Monday, September 30, 2019

The Return: Midnight Chapter 30

â€Å"Strip to your underwear and get in on the other side,†Damon said. His voice was neither angry nor fatuous. He added shortly, â€Å"Elena is dying.† The last three words seemed to affect Stefan particularly, although Elena couldn't parse them. Stefan wasn't moving, just breathing hard, his eyes wide. â€Å"Bonnie and I have been gathering hay and fuel and we're All right.† â€Å"You've been exercising – moving about – wearing clothes that kept you warm. She's been dunked in ice water and sitting Still – high up in the wind. I got the other thurg to break off wood from the dead trees around here and try it on the fire. Now get the hel in, Stefan, and give her some body warmth, or I'm going to make her a vampire.† â€Å"Nnn,†Elena tried to say, but Stefan didn't seem to understand. Damon, however, said, â€Å"Don't worry. He's going to warm you up from the other side. You won't have to become a vampire just yet. For God's sake,†he added suddenly, explosively, â€Å"some prince you picked!† Stefan's voice was quiet and tense. â€Å"You tried putting her in a thermal envelope?† â€Å"Of course I tried, you idiot! No magic works beyond the Mirror except telepathy.† Elena had no sense of time going by, but suddenly there was a familiar body pressed against hers from the other side. And somewhere directly in her mind: Elena? Elena? You're All right, aren't you, Elena? I don't care whether you're playing a joke on me. But you're real y All right, aren't you? Just tell me that, love. Elena wasn't able to answer at all. Dimly, fragments of sound came to her ears: â€Å"Bonnie†¦on top of her and†¦pack ourselves back on either side.† And dul feelings stirred her sense of touch: a smal body, almost weightless, like a thick blanket, pressing down on her. Someone sobbing, tears dripping on her neck from above. And warmth on either side. I'm asleep with the other kittens, she thought, dozing. Maybe we'l have a nice dream. â€Å"I wish we could know how they're doing,†Meredith said, on a pause from one of her pacing bouts. â€Å"I wish they knew how we're doing,†Matt said wearily as he taped another note card amulet onto a window. And another. â€Å"Do you know, my dears, I kept hearing a child crying last night in my dreams,†Mrs. Flowers said slowly. Meredith turned, startled. â€Å"So did I! Right out on the front porch, it sounded like. But I was too tired to get up.† â€Å"It might mean something – or nothing at all.†Mrs. Flowers frowned. She was boiling tap water for tea. The electricity was sporadic. Matt and Saber had driven back to the boardinghouse earlier that day so that Matt could gather Mrs. Flowers's most important instruments – her herbs for teas, compresses, and poultices. He hadn't had the heart to tel her about the state of the boardinghouse, or what those maggot malach had done to it. He'd had to find a loose board from the garage to get from the hal to the kitchen. There was no third floor anymore and very little second. At least he hadn't run into Shinichi. â€Å"What I'm saying is that maybe there's some real kid out there,†Meredith said. â€Å"At night alone? Sounds like a Shinichi zombie,†Matt said. â€Å"Maybe. But maybe not. Mrs. Flowers, do you have any idea of when you hear the crying? Early in the night or late?† â€Å"Let me think, dear. It seems to me that I hear it whenever I wake up – and old people wake up quite frequently.† â€Å"I usual y hear it toward the morning – but I usual y sleep without dreaming for the first few hours and wake up early.† Mrs. Flowers turned to Matt. â€Å"What about you, Matt, dear? Do you ever hear a sound like crying?† Matt, who deliberately overworked himself these days to try to get a solid six hours of sleep at night, said, â€Å"I've heard the wind kind of moaning and sobbing around midnight, I guess.† â€Å"It sounds as if we have an al -night ghost, my dears,†Mrs. Flowers said calmly and poured them each a mug of tea. Matt saw Meredith glance at him uneasily – but Meredith didn't know Mrs. Flowers as well as he did. â€Å"You don't real y think it's a ghost,†he said now. â€Å"No, I don't. Ma ma hasn't said a word about it, and then it's your house, Matt, dear. No gruesome murders or hideous secrets in its past, I should think. Let me see†¦Ã¢â‚¬ She shut her eyes and let Matt and Meredith go on with their tea. Then she opened her eyes and gave them a puzzled smile. â€Å"Ma ma says ‘search the house for your ghost. Then listen well to what it has to say.'† â€Å"Okay,†Matt said poker-faced. â€Å"Since it's my house, I guess I'd better search for it. But when? Should I set an alarm?† â€Å"I think the best way would be to arrange a watch rota,† Mrs. Flowers said. â€Å"Okay,†Meredith agreed promptly. â€Å"I'l take the middle watch, from midnight to four; Matt can have the first one; and Mrs. Flowers, you can have the early-morning one, and get a nap in the afternoon if you want.† Matt felt uneasy. â€Å"Why don't we just break it up into two watches and the two of you can share one? I'l take the other.† â€Å"Because, dear Matt,†Meredith said, â€Å"we don't want to be treated like ‘ladies.'And don't argue† – she hefted the fighting stave – â€Å"because I'm the one with the heavy equipment.† Something was shaking the room. Shaking Matt with it. Stillhalf-asleep, he put his hand under his pil ow and pul ed out the revolver. A hand grabbed it and he heard a voice. â€Å"Matt! It's me, Meredith! Wake up, wil you?† Groggily, Matt reached for the lamp switch. Again, strong, slim cold fingers prevented him from doing what he wanted. â€Å"No light,†Meredith whispered. â€Å"It's very faint, but if you come with me quietly, you can hear it. The crying.† That woke Matt up the rest of the way. â€Å"Right now?† â€Å"Right now.† Doing his best to walk quietly through the dark hal s, Matt fol owed Meredith to the downstairs living room. â€Å"Sh!†Meredith warned. â€Å"Listen.† Matt listened. He could hear some sobbing All right, and maybe some words, but they didn't sound al that ghostly to him. He put his ear to the wal and listened. The crying was louder. â€Å"Do we have a flashlight?†Matt asked. â€Å"I have two, my dears. But this is a very dangerous time of night.†Mrs. Flowers was a shadow against darkness. â€Å"Please give the flashlights to us,†said Matt. â€Å"I don't think our ghost is very supernatural. What time is it, anyway?† â€Å"About twelve forty A.M.,†Meredith answered. â€Å"But why do you think it isn't supernatural?† â€Å"Because I think it's living in our basement,†Matt said. â€Å"I think it's Cole Reece. The kid who ate his guinea pig.† Ten minutes later, with the stave, two flashlights, and Saber, they had caught their ghost. â€Å"I didn't mean anything bad,†Cole sobbed, when they had lured him upstairs with promises of candy and â€Å"magic†tea that would let him sleep. â€Å"I didn't hurt anything, honest,†he choked, wolfing down Hershey bar after Hershey bar from their emergency rations. â€Å"I'm scared that he's onto me. Because after you hit me with that sticky note, I haven't been able to hear him in my head anymore. And then you came here† – he gestured around Matt's house – â€Å"and you had amulets and I figured it would be better to stay inside them. Or it could be my Last Midnight too.† He was babbling. But something about the last words made Matt say, â€Å"What do you mean†¦'your Last Midnight too'?† Cole looked at him in terror. The rim of melted Hershey bar around his lips made Matt remember the last time he'd seen the boy. â€Å"You know, don't you?†Cole faltered. â€Å"About the midnights? The countdown? Twelve days til the Last Midnight? Eleven days til the Last Midnight? And now†¦tonight is one day til the Last Midnight†¦Ã¢â‚¬ He began to sob again, even while cramming chocolate into his mouth. It was clear that he was starving. â€Å"But what happens on the Last Midnight?†Meredith asked. â€Å"You know, don't you? That that's the time when†¦ you know.†Maddeningly Cole seemed to think they were testing him. Matt put his hands on Cole's shoulders, and to his horror felt bones under his fingers. The kid really was starving, he thought, forgiving him al the Hershey bars. His eyes met Mrs. Flowers's eyes and she immediately went to the kitchen. But Cole wasn't answering; he was mumbling incoherently. Matt forced himself to apply pressure to those bony shoulders. â€Å"Cole, talk louder! What's this Last Midnight about?† â€Å"You know. That's when†¦al the kids†¦ you know, they wait up and at midnight†¦they get knives or guns. You know. And we go into our parents'room while they're asleep and†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Cole broke down again, but Matt noticed he had slipped into saying â€Å"we†and â€Å"our†by the end. Meredith spoke in her calm, steady voice. â€Å"The children are going to kil their parents, is that right?† â€Å"He showed us where to slash or stab. Or if there's a gun – â€Å" Matt had heard enough. â€Å"You can stay – in the basement,†he said. â€Å"And here are some amulets. Put them on you if you feel like you're in danger.†He gave Cole a whole packet of Post-it Notes. â€Å"Just don't be afraid,†Meredith added, as Mrs. Flowers came in with a plate of sausages and fried potatoes for Cole. At any other time the smel would have made Matt hungry. â€Å"It's just like that island in Japan,†he said. â€Å"Shinichi and Misao made it happen there, and they're going to do it again.† â€Å"I say time's running out. Actual y it's already the Last Midnight day – it's nearly one thirty in the morning,†Meredith said. â€Å"We have less than twenty-four hours. We should either get out of Fel ‘s Church or do something to arrange a confrontation.† â€Å"A confrontation? Without Elena or Damon or Stefan?†Matt said. â€Å"We'l be murdered. Don't forget Sheriff Mossberg.† â€Å"He didn't have this.†Meredith tossed the fighting stave into the air, caught it neatly, and put it at her side. Matt shook his head. â€Å"Shinichi wil Stillkil you. Or some little kid wil , with the semi-automatic from Daddy's closet.† â€Å"We have to do something.† Matt thought. His head was pounding. Final y he said, head lowered, â€Å"When I got the herbs I got Misao's star bal , too.† â€Å"You're kidding. Shinichi still didn't find it?† â€Å"No. And maybe we could do something with it.† Matt looked at Meredith, who looked at Mrs. Flowers. Mrs. Flowers said, â€Å"What about pouring out the liquid in different places in Fel ‘s Church? Just a drop here and a drop there? We could ask the Power in it to protect the town. Maybe it would listen.† Meredith said, â€Å"That was the exact reason we wanted to get Shinichi's and Misao's star bal s in the first place. The star bal s control their owners, according to legend.† Matt said, â€Å"It may be old-ways thinking, but I agree.† Meredith said, â€Å"Then let's do it right now.† While the other two waited, Matt got Misao's star bal . It had a very, very little liquid on the bottom. â€Å"After the Last Midnight she plans to fil it to the top with the energy of the new lives that get taken,†Meredith said. â€Å"Well, she's not going to get a chance to do that,†Matt said flatly. â€Å"When we're done we'l destroy the container.† â€Å"But we probably should hurry,†Meredith added. â€Å"Let's get some weapons together: something silver, something long and heavy, like a fire iron. Shinichi's little zombies are not going to be happy – and who knows who's on his side?†

