Improved Fast Decoupled Power Flow

The power flow analysis is a very important and tundamental tool in power system analysis. Its results play the major role during the operational stages of any system for its control and economic schedule, as well as during expansion and design stages The purpose of any load flow analysis is to compute precise steady-state voltages and voltage angles of all buses in the network, the real and reactive power flows into every line and transformer, under the assumption of known generation and load.During the second half of the twentieth century, and after the large technological evelopments in the fields of digital computers and high-level programming languages, many methods for solving the load flow problem have been developed, such as indirect Gauss-Siedel (bus admittance matrix). direct Gauss-Siedel (bus impedance matrix).Newton-Raphson (NR) and its decoupled versions Nowadays, many Improvements have been added to all these methods involving assumptions and approximations of the trans mission lines and bus data, based on real systems conditions The Fast Decoupled Power Flow Method (FDPFM) is one of these improved methods, which was based on a simplification of the Newton-Raphson method and reported by Stott and Alsac in 1974[4]. This method and due to its calculations simplifications, fast convergence and reliable results became the most widely used method in load flow analysis.However, FDPFM for some cases, where high RA ratios or heavy loading (Low Voltage) at some buses are present, does not converge well. For these cases, many efforts and developments have been made to overcome these convergence obstacles. some of them targeted the convergence of systems with hgh RIX ratios, others those with low voltage buses However, one of the most recent developments is a Robust Fast Decoupled Power Flow developed by Wang and u; it Is ased on heuristic justification and general voltage normalization methods [171 and solves both high RIX ratios and low bus voltages problem s simultaneously.Though many efforts and elaborations have been achieved in order to improve the and simulations are becoming more developed and are now able to handle and analyze large size system. Today, and after reaching processor's speeds higher than 3 GHz, any improvement in the speed of convergence of the power flow method, provided it leads to reliable results, is of great value. This speed improvement is very important when involved in operational stages of power distribution, where any illisecond saving can hugely increase the probability of the right decision, of the control and dispatch computerized system.This paper works on providing computing savings (in flops) and thus higher speed of convergence of the FDPFM based on the initial approximation in which real power changes are considered to be most sensitive to variations in voltage angle and much less to those of voltage magnitude, as well as on the high sensitivity of reactive power changes to variations in voltage m agnitude and much less to those of voltage angle. In this paper, the attention was focused on the update of the voltage angle (6) and oltage magnitude (V) in each iteration, based on the improvement of flops achieved, and obviously on the results obtained.The results of these improvements and the comparative analysis with the Newton-Raphson and classical FDPFM will be presented using the three IEEE bus systems of 14, 30 and 57-bus, although the IFDPFM can be applied to any size bus system. II. Fast Decoupled Power Flow Method As the FDPFM is derived from the Newton-Raphson we will start from the matrix representation of NR, apply some simplifications and approximations, to reach the equations of the FDPFM.The matrix representation of the N-R method [17] is: O APOOH Where I IVJI IYiJl +6]) And -2 cos Bit +2 cos -6i +6]) Nii – = I VI II YiJ I cos (B iJ- 6i + 6]) Nil (7) -2 IYiil stn +2 IVJI IYiJl cos -6i +6]) Now, for typical power system branches: XIR and ; 200 (10) between AQ and A6, hence N and J entries of the initial matrix of (1) can be ignored leading to the following decoupled equations: (12) Now, the diagonal elements of H according to Stott and Alsac [4] can be written as: IVi12Bii (13) Where Bii = I Yill sin Bii is the imaginary part of the diagonal elements of the bus admittance matrix Ybus.Further simplifications can be applied to equation (12), by considering Bii Qi and I Vil 2 z I Vil yielding to the following simplified Hit: Hii=- (14) Also, as under normal operating conditions 6] – 6i is quite small, thus Bii – 6i + 6] Bit, and IVJI 1, the off-diagonal elements of the matrix H can be written as: HIJ I Vil (15) Similarly, the diagonal elements of the L matrix can be written as: Lil † (16) And its off- diagonal elements as: LiJ=-lVll (17) Applying these assumptions to equations (11) and (12) we get: =-B'A6 I vil (18) (19) where B' and B† are the imaginary part of the bus admittance matrix Ybus , such thatB' contain s all buses admittances except those related to the slack bus, and B† is B' deprived from all voltage-controlled buses related admittances. Finally, all these approximations and simplifications lead to the following successive voltage magnitude and voltage angle updating equations: (20) IVI (21) These equations formed the basis of the iteration scheme upon which the Matlab software written and then updated. Ill.Updated Algorithm The algorithm written according to the equations derived in the previous section is as follows: Step 1: Creation of the bus admittance Ybus according to the lines data given y the IEEE standard bus test systems. Step 2: Detection of all kinds and numbers of buses according to the bus data given by the IEEE standard bus test systems, setting all bus voltages to an initial value of 1 pu, all voltage angles to O, and the iteration counter iter to O.Step 3: Creation of the matrices B' and B† according to equations (18) and (19). Step 4: If max (AP, A Q) accuracy then Go to Step 6 else 1. Calculation of the H and L elements of equations (14), (1 5), (16), (17). 2. Calculation of the real and reactive power at each bus, and checking if Mvar of generator buses re within the limits, otherwise update the voltage magnitude at these buses by ? ±2 3. Calculation of the power residuals, AP and AQ. 4.Calculation of the bus voltage and voltage angle updates AV and A6 according to equations (19) and (20). 5. Update of the voltage magnitude V and the voltage angle 6 at each bus. 6. Increment of the iteration counter iter = iter + 1 then Go to Step 4 Print out ‘Solution did not converge' and go to Step 6 Step 6: Print out of the power flow solution, computation and display of the line flow and losses. The update of this algorithm was based on the weak coupling between AP and AV, nd between AQ and A6, explained in the previous section.Specifically, in the fourth subroutine of Step 4 of the initial algorithm, and instead of updating the voltage magnitude and the voltage angle once and simultaneously in each iteration, the improved algorithm updated either the voltage angle or the voltage magnitude at each bus, Jumped to subroutine 1 to recalculate the real and reactive power and then updated the second variable based on what was updated first.Moreover, and for more speed improvements and convergence reliability, the update of one of the two variables was repeated several times, holding the other ariable at its last calculated value, which reduced the number of floating point operations of the algorithm and thus lead to the faster convergence of the IFDPFM. IV. Numerical Analysis The performance of the IFDPFM was tested on IEEE 14, 30 and 57-bus systems with a convergence accuracy of 10-3 on a MVA base of 100 or equivalently 10-1 MVA for both power residuals AP and AQ.This numerical analysis involved a speed comparison between the NR method, the FDPFM and the IFDPFM based on the number of flops (floating point oper ations) of each algorithm implementing each method, rather than on any other basis, because he flops count is independent from the CPU speed or the specific programming language used. In addition, as mentioned in the previous part, the algorithm of this paper updated the voltage angle several times before updating the voltage magnitude or vice versa which resulted in a different flops count for each combination used for the same IEEE bus system.These combinations will be noted according to the number of loops of update of each variable. For instance, updating twice the voltage angle (6) and then once the voltage magnitude (V) in the same iteration will be written as (2;1). Note that any flops number without the previous notation will be the one of the best case of the updated algorithm. Moreover, for any combination to be listed in this paper it should have satisfied the condition of no more than 3 % deviation of its results from that of the NR method.The bar graph in Figure 1 shows a comparison based on the number of flops between the NR, FDPFM and the best case of IFDPFM for the three IEEE standard bus systems used in this paper. Number of flops per method per system 934. 573 305. 126 314. 925 157. 310 System 57 4,421. 752 2,841. 646 14 30. 823 56. 829 24. 574 1 ,ooo ,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 Flops IFDPFM FDPFM 4,000 4,500 (Thousands) Fig. 1: Flops Comparison between the 3 methods. It is clearly seen that the IFDPFM requires much less flops to converge as compared to FDPFM or NR.This flops saving is proportional to the system size and as shown, increases with the increase of the number of buses. Obviously, this improvement in the number of flops will make the IFDPFM converge much faster than the two other methods whatever CPU used. Numerically, and for the biggest system involved in this paper (IEEE 57-Bus System), the IFDPFM revealed a flops saving of about 67 % when ompared with the FDPFM and about 78 % when compared with the NR.Normally, and as mentioned bef ore, this saving goes down to the order of 50 % for the two smaller bus systems. In addition, and in order to reach the best case presented above, different strategies of updating the voltage angle (6) and the voltage magnitude (V) were tested and compared first with the FDPFM then with the NR. Figure 2 below the percentage of flops of IFDPFM versus that of the FDPFM, for 10 different updating strategies and for the three IEEE systems.Percentage Flops IFDPFM vs FDPFM 75 50 25 Delta;Voltage Loops IFDPFM14 IFDPFM30 IFDPFM57 Fig. 2: % of flops of IFDPFM vs. FDPFM for different voltage angle and voltage magnitude updating strategies. At the first look, it is seen that for the three systems, three parallel curves are sketched with most values less then 75 % of the FDPFM. This parallel property of this graph shows the consistency of the algorithm in its number of flops variation for each strategy for each system studied.Also, it is seen that for low number of voltage magnitude and voltage angle loops the IFDPFM can't be more efficient than FDPFM, but for a slightly higher number the IFDPFM shows great improvement in flops saving nd reaches the highest improvement at the point (4;3), where in each iteration, the voltage angle was updated four times while the voltage was kept at its initial value and then 6 was kept at its last value and V updated three times.Numerically, and for the best case of IFDPFM (4;3), the new algorithm showed a flops saving of 57 % for the 14-bus system, 50% for the 30-bus system, and 68% for the 57-bus system. Figure 3 below shows the percentage of flops of IFDPFM versus that of the NR, for 10 different updating strategies and for the three IEEE systems. IFDPFM vs NR 175 150 25 Fig. 3: % of flops of IFDPFM vs. NR for different voltage angle and voltage magnitude updating strategies.Basically, the same comments of the comparison of IFDPFM with FDPFM apply in this comparison. However, here the flops saving is much more significant and is propo rtional to the system size. Numerically, we have a 21 % flops saving for the 14-bus system, 49 % for the 30-bus system and 78% for the 57-bus system. Finally, it is remarked that when compared with NR, IFDPFM savings showed a high variation in their percentage, mainly because they are highly proportional to the

Health social care Essay

Thought?What is reflective practice? Reflective practice is self re-evaluation of your practice with the customer. Making sure that all issues is reported to management and daily records are kept up to date, on and after every visit. It’s a process that makes you stop and think about your own practice and your actions. Refocusing on your thinking and knowledge to generate new ideas. Look at your behaviour, learning needs and your judgement. Why is reflective practice important? Reflective practice is important for you to focus on how you interact with your colleagues, customers and the each environment that you will be in. It’s an impact on yourself learning and knowledge you have gained. Helps you to recognise on how to what you have done well so it can be put in practice for other situations. Also means in reflecting your own values, beliefs, and experiences which will help your thoughts and ideas to share with your colleagues. Use this to gain better strength weakness so that you learn from your own mistakes and take the appropriate actions in future. Improves your basic judgement and professionally enables you to apply skills to the personal development cycle. How reflective practice contributes to improving the quality of service provision? Contributes to improving the quality of service provision as the care worker constantly revises the policies and procedures and new standards that are being constantly set. Being up to date on the relevant new policies and procedures help the care workers to do their job and maintain of what is expected from them. How standards can be used to help care worker reflect on their practice? Having a standard so they can always reflect with it and achieve the same standardised level that is expected in a care worker. Ensuring that meeting these standards these would be the CQC ESOS and the bluebird ccode of practice that is found in the office.

