Monday, January 27, 2020

Jørn Utzons House in Hellebæk

Jà ¸rn Utzons House in Hellebà ¦k The Architects house in Hellebà ¦k, Denmark, fifty kilometres north of Copenhagen, was built in 1953 on the designs of the great architect, Jà ¸rn Utzon, aimed to be his own home in one of his most loved areas of his country. Small, yet spacious, this dwelling is hidden in the green Danish forests not far away from the place he grew up and loved so much. This house was built at the commencement of Utzons career with limited funds: The story goes that Utzon could only afford a regular suburban lot but bought one at the end of a street, cancelled the driveway and persuaded the local forester to let him enter trough the forest instead. (Anon., May 2008) In this essay I intend to look at how this house functions, both aesthetically as well as ergonomically. I will analyze its style, layout and both its external and internal structure with references to the time and location it was built in. I will also examine the practical functions it provides. Subsequently, I am going to compare it to two other houses which either have been an inspiration for the architect or have been themselves influenced by Utzons Hellebà ¦k house. The House at Hellebà ¦k is not just another paradigm of a typical modern mid-century house but one of the very first structures to feature the trend of single-storey, flat-roofed residences with long glass walls. The whole faà §ade of the house is made up of yellow brick and large glass panels which create long uninterrupted, parallel walls. The north brick wall is completely blank in the sense that the architect punctured no windows in it at all except for the front door. As for the interior, the kitchen and the living room are situated in the core of the house while the bedrooms are at the sides and are only illuminated by roof openings due to Utzons desire to keep the bareness of the north wall. His determination to avoiding openings lead that the internal walls have no doors but mere gaps between them as passageways, and he achieved that by arranging them in such a way that the doors were ceiling high. The walls extend from ceiling to floor with black-painted wooden strips so the walls can be moved, the rooms re-arranged according to the need later on. (Jorn Utzon) By designing this house, the architects aim, was to make a modern and attractive residence that accommodated his wants and needs. At that time, he was married with children and needed a family house that would please him both aesthetically and emotionally by allowing him to enjoy the beauty of the Danish woods on his slightly elevated porch. On the other hand, he needed it to have enough room for a family while keeping the construction on a low budget. What is interesting about this residence is the fact that if you inspect it from the south, you will see a lightweight structure with thin timber framing and glass plates. On the other hand, if you stand on the north side, you will observe a heavy, stone building with no openings for the building to breathe. The south lighter side which stands on a solid brick wall, is said to be inspired by eastern, Chinese architecture. (20th century houses) With the construction of this house, Jà ¸rn Utzon was the first to bring the open-plan movement to the then conservative Denmark as it features a large open space and minimizes the use of small, enclosed rooms. This is in strong contrast with the traditional Danish houses with strictly defined rooms (Denmark, Unofficial Handbook, Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 622-644). This house is yet an even more contradictory structure to that area due to the architects choice not to provide north-facing openings since the conventional housing of the 50s used to have large windows on every side. Yet, the south side and the use of brick balance everything up. One of the things that catches my eye on this house is the precise geometry in which the yellow bricks are placed. The entire building seems like it has been very carefully constructed, taking into consideration every little detail. The geometry is emphasised by the two very long parallel walls on either side. The structure of the house, resembles that of a traditional Japanese house that was designed according to the ancient Kiwari modular system. This was a very simple method of building based on standard dimensions and spacing between columns which was measured in 6 to 6.5 Shaku (1818mm to 1969.5mm)(Davies book 2). Utzon borrows this scheme and converts it into his own culture, the traditional Danish brick. In the Utzon house it is the humble brick that sets the module both externally and internally.(Davies). All the proportions are planned on an 120mm grid which is devised by Danish brick and cement joints, timber panels, floor tiles and brick paving. The Japanese influence is not only apparent in the structural elements of the house but in the interiors and decoration as well. The materials used outside are the same as inside: yellow brick, Oregon pine, aluminium and black-painted skirting boards and ceiling strips. The whole plainness of it all is what reminds me of Japanese quality. Photos of the interiors which are geometric, with straight edges, a grid-like placement of furniture, ample wide, open space and a very generous usage of long timber planks bring to my mind the simple lines that traditional Japanese architecture followed. The architect himself recalls all the different sorts of materials used in this project; walls and doors are framed with Oregon pine boards, the kitchen, grill niche, shower and bathroom are all adorned with the same yellow brick but glazed white and shiny like porcelain. The flooring in the entrance hall, kitchen and round the fireplace consists of yellow-brown oblong tiles made of clay. Utzons main inspiration for creating the Hellebà ¦k house, were Frank Lloyd Wrights Usonian houses (1936) and especially Jacobs House which was the first out of this series of small ranches in West America. The windows, the single-storey and open plan structure as well as the flat roof and the use of brick and timber were obvious elements which Utzon mimicked after Wrights work. After the Second World War, Utzon decided to travel to the United States where he stayed with Frank Lloyd Wright for several months. He closely observed the great architect who was at the peak of his career as he worked. This is very noticeable in Utzons work following that journey. Jacobs House is located in Madison, Wisconsin and was created by Wright during a major pause of his career in the 30s due to being affected by the times depression. The architects main intention was to create a large collection of such houses that were both economical and environmentally friendly. The materials used in this project were timber, stone, glass and bricks made out of baked clay, a series of resources that state a clear relation to the areas vernacular(www.usonia1.com). This is exactly what Utzon did for his own house. Wrights concept included an L-shaped floor plan with a two by two grid as a guideline. Utzon consequently used a certain pattern as well by making everything a multiple of 120mm. The living and dining areas as well as the kitchen are all in a single open area in contrast to the two bedrooms and the study which are enclosed in their own rooms. He, as well as Utzon, make the same clear distinction between the private and public areas of the house, the serving and served. The whole house is characterized by the simplicity of the materials and space. Floor heating, Chinese method. Both houses. A house in which was undoubtedly influenced by Utzons creation is Richard Hordens residence in Poole Dorset. Utzon is a great mind in the history of architecture and his Hellebà ¦k house still remains as an example of how well he could implement modern structures of the mid-century. The yellow brick is still standing symmetrically and geometrically inside the deep Danish woods.

