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World
Agriculture Pages
Resource for professionals in the chemical industry- Information on chemical
processing, chemical engineering, process engineering, process manufacturing,
chemical reactions and reactors, spray nozzles, chemical containers , chemical
tanks,surface analyzer,chemical instrumentation,particle characterization,stainless
steel tanks, validation,particle sizing, crushers, lumpbreakers, chemical
dryers, mixers, mills, extruders,feeders,coating equipment,clean in place,multiple
screw feeder, CIP,homogenizer,freeze dryer,filtration, membrane filtration,valves,jacketed
tanks,dust collector, dust collection, high shear mixers,gas cylinders,spray
balls, tank wash nozzles,emissions control, energy production and more.(1)
World
Animation Pages
Computer animation is essentially a digital successor to the art of stop motion
animation of 3D models and frame-by-frame animation of 2D illustrations. For
3D animations, objects (models) are built on the computer monitor (modeled)
and 3D figures are rigged with a virtual skeleton. For 2D figure animations,
separate objects (illustrations) and separate transparent layers are used,
with or without a virtual skeleton. Then the limbs, eyes, mouth, clothes,
etc. of the figure are moved by the animator on key frames. The differences
in appearance between key frames are automatically calculated by the computer
in a process known as tweening or morphing. Finally, the animation is rendered.(1)
World Anime Pages
Anime is an abbreviation of the English word "animation", originating
in Japan. Although the term is used in Japan to refer to animation in general,
in English usage the term most popularly refers to material originating from
Japan, a subset of animation. While anime had entered markets beyond Japan
in the 1960s, it grew as a major cultural export during its market expansion
during the 1980s and 1990s. The anime market for the United States alone is
"worth approximately $4.35 billion, according to the Japan External Trade
Organization". Anime has also been a commercial success in Asia, Europe
and Latin America, where anime has become even more mainstream than in the
United States. For example, the Saint Seiya video game was released in Europe
due to the popularity of the show even years after the series has been off-air.(1)
World
Antique Pages
Antiques
are usually objects which show some degree of craftsmanship, or a certain
attention to design such as a desk or the early automobile. They are bought
at antique shops, or passed down as an estate. Some valuable antiques can
be bought from antique dealers and auction services or purchased online through
websites and online auctions. Antique dealers are often members of national
trade associations, many of which themselves belong to CINOA, a confederation
of art and antique associations across 19 countries, representing 5000 dealers.(1)
World Aquaculture Pages
The
broad term “aquaculture” refers to the breeding, rearing, and
harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments, including
ponds, rivers, lakes, and the ocean. Similar to agriculture, aquaculture can
take place in the natural environment or in a manmade environment. Using aquaculture
techniques and technologies, researchers and the aquaculture industry are
“growing,” “producing,” “culturing,” and
“farming” all types of freshwater and marine species.Aquaculture
is the fastest growing form of food production in the world. It is also a
significant source of protein for people in many countries, including the
United States. Globally, nearly half the fish consumed by humans is produced
by fish farms. This worldwide trend toward aquaculture production is expected
to continue. At the same time, demand for safe, healthy seafood is also expected
to grow.Source:NOAA
World
Astronomy Pages
Astronomy
is the scientific study of celestial objects (such as stars, planets, comets,
and galaxies) and phenomena that originate outside the Earth's atmosphere
(such as the cosmic background radiation). It is concerned with the evolution,
physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestial objects, as well
as the formation and development of the universe.Astronomy
is one of the oldest sciences. Astronomers of early civilizations performed
methodical observations of the night sky, and astronomical artifacts have
been found from much earlier periods. Amateur astronomers have contributed
to many important astronomical discoveries, and astronomy is one of the few
sciences where amateurs can still play an active role, especially in the discovery
and observation of transient phenomena.(1)
World Auction
Pages
An
auction is a process of buying and selling goods by offering them up for bid,
taking bids, and then selling the item to the winning bidder. In economic
theory, an auction is a method for determining the value of a commodity that
has an undetermined or variable price.There
are several variations on the basic auction form, including time limits, minimum
or maximum limits on bid prices, and special rules for determining the winning
bidder(s) and sale price(s). Participants in an auction may or may not know
the identities or actions of other participants. Depending on the auction,
bidders may participate in person or remotely through a variety of means,
including telephone and the internet. Auctions are generally funded by a fee
paid by the seller to the auctioneer or auction company.(1)
World
Auto Pages
The automotive industry is the industry involved in the design,
development, manufacture, marketing, and sale of motor vehicles. In 2006,
more than 69 million motor vehicles, including cars and commercial vehicles
were produced worldwide. In 2006 16 million new automobiles were sold in the
USA, 15 million in Western Europe, 7 million in China and 2 million in India.
In 2007, the markets in Canada, USA, Western Europe and Japan are stagnating,
while those in South America (especially Brazil), Eastern Europe (especially
Russia), and Asia (South Korea and India) are growing.Increasing costs of
oil-based fuels and tightening environmental law and restrictions on greenhouse
gas emissions are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles.