The British Government Vs the US Government

The United States and Britain are two powerful democracies in the world that always tried to uphold the values of democratic system and propagate those values across the globe. In most cases, they share same views and opinions in restoration of peace and democracy in different parts of the world. There are several factors that bring the countries closer. The similarity in the political system of both the countries is one of those factors. Their political systems also differ in many aspects. However, still they share almost the same values and principles.The government system of these counties are so strong and convincing that many countries including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and others have adopted their constitution from these countries. The British Government, a Brief Overview Britain has a parliamentary democratic system with a constitutional monarch. Queen is regarded as head of the state. Unlike other constitutions in the world, the British constitution is made up of a combination of laws and practices that are not legally enforceable.However, they are considered as vital to the functioning of the government. â€Å"The British government system is divided into four parts: the Monarch, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. Although Queen is not involved in the day-to-day operation of the government, she is an integral part of all branches of the British government system† (James, 1999: 41). Britain provides a unique example of balance between the monarchy and democracy. Both Queen and the democratic head of the country perform their responsibilities without any conflict. The US Government, an OverviewThe political system of the United States gives a strong framework for a federal presidential form of democratic government. There is no monarchy in the United States. Unlike some other democracies in the world, the President keeps most powers in his hands. The president is both head of state and head of government. He is also t he head of a two-party legislative and electoral system. â€Å"The US government system includes the Executive headed by the President, the legislature and the judiciary. Legislative power is vested in the Congress that has two chambers, the Senate and the House of Representatives.Judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature and is comprised of the US Supreme Court and lower courts† (Vile, 1999: 31). The judiciary also has the power and authority to resolve the disputes between the executive and legislature. The British Parliament and the US Congress â€Å"The major difference between the government systems of Britain and the United States is the basis on which they are formed. While Britain has the parliamentary form of government, the United States has the presidential form of government† (Lijphart, 1992: 31).The legislature in Britain is known as the Parliament. It is made up of the House of Commons, the House of Lords and the Queen as constitutiona l monarch. â€Å"The House of Commons has 651 elected representatives who are called the Members of Parliament. They represent local constituencies. The House of Lords is comprised of 1,185 members who are selected on hereditary terms, two archbishops and the 24 most senior bishops† (James, 1999: 45). The center of parliamentary power in Britain is the House of Commons. â€Å"The House of Lords has limited powers in the functioning of the government.Traditionally, it complements the House of Commons and does not indulge in any type of conflict† (James, 1999: 46). The British Parliament uses several procedures to control the executive branch of the government system. When any report is prepared, the House of Commons gets the ultimate power to pass the resolution. If the House rejects any proposal, that becomes tantamount to be a no-confidence against the government. Like the British government system, the US Congress is also bicameral. It is comprised of the House of Re presentatives and the Senate.â€Å"The House has 435 members who represent the congressional districts. They serve a two-year term. House seats are determined on the basis of population in the respective states. The US Senate has 100 members. Each state sends two senators to the Senate who serve a six-year term. Both Senators and Representatives are elected through direct election† (Vile, 1999: 54). In the British government system, the House of Lords has very limited powers to decide the passage of any bill or proposal. However, this is not the case with the US Senate.â€Å"The Senate's advice and consent is required to confirm the President's nominations to high-level positions in the executive and the judiciary† (Vile, 1999: 52). Voting system in the British political system and the US political system is similar. In Britain, general elections are held every five years to choose MPs. Similarly, in the US, the President and the members of the House of Representatives are elected every two years. Voting is conducted through a secret ballot and the minimum age requirement to participate in voting is 18 in both countries.Political Parties Political parties in Britain and the United States play a major role in determining the course of the government. The political party system is essential to the smooth functioning of the constitution. Although there are several small parties in Britain, the contest is always between two major political parties, the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. All the general elections have been won by these parties. The smaller parties are mostly represented in local governments.After every general election, the government is formed by the party that gains majority in the House of Commons. The leader of the winning party is appointed as Prime Minister by the Queen. â€Å"The Prime Minister appoints about 100 ministers. Out of them, at least 20 ministers get the rank of cabinet ministers. They take all major policy de cisions. Ministers are responsible for government decisions, as they are party to it† (Lijphart, 1992: 46). The opposition party, which gets less number of votes, plays a constructive role to challenge government policies and present an alternative.The policies are always carried out by government departments that are accountable to the respective ministries. However, these departments are staffed by neutral civil servants who have no association with any political party. They perform the executive functions of the government. The political system of Britain and the US is quite similar. Although they function as multi-party system, only two major parties in both countries hold much importance. The United States has two major political parties, the Republican Party and the Democratic Party that dominate the political spectrum of the country.â€Å"It is true that the political parties have not been recognized or registered by the law either in Britain or in the United States. H owever, they are regulated by the constitutions of individual states or counties that organize elections both at local and national level. Despite having multi-party system, both countries have been limited to a bi-party system† (Lijphart, 1992: 48). Decision Making Group In Britain, the decision-making group is comprised of the Prime Minister and his group of ministers. â€Å"The government of the United Kingdom contains a number of ministries.Each of them is led by a senior minister who is supported by some junior ministers† (James, 1999: 61). Any major decision taken by the government first goes through the House of Representatives and then goes to the Queen for her approval. â€Å"In the United States, the decision-making group comprises of the President and the Cabinet appointed by him. The Cabinet includes the Secretary of State, Attorney General and secretaries of other federal executive departments† (Vile, 1999: 60). The US has separate state departments. Each department is headed by a Secretary who directly reports to the President. Once a bill is prepared, it goes through the House of Representatives and the Senate. It becomes law only after both the houses approve it. Judicial System The British judicial system is completely different from the American judicial system. Britain does not have a single judicial system. It has separate judicial systems for the member countries. â€Å"England and Wales have one judicial system while Scotland has its own judiciary. Northern Ireland has another judicial system.The Lord Chancellor, who is the head of the judiciary in England and Wales, appoints judges and magistrates for criminal courts. He plays an active role in the executive, legislature and judiciary† (James, 1999: 71). The US Constitution provides scope for a powerful judiciary. The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest judicial authority in the United States. It is regarded as the guardian of the constitution. The judiciary of the US is completely independent of the executive and the legislature. â€Å"The Justices of the Supreme Court are nominated by the President with the consent of the Senate.While the Supreme Court is established by the US Constitution, all other federal courts are created by the Congress† (Vile, 1999: 62). The Supreme Court has the authority to hold both original and appellate jurisdiction. Functions of the Government The British government makes strategies with the help of group of ministers, approval of the House of Commons and the final assent from the Queen. However, it is not possible for the government to implement the policies without the help of the government departments. Government departments and their agencies are instrumental in implementing government policy.They often work with the local authorities, statutory boards and other government-sponsored organizations. The major government departments in Britain include the Ministry of Defense, Departmen t of Social Security, Department of Trade and Industry and Department of Employment. These departments are headed by ministers. However, there are some departments that are headed by permanent officials from Civil Service. â€Å"Many government departments are assisted by advisory councils or committees. These bodies are generally appointed by the respective ministers† (James, 1999: 79).Members from the Civil Service are integral part of the government activities. Their responsibilities range from policy formulation to carrying out the day-to-day duties of public administration. The US government carries out its operations through various departments. â€Å"Although the President and the US congress formulate strategies, the federal executive departments implement these policies in the country. They work closely with the state governments and the local governments. The federal executive departments are headed by the members of the Cabinet† (Lijphart, 1992: 65).The main government departments in the United States are the Department of State, Department of Treasury, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Education and Department of Homeland Security. Heads of these departments are called as Secretaries. Conclusion The United States and Britain always worked closely to restore peace and democracy in different parts of the world. Sometimes they used force to achieve their objective and received huge criticism for that.However, their dedication towards democracy, world peace and maintaining the constitutional values cannot be undermined. They always turned against the dictatorship and fascism and promoted democratic principles across the globe. The government systems of the United States and Britain are so popular that many governments have adopted them in their own countries. Bibliography James, Simon. British Cabinet Government. London: R outledge, 1999. Lijphart, Arend. Parliamentary versus Presidential Government. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1992. Vile, M. J. C. Politics in the USA. London: Routledge, 1999.

Why did the Greeks build temples Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Why did the Greeks build temples - Essay Example Classical temples can be grouped in two categories and these are Ionic and Doric. These styles are known as orders that can be identified in types of column used in temples. Ancient Greek temples were not built for worship or for receiving spiritual comfort. These were basically built for god or goddess who protected the community. Gods controlled the natural calamities and other hazards as well. Gods were capricious at some times and they could harm the community. That is why it was important for everyone to take care of god’s comfort to avoid problems. Their houses were specimen of good construction especially those built during the Dark Age. Gods were keenly looked after. Gods received share in food, harvest, business, trading and military activity. Peripteral, Doric and Ionic orders were the masterpiece constructions in ancient Greek. All the orders differ in type of construction, style and usage of material1. Cult images were mostly used in all the temples to represent go d. These images still speak of the mastery of designers. Statue representation at centre of the temple was either sitting of standing. Initially statues were made of wood but with the passage of time cut stones and different materials were used. Zeus statue was liked worldwide and for some time it remained the part of Seven Wonders of the World2. Another purpose of Greek temples was to house statues of deities. Varieties of statues were placed in a single temple for worshipping and offerings. Specific offerings were a feature of Greek temples in Greece. Offerings might include flowers, jewellery, precious belongings of a person. All the offerings presented by citizens were permanently preserved in the temple. Great construction work reflects the attachment of ancient Greeks with their gods. Temples also served as linkage between sacred and secular in ancient Greece. Altar was the place specified for sacrifices and offerings in a temple. Olympia and Delphi were the places where treas ury was a small building introduced for offerings to god and goddess. The other important parts of the temples which were not part of the religious practice places includes council house, law court, fountain house, separate place for women to fill their vases with water from community fountain. The temples were also linked with open assembly area or market place in the rear3. Normally the part of temple opened for the public was either a cave or line of trees for worship. The sacred enclosure of the temple building was commonly known as Temenos. This place reflected the rural origin of cults. Public was not allowed to move around in the complete temple. Only priests had the privilege of divine presence for showing and performing as representatives of the whole community. Common public was normally not allowed to perform in religious festivals and gatherings. Although they were encouraged to contribute financially as temple was the house of gods. People usually offered lavish sacrifi ces to gods in the shape of livestock and personal belongings4. Different occasions of athletics and dramatic production was a regular feature in ancient Greek. Gods and goddess were presented with rare objects, garments, jewellery and cutlery by the community. Community normally loved to gift statues of young men and women as symbol of deep reverence towards gods. Kore was found in sixth century BC in Athens. Offering of joint prayers with the community normally took place in temple at the end of any gathering or festival5. There is no doubt that temple is the most important building of the Greeks. Statues in temple were placed facing east so that rising sun is first seen from