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Life Insurance

.. TABLE OF CONTENTS STRATEGIC MARKETING PLAN DEFINES SALES SUCCESS IN TWO LEADING LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY Target companies: AVIVA Life Insurance Pvt Ltd. 1] Executive summary: The research is to be conduct how each company has performed in sales and the improve effectiveness of selling process. Research objectives and aims are to compare the performance of the AVIVA and HDFCSLI. As this research studying based on the Indian market, the research is proceeding in Bangalore, which is one of the main city in India. Research mythology is proceeding under collecting data of the current status of the both company and from the people to know the brand awareness and the purchasing behaviour when buying life insurance policies. THE BACKGROUND OF THE INDUSTRY Companies rating can be identified as follows:- A++,A+ are superior companies. A or A- good companies B. is growing company C- means position is not good. D is below the standard (minimum). E rate is company is taking the help from the state to run the business. LITERATURE VIEW Sales management and customer satisfaction: Influence of Advertising on Sales: This is a very important fact in life insurance industry as, their most of sales advertising by the salespersons. Draw back of a company can be happen due to the lack of communication and the problems in communicating with the consumers. Influence of Sales promotions on sales Sales promotions has taken an increasing share of the marketing budget, at the expense of advertising,because promotion can achieve a measurable increase in short term sales , which advertising cannot. There is a tension between the short term effects of promotion and the long term effects of advertising. This results in confusion in marketing community. How ever, there is a desirable effect on sales market from promotions. The main intention to promote sales is to attract the customers attention. Doing promotions in life insurance industry is can be following To extend the user base To reward and retaining existing customers To introduce trail of new product and by cashing and on the establish brand To counter competitor’s offer To clear inventory To enhance brand value To survive under the high pressure of competition, companies tend to do more and more creativity on their sales promotions by adding promotion tools. Promotions tools which can be use in life insurance industry are, Games and contests Lucky draw Gifts Attractive offers for the policies RESEACH PROBLEM: *STUDY AIMS AND OBJECTIVES*: To analyze the potential of Life Insurance in Investment Industry. To get the better understanding of various Life Insurance Product. To compare the performance of the AVIVA and HDFC To evaluate various need of customers for Life Insurance and their To study the brand awareness of the AVIVA and HDFCSLI The levels of trade support achieved, such as point of sales display. IMPORTANTS OF THE STUDIES RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY Research Design: Research Design that is followed in this report is sampling which is the most appropriate technique because Bangalore is a big city. The sample numbers were not overlapping in areas & then these selected with ultimate sample consisting of all units whole Bangalore 10 potential areas ere selected and are picked randomly from these area. Thus the total sample of 300 was taken and analyzed. Research Methodology: Research methodology is mainly concentrating following questions. Evaluating the sales and marketing methods, personnel sellings , telephone selling ,postal orders, etc , that each of the retailer’s used , as well as determining the effectiveness of these sales methods. Determining how effective these methods w ere in supporting and communicating each company’s product and company image Determining who are the customer and potential customers in each company. This is to establish their perception of the company , as well as their attitudes to its image in comparison to those of its competitors. Determining the intermediaries in the market place This is to establish why these intermediaries selected the company and its services, rather than the services of its competitors. In addition, the research evaluated how the company image enhanced the over all sales processes , through all the company communications. Contact with head office, agents and inspectors , promotional material sent to intermediaries , and information on new products , proposal forms , company information, etc Determining the insurer’s own agents and sales force This was to determine whether those members of the sales team were communicating the right image and sales message effectively. In addition, this research is designed to determine whether their sales techniques and methods were ‘synergistic’ with other aspects of the marketing mix, such as advertising and promotions All the findings are based on the survey research method. Data Collection Methods: 1. Primary Data: Questionnaire Detail analysis of data collected through questionnaire: To evaluate various need of customers for Life Insurance and their Purchase behaviour. To know the level of brand awareness of the company among the Consumers. Limitations of the study As this research is focussed on limited group and a limited area space it is not enough to study the production success of the world wide company. Sales rofit can be different according to the area , culture and people. As it is not possible to cover the whole india and also whole Bangalore, results could be limited. Richard M SwILSON , Colin Gilligan with David pearson (1992) David jobber, Geoff Lancaster – 7thedition ‘’ selling &sales management’’ Carl McDaniel , Roger Gates (1999) ‘’ marketing research’’ Robin Birn (1992) ‘’The effective use of marketing research (1992) David jobber ‘’ selling & sales s trategy ‘’ Gorden wills (1974) ‘’ strategic issues in marketing ‘’ Colin Mclver (1984) ‘’case study in marketing’’ Journal of marketing (2009) volume 25 Cunliff bolling (1969) ‘’sales management’’ Giep Franzen (1999) ‘’Brand & Advertising’’ William G. Zikmund (2003) ‘’ Exploring marketing research Bill Donaldson (1998) ‘’ sales management’’ Martin lindstrom (2005) ‘’ Brand sense’’ Bill Donaldson (1988) ‘’ sales management’’ Terence A. Shimp ‘’ Advertising and promotion’’ www. AVIVA. co. in www. hdfcsli. co. in Google search

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Zero Tolerance and Public Shaming Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Zero Tolerance and Public Shaming - Essay Example However, public shaming, especially for crimes by the powerful who are public office bearers such as Members of Parliament, can be very effective in reducing crime or any other related bad practice since they ought to be accountable to the members of the public which they will be representing. Statistics show that about 14 percent of the Australian economy is a shadow economy that involves multiple criminal offences meant to evade the payment of company tax, payroll tax as well as personal income tax and it stands to reason that zero tolerance, in this case, will condemn about 14 percent of the Australian population to the prison which would be counterproductive to the economy of the nation as a whole. At least less tough measures would be advocated in such crimes of this magnitude which aim to generate preventive measures to such kind of problems. Zero tolerance will create a population of rule following people who always fear prosecution instead of allowing them to think systematically as team players with regards to problem prevention. In cases of organized crime such as genocide, zero tolerance would only punish minnows while the big sharks can get off the hook with impunity. It can be noted that zero tolerance to crime either by the powerless or the powerful is not a very effective remedy that can totally put an end to criminal activities. To a certain extent, public naming and shaming are stigmatizing especially if it involves juveniles who are underage. By shaming these in the public, they would end up feeling alienated from their respective communities and would even behave as criminals as a result of the labeling perspective attached to them. With regards to public office holders, public but respectful naming and shaming can be effective in attempting to make these officials accountable to the people they serve. Powerful office bearers often employ the services of public relations experts to counter any negative story about their official conduct.