Efforts to improve or replace these technologies include hybrid vehicles,
electric vehicles and hydrogen vehicles.(1)
World
Automation Pages
Automation,roboticization or industrial automation or numerical control is
the use of control systems such as computers to control industrial machinery
and processes, replacing human operators.Automation is now often applied primarily
to increase quality in the manufacturing process, where automation can increase
quality substantially. For example, automobile and truck pistons used to be
installed into engines manually. This is rapidly being transitioned to automated
machine installation, because the error rate for manual installment was around
1-1.5%, but has been reduced to 0.00001% with automation. Hazardous operations,
such as oil refining, the manufacturing of industrial chemicals, and all forms
of metal working, were always early contenders for automation.Another
major shift in automation is the increased emphasis on flexibility and convertibility
in the manufacturing process. Manufacturers are increasingly demanding the
ability to easily switch from manufacturing Product A to manufacturing Product
B without having to completely rebuild the production lines.(1)
World
Aviation Pages
Aviation
encompasses all the activities relating to airborne devices created by human
ingenuity, generally known as aircraft. These activities include the organizations
and regulatory bodies as well as the personnel related with the operation
of aircraft and the industries involved in airplane manufacture, development,
and design.Aviation encompasses all the activities relating to airborne devices
created by human ingenuity, generally known as aircraft. These activities
include the organizations and regulatory bodies as well as the personnel related
with the operation of aircraft and the industries involved in airplane manufacture,
development, and design.Many small aircraft manufacturers, including Cessna,
Piper, Diamond, Mooney, Cirrus Design, Raytheon, and others serve the general
aviation market, with a focus on private aviation and flight training.(1)
World
Baby Pages
Newborns
can feel all different sensations, but respond most enthusiastically to soft
stroking, cuddling and caressing. Gentle rocking back and forth often calms
a crying infant, as do massages and warm baths. Newborns may comfort themselves
by sucking their thumb, or a pacifier. The need to suckle is instinctive (see
suction in biology) and allows newborns to feed.Newborn infants
have unremarkable vision, being able to focus on objects only about 18 inches
(45 cm) directly in front of their face. While this may not be much, it is
all that is needed for the infant to look at the mother’s eyes or areola
when breastfeeding. Generally, a newborn cries when wanting to feed. When
a newborn is not sleeping, or feeding, or crying, he or she may spend a lot
of time staring at random objects. Usually anything that is shiny, has sharp
contrasting colors, or has complex patterns will catch an infant's eye. However,
the newborn has a preference for looking at other human faces above all else.(1)
World
Beverage Pages
Despite the fact that most beverages, including juice,
soft drinks, and carbonated drinks, have some form of water in them; water
itself is often not classified as a beverage, and the word beverage has been
recurrently defined as not referring to water.Alcoholic beverages, such as
wine and beer, have been part of human culture and development for 8,000 yearsAn
alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol,
although in chemistry the definition of an alcohol includes many other compounds.
Beverages like colas, sparkling water, iced tea, lemonade, squash, and fruit
punch are among the most common types of soft drinks, while hot chocolate,
hot tea, coffee, milk, tap water, alcohol, and milkshakes do not fall into
this classification. Many carbonated soft drinks are optionally available
in versions sweetened with sugars or with non-caloric sweeteners.(1)
World
Biotech Pages
Biotechnology
is technology based on biology, especially when used in agriculture, food
science, and medicine.Biotechnology is often used to refer to genetic engineering
technology of the 21st century, however the term encompasses a wider range
and history of procedures for modifying biological organisms according to
the needs of humanity, going back to the initial modifications of native plants
into improved food crops through artificial selection and hybridization. Bioengineering
is the science upon which all Biotechnological applications are based. With
the development of new approaches and modern techniques, traditional biotechnology
industries are also acquiring new horizons enabling them to improve the quality
of their products and increase the productivity of their systems.(1)
World
Blogging Pages
Recently,
researchers have analyzed the dynamics of how blogs become popular. There
are essentially two measures of this: popularity through citations, as well
as popularity through affiliation (i.e. blogroll). The basic conclusion from
studies of the structure of blogs is that while it takes time for a blog to
become popular through blogrolls, permalinks can boost popularity more quickly,
and are perhaps more indicative of popularity and authority than blogrolls,
since they denote that people are actually reading the blog's content and
deem it valuable or noteworthy in specific cases.Recently,
through the mass popularity of sponsored post ventures such as PayPerPost
(now known as Izea) a large number of personal blogs have started writing
sponsored posts for advertisers wanting to boost buzz about new products and
services. It has revolutionised the blogosphere almost in the same way that
Google AdSense did.(1)
World
Book Pages
Hardcover
books have a stiff binding. Paperback books have cheaper, flexible covers
which tend to be less durable. An alternative to paperback is the glossy cover,
otherwise known as a dust cover, found on magazines, and comic books. Spiral
bound books are bound by spirals often made of metal. Examples of spiral bound
books include: teachers manuals, and puzzle books (crosswords, sudoku).Publishing
is a process for producing books, magazines, newspapers, etc. pre-printed
for the reader/user to buy, usually in large numbers by a publishing company.
Such books can be categorized as fiction (made-up stories) or non-fiction
(information written as fact). A book-length fiction story is called a novel.Publishers
may produce low-cost, pre-publication copies known as galleys or 'bound proofs'
for promotional purposes, such as generating reviews in advance of publication.
Galleys are usually made as cheaply as possible, since they are not intended
for sale.(1)
World Broadcasting Pages
Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals
which transmit programs to an audience. The audience may be the general public
or a relatively large sub-audience, such as children or young adults.There
are wide variety of broadcasting systems, all of which have different capabilities.