Nursing - Quantitative Crituque Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Nursing - Quantitative Crituque - Essay Example Abstract The abstract was clearly structured in a way that it provides a precise summary of the content in the article. The problem is well defined, the method of research well stated and the findings stated. The abstract also provides a glimpse of the conclusion of the paper giving a clear depiction of what is contained in the article. Introduction The introduction is well structured and gives a summative outline of the content. However, it could have been more detailed particularly in describing the risk factors of metabolic syndrome in adults. It only explained the risk factors of the syndrome in children. However, it gives a concise explanation of the lifestyle factors that play a part in enhancing metabolic syndrome in people. The problem is clearly stated and easily recognized because it builds a persuasive discussion of the study. The problem has a massive impact on nurses because they are able to realize how metabolic syndrome has affected the American people (McGillis, Masse y and Amstrong et al., 2007). The blend between the method of research and the findings is appropriate. Hypothesis and or research questions The research questions are well structured because they led to accurate outcomes that were expected. The hypothesis, on the other hand, are not clearly stated and extensively outlined because they do not cover the concept of metabolic syndrome as outlined in the context. ... Conceptual/Theoretical Framework The article contains an appropriate theoretical framework that is well-defined scope because it led to considerable scope of outcome that was anticipated. For instance, the framework outlined the different types of doctorate and nursing students who came to undertake the study as well as the age bracket of the students involved which was 9 to 15 years (McGillis, Massey and Amstrong et al., 2007). It also outlined concepts such as, lifestyle factors that contribute to metabolic syndrome and operational descriptions such as the low HDL, hypertension and overweight. Method The procedure used was appropriate because it focused on the findings that were required. It encompassed student doctors and nurses who were familiar with the aspect of metabolic syndrome and the purpose of the study as well as their anticipation. The group also encompassed a phlebotomist, a dietitian and dietetic student. The study was structured well in a manner that all the risks th at usually occur were minimal. The design used was rigorous because it was consistent with the purpose of the research. The comparisons involved were also suitable because they fostered the interpretation of the outcomes. Each of the doctorate and nursing student undertook their duties well because the outcome was incredible. For example, the phlebotomist undertook the blood draw of children after they had fasted for at least 10 hours. The adolescent questionnaire was used to collect the dietary data on the selected children (McGillis, Massey and Amstrong et al., 2007). The population was well described in the sample population and the sampling design used was the best because it met its purpose. The doctorate and

Journey from LPN to RN Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Journey from LPN to RN - Essay Example ctations, educational/professional outlooks, and personal encounters which have helped to transform the experience of this author from an LPN to an RN. Ultimately, for me there were two paths which could have been taken with regards to transitioning from an LPN to an RN. These paths are as follows: upon completion and residency as an LPN for a period of approximately one year, I could have applied for a bachelor’s of science in nursing (BSN) degree double ultimately translate into an RN. An alternate means to achieve the same goal is after completing university to apply for and complete a Master’s of Science in Nursing degree which serves as something of an accelerated LPN to RN program without any requirements for prior work experience. Although the secondary option is perhaps the more strenuous, it cannot be said to be more difficult due to the fact that it does not have any type of residency or prior work experience requirement attached to it as does the first alternative. With regards to the personal experience of this individual, the path from LPN to RN has taken the first path which has been mentioned. Even thou gh hindsight is perfect, if it was possible to make the choice over again, it would necessarily be the same as it was the first time. This is due to the fact that this particular path has been able to provide me with a high degree of hands on experience and the application of knowledge directly into the field that pursuing the Masters program directly from the LPN would not have been able to provide. Likewise, upon entering the program, I had a strong personal desire to further my education due to the fact that my husband was suffering from a very serious condition; further encouraging me to do all that I could and pour myself completely into studying the requirements that were placed in front of me. Another primary reason that I chose this path was with regards to the fact that the RN’s scope and job responsibilities allowed for a far greater

Digital Audio Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Digital Audio Industry - Essay Example There is, however, a transition in progress. Much of the audio equipment used today is digital inside. The development of digital technology in the last half a decade has been significant to changing the way people communicate. The market is set to welcome a digital audio networking technology. The various advantages of digital over analog signals include that you can pick up or transmit multiple audio signals over a single connection. Digital signals are also less prone to attenuation and noise, and the degradation and delay that the multiple A/D and D/A conversions can be avoided. The process of audio distribution, processing, and even mixing can be undertaken in a digital domain. Despite these advantages, however, digital distribution has not become as popular as investors would have hoped or expected. Unfortunately, the principle reason for the lack of popularity and the low rates of sales is quite simply that the digital products offered so far can be described as both proprietary and inflexible. A viable product to introduce to the market at this point - to put an end to this digital resistance is one that is groundbreaking in the field of digital audio networking technology. ... t will open the doors and pave the way for digital technology to live up to its full potential; a product that links together all the benefits of digital audio technology and makes these accessible to users across Australia and the world will truly be able to leverage digital technology for future enterprises and innovations in the field. Market Analysis Although the market research information on digital audio usage in Australia is not widely available, it is viable to regard the situation in the United States as something of a case study comparison to the situation in Australia. In the United States, one of the most telling examples of the problem surrounding digital media is provided as an example by Sirius Satellite Radio. According to one US-based market research company, Bridge Ratings (2006) projected that the weekly come for analog radio would slide from about 95%, where it is currently, to 70% by 2020. This is an indicator for increased demand of the digital technology. In their 2006 report, Bridge Ratings established that satellite radio should reach over 34 million users by 2010 and 60 million by 2020. A condition of this, however was that the satellite radio/digital radio model would have to alter its current status of only very small market penetration. The market penetration was estimated to be about 555,000 by year end and this was noted to be best efforts to have HD improving to almost 20 million in 2010 and 46 million by 2020. Another part of the problem was evidence that the advent of HD radio essentially coincided with the growth of Internet radio. Internet radio, unlike digital audio and its presentation in satellite radio, is highly popular. It is also set to benefit greatly from pervasive Wi-Max or Wide Area Wireless Access which will bring

Vegetarianism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Vegetarianism - Essay Example These goals, alone or in combination, are illustrative of factors that may contribute to or come as a result of the decision to implement a vegetarian lifestyle. Further investigation can illuminate the mechanisms through which vegetarianism may benefit personal health, animal rights, and the environment. The vegetarian diet is associated with several immediate health benefits for humans. For example, the fitness of the heart and lungs is paramount to a healthy lifestyle, and improvements in cardiovascular health have been noted following the adoption of a vegetarian routine. Research suggests that these benefits can be attributed to the lowering of lipids and the normalization of blood pressure linked with vegetarianism, but it is possible that other aspects of the vegetarian diet also contribute to cardiovascular improvements (Ferdowsian & Barnard, 2009). Another generally positive result of vegetarianism that may lead to improved cardiovascular health is weight loss. The loss of weight has many associated benefits and may be achieved (in the case of the vegetarian diet) largely because of the lowered caloric intake of vegetarian diets (Sacks et al., 2009). Despite the reduction in calories, the study by Sacks and colleagues also implies that vegetarians experience a similar amount of satiation from their diets as compared to traditional nourishment regimens, and are not likely to overeat in response to the decrease. Vegetarian diets are also associated with prolonged health benefits.... Research suggests that these benefits can be attributed to the lowering of lipids and the normalization of blood pressure linked with vegetarianism, but it is possible that other aspects of the vegetarian diet also contribute to cardiovascular improvements (Ferdowsian & Barnard, 2009). Another generally positive result of vegetarianism that may lead to improved cardiovascular health is weight loss. The loss of weight has many associated benefits, and may be achieved (in the case of the vegetarian diet) largely because of the lowered caloric intake of vegetarian diets (Sacks et al., 2009). Despite the reduction in calories, the study by Sacks and colleagues also implies that vegetarians experience a similar amount of satiation from their diets as compared to traditional nourishment regimens, and are not likely to overeat in response to the decrease. Vegetarian diets are also associated with prolonged health benefits, such as the sustainment of an optimal weight and a long-term decreas e in the risk of developing certain cancers. The body requires a small amount of various nutrients such as zinc and cobalt. These requirements are more broadly met through vegetarian diets, and these obtained micronutrients are connected with the maintenance of optimal weight as well as decreased risk for cancer. An increase in the consumption of carotenoids, vitamin C, vitamin E, and folic acids (found in vegetarian diets) is also linked with reduced cancer risks, and vegetarians have a much lower rate of colorectal cancer when compared to people on other diets (Van Duijnhoven et al., 2009). The benefits of vegetarianism reach beyond the individual. The promotion

Video Game Violence and Children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Video Game Violence and Children - Essay Example This paper stresses that  as children grow up, they look to the authoritative role models in their life to determine what behavior is or is not appropriate. Their young minds are impressionable and they constantly absorb new knowledge from their surroundings. When children are subjected to certain actions or behaviors, and if they are not properly coached in the differences between right and wrong, they are likely to repeat the actions or behaviors. The more that they witness certain behaviors, the increased chances they have at mimicking them. Impressionability is similar to the teaching methods found in classrooms in the sense that teachers display concepts that children repeat until they can do them on their own; however, unlike classroom learning, impressionability involves children adapting behaviors of their own accord without being prompted by someone else.  As the discussion declares  the more time that children spend playing violent video games, the more they become fa miliar with the concepts being depicted. Furthermore, there are video games that allow the player to play as a first person and they can experience the game as if they were in it, committing the violent actions themselves instead of witnessing them as a bystander. Adults and teachers feel that these games are â€Å"training programs for children to commit crimes

Identify the heightened audit risks areas of James Cropper Plc and Case Study

Identify the heightened audit risks areas of James Cropper Plc and carry out the audit procedures to reduce audit risk to an acceptable level of one area - Case Study Example The converting segment on the other hand offers picture mat boards printable boards and a selection of of laminated and coated papers. The Technical Fibre Products is in charge of non-woven materials used in different areas such as the engineering of composites thermal insulation, fire protection and other insulations. The areas of operation of the company comprise of Europe, United Kingdom, America, Asia, Africa and Australasia having been headquartered in the United Kingdom. Today’s business has been changing with a very tremendous speed. The business world has become constant in that it is changing constantly making it unpredictable, complex and very volatile. This has in turn changed the previous levels of risks increasing them to tremendous levels. The idea of risk now moves along with all business models, making it one of the very necessary evils. The regulators on the other hand have not been able to deliver any reprieve on the same. They have also complicated their regulations in an effort to control all of these changes in the business world. They have also increased their requirements for transparency from the businesses on how they carry out their businesses (PriceWaterHouse Coopers). For any business in operations one of the most important activities that the business needs to keep in touch properly is on the risk assessment process. This process is explained as the systematic process through which one is able to identify and evaluate events that could affect the achievements of the various business objectives both positively or negatively. Such activities could be both from the interior as well as the exterior meaning that this process should be done from both sides. While risk assessment is important, of more importance is the process through which one is able to extract their real value of the businesses. The main challenge with poor administration of risks is the fact that they still pose a major challenge for business is

Complete Course Material Essay Example for Free

Complete Course Material Essay MGT 426 Complete Course Material MGT 426 Week 1 DQ 1 Why is change necessary? What about change is disruptive? How can meeting the challenge of change become organizational opportunities? MGT 426 Week 1 DQ 2 Change: what is in it for me? What is the cycle of change? What are some examples of continuous change? What are some examples of discontinuous change? What are some differences between continuous and discontinuous change? MGT 426 Week 1 Individual Assignment Article Review MGT 426 Week 2 DQ 1 What is organizational culture? What is the relationship between shared vision and organizational culture? How does organizational culture affect an organization’s ability to cope with change? MGT 426 Week 2 DQ 2 How does modeling a change process facilitate change? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the three change models? What are some applications of the three change models? MGT 426 Week 2 Individual Assignment Roles of Managers and Individuals Paper MGT 426 Week 2 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper Part I MGT 426 Week 3 DQ 1 Why is it important to do a gap analysis? How do you apply gap analysis to the change models? Give an example of when you may use a gap analysis. MGT 426 Week 3 DQ 2 What are the steps in implementing change? What should you consider when selecting a change implementation model? Explain. MGT 426 Week 3 Individual Assignment Resistance to Change Paper MGT 426 Week 3 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper and Presentation Part II MGT 426 Week 4 DQ 1 How do you measure the progress of change? How do you know change has been institutionalized? How do you determine what changes have occurred? MGT 426 Week 4 DQ 2 What organizational systems are impacted by the cycle of change? Explain. What systems are not as easily impacted by change? Why or why not? MGT 426 Week 4 Individual Assignment Ethics During Change paper MGT 426 Week 4 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper Part III MGT 426 Week 5 DQ 1 What characteristics of a learning organization do you see in your organization? What can your organization do to transform into a learning organization? MGT 426 Week 5 DQ 2 How closely does your organization follow Senge’s five disciplines? Is this useful? Why or why not? MGT 426 Week 5 Individual Assignment Learning Organization Paper MGT 426 Week 5 Learning Team Assignment Managing Change Paper and Presentation Part IV