Friday, September 27, 2019

European Community Business Law Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

European Community Business Law - Essay Example The characteristics are unique and as such, the European foods with specific characteristics are only approved for production by producers who adhere fully to the traditional methods of production within a given demographic area. Essentially, the notion of PDO delineates that certain food names are protected based on geographic origin or the recipe utilized. Inherent in this notion are clear guidelines for naming the food products.1 First and foremost, PDO was instituted in 1993 as a direct result of legislation of the European Union. Under this legislation, there were clear and concise guidelines for the systematic naming of foods based on a protocol as defined by the European Union. Utilizing this systematic naming protocol, EU certifies regional and traditional foods whereby these foods are guaranteed to be authentic and to have originated from the alleged region. Under this system, foods or beverages registered through the EU are given legal protection against imitation along with the right to litigate to protect those rights2 In order for a product to be registered and the producers offered the rights that accompany registration, there must be a formal application made to the Department of environment, food and rural affairs (Defra). The application must be accompanied by supporting documentation which indicates that the food product is produced, processed and prepared within a geographic area and by virtue of this, the product has inherent characteristics that derive from the geographic area. The application is then examined by the staff of Defra and any pertinent questions may be raised and correspondence incited between the applicant and the Defra officials. If the application proves to have some merit after the Defra investigation, it is then passed on to the European Commission for further investigation. When the application reaches the European Commission, the Commission is afforded up to six months to determine the validity of the claim. In so doing, the Commission is free to seek the assistance o f the Scientific Committee which is established solely for this purpose. In offering assistance, the Scientific Committee can conduct tests and offer expert opinion with regards to the geographic origin of the product. If after consulting with the Scientific Committee, the Commission is satisfied that the product warrants PDO registration, a summary sheet of the product is published in the Official Journal of the European Community. At this point, the registration is open for objections for the next six months. If no objections are made, then the product is officially registered with the European Union and offered the status of PDO.3 This status affords the producers the following benefits: Legal protection throughout the European Union. This protection prevents the imitation of a PDO product and in cases where there is imitation, it offers litigious assistance. Increased awareness of the existence of the product and the potential to promote it both locally and throughout the European Union. Increased funding potential through the lure of public funds. Strategic product positioning at the high-end of the market. A larger customer base.4 Currently, there are twelve products which have attained the PDO designation. These products are Buxton Blue cheese, White stilton cheese - Blue stilton cheese and Dovedale cheese all of which are associated with the

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Developing Professional Practice and Using Information in HR Essay

Developing Professional Practice and Using Information in HR - Essay Example The first indications referring to the importance of human resources (HR) are provided by the utopian R. Owen (1820-1850). The interest for HR management appeared at the confluence of psychology, sociology, legal sciences, operational research and statistics. Nowadays, events succeed rapidly and the information moves with a dazzling speed so the business arena needs individuals capable of change, adaptation, creative and extremely skilled, with strong experience and know how. According to Adler and Bartholomew (1992) vision on the importance of human resources within an organization, the prerequisites for a competitive company are the traditional purposes, transnational representation and cross-border activities. HR development is one of the strategic options of any structure interested in its growth. The company’s ability to adapt to environmental changes and evolve, largely depends on how it selects and trains the employees, taking into account their aspirations and potentia l (Radu et al. 2003). Performance assessment should not only indicate how well the staff works, but also how to influence and improve its results in terms of labour productivity, social climate, stability and efficiency level. McGregor (1972) argued that there are three main reasons for the assessments of the organizations performance: 1. ... 3. They provide a useful basis for guidance and counselling. Performance improvement as a result of continuous development increases motivation (Damian, 2010). Organization’s employees will enhance their efficiency if they understand that based on a higher quality of their activity the chances of being promoted and gain higher salaries will significant grow. Investing in education and permanent training and thus embracing every single new market challenge is vital. The new economic realities and opportunities emphasize the need to adapt and improve skills and qualifications based on research and previous experience. Continuous professional practice, whether in a formal system, at work or informally is the key for a strong career and personal development. Training is important to facilitate workforce transformation, as it supports the adaptation to market requirements, thus enhancing mobility between different sectors. Knowledge and competencies can strengthen the market positi on and lead to increased productivity. Rapid changes in all fields translate in a much more dynamic spectrum of needs for new skills. Investment in training benefits both the individual and the society. In this light, one of the major challenges of the new era is the development of networking which can bring significant benefits to the businesses that seize its true potential. Social networks now have a high growth rate. What a quantum leap from the first century newspapers published in the Venice of the sixteenth century, to the present digital media and online world. From a specialized platform destined to certain restricted areas, Internet has become the most important and widespread communication service on the planet. Networks have a few dominant

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

An essay of a conversatio Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

An of a conversatio - Essay Example I am a frequent visitor to the college canteen at present and I cannot forget a conversation between two American males which I observed during one of my initial visits to canteen, sitting near to them. The conversation was as follows; The conversation continued for around 15 minutes till they finish their snacks and coffee. I have noticed that most of their communication occurred using nonverbal means. Facial expressions, body languages and gestures were used extensively to communicate effectively between them. I think only around 40% of their communication occurred verbally whereas around 60% occurred nonverbally. I have realized that the joy of purchasing a new product is a universal one and even the Americans are overwhelmed by the purchasing of a new product which they cherished for a long time. In my country also, people often express their joy while they were able to purchase a new product. The speakers seem to be close friends as they have often patted each other on the bodies to express their joy while their short stays at the canteen. Both of them were in a pleasant mood during their conversation. But the moods swung rapidly from joy to surprise, anxiety ecstasy etc during their conversation. In fact, I thought of having a chat with them initially. But decide against it later after a careful thought since I was not much confident about my language abilities in English. I have realized that I need to develop my English language skills in order to communicate effectively with them. Moreover, I thought I need to study them from a distance to know more about them and their attitudes before establishing a company with them. Better knowledge about them would help me to communicate better with

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Business Ethics when Marketing to Children Research Paper

Business Ethics when Marketing to Children - Research Paper Example It will also examine reasons why marketers aim at children and why children are easily lured into some advertisements (Hadjiphani, et al, 2008). Smith (2010) indicates that ethics in marketing applies to diverse fields such as in advertising, pricing and promotion. Numerous analysts and marketers agree that children are marketers best friend. In the year 2007, Media Channel underlined the fact that in the United States, approximately two billion dollars was spent on promotions to children. Another disclosure from the study is that children really affect the items their parents buy. Despite all this, possible revenues that children can provide to manufacturers and their marketers, there are vital ethical matters that arise. Clay (2000) argues that advertising is an enormous, multi-million dollar project that is having a huge influence on child growth and development. The complete volume of advertising is increasing speedily and invading fresh areas of childhood like schools. The consequence is an outbreak of worldly standards among children and a narcissistic injuring of the children. Psychologists are providing information to marketers that they are using to raise profits rather than help children. Smith (2010) agrees that some businesses have become dishonorable for the use of psychologists in their advertising and promotion campaigns. Usually what such companies do is that when attempting to create a marketing strategy, they engage psychologist to advice them about approaches that they can use to manipulate children. Psychologists help marketers to generate operations that openly aim at children and those ones that effortlessly influence their options since they understand the way a childs mind work s. Akhtar (2009) asserts that Children are likely to be more susceptible to psychological enticements and strong images since their awareness about products, the media, and selling

Monday, September 23, 2019

The Therac-25 and Its Accident Investigation Case Study

The Therac-25 and Its Accident Investigation - Case Study Example The Therac-25 falls into a class of machines referred to as Medical linear accelerators (linacs). They use the principal of accelerating electrons so as to create high energy beams that can be used to destroy any cancerous cells without affecting the other surrounding non- cancerous tissues. For shallow tissues, accelerated electrons were enough to treat them but for the deeper ones, the electrons beams have to be converted into X-ray photons. Defects that lead to the accidents The machine consisted of hardware and software that helped the machine run. The software also monitored the functionality status of the machine and turning on the beam. It was also responsible for turning off the beam and detecting any malfunctions. The software was responsible for running most of the machine functions in conjunction with the hardware. This therefore means that any small bug in the software will lead to malfunctioning of the machine. The software for running the Therac-25 was not extensively t ested before it was deployed for use. This was due failure to follow proper system development and implementation practices. Also the programmer didn’t provide enough documentation about the machine and software errors that could guide operators on when there is malfunction and what to do. The operators therefore were in the dark most of the time despite the machine displaying various error messages as they thought was normal. The hardware that was used to measure the dosage always provided a wrong dosage reading when it as overloaded. Instead of providing a high reading instead it displayed a low reading when it was actually so high. Another defect was how the machine was made to be operated. The machine was made that the operator and the patient were to be in separate rooms to minimize effect of radiation to the operator. Therefore in case there was any overdose and the patient complaining, the operator could not hear it. Also the operator could not ascertain whether the pa tient was in the right position every time. This was risky and costly assumptions that lead to the occurrence of the accidents. Therefore, software errors and design defects were major causes of the accidents. Collective responsibility The accidents happened over a 19-month long period and most certainly someone had to be responsible for allowing such life threatening accidents to occur for that period without doing anything. Many parties were responsible including the manufacturer, the operators and technicians and the federal government. As all the accidents happened from the first to the sixth one, the manufacturer seemed not to care. Only lame excuses were given. For example after the second accident, the manufacturer claimed it was an electrical failure even when an independent electrical firm had ruled out any possibility of the cause of the accident being an electrical fault. It was only after the sixth accident that there seemed to be any action form the manufacturer. The qu estion one would ask is why did the manufacture remain quiet for that long and let the machines to be in use when they were actually causing accidents. The federal government also had their share of the blame by allowing the AECL Company to continue with its operations despite its machines causing those fatal accidents. It was clear that the manufacturer was not following proper system development and implementation methods but yet was allowed to operate. Operators and techn