The largest broadcasting systems are institutional public address systems,
which transmit nonverbal messages and music within a school or hospital, and
low-powered broadcasting systems which transmit radio stations or television
stations to a small area. National radio and television broadcasters have
nationwide coverage, using retransmitter towers, satellite systems, and cable
distribution. Satellite radio and television broadcasters can cover even wider
areas, such as entire continents, and Internet channels can distribute text
or streamed music worldwide.(1)
World
Car Pages
Most automobiles in use today are
propelled by gasoline (also known as petrol) or diesel internal combustion
engines, which are known to cause air pollution and are also blamed for contributing
to climate change and global warming.Increasing costs of oil-based fuels and
tightening environmental law and restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions
are propelling work on alternative power systems for automobiles. Efforts
to improve or replace these technologies include hybrid vehicles, electric
vehicles and hydrogen vehicles. Automobile propulsion technology under development
include gasoline/electric and plug-in hybrids, battery electric vehicles,
hydrogen cars, biofuels and various alternative fuels.Research
into future alternative forms of power include the development of fuel cells,
Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI), stirling engines, and even
using the stored energy of compressed air or liquid nitrogen.New materials
which may replace steel car bodies include duraluminum, fiberglass, carbon
fiber, and carbon nanotubes.Telematics technology is allowing more and more
people to share cars, on a pay-as-you-go basis, through such schemes as City
Car Club in the UK, Mobility in mainland Europe, and Zipcar in the US.
World
Career Pages
As the idea of personal choice and self direction picks up in the 21st century,
aided by the power of the Internet and the increased acceptance of people
having multiple kinds of work, the idea of a career is shifting from a closed
set of achievements, like a chronological résumé of past jobs,
to a defined set of pursuits looking forward. In its broadest sense, career
refers to an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan. As
the idea of personal choice and self direction picks up in the 21st century,
aided by the power of the Internet and the increased acceptance of people
having multiple kinds of work, the idea of a career is shifting from a closed
set of achievements, like a chronological résumé of past jobs,
to a defined set of pursuits looking forward. In its broadest sense, career
refers to an individual’s work and life roles over their lifespan.(1)
World
Chemical Pages
The
chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals.
It is central to modern world economy, converting raw materials (oil, natural
gas, air, water, metals, minerals) into more than 70,000 different products.
Polymers and plastics, especially polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride,
polyethylene terephthalate, polystyrene and polycarbonate comprise about 80%
of the industry’s output worldwide. Chemicals are used to make a wide
variety of consumer goods, as well as thousands inputs to agriculture, manufacturing,
construction, and service industries. The chemical industry itself consumes
26 percent of its own output. Major industrial customers include rubber and
plastic products, textiles, apparel, petroleum refining, pulp and paper, and
primary metals. Chemicals is nearly a $2 trillion global enterprise, and the
EU and U.S. chemical companies are the world's largest producers. The largest
corporate producers worldwide, with plants in numerous countries, are BASF,
Dow, Shell, Bayer, INEOS, ExxonMobil, DuPont, SABIC, and Mitsubishi, along
with thousands of smaller firms.(1)
World
Childcare Pages
It is traditional in western society for children to be looked after by one
or both of their parents, but the need, or preference, for two-job households
means that childcare is delegated to Au Pairs, childminders or crèches
on a full-time (40hrs) or part-time (< 40hrs) basis.Most Western countries
also have compulsory education during which children are at school starting
from 5- or 6-years of age.Additionally, parents may opt to have their own
family members watch their children.For many, the use
of paid childcare is a matter of choice with arguments raging on both sides
about whether children suffer or not.There is no doubt that the first few
years of a child's life are vitally important to form a basis for good education,
morality, self-discipline and social integration.[citation needed] Consistency
of approach, skills and qualifications of careers and ownership have been
shown in many studies to improve the chances of a child reaching his or her
full potential.For example a recent study in Australia concluded centers run
by corporate chains provided the lowest quality care when compared to community-based
providers and independent private centres.(1)
World Children Pages
The Internet has become a tool
for parents and childcare providers to connect.Online
classified ads allow parents to post job offers and childcare providers to
post resumes in hopes of connecting with each other via cyberspace. Such postings
allow anyone to post almost anything at any time with little monitoring. Services
dedicated to matching parents and childcare providers have evolved from for-profit,nonprofit
and governmental organizations.Such services generally offer greater screening,
than general listing services(1)
World
Community Pages
Social enterprises are social mission driven organizations
which trade in goods or services for a social purpose. The need to deliver
on financial, social and environmental performance targets is often referred
to as having a triple bottom line.It could be that the profit (or surplus)
from the business is used to support related or unrelated social aims (as
in a charity shop), or that the business itself accomplishes the social aim
through its operation, say through the employment of people from a disadvantaged
community including individuals and existing business who have difficulty
in securing investment from banks and mainstream lenders.A survey conducted
for the SEnU in 2004 found that there were 15,000 social enterprises in the
UK (counting only those that are incorporated as companies limited by guarantee
or industrial and provident societies). This is 1.2% of all enterprises in
the UK. They employ 450,000 people, of whom two-thirds are full-time, plus
a further 300,000 volunteers. Their combined annual turnover is £18
billion, and the median turnover is £285,000. Of this, (84%) is from
trading. The government later revised this estimate upwards to 55,000, based
on a survey of a sample of owners of businesses with employees, which found
that 5% of them define themselves as social enterprises.(1)
World Computer Pages
Computers have been used to coordinate information in multiple locations since
the 1950s. The U.S. military's SAGE system was the first large-scale example
of such a system, which led to a number of special-purpose commercial systems
like Sabre.In the 1970s, computer engineers at research institutions throughout
the United States began to link their computers together using telecommunications
technology. This effort was funded by ARPA (now DARPA), and the computer network
that it produced was called the ARPANET. The technologies that made the Arpanet
possible spread and evolved. In time, the network spread beyond academic and
military institutions and became known as the Internet.(1)
World
Construction Pages
Building
construction is the process of adding structure to real property. The vast
majority of building construction projects are small renovations, such as
addition of a room, or renovation of a bathroom. Often, the owner of the property
acts as laborer, paymaster, and design team for the entire project. However,
all building construction projects include some elements in common - design,
financial, and legal considerations. Many projects of varying sizes reach
undesirable end results, such as structural collapse, cost overruns, and/or
litigatios reason, those with experience in the field make detailed plans
and maintain careful oversight during the project to ensure a positive outcome.Building
construction is procured privately or publicly utilizing various delivery
methodologies, including hard bid, negotiated price, traditional, management
contracting, construction management-at-risk, design & build and design-build
bridging.Industrial construction, though a relatively small part of the entire
construction industry, is a very important component. Owners of these projects
are usually large, for-profit, industrial corporations. These corporations
can be found in such industries as medicine, petroleum, chemical, power generation,
manufacturing, etc. Processes in these industries require highly specialized
expertise in planning, design, and construction. As in building and heavy/highway
construction, this type of construction requires a team of individuals to
ensure a successful project.(1)
World
Consulting Pages
Management
consulting refers generally to the provision of business consulting services,
but there are numerous specializations, such as information technology consulting,
human resource consulting, and others, many of which overlap, and most of
which are offered by the large diversified consultancies listed below. So-called
'boutique' consultancies, however, are smaller organizations specializing
in one or a few of such specializations.Management
Consulting is becoming more prevalent in non-business related fields as well.