The English Subject Essay Example for Free

The English Subject Essay English has been a big factor to my being as an educated person and as a Lasallian student. I take pride that I go to a university which offers an outstanding quality of English education. During the third term of my freshman year in college, I took up ENGLCOM which was a subject that was divided into reading and writing class. At first, I found the two boring because I thought that I was already confident with my stock knowledge about English Communication, so I intentionally did not attend the first few meetings. I just relaxed and did other useless things to kill time for my scheduled class. After summing up my free cuts, I decided to go to class so I could catch up with the lessons. I surprisingly found myself lost. I did not have any clue about what was going on or what was being discussed. I started asking for help from my classmates. I tried studying about all the things I missed in class, and I saw that what was being tackled that time was not clear to me even if I had already graduated from high school. I quickly found myself very interested in what I was dealing with. I learned that academic reading and writing are fun and interesting. I was able to improve my vocabulary and the way I write essays since we were taught about words which were unfamiliar, and we were also consistently being asked to write essays about certain topics. There were even times when we were taught how to properly analyse commercial ads and how to correctly write certain types of letters. All of my first impressions disappeared; I found the subject very interesting and from then on, I regularly went to class. During our writing class, we were asked to compose four essays: an extended definition essay, an argumentative essay, an entry and an exit essay. I honestly had difficulty in writing. My thoughts were not complete, and I had a lack of supporting ideas. While we were writing the entry essay, I had somewhat an easy time writing using my stock knowledge. Same thing happened with the exit essay. When it came to the argumentative and extended definition essays, I found myself having a very hard time. It was kind of difficult for me to think of a topic that I could argue and add more definition to. I had a few mistakes at first, but I was able to correct them by improving my vocabulary and researching for more supporting ideas. I also applied the lessons and techniques that were taught to us until it also became a habit for me to keep updated with all the things around me. I became patient and specific with my writing. It was really surprising to me how much more I needed to know. As the term ends, I can say that ENGLCOM has helped me improve my writing and reading skills. I became more proficient in writing, analyzing, reporting and reading. I will try to compile all my works so I could set them as guides as I keep up with my life in college when I start with thesis papers and other things that involve reading and writing. I met my objectives because of everything this subject had to offer. It was indeed a very fun and interesting experience of learning more about English Communication.

Methods Used in the Bio-Medical Industry

Methods Used in the Bio-Medical Industry In this essay we will be exploring three methods by which materials are either separated, analysed, or both and their relevance and application in the biomedical industry. We will be looking at Electrophoresis, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), and Gas Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GLC-MS). Electrophoresis is a technique used to separate DNA material based on their size which has applications in DNA forensics. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance is a technique used to visually determine what the composition of a live tissue is which has applications in medical science. Gas Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry is a technique used to determine the chemical composition of the substance that is being tested which has applications in blood doping in sports where the blood needs to be chemically analysed for its composition whether it contains banned substances. Chemistry is a very broad subject which has influence in almost every industry. This essay will attempt to cover these three methods knowing that it has only skimmed the surface. The first separation technique that we will discuss is electrophoresis. Electrophoresis is used extensively in biochemical analysis. In particular, it is used in DNA fingerprinting and profiling in the field of forensic science. It can be used to separate, identify and purify proteins and nucleic acids. It can be used with amino acids and peptides obtained when a protein is hydrolysed. This basis for how this method works is that it depends on the fact that all DNA molecules are polar. Thus it is known to be impossible for there to have a compound with the same polarities. Another issue that might be raised is would the mass of the sample affect this separation technique? The answer is yes and no. It will affect it by making the DNA fingerprinting band hard to form. Thus chemists have developed different agarose medium gels for different compounds that have different properties such as pH and mass. The agarose gel can differ in density and pH, for example, to accommodate the differen t types of sample that is being tested. In that way, the effect that mass or even pH might on the result is negated and an accurate result is produced. The DNA of each person is basically similar in its chemical structure. The two strands in the double helix of DNA are held in place via hydrogen bonds between base pairs. The DNA stores the information – call the genes – that provide the genetic blueprints for making proteins. However, there are segments along the DNA molecules which do not seem to carry the instructions needed to make proteins. These bits of DNA are repeated along the DNA molecule. They are called ‘minisatellites’. The number and sequence of these is unique to each person. DNA fingerprinting is based on matching these minisatellite regions of DNA. We inherit half from our mother and the other half from our father. How does it work? Firstly, DNA would be extracted from a sample such as a murder weapon. Next, Restriction enzymes are used to ‘cut’ the DNA molecule at specific places where the same sequences occurs, making smaller fragments for analysis. Because DNA fragments are all negatively charged because of the phosphate groups present them will all move towards the positive electrode in gel electrophoresis. When they move towards the positive electrode in gel electrophoresis, the fragments move at different rates because they have different sizes. And this creates bands. The bands are then made visible by radioactive labelling of the bands with the phosphorus-32 isotope, which causes photographic film to fog. Thus the result is a film that can reveal the positions of the bands and by inference, the identity of the person whose DNA is being tested upon. The analytical technique of electrophoresis is based on separating ions placed in an electric field. If a sample is placed between two electrodes, positively charged ions will move towards a negatively charged electrode. Negatively charged ions will move towards a positively charged electrode. The sample is placed on absorbent paper or on a gel supported on a solid base such as a glass plate. A buffer solution carries the ions along. A buffer solution or medium is used in this method. This is to not only provide a means for the electricity to separate the ions but also as a means to stabilize the pH level because it will affect the movement of ions during electrophoresis. The rate at which the ions move towards the oppositely charged electrode depends, amongst other things, on the size and charge on the ions: larger ions will move more slowly; highly charged ions will move more quickly. Therefore the ions are separated as the electric field is applied. A series of lines or bands on the paper or gel appears once a chemical is applied. Sometimes ultraviolet light is used to show the bands up. The series of bands is called an electropherogram. The bands form a sort of fingerprint as every DNA will show up a different series of bands. In the same way that a thumbprint is uniqu e to a person, these bands made by DNA is unique to every person. A particular limitation is that this experiment does require electricity, an agarose gel medium, a container to store the gel, and it requires a lab free from impurities as it has a high intolerance for contaminants. This may limit the reach of DNA fingerprinting in rural areas or places in third-world countries where access to a biologically clean lab may be difficult. The transport equation for electrophoresis is . C would represent the concentration of the substance undergoing electrophoresis and t wold represent the transport after progressing for a time. This equation explains how time actually affects the concentration of the substance. (Jordan and Mills, 1966) The next technique that we will look at is an analytical technique called the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). NMR is mainly used to diagnose medical problems. The technique of MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scanning has been adapted from NMR spectroscopy. The patient is placed inside a body scanner which generates a powerful magnetic field. A computer analyses the radiowaves absorbed by 1H nuclei in successive ‘slices’ of the body, combining these to make a 3-D image of organs inside the body. The reason that a 3D picture of an organ can be produced just by flipping protons in different magnetic environments can be explained as such. By flipping the protons, a magnetic wave is produced. This wave contains energy that can be measured. When scanning the body, the strength and pattern of this wave is hugely affected by the type, density, and weight of the body that is being measured. Different parts of the body will give off a different wave because not all parts of the body are the same. Some parts of the body contain more muscle or bone than other parts. Thus after scanning the body, data is collected from scanning the different parts of the body that yield different results. Computer imaging software then processes the data that has been collected by the MRI machine and produces a 3D image based on the type of data that it receives. In this way NMR can be explained as such. MRI is much safer than high-energy X-ray imaging. As an example of its use, MRI can monitor the success of cancer treatment in reducing the size of tumours. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is a widely used analytical technique for organic compounds. NMR is based on the fact that the nucleus of each hydrogen atom in an organic molecule behaves like a tiny magnet. The nucleus of a hydrogen atom consists of a single proton. The proton can spin. This movement of the positively charged proton causes a very small magnetic field to be set up. In NMR the sample is goes to be analysed in a magnetic field. The hydrogen nuclei (protons) either line up with the field or, by spinning in the opposite direction, line up against it. There is a tiny difference in energy between the oppositely spinning 1H nuclei. This difference corresponds to the energy carried by waves in the radiowave range of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum. In NMR spectroscopy the nuclei ‘flip’ between the two energy levels. Only atoms whose mass number is an odd number, e.g. 1H or 13C, absorb energy in the range of frequencies that are analysed. The size of the gap between the nuclear energy levels varies slightly, depending on the other atoms in the molecule (the molecular environment). Therefore, NMR can be used to identify 1H atoms in different parts of a molecule. In NMR spectroscopy, we vary the magnetic field as that is easier than varying the wavelength of radiowaves. As the magnetic field is varied, the 1H nuclei in different molecular environments flip at different field strengths. The different field strengths are measured relative to a reference compound which is given a value of zero. The standard compound chosen is tetramethylsilane (TMS). TMS was chosen because it is an inert, volatile liquid which mixes well with most organic compounds. Its formula is Si (CH3)4, so all its H atoms are equivalent (i.e. they are all in the same molecular environment). TMS only gives one, sharp absorption, called a peak, and this peak is at a higher frequency than most other protons. All other absorptions are measured by their sh ift away from the TMS line on the NMR spectrum. This is called the chemical shift (ÃŽ ´), and is measured in units of parts per million (ppm). The spins within the MRI possess a natural frequency that is proportional to the magnetic field. This is called the Larmor relationship equation. This equation explains the method behind the MRI. Larmor relationship equation ω = ÃŽ ³B Some limitations that can be inferred from data would be that portability, the need for a large amount of electricity, the exclusion of people with tattoos that has ink mixed with metal, people with pacemakers, morbidly obese people, or people who are claustrophobic. Lastly we will look at a separation and analytical technique called the gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer technique. To identify the components in a mixture, it is possible to link a gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) apparatus directly to a mass spectrometer. This combined technique is very sensitive, and any two solutes that can be separated with a time gap of 1 second on a GLC column can be identified almost instantly by the mass spectrometer without the need to be collected. Identification is by comparing the mass spectrum of each solute with the mass spectra of known compounds, using a computer’s spectral database. The generated is complex. There can be many components in a mixture, each with a peak at its particular retention time on the chromatogram, and each peak will generate its own characteristic series of lines in the mass spectrometer. It is possible to combine the chromatogram and the mass spectra to display the data on a 3-D graph. GLC linked to a mass spectrometer is used for analysing complex mixtures. The combined technique is fast and gives reliable results that can identify trace quantities of pollutants, drugs, biochemical molecules and toxins. This means it is used in: forensics, environmental monitoring of pollutants, drug testing in sports, geological and archaeological dating, or even airport security. Gas-liquid chromatography, referred to as GLC, uses partitioning to separate and identify the components in a mixture. How does it work? First, an inert carrier gas such as nitrogen passes in the gas chromatograph to flush the mixture of vapours through the instrument. The mixture to be separated is injected into the instrument through a self-sealing rubber port. Next, an oven heats the injector to vaporise the contents of the mixture, to turn the mixture into a gas if it is not a gas yet. The sample passes through a snail like column oven. After which, the column oven keeps the mixture inside the column in the gaseous state and at a constant temperature. Within the long and thin column there will be a stationary phase, which is often a non-volatile liquid coated onto a solid support. Next, the components of the mixture interact with the stationary phase to different extents, so they move through the column at different rates. Then it passes the sample on to the mass spectrometer to be identified through a tube that is kept at a warm temperature. The stationary phase is an inert carrier gas. This is packed tightly into a column. This has to be forced under pressure through the densely packed column where separation occurs. The tiny solid particles in the column have a very large surface area over which partitioning can occur, resulting in excellent separation. The more polar components in the mixture have a greater relative solubility in the polar solvent. Therefore they are carried through the column faster than components whose molecules are more non-polar (which dissolves better in the non-polar stationary phase in the column). The detector records retention times, i.e. how long it takes each component to pass through the column. The area under each peak recorded is proportional to the amount of solute emerging from the column. For quantitative analysis, the component peaks are first identified and then the area of each is measured. The peaks are roughly triangular in shape so their area follows the area formula. Area is The sample would now go into the mass spectrometer where it will analyse the components of the mixture as they emerge from the column. In the mass spectrometer’s results you can determine the relative proportions of the components of the mixture (from the relative areas of the peaks obtained from the recorded current flow) and the identity of each substance (by matching their mass spectra against a computer database of know spectra (fingerprinting). How does the mass spectrometer separate and identify the gas? First, The vacuum pump first removes unwanted previous sample and air which could interact with the sample by either colliding or reacting with the sample which would contaminate the sample and interfere with the final result. The sample then enters through the sample inlet to proceed to the inside of the mass spectrometer. Next, the sample would enter the vaporisation chamber where a heating coil in the vaporisation chamber converts the sample to a gas if it had not been a gas already. Following that, the sample would proceed into the ionisation chamber where an electron gun bombards electrons at the gaseous sample converting them to positive ions. The equation for this is . The sample at this stage would be go to the accelerator which contains negatively charged electric plates where it accelerates the ions towards the magnetic field. The gaseous ions when approaching the magnetic field would be separated according to t heir mass to charge ratio (). The lighter ions are deflected more, and the heavier ions are deflected less. At the end of the sample’s route is an ion detector where the signal is converted to an electric one. The electric signal is sent to a recorder that interprets this data and plots a graph for analysis because the ions hit the recorder in different positions according to their mass to charge ratio. Lastly, the position where the ions hit the detector plate tells you their relative atomic mass. A practical application for a gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer is in the analysis of urine samples from athletes for banned substances such as steroids or stimulants or even in medical research to separate peptides and proteins. Some advantages of using this method in separating and analysing the sample is that it is possible to determine the percentages of dissolved oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide in blood samples as small as 1.0 cm3. Some of the disadvantages are that similar compounds will have similar retention times and if a newly discovered compound is detected it will not have a match in the computer’s database of retention points. As a conclusion, electrophoresis, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer are techniques that affect everyday life. Electrophoresis has a useful function in helping to match the DNA from a crime scene to the criminal in cases where more evidence were need to convict the right person. The nuclear magnetic resonance machines have a the ability to form a 3D image of your inner body and that is useful in the case where detailed analysis of patients in a hospital is important. Other techniques for analysis are mostly either too invasive or too slow. Last but not least is the gas-liquid chromatography/mass spectrometer whose function is to separate compounds to analyse the composition. 1