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Race and Ethnicity Essay Example for Free

Race and Ethnicity Essay The ongoing struggle to fight the skin color prejudice in the contemporary American society is portrayed in Michael Jackson’s song â€Å"Black or White. † Whereas the racism is defined as a superior behavior against other race-thus making it inferior, the singer refers to this term as â€Å"See, it’s not about races, just places, faces, where your blood comes from is where your space is. † Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists in the music industry, calls for equality in how people view and behave towards each other. The question, which this master thesis investigates, does it matter if you’re black or white, is clearly answered by the singer: â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white. † Jackson was trying to influence his society to act in a similar way and he calls for them to live their lives by Dr. Luther’s dream â€Å"†¦. judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. † However, almost thirty years later, it still seemed only as a dream because he sang: â€Å"I’m tired of this Devil†, where the bad is being represented by the prejudice. At the same time, he clearly states: â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color† – this is where he makes his conclusion. This can imply that even though he doesn’t discriminate and would like to see color prejudice gone, he is still being discriminated against. While being the most prominent artist in the music industry, he still calls himself â€Å"a color† and he rebuts against it and wants to be seen for the person he is and not the pigmentation of his skin. It is widely known that Michael Jackson had many facial plastic surgeries and it is controversial whether or not he altered his skin color by chemical peels or was it the disease called vitiligio that changed his face color to white. Therefore, it can be speculated that he modified skin to appear white, which ultimately is his vision. It can be further questioned – since Michael Jackon can’t win his struggle for racial equality, did he give up and go white – just to end his inner battle? Will all his suffering come to closure since now he looks white? Is this the true answer? It may be deemed as so since the skin color is the guide of one’s position in the society where being white claims supremacy-control and power. It should be noted that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians of all times, having sold over 750 million records worldwide. He has accomplished so much in his life, yet still feels inferior and calls for racial equality in the world. His vision for a better world to live in, free of racism, ends on a sad note: â€Å"It’s black, it’s white†. To summarize, through decades, the blacks have fought to be equal, as the American nation shall guarantee those rights, yet, the society is still divided into the superior, the whites, and inferior- the blacks (and other people of color). Blacks have always been portrayed as the dirty, the poor, the lesser-of-a human type whereas the whites are seen as the dominant, the good type. Again, Jackson does not agree with this stereotype in saying: â€Å"I ain’t second to none. † Moreover, he claims that he will no longer be scared and mentions historical symbol of a KKK group: â€Å"I ain’t scared of your brother, I ain’t scared of no sheets. † With his passing in 2009, many of his inner struggles come to the end, but will the next generation start working on being color-free as the king of pop envisioned? America has always struggled with racial issues, especially those of black and white. Some them included racial segregation, education, workforce, banking and even seating on the bus. Black people continuously tried to â€Å"break thru† into community, but were always pushed aside as dirty, poor and unwelcome. We, in modern times, see the United States of America as a country that treats everyone equal. Americans should all be all equal, no matter what race, color, religion or any other characteristics they have. After all, we all remember year 2009, which is when Americans elected their first African American President. Question that comes to mind – why â€Å"first African American President,† not just simply their 44th President? So – the race and color of your skin does matter in modern times. My analyses of selected books, academic journals, films and music video will concentrate and argue if Americans indeed discriminate against race or if it is history and no longer exists in American life. First, I would like to take into consideration the iconic Michael Jackson, one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest singer and performer of the 21st century. Not only his songs deserve a closer look, but also his lifestyle – ideas, fears and the public opinion. â€Å"Black or White† by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell is a one of the greatest singles in Michael’s career. It was released on November 11, 1991. What inspired Michael to particularly select these two topics? Black or white – as implied in the song, he sings about skin color. Songs starts in Africa, possibly showing Jackson’s â€Å"beginning† – he is black. In one of the scenes, Michael sings â€Å"I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody† while he is walking through fire images – which is being compared to KKK and its torch ceremonies. Here, he is portraying his painful vision of KKK and its vision. Later, the performers sing â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color. † What a great statement. Michael, throughout his whole life and his career, shows us his inner and constant fight for a non-racial America. Being black himself, he had struggled and finally came to the top, but still did not achieve the level of happiness – which is â€Å"no color† in his country. Later, Jackson sings on Statue of Liberty’s torch, again possibly reminding us about the KKK, and at the same time – the Statue symbolizes liberty, which for him will be color-free, no discrimination America. We shouldn’t forget about Michael’s actions in this video. In the original version, he is smashing the car, windows and the inn exploded. However, later he had to edit this version to minimize his violent behavior, however. He altered it by adding four racial graffiti messages onto the windows that he was smashing. As I suggested earlier, Michael Jackson is portrayed as an angry black man who simply hates the discrimination against black people and shows his feelings by destroyed his surroundings, as he was being destroyed himself –just for being of black color. In is interesting to observe, the Jackson, when asked to change his destructive aggressive music video, he indeed did change it, but didn’t forget about this hostility towards discrimination. He had just portrayed it differently (graffiti). First message reads: â€Å"Hitler Lives,† then â€Å"Nigger Go Home,† â€Å"No More Wetbacks,† and finally â€Å"KKK Rules. † It can be argued if Michael Jackson is simply smashing windows with those painful ideas – is destroying them – to make a better world? Finally, the song comes from the album â€Å"Dangerous. † What did the author have in mind? Are all of those issues, painful experiences and the fight for non-colored America dangerous? It can be argued that yes. Jackson showed us the dangerous side of being black, where he was always forced to fight and that causes different sorts of trouble. In â€Å"Black or White,† Michael brilliantly portrayed two core problems people were facing daily: black or white. As we look at his lifestyle and constant metamorphoses, Michael Jackson had numerous surgeries that altered the color of his skin and make him â€Å"white. † It is very controversial as many sources quote that Jackson had a condition where one looses a pigment of his skin, called vitiligo. However, Michael Jackson public image is seen as a person who constantly tried to be white, therefore, sought surgeries to help him attain this goal. Michael Jackson shows us that it could have probably been easier to make himself white and not struggle for color-free America, where everyone is equal, no matter of who there are or what they look like. It would also be important to analyze some of the lyrics from Jackson’s music video. He sings: â€Å"I had to tell them I ain’t second to none. † It can be understood that he no longer is accepting the fact that black is â€Å"second,† which is worse, just because of the color. He continues: â€Å"And I told about equality† – he tells us he wants to be considered equal, despite his skin color. Next verse, he has really had enough of being pushed around because he is black â€Å"I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of this business. † Finally, he talks about racism in: â€Å"See, it’s not about races, Just places, Faces, Where your blood, Comes from, Is where your space is, I’ve seen the bright, Get duller, I’m not going to spend, My life being a color. † Here Michael Jackson compares himself to simply being a â€Å"color. † He is less than a human being only because he is not white. He is â€Å"black. † Again, he accents his refusal of living his life being black. He wants to be equal, equal to white. It should be also noted that throughout video, Michael Jackson is wearing black and white clothing (white shirt, black blazer, white accents on his right arm and nails, black shoes, white socks). He seems to be a person caught in a black-and-white world and struggles to change it, showing his pain. However, at the very end, he turns into a black panther. This transformation may symbolize him as a black man who will fight for his rights, yet, still remain black. In book â€Å"The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-Lending Enforcement† Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger present racial issues and argue the importance of skin color in banking. It should be noted that this book was published in 2002, year where we all think that American people are equal, especially on racial basis. Therefore, why and how does the skin color come into play in banking? First, the American lenders take many factors into consideration when disbursing the mortgage. Such factors include many details such as the creditor’s ability to repay the loan – where the lender accesses the potential risk of losing the loan. There are many different lenders and they base their information on statistics, demographics and make final decision based on the risk factors. Research showed that mainly blacks would seek loans, which are not favorable to all lenders. Therefore such bank does take race into consideration when reviewing for application for credit. It is also shown that blacks will most likely work with subprime lenders (44%) with comparison to whites (only 4%). Blacks generally cannot use the prime mortgage market due to their poor qualifications, thus creating the black to white ratio of getting the mortgage with figures of 2. 28 denial for prime market and 1. 27 for subprime. At the same time, limited research shows that blacks-even though have some qualifications as white – would remain in the subprime market and thus be charged higher fees. Equal Credit Opportunity Act says: It shall be unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction—on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract). (U. S. Code Title 15, Chapter 41, Section 1691) This would mean that all people should be treated equally in banks, when doing business in banks, no discrimination in credit transaction. However, authors argue that the bank may take a different look at the person and who they are in â€Å"business necessity† can be proved. Therefore, even while it is regulated by law, certain discriminatory practices can and do exist. Later, it would be rather hard to prove that the lender discriminated based for example on race. All regulations are not very clear and courts find it hard to find such a connection of discrimination. It is implied that blacks, with poorer ability to repay, living in lower income communities, must face subprime, expensive mortgages – to possibly make as much money as possible in the shortest time-so if the black borrower defaults on his payments, the lender wouldn’t lose its investment. This is to compare with the white borrower who lives in the richer-type setting, is more likely to meet his payments, therefore, he is offered a prime mortgage rate, without the necessity to further secure the loan. It can be argued if blacks and whites are treated equally, despite many regulations. On one hand, the lender must adhere to all necessary regulations, but on the other hand, such institution can make necessary decisions to make that mortgage profitable – thus, taking all factors into consideration in the application process. We can further analyze that race and color of skin does matter when one is being evaluated for such an application. It is believed that whites pose a lower risk to a financial institution than blacks. This also means, as authors point out, that black are less likely to be approved for a higher-priced home than a white person, which causes the real estate agents to discriminate and not show the more expensive houses to blacks. Maybe they don’t discriminate, they just know that lender is not likely to approve a black person in comparison to the same application of a white person? It is particularly important to note that authors point out that ‘‘on average, black mortgage applications have higher loan-to value and debt-to-income ratios than do white applications. ’’ In closing, it should be noted that while many regulations exist, there is no proof that racial discrimination has gone away and some research suggests that blacks still have lower approval rate in comparison to the whites. It is said that race does play a key role when the lender looks at your mortgage application.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Majoring in Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Majoring in Philosophy Essay An event was organized in a school for students who were going to attend college soon. Their main aim was to emphasize Major in philosophy. Many experts explained importance of philosophy. There are numerous reasons for choosing this course. In philosophy major, students are taught about how to interpret, imagine, converse, and write well. Philosophy answers many human quires which grouped into three traditional categories. These are axiology: the theory of value, Epistemology: the theory of knowledge, Metaphysics: basic kinds of things exist. Students can successfully complete philosophy if they posses good level of reading comprehension, transparency of thought, and good communication skill. Principles of philosophy apply to everyday life therefore courses are designed to use thoughts and theories from the history of philosophy to concentrate on real world issues in area of education, business, law, public policy, and society. The purposes of course in philosophy Major in applied ethics are particularly pertinent for students who are interested in the role played by ethical values in a diversity of professional settings. Philosophy courses are important because philosophical concepts, ideology, and process of inquiry are related in several fields. Whatever students learn in philosophy can be applied in practically all aspects of life. This course allows candidates to know when to use a liberal sprinkling of words and when to use imagination power. Philosophy is good area of study that provides a high degree of personal accomplishment. Students will also have opportunities to critically test the potential and the influence of contemporary theoretical and philosophical schools of thought in normal life. In studying profoundly about great philosophers, students can gain knowledge to think thoroughly about every aspect of human life. Philosophy major allows students to observe relations between very different fields of thought such as science, religion, and ethics. This course widens skills in writing, in argumentation, and in the communication of complex ideas. Philosophy course equip students to develop inherent personal value. They can experience expansion of consciousness, self-discovery, self-renewal, and a more clear direction in life. In short, philosophy is learning for full life span. For doing philosophy major, candidate must be well versed in a broad education and have good credits which must be upper division. Philosophy majors have the maximum average score of any major on the verbal reasoning, analytic writing section and on the quantitative reasoning section. The most clear career path for students majoring in philosophy is to complete graduation in philosophy and involve in teaching in reputed college or university. Many philosophy graduates choose non-academic profession. Philosophy major courses prepare students for vocations requiring a liberal arts education, including law, government, communication, management, the ministry, teaching, or even business administration. To summarize, event attended in school encourages students to join Philosophy Major to enhance career and get steep success. It was communicated that philosophy is one of the most flexible majors in the humanities. It intersects with economics, politics, mathematics, psychology and history. Students studying philosophy will have a good understanding of about themselves and the world. In the event, professionals drew attention of students by stating important facts of philosophy. The reason of studying this course is that philosophy makes the mind healthy and develops numerous skills to sharpen human mind. If a person wants to develop a variety of skills that prepare him for a wide variety of intellectual challenges, he must be serious in joining a philosophy major.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Analysis of Cusp Catastrophe Model