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Sweatshop Labor: Wearing Thin Essay example -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For most people in the United States, the term â€Å"slave to fashion† relates to an individual’s desire always to be wearing the latest fashions from trendy clothing lines. In a twist of supreme irony, the designation applies much more literally to the legions of poverty-stricken sweatshop laborers worldwide who toil away under miserable conditions to produce the snappy apparel that Americans purchase in droves on a daily basis.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Conditioned by a media that places considerable emphasis on possessing a stylish wardrobe, the majority of U.S. consumers are far too awash in their own culture -- one that is notorious for the value it places on material wealth -- to be sensitive to the plight of these indigent foreigners. And although the US media’s fleeting scrutiny of sweatshop conditions five years ago did make the issue a greater part of the national consciousness than ever before, not enough people changed their buying habits as a result -- or at least not enough to make a dent in the all-important bottom line of guilty corporations. Indeed, major American retailers of clothing and other apparel products have not changed this despotic element of their business practices in the least despite the negative publicity; in fact, they continue to exploit laborers in foreign, mostly Third-World countries to an alarming degree.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The scope of the problem is such that hundreds of residents in a town as small and isolated as Santa Cruz have at some point been employed in sweatshops in impoverished nations. Santa Cruz resident Lorenzo Hernandez endured years of mistreatment at a Doall Enterprises factory in El Salvador before immigrating with his wife and two sons to Santa Cruz in September, 2000. He now works full-time as a cook at Tony and Alba’s Pizza in Scotts Valley, and while he scarcely earns above minimum wage in his current position, it represents a substantial improvement to the abject conditions under which he labored for so many years in his home country. â€Å"They treated us very badly (in El Salvador),† Hernandez said. â€Å"I earned not enough to live on. My family could only buy two shirts and pants (per person), and we were always hungry. I worked 14, 16 hours a day but still did not make enough.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hernandez speaks and moves with the languor of a man... ...ation or escape in religion. Fittingly, while more affluent people in the United States disregard the reality of sweatshop labor because they are preoccupied with trying to sport cutting-edge fashions, the people of Ciudad Juarez seek to disguise their realities because they are so painful.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Faced with such unsettling tales of human suffering, Saganovich remains resolute: â€Å"Wal-Mart is simply looking out for its best interests, and this alleged mistreatment of foreign laborers isn’t anywhere near as bad as a lot of people make it out to be. The people who are speaking out so strongly against us are little more than a type of propagandists with their own agendas. Nobody forces anyone to work anywhere, and a lot of them are coming to America and making better lives for themselves.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hernandez is one of a relatively small number of lucky immigrants who have realized a greater level of wealth and comfort in the States, but he will never forget the anguish his previous jobs brought him and his compatriots. â€Å"It’s great, I can afford clothes and food here now,† he said. â€Å"But I try to buy from stores (that) don’t have sweatshops.†