More Reserach Is Needed Before Marijuana Is Legalized :: argumentative essay, against legal pot

The effect of drugs can be harmful to the body. They can damage nerves that are used for thinking. According to the "Nation Institutes of Health"(NIH), cannabis is one of the most popular used drugs in America ranking third after tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana (the most common form used in America), is made of the dried leaves and flowers of the female cannabis sativa plant, and looks like oregano. It is usually smoked in a pipe or in hand-rolled cigarettes. Hashish (hash) is a dried-caked resin from the flowers and leaves of the plant. It is sold in chunks and cubes, and its color range from light brown to black. Hashish is often blended with tobacco and smoked. It is more potent than marijuana because it contains a higher concentration THC (abbreviation for delta-nine-tetrahydrocannabinol). THC is the main psychoactive ingredient in all cannabis preparations (NIH). The more THC cannabis contains, the stronger it is. The existance of the plant has been reported as early as 1500-1200 B.C. in China. Since then, an overwhelming number of studies have attempted to explain the physical and psychological effects of cannibis on humans. According to "The National Clearinghouse," (NCH), the effects of cannabis are similar to alcohol intoxication. Small amounts can make you relaxed and generally less inhibited. Some users say that it enhances the experiences of music, food and sex. Logical thinking tends to be slowed, but cannabis smokers often believe that their minds are flitting from thought to thought with great speed (NIH). Intoxication is more intense during the first hour after smoking, although the drug's effects may persist for three to five hours, depending mainly on the dose. According to " CESAR," regular users often develop a psychological dependence on cannabis. They have a strong desire to continue its use, to get through the day. Without the drug, they can feel anxious, or panicky. Some heavy users of cannabis experience physical dependence. Their bodies become use to the drugs. When they do not have the drug, they may go into withdrawal. Symptoms include sleeping problems, anxiety, sweating, and loss of appetite and upset stomach. Although most symptoms usually disappear within a few days, sleep disturbances may last longer. Regular use may cause a general loss of interest, motivation, memory and concentration. The user may also show a lack of concern for the future, and have problems with abstract thinking. These effects may be harmful for young people, who are still making choices about the future. Once a person stops using cannabis, symptoms tend to disappear gradually, but problems

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Essay -- Radio Frequency Identif

The innovation of the RFID chip or the Radio Frequency Identification has been a critical piece of technology that has been around since the early/mid 20th century (est 1938). Functions of a radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging system involves a tag and a reader. When scanned, the antenna within the tag picks up the radio wave and sends a response back to the reader. This technology is being used for both short range and also long range identification, in the short-range identification category, this innovation is used in practical applications like credit cards (pay wave, tap and go ect...), animal identification (domestic pets, farm animals). The long range applications of the RFID chip is used in aeroplanes to bounce back a signal to radio control signifying their plane identification, the long range application of the chip is used in many other systems for similar purposes. the RFID chip is used all around the would and has and is readily available for the past few decades. The RFID chip is used by many agencies including federal agencies and also used for municipal and state and also local agencies. E.G.. RFID for Federal Agencies * Border and Immigration Security * Cargo and Container Security * Food and Cold Chain Safety (Product Authentication and Temperature Tracking) * Livestock & AgricultureTracking * Military Personnel Relocation Services * Military Supply Chain (Supply chain Shipping, * Receiving and Logistics) * Pharmaceutical Track and Trace Trusted Traveler Control Systems aeroplane tracking/ID RFID for Municipal and State and Local Agencies * Asset & Inventory Control * Firefighter Locationing /Emergency Service Personnel Locationing * First Responder Evacuation Services * Lib... ...lter, 2001, pp. 445--456) Motorolasolutions.com. 2014. RFID Government Solutions - Motorola Solutions USA. [online] Available at: http://www.motorolasolutions.com/US-EN/Business+Solutions/Industry+Solutions/Government/Airports+and+Seaports/RFID_Government_Solutions_US-EN Wikipedia. 2014. Radio-frequency identification. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio-frequency_identification [Accessed: 11 Feb 2014]. Wikipedia. 2014. Digital Revolution. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Revolution Wikipedia. 2014. Near field communication. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Near_field_communication Idtechex.com. 2014. RFID Forecasts, Players and Opportunities 2012-2022: IDTechEx. [online] Available at: http://www.idtechex.com/research/reports/rfid-forecasts-players-and-opportunities-2012-2022-000322.asp

The Right Stuff :: Essays Papers

The Right Stuff In the past couple of semesters the topic of expatriates has come up a lot. I’m beginning to see that’s it’s an important issues since we now live in a global market. I do believe that if your successful in your career the likely hood of receiving an expatriate assignment is high. The Houston Business Journal conducted a survey of one hundred companies and sixty percent predict that the expatriate population will increase, while twenty-five percent said it will stay the same (HBJ, June 98). Since the probability is high that I will be asked to go to another country, I’ve had to do some serious reflecting. Would I be a good expatriate employee? There are qualities one must have in order to become a successful expatriate. According to Jeff Freeburg a consultant for H.R. International certain qualities one should have are motivation, receptiveness, Patience, sense of humor, initiative, confidence, dependable, savvy, persistent and decisive (Freeburg 99 ). I feel that I do have most of these qualities but is that enough? I am fortunate that I’m able to speak Spanish fluently, I can also read and write it. It was easy for me to pick up different languages since I’m a first generation U.S. citizen; I grew up with my family members speaking both languages to me. Because of that exposure I have the desire to learn other languages, I can read French and hope to learn Italian and Japanese if time allows me to. Even though I speak a different language I have never left the states to visit other countries either for personal or business reasons. Shannon Roxborough author of The Guide to International Work Success lists other important things one must do before venturing abroad. An expatriate should learn some history in order to deal better with the cultural differences. Learn the business culture, as we have read in the case study of Buckeye Glass Company in China, we have learned the importance other cultures place on building a personal relationship that goes beyond the normal business relations in this county. Learn how to negotiate, American business professional must learn how to conduct proper negotiations in other countries, not every one rushes to the table to hammer out an agreement. Also as we’ve read other countries use tactics such as long pauses or touching during negotiations that seem strange to us but are perfectly normal for them.