Analysis of Cusp Catastrophe Model Social Psychology of Sport Critical discussion on cusp catastrophe model and using its principles of anxiety on an athlete’s performance. Introduction The ability to cope with pressure and anxiety under strenuous conditions such as a large sporting event is an essential skill to have, especially for an elite level athlete. Anxiety can be associated with an unpleasant state of mind, which can have different effects on performance. There have been many reported situations among athletes relating the feeling of being anxious or stressed in different sporting events. Dias et, al (2009) have participated in a research reporting 550 results among different level athletes linking to stress and anxiety to an important event. Some research have been shown that there were decrease in performance in correlation to anxiety such as memory, complex motor tasks such as shooting into the hoop in basketball () or indoor rock climbing (). However, there have also been positive anxiety correlations on performance regarding rebound shot in basketball and () have shown to have improvement in motor tasks skills such as anagram-solving. However, the relationships between anxiety and performance have been difficult to explain. Things such as methodological flaws, lack of operational definitions and unclear theoretical construction all conjunct within different theories (). Hardy’s (1990) cups catastrophe model (CCM) has been attempting to explain the contradicting effects of anxiety on performance, using multidimensional construct model. Cusp catastrophe model The catastrophe theory was originally proposed by a mathematician Rene Thom (1975). Rene developed the model geometrically explaining all naturally discontinuities in the world. Hardy (1990) has then developed a model of anxiety and performance (), attempting to explain the contradicting findings that have been previously reported regarding anxiety on performance. The model is based on the view on anxiety performance as a multidimensional construct; it combines the cognitive components â€Å"interactive effects of anxiety-performance relationship, the facilitative effects of cognitive anxiety and hysteresis†(), and physiological arousals ‘the organism’s natural physiological response to anxiety-including satiations’(). Cups catastrophe model shows an interactive, three-dimensional model predicting the effects for cognitive anxiety in a form of worry and physiological arousal on performance. Cups catastrophe model proposes that there are a series of four relationships which exists between cognitive anxiety, physiological arousal and performance. Cognitive arousal (CA) components are explained as expectations and cognitive concerns about one self, their situation and potential consequences (). Physiological arousal (PA) component is regarded as physiological response to anxiety, such as pain, feeling sick or feeling uncomfortable (). The first predictor suggests that cognitive anxiety has a positive connection with performance, when physiological arousal is at the lower end of the spectrum. The second predictor shows to have a negative relationship with performance, when physiological arousal is high. Third, is when the CA is low, the PA is shown to have an inverted U-shaped relationship on performance. The final predictor suggests that, when CA is high and physiological arousal is increasing a break in the wave of performance surface occurs. The split factor suggests that there will be a catastrophic drop in performance from the upper performance surface to lower performance surface. Moreover, when the catastrophic drop has occurred, with the large reduction in physiological arousal it is possible to bring performance back to the upper performance surface ().The change that occur when cognitive anxiety is high and physiological arousal increases is called hysteresis, which occurs under the condition of high cogn itive anxiety but not low cognitive anxiety. Hysteresis can be explained as the condition within the model where performance can catastrophically decrease from the upper performance surface to the lower performance surface. However, with the decrease in PA levels below the level at which the catastrophic drop occurred performance of the athlete may increase. Analysing one of the quotes made by Jessica Ennis, (2011) who is a professional 100 meter hurdler, have said: Im really, really nervous before every event, she admits. There are different levels of nerves. Before the hurdles Im particularly nervous as its the first event and, once thats out of the way, I relax a little bit†. Using cups catastrophe model it can be seen that Jessica experience signs of anxiety, having different levels of nervousness throughout the event. It can be expected that her cognitive and physiological arousals are pretty high, as the pressure from an Olympic event such as crowd, competition, winning the gold medal or podium position could have an effect on her performance. So before the event Jessica’s anxiety levels are high, with cognitive anxiety being high and physiological arousal decreasing the hysteresis effect may occur with Jessica feeling the pressure. However, her personal coping strategies could help reverse that effect, bringing her ba ck to the upper performance surface when the competition begins. Balancing the high cognitive state and physiological arousal may help increase performance during the event. Straight after the event it can be seen that she may relax, so her cognitive anxiety and physiological arousal decrease straight after the event leaving her of being more stress-free. Moreover, if she had to perform the hurdles after a certain amount of time, cognitive anxiety could be in at the middle and physiological arousal being low, to maintain the concentration for her to progress on to the next tier. Critical discussion The cups catastrophe model can handle complex linear and nonlinear relationship simultaneously in a three-dimensional manner, with the use of high-order probability density within the model, the functions have the advantage of being able to integrate sudden changes within behavioural jumps in the hysteresis(). Researches by Hardy et al, 2010 have applied the theory behind the cusp model over two experiments, supporting the process and the theory behind performance catastrophes and anxiety by using it with high levels of trait anxiety with competitive environment. The second study was social pressure and ego within the competitive environment which suggest that the cups catastrophe model is plausible. Hardy at al, 2007 have also found that hysteresis did occur in high CA condition, with the significant drops in performance with the increase in PA and CA. Another study by Marshall et al. 2005 looked into how interaction effects of cognitive anxiety and physiological arousal on have an effect on golf performance. The research did confirm that using the model, it had a positive relationship in regards of different situations and how anxiety is coped. However, the research also indicated that even though the methodology is plausible other factors needed to be assessed, as the theory is multidimensional it is very complex. Edwards et al, 2002 on the other hand, implemented that the theory of cusp catastrophe model may be plausible; however other factors such as confidence could appear to play a significant part in the catastrophic performance. Also () has implemented that other models such as endogenous learning-by-doing (ELBD), supports similar fundamentals of anxiety literature. All of the studies and theories suggest that anxiety does have different effects on physiological arousal and on anticipation timing performance during competition and practice. Also most of the models do tend to support the hysteresis theory and the catastrophe phenomenon. Most of the literature supports the different implementation of anxiety which occurs within the human mind, however it is very complex and needs to be further investigated to find a greater explanation on how anxiety affects sporting performance. Conclusion Determining the effects on anxiety on performance is still ripe at this stage; there are plenty of implementations which could be added to all of the models and theories. However, with the use of combined theories it may help further explanation and elimination of how there are relationships within understanding of anxiety, and how potentially it could increase and decrease performance of the athletes. With the cups catastrophe model being one of the most used in the research, it cannot be overlooked that other factors may affect the relationship between anxiety and performance. With the implementation of cups catastrophe model researchers could use other models or theories to round up the conclusion. Reads Anxiety-induced performance catastrophes: Investigating effort required as an asymmetry factor Lew Hardy*, Stuart Beattie and Tim Woodman