As the need for professional and specialized advice grows, other industries
such as government, quasi-government and not-for-profit agencies are turning
to the same managerial principles that have helped the private sector for
years.One important and recent change in the industry has been the spin-off
or separation of the consulting and the accounting units of the large diversified
firms. For these firms, which began business as accounting firms, management
consulting was a new extension to their business.(1)
World
Craft Pages
The term craft
also refers to the products of artistic production or creation that require
a high degree of tacit knowledge, are highly technical, require specialized
equipment and/or facilities to produce, involve manual labour or a blue-collar
work ethic, are accessible to the general public and are constructed from
materials with histories that exceed the boundaries of western art history,
such as ceramics, glass, textiles, metal and wood. These products are produced
within a specific community of practice and while they differ from the products
produced within the communities of art and design, the boundaries of such
often overlap resulting in hybrid objects. Additionally, as the interpretation
and validation of art is frequently a matter of context, an audience may perceive
crafted objects as art objects when these objects are viewed within an art
context, such as in a museum or in a position of prominence in one's home.The
term can also refer to the useful rural crafts of the agricultural countryside.
Craftmanship refers to Plato's idea of specialization, in which the lower
society has a specific job in the greater society so that it functions properly
as a whole.(1)
World
Defense Pages
The defense industry, also called the military industry,
is comprised of government and commercial industry involved in research, development,
production, and service of military equipment and facilities. It includes:
Defense
contractors: business organizations or individuals that provide products or
services to a defense department of a government, The Arms industry, which
produces guns, ammunition, missiles, military aircraft, and their associated
consumables and systems.It can also include: Private military contractors:
private companies that provide logistics, manpower, and other expenditures
for a military force, The Military-industrial complex, which is generally
the combination of the U.S. armed forces, arms industry and associated political
and commercial interests, although it can also be used to describe any such
relationship of industry and military. European defence procurement, which
is more or less analogous to the U.S. military-industrial complex.(1)
World Design Pages
Design
and production are intertwined in many creative professional careers, meaning
problem-solving is part of execution and the reverse. As the cost of rearrangement
increases, the need for separating design from production increases as well.
For example, a high-budget project, such as a skyscraper, requires separating
(design) architecture from (production) construction. A Low-budget project,
such as a locally printed office party invitation flyer, can be rearranged
and printed dozens of times at the low cost of a few sheets of paper, a few
drops of ink, and less than one hour's pay of a desktop publisher.(1)
World Dining Pages
Many homes have a separate kitchen
room or outside (in the tropics) kitchen area devoted to preparation of meals
and food, and many also have a dining room or another designated area for
eating. Dishware, silverware, drinkware for eating and cookware and other
implements for cooking come in an almost infinite array of forms and sizes.
Most societies also have restaurants and food vendors, so that people may
eat when away from home, lack the time to prepare food, or wish to use eating
as a social occasion. Occasionally, such as at potlucks and food festivals,
eating is in fact the primary purpose of the social gathering.(1)
World Ecology
Pages
Ecology
is usually considered a branch of biology, the general science that studies
living organisms. Organisms can be studied at many different levels, from
proteins and nucleic acids (in biochemistry and molecular biology), to cells
(in cellular biology), to individuals (in botany, zoology, and other similar
disciplines), and finally at the level of populations, communities, and ecosystems,
to the biosphere as a whole; these latter strata are the primary subjects
of ecological inquiry. Ecology is a multi-disciplinary science. Because of
its focus on the higher levels of the organization of life on earth and on
the interrelations between organisms and their environment, ecology draws
heavily on many other branches of science, especially geology and geography,
meteorology, pedology, genetics, chemistry, and physics.Thus, ecology is considered
by some to be a holistic science, one that over-arches older disciplines such
as biology which in this view become sub-disciplines contributing to ecological
knowledge.(1)
World Education Pages
The goal of education is fourfold: the social purpose, intellectual purpose,
economic purpose, and political/civic purpose. Current education issues include
which teaching method(s) are most effective, how to determine what knowledge
should be taught, which knowledge is most relevant, and how well the pupil
will retain incoming knowledge. Educators such as George Counts and Paulo
Freire identified education as an inherently political process with inherently
political outcomes. The challenge of identifying whose ideas are transferred
and what goals they serve has always stood in the face of formal and informal
education. (1)
World
Electrical Pages
Electrical engineering may or may not encompass electronic engineering. Where
a distinction is made, usually outside of America, electrical engineering
is considered to deal with the problems associated with large-scale electrical
systems such as power transmission and motor control, whereas electronic engineering
deals with the study of small-scale electronic systems including computers
and integrated circuits.Another way of looking at the distinction is that
electrical engineers are usually concerned with using electricity to transmit
energy, while electronic engineers are concerned with using electricity to
transmit information.(1)
World Electronic Pages
The world market for electronic products was worth some $1.8
trillion in 2006, a figure that is expected to increase to $2.0 trillion in
2007 and $3.2 trillion in 2012, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.5%
over the next 5 years.Of these sectors, industrial products account for 39.6%
of the total sales for electronics products, while computer electronics have
the second largest share of the total market at 20.0%. Semiconductors make
up 13.5%, consumer electronics make up 13.4%, communications electronics account
for 9.9%, and automotive electronics products make up the remaining 2.6%.