Sons and Lovers as an Autobiographical Novel

Novel gained immense popularity during the 20th century. In the history of English novel D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers is a typical 20th century novel. The 20th century novels bear the characteristics of realism, romanticism, modernism, impressionism, expressionism etc. It was a time of complex human psychology. A contiguous overflow of a thought, which is happening in human psychology become the theme of the novel of the time. After the havoc and destruction of the First and the Second World Wars a great change in human psychology took place.Prominent psychological writers like- Sigmund Freud, Jung and Lucka came forward with their stimulating psychoanalytical theory. Freud’s theory of Oedipus complex and Lacka’s theory of child’s life or self-development greatly influenced the Novelists of The 20th century. Son’s and lovers by D. H. Lawrence is also a psychological novel where Lawrence as a psychoanalyst brings into focus the subtle and intrica te happening in the minds of his characters, like Gertrude Morel , Paul Morel , Miriam and others.Love PoemSons and Lovers deal with the psychology of the characters. Lawrence examines human life minutely and represents the complexity of human mind in his novel, Sons and Lovers. He brings out the deepest and subtle psychological aspect of his characters specially of Gertrud Morel and Paul Morel. According to the psychologists’ theory, there are three levels of human thought: conscious, subconscious and unconscious. Most of the thoughts lie dominant in subconscious and unconscious level. Sometimes it comes out into surface. Oedipus complex is one of such instinct.A psychological novelist like Lawrence externalizes the hidden and inner recondite thoughts of subconscious and unconscious mind. The theme of Oedipus complex is a dominant theme of Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers. Gertrude morel is a lady of delicate and refined taste and she married a miner named Walter Morel. Tho ugh it was a love marriage, within a few months of their marriage she discovered him as a stranger, a gambler, drunkard and an agitated person. Besides the poverty of Morels family disillusioned her. In spite of remaining as his wife, she lost all the interests for him.Morel’s rude and aggressive behavior with her and their children made her burdened with life with him. But nevertheless she remains with him because she had loving children as- Annie and William. All her love and affection was transferred to her children specially to her eldest son William who also loves his mother very much. When William came into maturity he managed to earn for family and it made her happy but gradually Mr. Morel becomes an outsider of the family. Because of the crude and vulgarity of his manner his children William and Annie also began to despise him. Mrs.Morel’s extreme love for her son William made the father jealous. In a state of conflict between husband and wife, both of them fel t dreary and lonely. So all the love and affection of a disappointed soul like Gertrud Morel find place in her lovely children especially in the sons- first in William then in Paul. The sons gave hope and spirit in Mrs. Morel’s life. Her heart filled with love and affection first for William then for Paul, her second son. Lawrence in a letter to his friend Edward Garnett said about the relation between mother and son: â€Å"But as her sons grew up, she settles them as lovers. This is the kind of love Sigmund Freud mentions as Oedipus complex. According to the theory, if the marriage between the mother and father is not happy and loving, the parents become interested in love for the child of opposite sex. The child functions as the substitute of husband or wife. Lawrence as a psychologist brings out the innermost psychology of his characters, Mrs. Gertrud Morel and her son Paul Morel. Mrs. Morel prevented her sons making love with other woman except her. She prevented William from getting intimate with the gipsy girl Lily.After the death of William she was slowly transforming her possessive feelings to Paul. Lawrence showed them wandering along the street of Nottingham with joy and excitement just like two lovers. She is a victim of an unhappy marriage. Her failure in life with Morel paved the way of Oedipus complex in her life. She gets attracted to her sons’ manhood. Nothing except Paul is valuable in her life. Paul also knew her passion for him. He loved his mother from his very childhood and could not break her heart. So he remained passive with any relationship with other women like Miriam and Clara.Miriam loved him intensely. He also had love for her but an unknown hand prevented him from the fulfillment of their relationship. He thought that he is only for his mother. His mother also knows that her only means of life on earth is Paul. What is the horrible consequence of an unhappy marriage, she knows it well. That’s why she says Wil liam, â€Å"Nothing is as bad as marriage that is a hopeless failure. † The relation between Paul and Miriam is a kind of spiritual love, yet nothing but his Oedipus feeling prevented him from marrying her. Both Mrs.Morel and Miriam desired Paul’s love and affection and it eats up the self of Paul. Mrs. Morel knew that Miriam is not like an ordinary woman who can leave her the share she desires in Paul. So she felt awfully worried about Paul. She could not bear it. She could let another woman have Paul but not Miriam. The tormented soul of Mrs. Morel says: â€Å"she’d leave me no room, not a bit of room. † Then she piteously utters: â€Å"And I’ve never- You know Paul- I’ve never had a husband- not really. † Paul helplessly comes forward to console his mother by asserting that he did not love Miriam.He strokes his mother’s hair and placed his mouth on her throat. Before parting for the night Mrs. Morel kissed him a long fervent kiss. Thus physical intimacy between mother and son become more explicit in the novel. Paul fells disturbed with Miriam as he thinks her foe between him and his mother. Nothing should disturb their relationship. Paul was aware of his helplessness. He frankly admits that he could only give Miriam his friendship- nothing more. Paul’s passion for his mother is also seen when in a railways carriage he noticed that his mother’s body looks frail, he thought that his mother is slipping away from him.Again in climbing the Cathedral hill, when she was out of breath and had to take rest Paul regrets that his mother is aging. He frankly says his mother: â€Å"Why can’t a man have a young mother? What is she old for? † He regrets for not being her eldest son to find her younger. After Annie’s marriage, Paul realized his mother’s loneliness. So, he asserts to Mrs. Morel that he would never marry and leave her alone. Another woman Clara came in Paul†™s life. She aroused the long repressed and over-refined sexual instinct of Paul who is a man of twenty-three. But yet sex remained complicated in him.Clara’s physical attraction also failed to bring Paul out of his psychological complexity. He thinks that only an over strong virginity in him and Miriam prevented them from physical contact. Paul realizes that the deepest of his love belongs to his mother. The clear sexual over tone of their relationship is seen during their excursion to Lincoln where Paul behaves almost like a lover when he tells his mother, â€Å"You forget I am a fellow taking his girl for an outing. † Mrs. Morel also accepts this sexual aspect in a pleasant mood. Mrs. Morel disapproved not only Miriam but also Clara saying hat he had not yet met the right woman. Paul could understand his mother’s passion for him as well as his weakness for her. So he felt that he would not meet that right woman during her lifetime. Even Clara too realized t hat Paul cannot come out of himself, so she leaves him and returned to Baxter. Mrs. Morel’s pangs and miseries of life and Paul’s emotional crisis ended with the tragic death of Mrs. Morel. Being unable to carry the psychological torture any more, Paul fed her a heavy dose of morphia with her night milk and next morning at about twelve eternal rest and peace came to the agonized soul.Paul knelt down by her death-bed and put his face to hers and his arms round her and whispered mournfully, â€Å"My love, my love- oh, my love. ’ And after the death of his mother he often moved aimlessly from one place to another, drinking, knocking about with men he knew. The real agony was that he had nowhere to go, nothing to do, nothing to say and was nothing himself. According to Lucka’s theory there are three stages of self-development: imaginary stage, mirror stage and symbolic stage. In the imaginary stage a child often birth thinks its mother as self. It finds itse lf in it mother.In the mirror stage he starts to think it differently. In the symbolic stage a child gets the name of his father. In Sons and Lovers Paul first identifies himself with his mother. He then finds his own self and then is identified with his father. But as he found his father, Walter Morel, unattractive and complex he again seeks place in his mother. So he could not found his own self-identity and could not come out of his mother. Lawrence employed the stream of consciousness technique which means a continuous overflow of a thought what is happening in human psychology.It saves his plot from the bondage of time and chronology. As a modern writer, Lawrence writes from the subjective point of view in order to share his own personal experience with the readers. He tactfully delineates the psychology of the perturbed souls of Gertrude Morel and her son Paul Morel. How psychological complexity destroys a man or woman is seen in the character of Mrs. Morel. As a frustrated wi fe she failed to enjoy properly the life of a woman and goes through a great complexity and psychological breakdown. She took shelter in a loving male person to make good of an unhappy young lady.The man also loves her deeply as she expect yet she could not satisfy her mind completely because the loving male person is none but her own loving son to whom all sexual aspects are forbidden for her as his mother. Obsessed with the mix emotional and passionate feelings her mind is completely shattered down. Side by side as a victim of her passionate love her son Paul also lost himself in her and goes through the same psychological complexity. Thus the emotional and sensual crisis of human psychology dominates the plot of Lawrence novel Sons and Lovers. So it is a great psychological novel in the history of English literature.

Notes Eagle Industry With Solutions

Demand Management Volume Leveraging Address factors such standards, requirements, policies reduce related internal demand Aggregate like goods/services across organize,anal units order leverage negro,ate belle pricing terms, condo,ions Source: Cross (2007) 3 procurement decision must consider the Total Cost of Ownership, not just the purchase price. 4 The Formal Strategic Sourcing Process Conduct Opportunity Assessment Profile Us apply Market Develop Issue RFC Negotiate Implement and Manage Performance What buy? From whom? How buy did it oh t? 5 Eagle Industries Case Questions 2. . 4. 5. 6. Why are office products frequently chosen as a lead commodity in strategic sourcing efforts? What observations can you develop about Eagle's SKIS usage, prices they pay and contracts they currently use? Discuss potential implementation barriers. Perform a supplier market analysis and discuss strategic sourcing leverage points you observe. Use information given in the case to estimate potential sav ings. I am looking for specific numbers here. Use the information you assembled thus far to develop a sourcing strategy for Eagle. A. B. C. D. 7.Should they pursue a centralized or decentralized strategy? Should they use contract, catalog, or Internet suppliers? Should they deal with a single supplier or multiple suppliers? How should they structure the contract for Super As, A, B, and C items? What is your recommendation for implementing the strategy? Copyright 2013 Elena Kate, University of 6 Office Products rage Spend: typically $200 – $1 500 per employee. Widely available Many suppliers: potential for competition Implementation barriers often lower/reasonable Administrative purchasing often causes problems.