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Depictions of the Great Depression Essay -- Art, Photography

Pause to recall a picture of the Great Depression. Was this image happy or sad? Maybe it was a scene of a family enjoying the radio, children reading comics, a group of young men playing baseball, the movie theatre, or even children playing Monopoly; however most people would picture a migrant mother with her children, an adult holding a sign asking for a job, a family living in a shack with barely any food, or starving, dirty children. â€Å"For those born after the 1930’s, the Great Depression is something that can be visualized only through photography and film (This Great Nation Will Endure)† and when asked â€Å"What picture do you think of when you hear the words the Great Depression Era?† all thirty high school students recalled a negative image. Today’s mass media’s selection of harsh extreme images of the 1930’s Great Depression Era fail to portray the positive aspects of American life during the time period. Many of the photographs exposed by today’s media and some of the most popular photographs of life during the Great Depression were produced by the FSA or Farm Security Administration. Founded by President Roosevelt the government agency’s goal was to provide loans benefiting tenant farmers and sharecroppers (pg. 772). The FSA launched a photography project whose mission was to demonstrate the hardships of families living on farms to the city residents (Ganzel). The agency hired many photographers and over eighty-thousand photographs were captured through the years 1935-1943; the majority portrayed American life in a negative way (This Great Nation Will Endure). Two of the most well-known photographs taken by the agency, also which are used in several American history textbooks are icons of the Depression Era. Both symboliz... ...produced, radio shows and movies were being produced and several Americans were enjoying life during the 1930’s. These positive aspects of life and positive photographs of the time period are not well-known to the American public today and many people picture the Great Depression only in a negative way. â€Å"For those born after the 1930’s, the Great Depression is something that can be visualized only though photography and film. Certain images have come to define our view of that uncertain time: an anxious migrant mother with her three small children; a farmer and his sons struggling through a dust storm; a family of sharecroppers gathered outside their Spartan home† (This Great Nation Will Endure). Today’s mass media focuses on the harsh, extreme images of the Great Depression and fails to portray the happy, positive aspects of American life during the 1930’s.

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Causes of World War Two Essay -- WWII WW2 World War 2

World War two has to be the most famous war of all time. It was the largest, most tragic, horrifying of them all, and the first to have millions of people killed in the duration of it. Is it just me, or does it seem rather ironic that the very thing that was meant to solve the first World War is the most important of all of the causes of the second? And that the people who were supposed to fix the problems that that war caused were only really helping another along? The "war to end all wars" did not do that at all. Things like expansion and appeasement and the rise of dictators were obviously all for the war as well. So. Let me start with appeasement. Why was it such a large part of this war? There were so many people wanting so much that others had, and those that had it were forced to roll over and let it be taken. Because they were frightened. They were so scared of getting blown up that they would have handed over just about anything if it kept them alive. And mainly what people wanted was? more land of course! That was the expansionism part. They were the two things tha...

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

Art of the United States

Art of the United States Out of all the works of art with in the Art of the United States exhibit in the San Diego Museum of Art in Balboa Park, Shipwreck by Thomas Doughty really made an impression on me. It is a 25 x 30 ? in. oil on canvas. The reason this painting caught my eye is because it has two especially unusual qualities. First, Doughty rarely painted seascapes, and his paintings usually focused on the lyrical aspects of nature rather than the threatening ones. Shipwreck was composed in the artists studio from elements borrowed from different locations. The painting is symmetrical with trees blowing in harsh winds on either side. The swaying trees seem to barely be holding on to the rocks on which they stand. Ominous clouds lurk in the distance that augment terror that the crashing waves bring to the viewer. Just beyond the vanishing point of the ocean, a horizontal line of reddish yellow breaks up the dark color of the ocean and the clouds. The gentle blended lines seem to celebrate the wilderness of the United States during the eighteen hundreds. The curved lines strengthen the movement of the ocean and the clouds. The color scheme seems to be unified and the overall dullness and darkness of the painting intensify the violent and even theatrical depiction of a storm. There is a tiny figure that stands both at the center of the storm and at the center of the painting. I think the artist painting this painting because wants viewers to be able to identify with the miniature central lone figure. He stands alone and helpless; watching the ship break against the rock just offshore. It appears he is watching the figure immediately to his right struggling in the rampant surf. During the 1800’s shipwrecks were very common and many people could easily have identified with the tiny figure standing in the midst of the raging storm. The painting evokes both awe and fear in me. The rash of mother nature seems to be unstoppable.