Saturday, January 11, 2020

DNA Extraction Essay

Much can be learned from studying an organisms DNA. The first step to doing this is extracting DNA from cells. In this experiment, you will isolate DNA from the cells of fruit. Materials (1) 10 mL Graduated Cylinder(2) 100 mL Beakers15 cm Cheesecloth1 Resealable Bag1 Rubber Band (Large. Contains latex pleasewear gloves when handling if you have a latex allergy).Standing Test TubeWooden Stir StickFresh, Soft Fruit (e.g., Grapes, Strawberries, Banana, etc.) ScissorsDNA Extraction SolutionIce Cold EthanolYou Must ProvideContains sodium chloride, detergent and waterFor ice cold ethanol, store in the freezer 60 minutes before use. Procedure If you have not done so, prepare the ethanol by placing it in a freezer for approximately 60 minutes. Put pieces of a soft fruit into a plastic zipper bag and mash with your fist. The amount of food should be equal to the size of approximately five grapes. Use the 10 mL graduated cylinder to measure 10 mL of the DNA Extraction Solution. Transfer the solution from the cylinder to the bag with the fruit it in. Seal the bag completely. Mix well by kneading the bag for two minutes. Create a filter by placing the center of the cheesecloth over the mouth of the standing test tube, pushing it into the tube about two inches, and securing the cheesecloth with a rubber band around the top of the test tube. Cut a hole in the corner of the bag and filter your extraction by pouring it into the cheesecloth. You will need to keep the filtered solution which passes through the cheese cloth into the standing test tube. Rinse the 10 mL graduated cylinder, and measure five mL of ice-cold ethanol. Then, while holding the standing test tube at a 45 angle, slowly transfer the ethanol into the standing test tube with the filtered solution. The color has been enhanced by dying the fruit with a substance that glows under black light.DNA will precipitate (come out of solution) after the ethanol has been added to the solution. Let the test tube sit undisturbed for 2 – 5 minutes. You should begin to see air bubbles form at the boundary line between the ethanol and the filtered fruit solution. Bubbles will form near the top, and you will eventually see the DNA float to the top of the ethanol. Gently insert the stir stick into the test tube. Slowly raise and lower the tip several times to spool and collect the DNA. If there is an insufficient  amount of DNA available, it may not float to the top of the solution in a form that can be easily spooled or removed from the tube. However, the DNA will still be visible as white/clear clusters by gently stirring the solution and pushing the clusters around the top. Post-Lab Questions What is the texture and consistency of the DNA DNA is viscous and greasy. Why did we use a sa lt in the extraction solution High salt makes DNA less soluble in water. In order to dissolve, the water needs to interact with the DNA. Since DNA is quite large, it needs to interact with lots of water for this purpose. When you add salt, the water preferentially interacts with the salt (its small, and can move around in solution easier than the DNA can). This makes it so there is less water available to interact with the DNA and it becomes less soluble. Is the DNA soluble in the aqueous solution or alcohol DNA is less soluble in an alcohol such as isopropanol than it is in water. This is because alcohols are non-polar, whereas water is polar. The polar water molecule is much better at distributing the negative charge on DNA, causing it to remain in solution. However, since alcohol is non-polar, the negatively charged molecules of DNA tend to group together, forming clumps, which precipitate out of the alcohol solution. What else might be in the ethanol/aqueous interface How could you eliminate this When you precipitate the solution with cold ethanol 70 you would have a mix of DNA, RNA and some soluble salts. You should be able to centrifuge again so the DNA/RNA forms a pellet and drain the liquid out. Which DNA bases pair with each other How many hydrogen bonds are shared by each pair How is information to make proteins passed on through generations Watch the following Virtual Lab demonstrating DNA Extraction. In this experiment, how do the Lysis Solution and the Salt Solution vary by function Identify one step which was included in the Virtual Lab which was not required in the hands-on experiment. Then, identify one step which was included in the hands-on experiment, but not the virtual lab.