Confucian Philosophy Essay

2000 by Andre Levy All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in. writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses’ Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition. The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39. 48-1984. Manufactured in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Levy, Andre, date [La litterature chinoise ancienne et classique. English] Chinese literature, ancient and classical / by Andre Levy ; translated by William H. Nienhauser, Jr. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 0-253-33656-2 (alk. paper) 1. Chinese literature—History and criticism. I. Nienhauser, William H. II. Title. PL2266. L48 2000 895. 1’09—dc21 99-34024 1 2 3 4 5 05 04 03 02 01 00. For my own early translators of French, Daniel and Susan Contents ix Preface 1 Introduction Chapter 1: Antiquity 5 I. Origins II. â€Å"Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend! † 1. Mo zi and the Logicians 2. Legalism 3. The Fathers of Taoism III. The Confucian Classics 31 Chapter 2: Prose I. Narrative Art and Historical Records II. The Return of the â€Å"Ancient Style† III. The Golden Age of Trivial Literature IV. Literary Criticism Chapter 3: Poetry 61 I. The Two Sources of Ancient Poetry 1. The Songs of Chu 2. Poetry of the Han Court II. The Golden Age of Chinese Poetry 1. From Aesthetic Emotion to Metaphysical Flights 2. The Age of Maturity 3. The Late Tang III. The Triumph of Genres in Song Chapter 4: Literature of Entertainment: The Novel and Theater 105 I. Narrative Literature Written in Classical Chinese II. The Theater 1. The Opera-theater of the North 2. The Opera-theater of the South III. The Novel 1. Oral Literature 2. Stories and Novellas 3. The â€Å"Long Novel† or Saga Index 151 Translator’s Preface. I first became- interested in translating Andre Levy’s history of Chinese literature, La litterature chinoise ancienne et classique (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1991), in 1996, after finding it in a bookshop in Paris. I read sections and was intrigued by Professor Levy’s approach, which was modeled on literary genres rather than political eras. I immediately thought about translating parts of the book for my graduate History of Chinese Literature class at the University of Wisconsin, a class in which the importance of dynastic change was also downplayed. Like many plans, this one was set aside. Last spring, however, when the panel on our field’s desiderata headed by David Rolston at the 1998 Association for Asian Studies Meeting pronounced that one of the major needs was for a concise history of Chinese literature in about 125 pages (the exact length of Professor Levy’s original text), I revived my interest in this translation. I proposed the book to John Gallman, Director of Indiana University Press, and John approved it almost immediately-but, not before warning me that this kind of project can take much more time than the translator originally envisions. Although I respect John’s experience and knowledge in publishing, I was sure I would prove the exception. After all, what kind of trouble could a little book of 125 pages cause? I soon found out. Professor Levy had originally written a much longer manuscript, which was to be published as a supplementary volume to Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier’s La Litterature chinoise (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948)’ in the Que sais-je? (What Do I Know? ) series. This concept, however, was soon abandoned, and it ‘Several decades ago Anne-Marie Geoghegan translated this volume as Chinese Literature (New York: Walker, 1964). x Translator’s Preface was decided to publish the Levy â€Å"appendix† as a separate volume-in 125 pages. Professor Levy was then asked to cut his manuscript by one-third. As a result, he was sometimes forced to presume in his audience certain knowledge that some readers of this book-for example, undergraduate students or interested parties with little background in Chinese literature-may not have. For this reason, working carefully with Professor Levy, I have added (or revived) a number of contextual sentences with these readers in mind. More information on many of the authors and works discussed in this history can be found in the entries in The Indiana Companion to Traditional Chinese Literature (volumes 1 and 2; Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1986 and 1998). Detailed references to these entries and other relevant studies can be found in the â€Å"Suggested Further Reading† sections at the end of each chapter (where the abbreviated reference Indiana Companion refers to these two volumes). I also discovered that re-translating Professor Levy’s French translations of Chinese texts sometimes resulted in renditions that were too far from the original, even in this age of â€Å"distance education. † So I have translated almost all of the more than 120 excerpts of original works directly from the original Chinese, using Professor Levy’s French versions as a guide wherever possible. All this was done with the blessing and cooperation of the author. Indeed, among the many people who helped with this translation, I would like to especially thank Professor Andre Levy for his unflinching interest in and support of this translation. Professor Levy has read much of the English version, including all passages that I knew were problematic (there are no doubt others! ), and offered comments in a long series of letters over the past few months. Without his assistance the translation would never have been completed. Here in Madison, a trio of graduate students have helped me with questions Translator’s Preface xi about the Chinese texts: Mr. Cao Weiguo riftlal, Ms. Huang Shu—yuang MV and Mr. Shang Cheng I*. They saved me E, from innumerable errors and did their work with interest and high spirits. Mr. Cao also helped by pointing out problems in my interpretation of the original French. Mr. Scott W. Galer of Ricks College read the entire manuscript and offered a number of invaluable comments. My wife, Judith, was unrelenting in her demands on behalf of the general reader. The most careful reader was, however, Jane Lyle of Indiana University Press, who painstakingly copy-edited the text. If there is a literary style to this translation, it is due to her efforts. My thanks, too, to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation which supported me in Berlin through the summer of 1997 when I first read Professor Levy’s text, and especially to John Gallman, who stood behind this project from the beginning. Madison, Wisconsin, 16 February 1999 (Lunar New Year’s Day) Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical Introduction Could one still write, as Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier did in 1948 in the What Do I Know series Number 296, which preceded this book, that â€Å"the study of Chinese literature, long neglected by the Occident, is still in its  infancy? â€Å"‘ Yes and no. There has been some spectacular progress and some foundering. At any rate, beginning at the start of the twentieth century, it was Westerners who were the first-followed by the Japanese, before the Chinese themselves-to produce histories of Chinese literature. Not that the Chinese tradition had not taken note of an evolution in literary genres, but the prestige of wen 5 signifying both â€Å"literature† and â€Å"civilization,† placed it above history-anthologies, compilations, and catalogues were preferred. Moreover, the popular side of literature-fiction, drama, and oral verse-because of its lack of â€Å"seriousness† or its â€Å"vulgarity,† was not judged dignified enough to be considered wen. Our goal is not to add a new work to an already lengthy list of histories of Chinese literature, nor to supplant the excellent summary by Odile Kaltenmark-Ghequier which had the impossible task of presenting a history of Chinese literature in about a hundred pages. Our desire would be rather to complement the list by presenting the reader with a different approach, one more concrete, less dependent on the dynastic chronology. Rather than a history, it is a picture-inevitably incompleteof Chinese literature of the past that this little book offers. Chinese â€Å"high† literature is based on a â€Å"hard core† of classical training consisting of the memorization of texts, nearly a half-million characters for every candidate who reaches the highest competitive examinations. We might see the classical art of writing as the arranging, in an appropriate and astute fashion, of lines recalled by memory, something ,  Ã¢â‚¬ËœOdile Kaltenmark-Ghequier, â€Å"Introduction,† La litterature chinoise (Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1948), p. 5; â€Å"Que sais—je,† no. 296. 2 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical that came almost automatically to traditional Chinese intellectuals. The goal of these writers was not solely literary. They hoped through their writings to earn a reputation that would help them find support for their efforts to pass the imperial civil-service examinations and thereby eventually win a position at court. Although there were earlier tests leading to political advancement, the system that existed nearly until the end of the imperial period in 1911 was known as the jinshi A ± or â€Å"presented scholar† examination (because successful candidates were â€Å"presented† to the emperor), and was developed during the late seventh and early eighth centuries A. D. It required the writing of poetry and essays on themes set by the examiners. Successful candidates were then given minor positions in the bureaucracy. Thus the memorization of a huge corpus of earlier literature and the ability to compose on the spot became the major qualifications for political office through most of the period from the eighth until the early twentieth centuries. These examinations, and literature in general, were composed in a classical, standard language comparable to Latin in the West. This â€Å"classical† language persisted by opposing writing to speech through a sort of partial bilingualism. The strict proscription of vulgarisms, of elements of the spoken language, from the examinations has helped to maintain the purity of classical Chinese. The spoken language, also labeled â€Å"vulgar,† has produced some literary monuments of its own, which were recognized as such and qualified as â€Å"classics† only a few decades ago. The unity of the two languages, classical and vernacular, which share the same fundamental structure, is undermined by grammars that are appreciably different, and by the fact that these languages hold to diametrically opposed stylistic ideals: lapidary concision on the one hand, and eloquent vigor on the other. We conclude by pointing out that educated Chinese add to their surnames, which are always given first, a great variety of personal names, which can be disconcerting at times. The standard given name (ming Introduction 3 is often avoided out of decorum; thus Tao Qian Miff is often referred to En We will retain only the by his zi (stylename) as Tao Yuanming best known of these names, avoiding hao at (literary name or nickname), bie hao ZIJM (special or particular literary name), and shi ming (residential name) whenever possible: When other names are used, the standard ming will be  given in parentheses. The goal here is to enable the reader to form an idea of traditional Chinese literature, not to establish a history of it, which might result in a lengthy catalogue of works largely unknown today. We are compelled to sacrifice quantity to present a limited number of literary â€Å"stars,† and to reduce the listing of their works to allow the citation of a number of previously unpublished translations, inevitably abridged but sufficient, we hope, to evoke the content of the original. The chronological approach will be handled somewhat roughly because of the need to follow the development of the great literary genres: after the presentation of antiquity, the period in which the common culture of the educated elite was established, comes an examination of the prose genres of â€Å"high† classical literature, then the description of the art most esteemed by the literati, poetry. The final section treats the literature of diversion, the most discredited but nonetheless highly prized, which brings together the novel and the theater. Chapter 1. Antiquity Ancient literature, recorded by the scribes of a rapidly evolving warlike and aristocratic society, has been carefully preserved since earliest times and has become the basis of Chinese lettered culture. It is with this in mind that one must approach the evolution of literature and its role over the course of the two-thousand-year-old imperial government, which collapsed in 1911, and attempt to understand the importance (albeit increasingly limited) that ancient literature retains today. The term â€Å"antiquity† applied to China posed no problems until certain Marxist historians went so far as to suggest that it ended only in 1919. The indigenous tradition had placed the break around 211 B. C. , when political unification brought about the establishment of a centralized but â€Å"prefectural† government under the Legalists, as well as the famous burning of books opposed to the Legalist state ideology. Yet to suggest that antiquity ended so early is to minimize the contribution of Buddhism and the transformation of thought that took place between the third and seventh centuries. The hypothesis that modernity began early, in the eleventh or perhaps twelfth century in China, was developed by Naito Konan NAM 1 (1866-1934). This idea has no want of critics or of supporters. It is opposed to the accepted idea in the West, conveyed by Marxism, that China, a â€Å"living fossil,† has neither entered modern times nor participated in â€Å"the global civilization† that started with the Opium War of 1840. Nor is there unanimity concerning the periodization proposed in historical linguistics, a periodization which distinguishes Archaic Chinese of High Antiquity (from the origins of language to the third century) from Ancient Chinese of Mid-Antiquity (sixth to twelfth centuries), then Middle Chinese of the Middle Ages (thirteenth-sixteenth centuries) from Modern Chinese (seventeenth-nineteenth centuries), and Recent Chinese (18401919) from Contemporary Chinese (1920 to the present). 6 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical. In the area of literature, the beginning of the end of antiquity could perhaps be placed in the second century A. D. Archaeology has elevated our knowledge of more ancient writings toward the beginning of the second millennium B. C. , but this archaic period, discovered recently, cannot be considered part of literary patrimony in the strictest sense. Accounts of this archaic period are traditionally divided into six eras,2 but to honor them would be to fall into the servitude of a purely chronological approach. I. Origins Since the last year of the last century, when Wang Yirong . 1. 6M (1845-1900) compiled the first collection of inscriptions written on bones and shells, the increasing number of archaeological discoveries has allowed the establishment of a corpus of nearly 50,000 inscriptions extending over the period from the fourteenth to the tenth centuries before our era. Dong Zuobin (1895-1963) proposed a periodization for them and distinguished within them the styles of different schools of scribes. Scholars have managed to decipher a third of the total of some 6,000 distinct signs, which are clearly related to the system of writing used by the Chinese today-these were certainly not primitive forms of characters. The oracular inscriptions are necessarily short-the longest known text, of a hundred or so characters, covers the scapula of an ox and extends even over the supporting bones; the shell of a southern species of the great tortoise, also used to record divination, did not offer a more extensive surface. Whether a literature existed at this ancient time seems rather doubtful, but this scriptural evidence causes one to consider whether eras are the early Chou dynasty (eleventh century-722 B. C. ), the Spring and Autumn era (722-481 B. C. ), the Warring States (481-256 B. C. ), the Ch’in dynasty (256-206 B. C. ), the Western or Early Han dynasty (206 B. C. -A. D. 6), and the Eastern or Latter Han dynasty (25-A. D. 220). 