Monday, September 16, 2019

Project Report on K.W.H. Meters

A SUMMER TRAINING REPORT ON K. W. H. METERS Prepared by :- Devesh Kumar, 303956 (3rd year) CONTENTS * Certificate * Acknowledgement * Introduction of training * Company Profile * Products of BENTEX * Quality Policy and processes of BENTEX * Electricity meter * Direct current (DC) * Alternating current (AC) * Unit of measurement * Others Unit of measurement * Types of meters 1. Electromechanical meters 2. Electronic meters * Communication * Solid – state design * Multiple tariff (variable rate) meters * Domestic usage * United kingdom Commercial usage * Appliance energy meters * In – home energy use display * Smart meters * Prepayment meters * Time of day metering * Power export metering * Ownership * Location * Customer drop and metering equation * Tempering and security * Self evaluation ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am very thankful to Mr. A. K. shrivastava (GM/ SPD) for providing Me the opportunity to undergo the practical training in the Systems Production Division (SPD) of SKN Bentex Limited under the Supervision of Mr. S. C. Gupta (CM). They all guided me from ime to time and gave me dynamic ideas and suggestions by which I am able to complete my training successfully. I also want to thank all the visible and non-visible hands, which helped me to complete the practical training with great success. Introduction of training Training is a process of learning. Training is an organized procedure during which people learn knowledge and skill for the definite purpose. It is a short-term process utilizing a systematic and organized procedure in which non-managerial personnel learn technical knowledge and skills for adefinite purpose.It refers to instruction in technical and mechanical  operations like operation of a machine. It is for a short duration and for a  specific job related purpose. Training is very difficult from education. Training is vocational where as education is general. Training is job-oriented whereas education is person-oriented. However, it is difficult in practice to differentiate between education and training because in many cases both of them occur  Ã‚  simultaneously. The two are complementary and both involve development  of talent and human potential. Generally, every level needs training.Training is not something that is done once to new employees; it needs to be done continuously. Importance of training †¢ Training leads to higher productivity. †¢ It leads to better quality of work. †¢   It leads to cost reduction. †¢ It leads to high motivation and morale of employees. †¢ The organizational climate gets improved. †¢Ã‚   It leads to self-satisfaction of the employees. †¢ Supervision gets reduced. †¢Ã‚   It leads to good cordial relation between employer and employee. †¢   It leads to development of new skills in the employees. Scope of summer trainingThis summer training programs are designed for the students to master their technical skills. this summer training should include the following objectives- * Correlate courses of study with the way industry or potential work place operates its business or work using technology. * work on implementing what has been learned in school or college. The engineering and professional courses including MCA, B. E. , B. TECH, BCA amongst other have undergraduates needing internship in fields of computer science, electrical and electronics, mechanical, civil, bio informatics, etc.The students for professional programs are required as a  part of courses to undergo a few weeks the individual's tastes by improving their experience and making them reach a  good enough company or workplace just in time. This training can result in learning of open source technology as a user of technology. That technology can be applied to improve the college infra-structure. The objective of training in Modern Office Practice is to  give a perspective about the organization and functioning of all the areas of ma nagement in an industrial unit. Company profileA journey that started 46years back at BENTEX – kelsons, today has reached new high in customer’s delight . During the Years ,it has achieved milestones one after the other and established its forte in Electrical Industry with widespread trust goodwill. Driven by the sheer passion , exceptional foresight and acumen, Bentex has become a name to reckon with the flawless performance of products like starters, meters, MCB's and switchgear etc. These Products are manufactured in state-of-the-art plant and passed through stringent quality control tests. Not to mention , Bentex products are rated among the best in industry.Little surprise that BENTEX – KELSONS products have crossed barriers to reach all corners of India and also Sri Lank, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Nepal etc. The Other Strength of the company is its vast presence through 750strong dealers network, which enables the company to meet demands of any magnitude. At BE NTEX – KELSONS , The relentless pursuit is to exceed all expectations of customers†¦. and that is indeed the inspiration behind its growth. Thriving on technology and innovation, we are an eminent manufacturer of premium quality precision components of plastic and rubber for tractors, automobile and engineering industry.We attribute our success to sharp business acumen and valuable experience of our work force. Durability, high precision, superior quality, consistent performance & smooth finish are the hallmark of our products. We have consistently increased our client base by meeting the client needs in terms of cost and performance goals. Our machine shop is equipped with fully automatic injection molding machines of gold coin, all plas and IHI make of various capacities. We have facilities for ultrasonic & hot plate welding having our own tool room with Electra spark erosion machine to make moulds in-house.We are O. E. M to many automobile, auto electrical, tractor an d other reputed manufacturers and wish to serve our clients by supplying custom molded rubber and plastic components of high precision and best quality. Name of CEO Mr. S. C. Gupta Year of Est. 1983 Primary Business Type Manufacturers & Exporters Products We Offer Impellers, Oil Seals, Plastic Automobile Components, Plastic Industrial Products, Plastic Tractor Parts, Rubber Bellows, Rubber Hose Pipes. Products of ‘BENTEX' Fly wheel * Reducton gear box * Pinion Stand| | | | | * Straightening machine * Mill stand * Gear coupling * Roll * Foundation rail * Pusher and ejector * V – belt pulley * Shearing machine * Rotary shear * Roller guide box and twist pipe * Bullet shearing * Pinch roll * Twisting machine * Gears * End cutting * Rotary shearing swivel * Universal couplings * Horizontal shearing Quality Policy / Processes â€Å"SKN-BENTEX† Group products are at the forefront of innovation in industrial and agricultural field for protection and control of Electric Motor.We are the pioneers and leaders in our field with latest international engineering products based on the world’s best technology since last four decades. â€Å"SKN-BENTEX † Group has a rich history of success, which has been achieved through dedication, teamwork and visionary thinking and sincere service of pride in result oriented performance. â€Å"SKN-BENTEX† Group has been continuously restructuring to set up state-of-the-art electrical products manufactured at their own plants under strict quality control standard.In this thrust , most of group companies adopted International Quality Standard and have been certified for ISO-9001 Certification and products are also available on ISI-Marked. The SKN-BENTEX Group of Companies engaged in wide range of products and has mainly three subgroups of electrical product range such as â€Å" SKN†, â€Å"SKN† Bentex Linger â€Å"BENTEX-Linger† with their separate products line and â€Å"SKN-BEN TEX † Group is a collection of smaller companies specialist in a specific range of products. Besides this â€Å"SKN-BENTEX † group engaged in the field of, LPG Home Appliances, LPG Regulators, Building Construction and Export Activities.The complete manufacturing operation, marketing and installation Services of the company are certified under ISO 9001: 2000. The company has Enunciated the following quality policy to meet customer needs and expectations Through supply of quality products and services. â€Å"BENTEX is committed to strive for leadership in the product marketed by the way of continuous improvements in the quality of its products and services and meeting the consumers needs in time and every time at a competitive Price.These shall be achieved through continuous upgrading of technology and process improvement by involving all the employees, vendors, dealers and customers†. â€Å"Quality is our basic business principle. † Fact chart :- Year of E stablishment 1983 Nature of Business Manufacturer, Exporter Number of Employees 51 to 100 People Major Markets Indian Subcontinent, East Asia, Middle East and South East Asia Quality objective :- * On time delivery of defect free products. Providing effective customer support. * Continual improvement of processes. * Improvement of infrastructure. * Development of human resources. Electricity meter An electricity meter or energy meter is a device that measures the amount of electric energy consumed by a residence, business, or an electrically powered device. Electricity meters are typically calibrated in billing units, the most common one being the kilowatt hour [kWh]. Periodic readings of electric meters establishes billing cycles and energy used during a cycle.In settings when energy savings during certain periods are desired, meters may measure demand, the maximum use of power in some interval. â€Å"Time of day† metering allows electric rates to be changed during a day, to record usage during peak high-cost periods and off-peak, lower-cost, periods. Also, in some areas meters have relays for demand response shedding of loads during peak load periods. (analog electricity meter Typical North American domestic) (Typical North American domestic digital electricity meter) Direct current (DC)As commercial use of electric energy spread in the 1880s, it became increasingly important that an electric energy meter, similar to the then existing gas meters, was required to properly bill customers for the cost of energy, instead of billing for a fixed number of lamps per month. Many experimental types of meter were developed. Edison at first worked on a DC electromechanical meter with a direct reading register, but instead developed an electrochemical metering system, which used an electrolytic cell to totalize current consumption.At periodic intervals the plates were removed, weighed, and the customer billed. The electrochemical meter was labor-intensive to read and not well received by customers. In 1885 Ferranti offered a mercury motor meter with a register similar to gas meters; this had the advantage that the consumer could easily read the meter and verify consumption. The first accurate, recording electricity consumption meter was a DC meter by Dr Hermann Aaron, who patented it in 1883. Hugo Hurst of the British General Electric Company introduced it commercially into Great Britain from 1888.Meters had been used prior to this, but they measured the rate of energy consumption at that particular moment, i. e. the electric power. Aaron's meter recorded the total energy used over time, and showed it on a series of clock dials. In the USA, Elcho Thomson perfected his ‘recording wattmeter' in 1889. Alternating current (AC) The first specimen of the AC kilowatt-hour meter produced on the basis of Hungarian Bath's patent and named after him was presented by the Ganz Works at the Frankfurt Fair in the autumn of 1889, and the first induct ion kilowatt-hour meter was already marketed by the factory at the end of the same year.These were the first alternating-current watt meters, known by the name of Blathy-meters. The AC kilowatt hour meters used at present operate on the same principle as Blathy's original invention, Also around 1889, Elihu