(2)
World Employment Pages
In the United States, the standard employment contract is considered to be
at-will meaning that the employer and employee are both free to terminate
the employment at any time and for any cause, or for no cause at all. However,
if a termination of employment by the employer is deemed unjust by the employee,
there can be legal recourse to challenge such a termination. In unionised
work environments in particular, employees who are receiving discipline, up
to and including termination of employment can ask for assistance by their
shop steward to advocate on behalf of the employee. If an informal negotiation
between the shop steward and the company does not resolve the issue, the shop
steward may file a grievance, which can result in a resolution within the
company, or mediation or arbitration, which are typically funded equally both
by the union and the company.(1)
World
Energy Pages
In 2004, the average total worldwide power consumption
of the human race was 15 TW (= 1.5 x 1013 W) with 86.5% from burning fossil
fuels.[1] This is equivalent to 0.5 ZJ (= 5 x 1020 J) per year, although there
is at least 10% uncertainty in the world's energy consumption. Not all of
the world's economies track their energy consumption with the same rigor,
and the exact energy content of a barrel of oil or a ton of coal will vary
with quality.n 2004, renewable energy supplied around 7% of the world's energy
consumption. The renewables sector has been growing significantly since the
last years of the 20th century, and in 2005 the total new investment was estimated
to have been 38 billion US dollars. Germany and China lead with investments
of about 7 billion US dollars each, followed by the United States, Spain,
Japan, and India. This resulted in an additional 35 GW of capacity during
the year.(1)
World
Engineering Pages
Engineering is the discipline of acquiring and applying scientific and technical
knowledge to the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical
purposes.Engineers use their knowledge of science, mathematics, and appropriate
experience to find suitable solutions to a problem. Engineering is considered
a branch of applied mathematics and science. Creating an appropriate mathematical
model of a problem allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and
to test potential solutions. Usually multiple reasonable solutions exist,
so engineers must evaluate the different design choices on their merits and
choose the solution that best meets their requirements. Genrich Altshuller,
after gathering statistics on a large number of patents, suggested that compromises
are at the heart of "low-level" engineering designs, while at a
higher level the best design is one which eliminates the core contradiction
causing the problem.(1)
World
Entertainment Pages
Entertainment
is an activity designed to give pleasure or relaxation to an audience (although
in the case of a computer game the "audience" may be only one person).
The audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching
opera, or actively as in computer games.The
playing of sports and reading of literature are usually included in entertainment,
but these are often called recreation, because they involve some active participation
beyond mere leisure.The industry that provides entertainment is called the
entertainment industry.The entertainment industry consists of a large number
of sub-industries devoted to entertainment. However, the term is often used
in the mass media to describe the mass media companies that control the distribution
and manufacture of mass media entertainment. In the popular parlance, the
term show biz in particular connotes the commercially popular performing arts,
especially musical theatre, vaudeville, comedy, film, and music.
World Environment Pages
According to the American Marketing Association, green marketing is the marketing
of products that are presumed to be environmentally safe. Thus green marketing
incorporates a broad range of activities, including product modification,
changes to the production process, packaging changes, as well as modifying
advertising. Yet defining green marketing is not a simple task where several
meanings intersect and contradict each other; an example of this will be the
existence of varying social, environmental and retail definitions attached
to this term.Other similar terms used are Environmental Marketing and Ecological
Marketing.According to market researcher Mintel, about 12% of the U.S. population
can be identified as True Greens, consumers who seek out and regularly buy
so-called green products. Another 68% can be classified as Light Greens, consumers
who buy green sometimes. "What chief marketing officers are always looking
for is touch points with consumers, and this is just a big, big, big touch
point that's not being served," says Mintel Research Director David Lockwood.
