have experienced difficulties in making the transition. Moreover, they have noted that some students do not seem to benefit from the skills-based learning. One reason for this is that in many skills-based courses, students are not given a conceptual framework in which they can situate the skills that the course emphasizes. Instead, many instructors are simply asking their students to practice the skills, without giving them the conceptual structures that give those skills meaning. In my experience, no matter how much students practice whatever skills, few are able to develop a clear conceptual matrix for those skills without significant guidance from the instructor. A direct approach to this problem means that the instructor first provides students with the scaffolding of concepts for each skill. In this essay, I describe an exercise that can be used to develop a framework for students to evaluate what they observe in their laboratory exercises.    During a course, I dedicate portions of several class meetings to the development of a conceptual framework for evaluating explanations of observations. A week in advance of each session, I distribute two questions that we will discuss in class the following week. In the next class meeting I divide students into small groups and brainstorm answers for about fifteen minutes. For the next ten minutes, I moderate as each group shares their ideas with the entire class and I record the consensus position derived from the views the groups have presented. As soon as is practical, I distribute a statement of this consensus position. In this way, in the minds of the students, the work of the session is extended over two or three weeks even though the session itself lasts for only part of a class meeting.    In each session, I pose two questions for discussion that address either one key issue that helps the students work towards the larger goal of creating a conceptual framework for explanation of observations. I don't reveal the goal to the students before they brainstorm because focusing on the goal itself may short-circuit their thinking in the crucial early stages of the process. The goals are arranged so that each session's work builds on the work of the previous session.    Goal of the first session: identify different types of explanation.

Friday, August 2, 2019

Human Resource Definition Essay

1. Contingent workers- Someone who is not an employee, but a temporary or part-time worker for a specific period of time and type of work. Employee engagement- The extent to which individuals feel linked to organizational success and how the organization performs positively. Human capital- The collective value of the capabilities, knowledge, skills, life experiences, and motivation of an organizational workforce. Human resource management- Designing management systems to ensure that human talent is used effectively and efficiently to accomplish organizational goals Organizational culture- The shared values and beliefs in an organization. Productivity- Measure of the quantity and quality of work done, considering the cost of the resources used Sustainability-Being able to continue to operate, survive, and adjust to significant changes. ————————————————- ————————————————- Essay Questions: Answer the following essay questions based on the book and class discussions. 2. Ethical behavior in an organization is likely to occur when an ethics program includes these four elements: The four elements necessary to quantify an organization’s ethics are 1) written code of ethics and standards 2) ethics training to executives, managers, and employees 3) availability for advice on ethical situations (i.e. advice lines or offices) and 4) systems for confidential reporting 3. What challenges face HR managers with regard to workforce availability and quality? What are potential solutions? Future supply of and demand for employees and the nature of workforce issues, including the retention of employees. These factors are used when recruiting applicants for job openings. The selection process is concerned with choosing qualified individuals to fill those jobs. 4. What are the three major roles of HR management? Which is/are the most affected by technology and outsourcing? Which roles are growing in importance? 1) administrative, 2) operational and employee advocate, and 3) strategic. 5. Identify the key competencies needed by all HR professionals, and the additional competencies needed by senior HR leaders. HR professionals need competencies in strategic knowledge and impacts; capabilities in legal, administrative, and operational areas; and technology knowledge abilities. Senior HR leaders need these areas plus others to be effective. ————————————————- HR Headline: Read the following and then in teams, answer the following questions: HR Headline: The Challenges and Crises Facing HR Management Recent economic downturns, industry crises, bank failures, closing of plants and stores, changes in global operations, and other factors have significantly affected organizations, managers, and Human Resource (HR) management professionals. Some jobs are in high demand while others are being eliminated. According to surveys, some of the biggest problems include the following: 1) Adjusting benefits programs due to increasing costs; 2) Attracting and retaining key employees; 3) Planning for replacement of â€Å"baby boomers† when they retire; 4) Using talent management to train and develop capabilities of employees for future job needs; 5) Dealing with the expanded personal and organizational use of HR technology through blogs, wikis, twitters, text messaging, and other aspects; and 6) Complying with revised and changing federal, state, and local legal requirements affecting discrimination, treatment errors, unionization, and others. Questions for Discussion: 1. What do you think will be the most important change in the economy that will influence HR management operations? Explain. Their media tend to be a big part of it since that how things are function more. There are so many way to communicate and get things done faster and is more time saving. Also attracts different type of people with different types of skills. 2. How do you think technology changes will change the way HR professionals do recruiting and selection of employees? What are the pros and cons of any changes? It helps people have easier way to apply for jobs or to show their talents. Help HR find people with the skills that they are looking for. But it also disqualifies many people for the reason they are in the internet/ profiles. 3. The number of jobs in HR is predicted to increase between now and 2018. Explain why you think that is? They are going to need more people to be able to hire other that are right for the jobs rather than outsourcing. Since many people are baby boomer, there are going retired soon so that means many companies are going to need new heiress there need HR to be able to cover all the new people that are coming. HR Headline: The Challenges and Crises Facing HR Management Recent economic downturns, industry crises, bank failures, closing of plants and stores, changes in global operations, and other factors have significantly affected organizations, managers, and Human Resource (HR) management professionals. Some jobs are in high demand while others are being eliminated. According to surveys, some of the biggest problems include the following: 1) Adjusting benefits programs due to increasing costs; 2) Attracting and retaining key employees; 3) Planning for replacement of â€Å"baby boomers† when they retire; 4) Using talent management to train and develop capabilities of employees for future job needs; 5) Dealing with the expanded personal and organizational use of HR technology through blogs, wikis, twitters, text messaging, and other aspects; and 6) Complying with revised and changing federal, state, and local legal requirements affecting discrimination, treatment errors, unionization, and others. Questions for Discussion: 4. What do you think will be the most important change in the economy that will influence HR management operations? Explain. Their media tend to be a big part of it since that how things are function more. There are so many way to communicate and get things done faster and is more time saving. Also attracts different type of people with different types of skills. 5. How do you think technology changes will change the way HR professionals do recruiting and selection of employees? What are the pros and cons of any changes? It helps people have easier way to apply for jobs or to show their talents. Help HR find people with the skills that they are looking for. But it also disqualifies many people for the reason they are in the internet/ profiles. 6. The number of jobs in HR is predicted to increase between now and 2018. Explain why you think that is? They are going to need more people to be able to hire other that are right for the jobs rather than outsourcing. Since many people are baby boomer, there are going retired soon so that means many companies are going to need new heiress there need HR to be able to cover all the new people that are coming. ————————————————- ————————————————- Chapter Video—Fruit Guys: After the video, answer the following questions. 6. What do you think will be the most important challenges for HR at Fruit Guys in the next five years? SUMMARYIZED THE VIDEO: It was showing how people in business think in the way of rewarding people in different positions. People that are in a higher position that are being rewarded for their performance in money show there performance actually got worse compare to the people in lower positions that are getting paid less. The study show that the people that have cram time to do a project are more productive and they show more passion on their job. Also people tend to do thing for free in there space time and are more productive since they are not pressured or force to do something they tend to be more productive. 7. Based on the CEO and other manager in the video, it appears that HR at Fruit Guys is expected to be involved in all three roles of HR. Describe an example of HR activities at Fruit Guys required for each of these roles shown in Figure 1-9 in the text.