Friday, January 3, 2020

Hiv Prevalence--Ghana - 2412 Words

NATIONAL HIV PREVALENCE AIDS ESTIMATES REPORT 2011-2015 National AIDS/STI Control Programme Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health. Accra, Ghana. National HIV Prevalence AIDS Estimates Report National HIV Prevalence AIDS Estimates Report 2011-2015 March 2012 National AIDS/STI Control Programme Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health Accra, Ghana National HIV Prevalence AIDS Estimates Report  ©National AIDS/STI Control Programme 2012  ©Ghana Health Service 2012 All rights reserved. The designations employed and the presentation material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the NACP concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of†¦show more content†¦EPP Curve Fitting Parameters used for the 2011- 2015 curve fitting Table 2. Population and Demographic parameters used for projection Table 3. Programme Indicators Table 4. Infant feeding data Table 5. National HIV Prevalence Estimates, 2011 Table 6. National HIV Prevalence Estimates, 2012 Table 7. HIV Population Table 8. Trends in Projected HIV Incidence, AIDS Mortality and ART Needs National HIV Prevalence AIDS Estimates Report III Introduction H IV prevalence data is critical for planning and implementation of programmes within the National Response. The data is useful for understanding the magnitude of the HIV/ AIDS problem and for monitoring the impact of interventions. Generation of HIV prevalence data is done using UNAIDS/WHO recommended methods. As in other countries with generalized HIV epidemics, the estimates of HIV prevalence in Ghana is primarily based on sentinel surveillance among pregnant women attending Antenatal Care (ANC) clinics and a national population based survey that includes HIV testing. It is recognized that both sentinel surveillance and population-based surveys each have strengths and weaknesses but together provide complementary information. Sentinel surveillance provides samples that are consistent over time so that good estimates of HIV trends can be obtained. Population-based surveys, on the other hand, provide much better geographic coverage of theShow MoreRelatedAids : Hiv / Aids3248 Words   |  13 PagesOliver Au Yong Global Health 101 Section AJ – Xiaochen Dai 3/8/15 Global Fund Assignment # 7 Country: Ghana Disease: HIV/AIDS Section 1: Introduction Originally Ghana was a country that had strong Republican views upon obtaining independence in 1950’s but it was followed by years of instability due to tension between ethnic groups that only grew due to military power and the government’s inability to prevent a declining economy (Chazan). These events of the early history of the country leadRead MoreLFU Case Study830 Words   |  4 Pageswith their partner their HIV status before pregnancy were less likely to have their infant LTFU. Findings from studies done in Ethiopia and in other low HIV prevalence settings in Central Asia and Eastern Europe (30,31) showed that knowledge of maternal HIV prior to pregnancy allows HIV-infected mothers to be better prepared to receive their infants’ test results. It may be that they might have had adequate time to be taken through counseling and living positively with HIV, hence have a higher acceptanceRead MoreStigma And Its Effects On Society Essay1666 Words   |  7 PagesChristodoulou, 2011). Three decades into the HIV and AIDS pandemic, stigma remains a significant challenge for HIV and AIDS and TB control programs. Tuberculosis and HIV/AID stigma often overlap due to the high coinfection rate (Abney, 2011). Tuberculosis has been perceived as a marker for HIV positivity (Ngamvithayapong et al., 2000). In Sub Sahara Africa where the prevalence of HIV/AIDs is high, a patient with Tuberculosis is often assumed to have HIV/AIDS as expressed by one participant in a studyRead MoreHiv Is A Disease?1574 Words   |  7 PagesIntroduction HIV is a disease