"All the corporate executives that we talk to are extremely convinced
that being able to make some sort of strong case about the environment is
going to work down to their bottom line. (1)
World
Equipment Pages
A
tool or device is a piece of equipment which typically provides a mechanical
advantage in accomplishing a physical task, or provides an ability that is
not naturally available to the user of a tool. The most basic tools are simple
machines. For example, a crowbar simply functions as a lever. The further
out from the pivot point, the more force is transmitted along the lever. When
particularly intended for domestic use, a tool is often called a utensil.(1)
World Events
Pages
Event planning is the process of planning a festival,
ceremony, competition, party, or convention.Event
planning includes budgeting, establishing dates and alternate dates, selecting
and reserving the event site, acquiring permits, and coordinating transportation
and parking.Event planning also includes some or all of the following, depending
on the event: developing a theme or motif for the event, arranging for speakers
and alternate speakers, coordinating location support (such as electricity
and other utilities), arranging decor, tables, chairs, tents, event support
and security, police, fire, portable toilets, parking, signage, emergency
plans, health care professionals, and cleanup.Event Planning is a relatively
new career field. There is now training that helps one trying to break into
the career field. There must be training for an event planner to handle all
the pressure and work efficiently. This career deals with a lot of communication
and organization aspects. There are many different names for an event planner
such as a conference coordinator, a convention planner, a special event coordinator,
and a meeting manager.(1)
World Farming
Pages
The term farming covers a wide spectrum of agricultural production work. At
one end of this spectrum is the subsistence farmer, who farms a small area
with limited resource inputs, and produces only enough food to meet the needs
of his/her family. At the other end is commercial intensive agriculture, including
industrial agriculture. Such farming involves large fields and/or numbers
of animals, large resource inputs (pesticides, fertilizers, etc.), and a high
level of mechanization. These operations generally attempt to maximize financial
income from grain, produce, or livestock.Traditionally, the goal of farming
was to create a profit, and to produce an amount of cultivated material (i.e.
corn, wheat, etc) so that the resulting harvest has more worth than the cost
of planting such a harvest. The costs could include the acquisition of seeds
as well as the time and energy required to tend to such a venture. The resulting
product is often used to sustain those who farm as both a food to eat and
a commodity to sell.Agflation An increase in the price of food that occurs
as a result of increased demand from human consumption and use as an alternative
energy. This relates to farming since the amount of food must be increased
to meet human needs.(1)
World Fashion Pages
Fashion, by definition, changes constantly. The changes may proceed more rapidly
than in most other fields of human activity (language, thought, etc). For
some, modern fast-paced changes in fashion embody many of the negative aspects
of capitalism: it results in waste and encourages people qua consumers to
buy things unnecessarily. Other people, especially young people, enjoy the
diversity that changing fashion can apparently provide, seeing the constant
change as a way to satisfy their desire to experience "new" and
"interesting" things. Note too that fashion can change to enforce
uniformity, as in the case where so-called Mao suits became the national uniform
of mainland China.At the same time there remains an equal or larger range
designated (at least currently) 'out of fashion'. (These or similar fashions
may cyclically come back 'into fashion' in due course, and remain 'in fashion'
again for a while.) (1)
World
Fishing Pages
Fishing
is the activity of hunting for fish by hooking, trapping, or gathering. By
extension, the term fishing is applied to pursuing other aquatic animals such
as various types of shellfish, squid, octopus, turtles, frogs, and some edible
marine invertebrates. The term fishing is not usually applied to pursuing
aquatic mammals such as whales, where the term "whaling" is more
appropriate, or to commercial fish farming. Fishing is an ancient and worldwide
practice with various techniques and traditions and it has been transformed
by modern technological developments. In addition to providing food through
harvesting fish, modern fishing is both a recreational and professional sport.
According to FAO statistics, the total number of fishermen and fish-farmers
is estimated to be 38 million. Fisheries provide direct and indirect employment
to an estimated 200 million people worldwide.
(1)
World
Food Pages
The food industry involves the commercial movement
of food from field to fork. The modern food industry is the result of technological
and cultural changes that have occurred over the last 150 years. With populations
around the world concentrating in urban areas,[4] food buying is increasingly
removed from all aspects food production. This is a relatively recent development,
taking place mainly over the last 50 years. The supermarket is a defining
retail element of the food industry, where tens of thousands of products are
gathered in one location, in continuous, year-round supply.Food preparation
is another area where change in recent decades has been dramatic. Today, two
food industry sectors are in apparent competition for the retail food dollar.
The grocery industry sell fresh and largely raw products for consumers to
use as ingredients in home cooking. The food service industry offers prepared
food, either as finished products, or as partially prepared components for
final 'assembly'.(1)
World
Footwear Pages
Footwear
consists of garments worn on the feet. It is worn for a variety of reasons,
including protection against the environment, hygiene and adornment. Usually,
socks and other hosiery are worn between the feet and the footwear, except
for sandals and flip flops (thongs). It is sometimes associated with fetishism,
particularly in some recent fashions in shoes and boots. Some people are very
passionate about fashion footwear.People who practice
the profession of shoemaking are referred to variously as shoemakers, cobblers
or cordwainers.(1)
World
Freelance Pages
A freelancer or freelance worker is a person who pursues a
profession without a long-term commitment to any one employer. The experience
can also lead to a broad portfolio of work and the establishment of a network
of clients ultimately leading to a permanent position.The Internet has opened
up many freelance opportunities, expanding markets and helping to build it
into one of the largest economic segments for many economies. Development
for freelancing has been especially high for software development, website
design, information technology, and business documentation.Freelancers generally
enjoy a greater variety of assignments than in regular employment, and - subject
to the need to earn a regular income - usually have more freedom to choose
their work schedule.(1)
World
Furniture Pages
Furniture has been a part of the human experience since the development of
non-nomadic cultures. Evidence of furniture from antiquity survives in the
form of paintings, such as the wall Murals discovered at Pompeii; sculpture,
and examples have been excavated in Egypt and found in tombs in Ghiordes,
in modern day Turkey.Early furniture has been excavated from the 8th-century
B.C. Phrygian tumulus, the Midas Mound, in Gordion, Turkey. Pieces found here
include tables and inlaid serving stands. There are also surviving works from
the 9th-8th-century B.C. Assyrian palace of Nimrud. The earliest surviving
carpet, the Pazyryk Carpet was discovered in a frozen tomb in Siberia and
has been dated between the 6th and 3rd century B.C.. Recovered Ancient Egyptian
furniture includes a 3rd millennium B.C. bed discovered in the Tarkhan Tomb,
a c.2550 B.C. gilded set from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres, and a c. 1550
B.C. stool from Thebes. Ancient Greek furniture design beginning in the 2nd
millennium B.C., including beds and the klismos chair, is preserved not only
by extant works, but by images on Greek vases. (1)
World
Game Pages
FC Intelligence estimates that the online game industry in 2003 was $1.9 billlion,
with well over 50% of the revenue coming from Asia and barely 10% of the revenue
from Europe. By 2006 we forecast revenue growing to $5.2 billion with continued
steady growth so that worldwide online game revenue reaches $9.8 billion by
2009. By 2009, we forecast that Asia will still be the largest market, but
Europe with forecasted 2009 online game revenue of $2.2 billion will be the
fastest growing.The main drivers of growth for the online game business are
1) increased consumer usage and 2) more average per consumer revenue from
what we define as casual and moderate gamers. Casual and moderate gamers are
expected to go from 65% of usage in 2003 to 73% of online game usage by 2009.