Thursday, August 1, 2019

Analyzing “Little Red Riding Hood”

Analyzing â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† Tammy J. Cooper ENG 125 Instructor Adenekan 3 March 2013 Analyzing â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† In life, at one time or another we have had a moment that we have so innocently put ourselves in the path of harm or danger, just as the young woman in the short story â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† (Perrault, 1697). We all need to beware of our surrounding, to be very careful about talking to strangers. For danger, violence, and even death can come disguised in familiar things as the theme in â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† suggests.There are several literary elements that contribute to the theme of the story of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†. I will analyze these elements as I have interpreted them. Perrault uses omniscient point of view to tell this story. This is observed in the first sentence of the first paragraph, â€Å"Once upon a time there lived in a certain village a little country girl, the prettiest creat ure who was ever seen† (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 1).Omniscient point of view simply means that the reader is privy to every characters inner thoughts and feelings; in addition it allows the reader to go in and out of each character thoughts throughout the story. In this short story the reader gets the thoughts and feelings of both Little Red and the wolf. The tone of â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood† is a message to teach the danger in talking to or trusting strangers. For many strangers cannot and should not be trusted. That evil does exist and it has many faces, even familiar faces.The setting of this story is a medieval village on the edge of a large dark forest. Which today could be a lovely suburb on the edge of a huge unfriendly dark city? This story has five characters in it; however, the story focuses on the young woman wearing a red-hooded cape, the wolf, and their encounter, â€Å"As she was going through the wood, she met with a wolf, who had a very great mind to eat her up, but he dared not, because of some woodcutters working nearby in the forest. He asked her where she was going. The poor child, who did ot know that it was dangerous to stay and talk to a wolf, said to him, â€Å"I am going to see my grandmother and carry her a cake and a little pot of butter from my mother† (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 4). In reading â€Å"Little Red Riding Hood†, my interpretation of the symbolism is based on things in the 21st century. In my mind, I see Red not as a little girl but as a young woman just coming of age. She is very beautiful and quite desirable. The wolf is not a four-legged animal but a two-legged man with bad morals and evil thoughts.There are various kinds of wolves. There are those who are charming, quiet, polite, unassuming, complacent, and sweet who pursue young woman at home and in the street. And unfortunately, it is these gentle wolves who are the most dangerous ones of a ll. Whereas, Red still thinks with a pure, loving, and trusting heart and mind as do many young females do today? In addition, where it say the wolf eats Red, â€Å"And, saying these words, this wicked wolf fell upon Little Red Riding Hood, and ate her all up (as cited in Clugston, 2010, section 4. 1, para. 27).The wolf does not actually eat Red but rapes and violates her stealing her innocence from her forever. The plot of the story contributes to the theme of the story by telling us of the dangers of talking to strangers. We all need to beware of our surroundings and to be so very careful in speaking to strangers, for danger, violence, loss of innocence, and even death can come disguised in things and people that are very familiar to us. References Clugston, R. W. , (2010). Journey into Literature. Retrieved from: http://content. ashford. edu/books/AUENG125. 10. 2? sections=sec4. 1