2These Chapter 1. Antiquity 7 the Shu jing Efg (Classic of Documents), supposedly â€Å"revised† by Confucius but often criticized as a spurious text, was based in part on authentic texts. The presence of an early sign representing a bundle of slips of wood or bamboo confirms the existence of a primitive form of book in a very ancient era-texts were written on these slips, which were then bound together to form a â€Å"fascicle. † The purpose of these ancient archives, which record the motivation for the diviner’s speech, his identity, and sometimes the result, has been ignored. Of another nature are the inscriptions on bronze that appeared in about the eleventh century B. C. and went out of fashion in the second century B.C. They attracted the attention of amateur scholars from the eleventh century until modern times. Many collections of inscriptions on â€Å"stone and bronze† have been published in the intervening eras. The longest texts extend to as much as five-hundred signs, the forms of which often seem to be more archaic than those of the inscriptions on bones and shells. The most ancient inscriptions indicate nothing more than the person to whom the bronze was consecrated or a commemoration of the name of the sponsor. Toward the tenth century B. C. the texts evolved from several dozen to as many as a hundred signs and took on a commemorative character. The inspiration for these simple, solemn texts is not always easily discernible because of the obscurities of the archaisms in the language. An echo of certain pieces transmitted by the Confucian school can be seen in some texts, but their opacity has disheartened many generations of literati. II. â€Å"Let a hundred flowers bloom, Let a hundred schools of thought contend! † This statement by Mao Zedong, made to launch a liberalization movement that was cut short in 1957, was inspired by an exceptional period in Chinese cultural history (from the fifth to the third centuries 8 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical B. C. ) in which there was a proliferation of schools-the â€Å"hundred schools. † The various masters of these schools offered philosophical, often political, discussion. The growth of these schools paralleled the rise of rival states from the time of Confucius (the Latinized version of the Chinese original, Kong Fuzi TL-T- or Master Kong, ca. 551-479 B. C. ) to the end of the Warring States period (221 B. C. ). The â€Å"hundred schools† came to an end with the unification of China late in the third century B. C. under the Legalist rule of the Qin dynasty (221-206 B. C. ). This era of freedom of thought and intellectual exchange never completely ceased to offer a model, albeit an unattainable model, in the search for an alternative to the oppressive ideology imposed by the centralized state. Much of what has reached us from this lost world was saved in the wake of the reconstruction of Confucian writings (a subject to which we will turn shortly). The texts of the masters of the hundred schools, on the periphery of orthodox literati culture, are of uneven quality, regardless of the philosophy they offer. Even the best, however, have not come close to dethroning the â€Å"Chinese Socrates,† Confucius, the first of the great thinkers, in both chronology and importance. 1. Mo Zi and the Logicians. The work known as Mo Zi (Master Mo) is a collection of the writings of a sect founded by Mo Di g, an obscure personage whom scholars have wanted to make a contemporary of Confucius. It has been hypothesized that the name Mo, â€Å"ink,† referred to the tattooing of  a convict in antiquity, and the given name, Di, indicates the pheasant feathers that decorated the hats of the common people. Although we can only speculate about whether Mo Zi was a convict or a commoner, he argued for a kind of bellicose pacifism toward aggressors, doing his best to promote, through a utilitarian process of reasoning, the necessity of believing in the gods and of practicing universal love without discrimination. Condemning the extravagant expense of funerals as well as the uselessness of art and music, Mo Zi Chapter 1. Antiquity 9 wrote in a style of discouraging weight. The work that has come down to us under his name (which appears to be about two-thirds of the original text) represents a direction which Chinese civilization explored without ever prizing. Mo Zi’s mode of argument has influenced many generations of logicians and sophists, who are known to us only in fragments, the main contribution of which has been to demonstrate in their curious way of argumentation peculiar features of the Chinese language. Hui Shi Ea is known only by the thirty-some paradoxes which the incomparable Zhuang Zi cites, without attempting to solve, as in: There is nothing beyond the Great Infinity. . . and the Small Infinity is not inside. The antinomies of reason have nourished Taoist thought, if not the other way around, as Zhuang Zi attests after the death of his friend Hui Shi: Zhuang Zi was accompanying a funeral procession. When he passed by the grave of Master Hui he turned around to say to those who were following him: â€Å"A fellow from Ying had spattered the tip of his nose with a bit of plaster, like the wing of a fly. He had it removed by [his crony] the carpenter Shi, who took his ax and twirled it around. He cut it off, then heard a wind: the plaster was entirely removed without scratching his nose. The man from Ying had remained standing, impassive. When he learned of this, Yuan, the sovereign of the country of Song, summoned the carpenter Shih and said to him, â€Å"Try then to do it again for Us. † The carpenter responded, â€Å"Your servant is capable of doing it; however, the material that he made use of died long ago. † After the death of the Master, I too no longer can find the material: I no longer have anyone to talk to. (Zhuang Zi 24) Sons of the logicians and the sophists, the rhetoricians shared with the Taoists a taste for apologues. They opposed the Taoist solution of a 10 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical detached â€Å"non-action,† involved as they were in diplomatic combat. Held in contempt by the Confucians for their â€Å"Machiavellianism,† the Zhanguo ce Vg (Intrigues of the Warring States) remains the most representative work of the genre. It was reconstructed several centuries later by Liu Xiang gj 1-(4] (77-6 B. C. ), but the authenticity of these reassembled materials seems to have been confirmed by the discovery of parallel texts in a tomb at Mawang Dui gUttg in 1973. A great variety animates these accounts, both speeches and chronicles; they are rich in dialogue, which cannot be represented by this single, although characteristic, anecdote—it is inserted without commentary into the â€Å"intrigues† (or â€Å"slips†) of the state of Chu: The King of Wei offered the King of Chu a beautiful girl who gave him great satisfaction. Knowing how much the new woman pleased him, his wife, the queen, showed her the most intense affection. She chose clothes and baubles which would please her and gave them to her; it was the same for her with rooms in the palace and bed clothes. In short, she gratified her with more attention than the king himself accorded her. He congratulated her for it: a woman serves her husband through her carnal appeal, and jealousy is her nature. Now, understanding how I love the new woman, my wife shows her more love than I—it is thus that the filial son serves his parents, that the loyal servant fulfills his duties toward his prince. As she knew that the king did not consider her jealous, the queen suggested to her rival: â€Å"The king appreciates your beauty. However, he is not that fond of your nose. You would do better to hide it when he receives you. † Therefore, the new one did so when she saw His Majesty. The king asked his wife why his favorite hid her nose in his presence. She responded, â€Å"I know. † â€Å"Even if it is unpleasant, tell me! † insisted the king. â€Å"She does not like your odor. † â€Å"The brazen hussy! † cried the sovereign. â€Å"Her nose is to be cut off, and let no one question my order! † Chapter 1. Antiquity 11 The Yan Zi chunqiu *T-*V( (Springs and Autumns of Master Yen) is another reconstruction by Liu Xiang, a collection of anecdotes about Yan Ying RV, a man of small stature but great ability who was prime minister to Duke Jing of Qi (547-490 B.C. )-the state that occupies what is now Shandong. Without cynicism, but full of shrewdness, these anecdotes do not lack appeal; some have often been selected as anthology pieces, of which this one is representative: When Master Yan was sent as an ambassador to Chu, the people of the country constructed a little gate next to the great one and invited him to enter. Yan Zi refused, declaring that it was suitable for an envoy to a country of dogs, but that it was to Chu that he had come on assignment. The chamberlain had him enter by the great gate. The King of Chu received him and said to him: â€Å"Was there then no one in Qi, for them to have sent you? † â€Å"How can you say there is no one in Qi, when there would be darkness in our capital of Linzi if the people of the three hundred quarters spread out their sleeves, and it would rain if they shook off their perspiration-so dense is the population. † â€Å"But then why have you been sent? † â€Å"The practice in Qi is to dispatch a worthy envoy to a worthy sovereign; I am the most unworthy. . . .† 2. Legalism. The diplomatic manipulations and other little anecdotes we have seen in the Yan Zi chunqiu were of little interest to the Legalists, who took their name from the idea that the hegemonic power of the state is founded on a system of implacable laws supposing the abolition of hereditary privileges-indeed a tabula rasa that rejects morals and traditions. In fact, historians associate them with all thought that privileges efficacy. From this point of view, the most ancient â€Å"Legalist† would be the artisan of Qi’s hegemony in the seventh century B. C. , Guan Zi (Master Guan). The work that was handed down under his name is a composite text and in reality contains no material prior to the third century B. C. Whether or not he should be considered a Legalist, Guan Zi 12 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical embodies the idea that the power of the state lies in its prosperity, and this in turn depends on the circulation of goods. In sum, Guan Zi stands for a proto-mercantilism diametrically opposed to the primitive physiocraticism of Gongsun Yang (altV (also known as Shang Yang ), minister of Qin in the fourth century. Shang jun shu 1 (The 2 Book of Lord Shang), which is attributed to Gongsun Yang, gives the Legalist ideas a particularly brutal form: It is the nature of people to measure that which is advantageous to them, to seize the best, and to draw to themselves that which is profitable. The enlightened lord must take care if he wants to establish order in his country and to be able to turn the population to his advantage, for the population has at its disposal a great number of means to avoid the strictness that it fears. Within the country he must cause the people to consecrate themselves to farming; without he must cause them to be singly devoted to warfare. This is why the order of a sage sovereign consists of multiplying interdictions in order to prevent infractions and relying on force to put an end to fraud. (Shang jun shu, â€Å"Suan di†) Shang Yang’s prose is laden with archaisms, which hardly lighten the weight of his doctrine. It is in the work of Han Fei Zi 4-T- (ca. 280-233) that Legalism found its most accomplished formulation. The book Han Fei Zi contains a commentary on the Classic of the Way and of Power of Lao Zi in which the ideal of Taoist non-action is realized by the automatism of laws. The â€Å"artifice† of the latter may go back to the Confucianism of Xun Zi (Master Xun, also known as Xun Qing ,Ajja, ca. 300-230 B. C. ), a school rejected by orthodox Confucianism. Xun Zi, who happens to have been the teacher of Han Fei Zi, developed the brilliant theory that human nature inclines individuals to satisfy their egoistic appetites: it was therefore bad for advanced societies of the time. The â€Å"rites†-culture-are necessary for socialization. Xun Zi’s Chapter 1. Antiquity 13 argumentation was unprecedentedly elaborate, examining every facet of a question while avoiding repetition. In a scintillating style peppered with apologues, Han Fei Zi argues that the art of governing requires techniques other than the simple manipulation of rewards and punishments. The prince is the cornerstone of a system that is supposed to ensure him of a protective impenetrableness. The state must devote itself to eliminating the useless, noxious five â€Å"parasites† or â€Å"vermin:† the scholars, rhetoricians, knights-errant, deserters, and merchants (perhaps even artisans). 3. The Fathers of Taoism. A philosophy of evasion, this school was opposed to social and political engagement. From the outset Taoism was either a means to flee society and politics or a form of consolation for those who encountered reversals in politics and society. The poetic power of its writings, which denounced limits and aphorisms of reason, explains the fascination that it continues to hold for intellectuals educated through the rationalism of the Confucians. These works, like most of the others from antiquity that were attributed to a master, in fact seem to be rather disparate texts of a school. The Dao de jing ittitg (Classic of the Way and of Power) remains the most often translated Chinese work—and the first translated, if one counts the lost translation into Sanskrit by the monk Xuanzang WM in the seventh century A. D. This series of aphorisms is attributed to Lao Zi (Master. Lao or â€Å"The Old Master†), whom tradition considers a contemporary of Confucius. He is said to have left this â€Å"testament† as he departed the Chinese world via the Xian’gu Pass for the West. In their polemics against the Buddhists, the Taoists of the following millennium used this story as the basis on which to affirm that the Buddha was none other than their Chinese Lao Zi, who had been converting the barbarians of the West since his departure from China. Modern scholarship estimates that the Lao Zi could not date earlier than the third century B. C. The 1973 discoveries at Mawang Dui in Hunan confirmed what scholars had suspected for centuries: the primitive Lao Zi is reversed in respect to 14 Chinese Literature, Ancient and Classical  ours: a De dao jing â€Å"1,M1# § (Classic of Power and the Way). Its style, which is greatly admired for its obscure concision, seems to owe much to the repair work of the commentator Wang Bi . T3 (226-249). Thus it is tenable that the primitive Lao Zi was a work of military strategy. Whatever it was, the text that is preferred today runs a little over 5,000 characters and is divided into 81 sections (9 x 9). The Taoist attitude toward life is expressed here in admirably striking formulae, which lend themselves to many esoteric interpretations: He who knows does not speak; he who speaks does not know (#56). Govern a great state as you would fry small fish! (#60). Practice non-action, attend to the useless, taste the flavorless. (#63) The Zhuang Zi ate, written by Zhuang Zhou 4. -B1 or Zhuang Zi (Master Zhuang), was apparently abridged at about the same time as the Lao Zi, but at the hands of the commentator Guo Xiang # -IM (d. 312), who cut it from fifty-two to thirty-three sections. Scholars cannot agree whether the seven initial sections, called â€Å"the inner chapters,† are from the same hand of Zhuang Zhou as the sixteen following, called â€Å"the outer chapters,† and the final ten â€Å"miscellaneous chapters. † It is in the final ten that we find a characteristic arrangement of reconstructions from the first century, works of one school attributed to one master. In fact, it is the first part which gives the most lively impression of an encounter with an animated personality whose mind is strangely vigorous and disillusioned: Our life is limited, but knowledge is without limit. To follow the limitless with that which is limited will exhaust one. To go unrelentingly after knowledge is exhausting and c.