About 62% of online game revenue in 2009 is forecasted to come from casual
and moderate gamers. By 2009, console online games are forecasted to account
for only 17% of usage, but 30% of online game revenue. (3)
World
Garden Pages
Market gardening has in recent decades become an alternative business and
lifestyle choice for individuals who wish to "return to the land",
because the business model and niche allow a smaller start-up investment than
conventional commercial farming, and generally offers a viable market, especially
with the recent popularity of organic and local food (and the fact that "everybody
has to eat"). It is in some instances considered hobby farming, although
market gardening is a recognized type of farming with a distinct business
model that can be significantly profitable and sustainable. Although in some
cases the distinction may be arguable, market gardening should not be confused
with the efforts of amateur gardeners, who sometimes sell from home or at
markets, as an extension of their pastime.(1)
World
Gift Pages
A gift or present is the transfer of something, without the need for compensation
that is involved in trade. A gift is a voluntary act which does not require
anything in return. Even though it involves possibly a social expectation
of reciprocity, or a return in the form of prestige or power, a gift is meant
to be free.In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money,
goods, etc. may contribute to social cohesion. Economists have elaborated
the economics of gift-giving into the notion of a gift economy.By extension
the term gift can refer to anything that makes the other happier or less sad,
especially as a favour, including forgiveness and kindness (even when the
other is not kind).When material objects are given as gifts, in many cultures
they are traditionally packaged in some manner. For example, in Western culture,
gifts are often wrapped in wrapping paper and accompanied by a gift note which
may note the occasion, the giftee's name, and the giver's name. In Chinese
culture, red wrapping connotes luck.(1)
World Hardware Pages
The performance of the hardware market are closely related to the home renovation
market. Home or residential renovation is a $300 billion industry in the United
States,and a $48 billion industry in Canada. The average cost per project
is $3,000 in the United States and $11,000-15,000 in Canada.There are several
types of companies that contribute to the booming renovation industry. Supply
businesses such as Home Depot, Lowes, Home Hardware and Rona Lansing provide
all the materials and tools necessary to facilitate home renovations. Media
companies such as HGTV, Style at Home and Canadian House & Home offer
tips, guidelines and trends give homeowners ideas for design and décor.(1)
World
Hotel Pages
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging, usually on a short-term
basis. Hotels often provide a number of additional guest services such as
a restaurant, a swimming pool or childcare. Some hotels have conference services
and meeting rooms and encourage groups to hold conventions and meetings at
their location.The cost and quality of hotels are usually indicative of the
range and type of services available. Due to the enormous increase in tourism
worldwide during the last decades of the 20th century, standards, especially
those of smaller establishments, have improved considerably. For the sake
of greater comparability, rating systems have been introduced, with the one
to five stars classification being most common.In some countries, there is
an official body with standard criteria for classifying hotels, but in many
others there is none. There have been attempts at unifying the classification
system so that it becomes an internationally recognized and reliable standard
but large differences exist in the quality of the accommodation and the food
within one category of hotel, sometimes even in the same country.(1)
World
Housing Pages
Housing
supply is produced using land, labour, and various inputs such as electricity
and building materials. The quantity of new supply is determined by the cost
of these inputs, the price of the existing stock of houses, and the technology
of production. For a typical single family dwelling in suburban North America,
approximate percentage costs can be broken down as: acquisition costs 10%,
site improvement costs 11%, labour costs 26%, materials costs 31%, finance
costs 3%, administrative costs 15%, and marketing costs 4%. Multi-unit residential
dwellings typically break down as: acquisition costs 7%, site improvement
costs 8%, labour costs 27%, materials costs 33%, finance costs 4%, administrative
costs 17%, and marketing costs 5%. Public subdivision requirements can increase
development cost by up to 3% depending on the jurisdiction. Differences in
building codes account for about a 2% variation in development costs.(1)
World
Industrial Pages
There are four key sectors of industry: the primary
sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming;
the secondary sector, involving refining and manufacturing; the tertiary sector,
which deals with services (such as law and medicine) and distribution of manufactured
goods; and the quaternary sector, a relatively new type of industry focussing
on technological research, design and development.A recent trend has been
the migration of prosperous, industrialized nations toward a post-industrial
society. This is manifested by an increase in the service sector at the expense
of manufacturing, and the development of an information-based economy, the
so-called informational revolution. In a post-industrial society, manufacturing
is relocated to more economically-favorable locations through a process of
offshoring.(1)
World Jewelry Pages
Jewellery is made out of almost every material known and has been made to
adorn nearly every body part, from hairpins to toe rings and many more types
of jewellery. While high-quality is made with gemstones and precious metals,
there is also a growing demand for Art jewelry where design and creativity
is prized above material value. In addition, there is the less-costly costume
jewellery, made from less-valuable materials and mass-produced. New variations
include wire sculpture (wrap) jewellery, using anything from base metal wire
with rock tumbled stone to precious metals and precious gemstones.