which eventually kills ones immune system, and as time progresses it leads to AIDS. When the HIV enters a human, it attaches itself to a CD4 receptor and continues to enter the T-Cell. It then reprograms the cell to produce more HIV using the enzyme, reverse transcriptase. The HIV then leaves the host cell, but kills it before it leaves. Then, the HIV cells attach their selves to new T cells, and infect those as well. After about 12 weeks, the HIV antibodies appear inRead MoreThe Epidemic Of Tuberculosis, Kenya, Uganda And The Democratic Republic Of The Congo1665 Words   |  7 Pagessettings. WHO (2015d) estimated around 3.2million people in Africa to have TB, with a mortality rate of 450,000. Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo were in the top 25 countries in the world for TB mortality and prevalence. Statistics have shown that in-effective TB control can result in multi-drug resistance TB (MDR-TB), relapse of TB and can cause mortality (Centres for Diseases Control and Prevention) (2012). Therefore, The World Health Organisation has toolsRead MoreA Perspective of Poverty and HIV on Sub-Saharan Africa1018 Words   |  4 Pagespoverty and HIV on Sub-Saharan Africa The majority of people currently living with HIV are in Sub-Saharan Africa where this infectious immune disease has had a devastating impact mentally, physically, economically and socially since this pandemic began. Sub-Saharan Africa is about 15% of the worlds population, and it has approximately seventy percent of the people living with HIV. In 2011 there were 23,500,000 people living with HIV, and 1,200,000 annual AIDS deaths. The new HIV infectionsRead MoreThe View Of Health Care Systems1452 Words   |  6 Pagesand Conclusion My study illuminates the need to reconceptualise the notion of health care systems in Ghana. The dual approach of conceptualizing the Ghanaian health care system ignores realities on the ground. The dual approach as oppose to the triple-systems approach, downplays the essence of self-care as a health care seeking option for many Ghanaians (). Findings of this study reveals a prevalence use of self-care are health management option for most of the informants. Self-care as a treatmentRead MoreThe African HIV-AIDS Crisis2144 Words   |  9 Pagescommonly known as HIV, is a retrovirus. A retrovirus is basically a virus or group of viruses that insert into a host cell in order to replicate. HIV affects cells of the immune system, and destroys or impairs their function. As HIV progresses, the immune system weakens, which causes the person infected to become more susceptible to other illnesses. HIV at its most advanced stage is called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, otherwise known as AIDS. It can take 10-15 years for an HIV-infected personRead MoreWorld Aids Day Report8605 Words   |  35 Pages700 000 fewer new HIV infections globally in 2011 than in 2001. Africa has cut AIDS-related deaths by one third in the past six years. And as services have been scaled up, uptake has followed. In fact, what had taken a decade before is now being achieved in 24 months. In the past two years there has been a 60% increase in the number of people accessing lifesaving treatment—8 million people are on antiretroviral therapy. In most parts of the world we have seen a reduction in new HIV infections amongRead MorePersonal Statement Of Public Health Research Essay1244 Words   |  5 Pagesvulnerable populations who are often faced with limited access to healthcare. I became intrigued working with this group when I realized they faced limited access to HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) services. As a young researcher, I was curious to understand the risk factors that increased the high burden (25%) of HIV among men who have sex with men (MSM) living in Nigeria. There was limited research to inform program interventions. Yet, other high risk groups (female sex workers