(1)
World
Logistic Pages
In
business, logistics may have either internal focus (inbound logistics), or
external focus (outbound logistics) covering the flow and storage of materials
from point of origin to point of consumption (see supply chain management).
The main functions of a qualified logistician include inventory management,
purchasing, transportation, warehousing, consultation and the organizing and
planning of these activities. Logisticians combine a professional knowledge
of each of these functions so that there is a coordination of resources in
an organization. There are two fundamentally different forms of logistics.
One optimizes a steady flow of material through a network of transport links
and storage nodes. The other coordinates a sequence of resources to carry
out some project.(1)
World
Luggage Pages
Luggage is any number of bags, cases and containers
which hold a traveller's articles during transit. The modern traveller can
be expected to have packages containing clothing, toiletries, small possessions,
trip necessities, and on the return-trip, souvenirs. For some, luggage and
the style thereof is representative of the owner's wealth.Luggage has changed
over time. Historically the most common types of luggage were chests or trunks
made of wood or other heavy materials. These would be shipped by professional
movers. Since the Second World War smaller and more lightweight suitcases
and bags that can be carried by an individual have become the main form of
luggage.With more and more passengers travelling by air the
baggage handlers have seen an increase of passengers using the airline transport
industry's ATA 300 Specifications for baggage designs acceptable for air transport,
including both 'hand luggage' and 'hold luggage'.(1)
World
Machinery Pages
Modern
power tools, automated machine tools, and human-operated power machinery are
tools that are also machines. Machines used to transform heat or other energy
into mechanical energy are known as engines.Hydraulics devices may also be
used to support industrial applications, although devices entirely lacking
rigid moving parts are not commonly considered machines. Hydraulics are widely
used in heavy equipment industries, automobile industries, marine industries,
aeronautical industries, construction equipment industries, and earthmoving
equipment industries.(1)
World
Manufacturing Pages
Manufacturing
takes place under all types of economic systems. In a capitalist economy,
manufacturing is usually directed toward the mass production of products for
sale to consumers at a profit. In a collectivist economy, manufacturing is
more frequently directed by a state agency to supply perceived needs. In modern
economies, manufacturing occurs under some degree of government regulation.Modern
manufacturing includes all intermediate processes required for the production
and integration of a product's components. Some industries, such as semiconductor
and steel manufacturers use the term fabrication instead, which was originally
controversial due to textile connotations but has now become commonplace.(1)
World
Media Pages
Commercial advertising media can
include wall paintings, billboards, street furniture components, printed flyers
and rack cards, radio, cinema and television ads, web banners, mobile telephone
screens, shopping carts, web popups, skywriting, bus stop benches, human directional,
magazines, newspapers, town criers, sides of buses or airplanes ("logojets"),
taxicab doors, roof mounts and passenger screens, musical stage shows, subway
platforms and trains, elastic bands on disposable diapers, stickers on apples
in supermarkets, the opening section of streaming audio and video, posters,
and the backs of event tickets and supermarket receipts. Any place an "identified"
sponsor pays to deliver their message through a medium is advertising.(1)
World
Mineral Pages
A
mineral is a naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a definite chemical
composition and a specific crystalline structure. A rock is an aggregate of
one or more minerals. (A rock may also include organic remains and mineraloids.)
Some rocks are predominantly composed of just one mineral. For example, limestone
is a sedimentary rock composed almost entirely of the mineral calcite. Other
rocks contain many minerals, and the specific minerals in a rock can vary
widely. Some minerals, like quartz, mica or feldspar are common, while others
have been found in only one or two locations worldwide. The vast majority
of the rocks of the Earth's crust consist of quartz, feldspar, mica, chlorite,
kaolin, calcite, epidote, olivine, augite, hornblende, magnetite, hematite,
limonite and a few other minerals. Over half of the mineral species known
are so rare that they have only been found in a handful of samples, and many
are known from only one or two small grains.Commercially valuable
minerals and rocks are referred to as industrial minerals. Rocks from which
minerals are mined for economic purposes are referred to as ores (the rocks
and minerals that remain, after the desired mineral has been separated from
the ore, are referred to as tailings).(1)
World Movie Pages
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions
of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography,
film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals,
distribution; and actors, film directors and other film personnel. The film
industry as it stands today spans the globe. The major business centers of
film making are concentrated in the United States, EU, India and China.Distinct
from the business centers are the locations where movies are filmed. Because
of labor and infrastructure costs, many films are produced in countries other
than the one in which the company which pays for the film is located. For
example, many U.S. movies are filmed in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia,
New Zealand or in Eastern European countries.(1)
World
Music Pages
.The history of music predates the written word. The development of music
among humans must have taken place against the backdrop of natural sounds
such as birdsong and the sounds other animals use to communicate Prehistoric
music is the name given to all music produced in preliterate cultures.The
global market was estimated at $30-40 billion in 2004. Total annual unit sales
(CDs, music videos, mp3s) in 2004 were 3 billion.Prior to December 1998, the
industry was dominated by the 'Big Six': Sony Music and BMG had not yet merged,
and PolyGram had not yet been absorbed into Universal Music Group. After the
PolyGram-Universal merger, the 1998 market shares reflected a 'Big Five',
commanding 77.4% of the market.The adven