Thomson of the American General Electric company developed a recording watt meter (watt-hour meter) based on an ironless commentator motor. This meter overcame the disadvantages of the electrochemical type and could operate on either alternating or direct current.In 1894 Oliver Shallenberger of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation applied the induction principle previously used, only in AC ampere-hour meters to produce a watt-hour meter of the modern electromechanical form, using an induction disk whose rotational speed was made proportional to the power in the circuit. The Blathy meter was similar to Shallenberger and Thomson meter in that they are two-phase motor meter. Althoug h the induction meter would only work on alternating current, it eliminated the delicate and troublesome commutator of the Thomson design.Shallenberger fell ill and was unable to refine his initial large and heavy design, although he did also develop a polyphase version. Unit of measurement (Panel-mounted solid state electricity meter, connected to a 2 MVA electricity substation. Remote current and voltage sensors can be read and programmed remotely by modem and locally by infra-red. The circle with two dots is the infra-red port. Tamper-evident seals can be seen) Panel-mounted solid state electricity meter, connected to a 2 MVA electricity substation. Remote current and voltage sensors can be read and programmed remotely by modem and locally by infra-red.The circle with two dots is the infra-red port. Tamper-evident seals can be seen. The most common unit of measurement on the electricity meter is the kilowatt hour [kWh], which is equal to the amount of energy used by a load of one kilowatt over a period of one hour, or 3,600,000 joules. Some electricity companies use the SI mega joule instead. Demand is normally measured in watts, but averaged over a period, most often a quarter or half hour. Reactive owner is measured in â€Å"thousands of volt-ampere reactive-hours†, (kvarh). By convention, a â€Å"lagging† or inductive load, such as a motor, will have positive reactive power.A â€Å"leading†, or capacitive load, will have negative reactive power. Volt-amperes measures all power passed through a distribution network, including reactive and actual. This is equal to the product of root-mean-square volts and amperes. Distortion of the electric current by loads is measured in several ways. Power factor is the ratio of resistive (or real power) to volt-amperes. A capacitive load has a leading power factor, and an inductive load has a lagging power factor. A purely resistive load (such as a filament lamp, heater or kettle) exhibits a power f actor of 1.Current harmonics are a measure of distortion of the wave form. For example, electronic loads such as computer power supplies draw their current at the voltage peak to fill their internal storage elements. This can lead to a significant voltage drop near the supply voltage peak which shows as a flattening of the voltage waveform. This flattening causes odd harmonics which are not permissible if they exceed specific limits, as they are not only wasteful, but may interfere with the operation of other equipment. Harmonic emissions are mandated by law in EU and other countries to fall within specified limits.Other units of measurement In addition to metering based on the amount of energy used, other types of metering are available. Meters which measured the amount of charge (coulombs) used, known as ampere-hour meters, were used in the early days of electrification. These were dependent upon the supply voltage remaining constant for accurate measurement of energy usage, which was not a likely circumstance with most supplies. Some meters measured only the length of time for which charge flowed, with no measurement of the magnitude of voltage or current being made.These were only suited for constant-load applications. Neither type is likely to be used today. Types of meters Electricity meters operate by continuously measuring the instantaneous voltage (volts) and current (amperes) and finding the product of these to give instantaneous electrical power (watts) which is then integrated against time to give energy used (joules, kilowatt-hours etc. ). Meters for smaller services (such as small residential customers) can be connected directly in-line between source and customer.For larger loads, more than about 200 ampere of load, current transformers are used, so that the meter can be located other than in line with the service conductors. The meters fall into two basic categories, electromechanical and electronic. Electromechanical meters The most common typ e of electricity meter is the electromechanical induction watt-hour meter. The electromechanical induction meter operates by counting the revolutions of an aluminum disc which is made to rotate at a speed proportional to the power. The number of revolutions is thus proportional to the energy usage.The voltage coil consumes a small and relatively constant amount of power, typically around 2 watts which is not registered on the meter. The current coil similarly consumes a small amount of power in proportion to the square of the current flowing through it, typically up to a couple of watts at full load, which is registered on the meter. The metallic disc is acted upon by two coils. One coil is connected in such a way that it produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the voltage and the other produces a magnetic flux in proportion to the current. The field of the voltage coil is delayed by 90 degrees using a lag coil.This produces eddy currents in the disc and the effect is such that a force is exerted on the disc in proportion to the product of the instantaneous current and voltage. A permanent magnet exerts an opposing force proportional to the speed of rotation of the disc. The equilibrium between these two opposing forces results in the disc rotating at a speed proportional to the power being used. The disc drives a register mechanism which integrates the speed of the disc over time by counting revolutions, much like the odometer in a car, in order to render a measurement of the total energy used over a period of time.The type of meter described above is used on a single-phase AC supply. Different phase configurations use additional voltage and current coils. (Mechanism of electromechanical induction meter. 1 – Voltage coil – many turns of fine wire encased in plastic, connected in parallel with load. 2 – Current coil – three turns of thick wire, connected in series with load. 3 – Stator – concentrates and confines mag netic field. 4 – Aluminum rotor disc. 5 – rotor brake magnets. 6 – spindle with worm gear. 7 – display dials – note that the 1/10, 10 and 1000 dials rotate clockwise while the 1, 100 and 10000 dials rotate counter-clockwise)Three-phase electromechanical induction meter, metering 100 A 230/400 V supply. Horizontal aluminum rotor disc is visible in center of meter. The aluminum disc is supported by a spindle which has a worm gear which drives the register. The register is a series of dials which record the amount of energy used. The dials may be of the cyclometer type, an odometer-like display that is easy to read where for each dial a single digit is shown through a window in the face of the meter, or of the pointer type where a pointer indicates each digit.With the dial pointer type, adjacent pointers generally rotate in opposite directions due to the gearing mechanism. The amount of energy represented by one revolution of the disc is denoted by th e symbol which is given in units of watt-hours per revolution. The value 7. 2 is commonly seen. Using the value of , one can determine their power consumption at any given time by timing the disc with a stopwatch. If the time in seconds taken by the disc to complete one revolution is , then the power in watts is . For example, if , as above, and one revolution took place in 14. seconds, the power is 1800 watts. This method can be used to determine the power consumption of household devices by switching them on one by one. Most domestic electricity meters must be read manually, whether by a representative of the power company or by the customer. an odometer-like display that is easy to read where for each dial a single digit is shown through a window in the face of the meter, or of the pointer type where a pointer indicates each digit. With the dial pointer type, adjacent pointers generally rotate in opposite directions due to the gearing mechanism.Where the customer reads the meter, the reading may be supplied to the power company by telephone, post or over the internet. The electricity company will normally require a visit by a company representative at least annually in order to verify customer-supplied readings and to make a basic safety check of the meter. In an induction type meter, creep is a phenomenon that can adversely affect accuracy, that occurs when the meter disc rotates continuously with potential applied and the load terminals open circuited. A test for error due to creep is called a creep test. Three-phase electromechanical induction meter, metering 100 A 230/400 V supply. Horizontal aluminum rotor disc is visible in center of meter) Electronic meters Electronic meters display the energy used on an LCD or LED display, and can also transmit readings to remote places. In addition to measuring energy used, electronic meters can also record other parameters of the load and supply such as maximum demand, power factor and reactive power used etc. The y can also support time-of-day billing, for example, recording the amount of energy used during on-peak and off-peak hours. Basic block diagram of an electronic energy meter) Communication Remote meter reading is a practical example of telemetry. It saves the cost of a human meter reader and the resulting mistakes, but it also allows more measurements, and remote provisioning. Many smart meters now include a switch to interrupt or restore service. Historically, rotating meters could report their power information remotely, using a pair of contact closures attached to a KYZ line. A KYZ interface is a kind of quadrature encoder. In a KYZ interface, the Y and Z wires are switch contacts, shorted to K for half of a rotor's circumference.To measure the rotor direction, the Z signal is offset by 90 degrees from the Y. When the rotor rotates in the opposite direction, showing export of power, the sequence reverses. The time between pulses measures the demand. The number of pulses is total power usage. KYZ outputs were historically attached to â€Å"totalize relays† feeding a â€Å"totalize† so that many meters could be read all at once in one place. KYZ outputs are also the classic way of attaching electric meters to programmable logic controllers, HVACs or other control systems.Some modern meters also supply a contact closure that warns when the meter detects a demand near a higher electricity tariff, to improve demand side management. Some meters have an open collector output that gives 32-100 ms pulses for a constant amount of used electrical energy. Usually 1000-10000 pulses per kWh. Output is limited to max 27 V DC and 27 mA DC. The output usually follows the DIN 43864 standard. Often, meters designed for semi-automated reading have a serial port on that communicates by infrared LED through the faceplate of the meter.In some apartment buildings, a similar protocol is used, but in a wired bus using a serial current loop to connect all the meters to a single plug. The plug is often near the mailboxes. In the European Union, the most common infrared and protocol is â€Å"FLAG†, a simplified subset of mode C of IEC 61107. In the U. S. and Canada, the favored infrared protocol is ANSI C12. 18. Some industrial meters use a protocol for programmable logic controllers (Modbus). One protocol proposed for this purpose is DLMS/COSEM which can operate over any medium, including serial ports.The data can be transmitted by Zigbee, Wi-Fi, telephone lines or over the power lines themselves. Some meters can be read over the internet. Other more modern protocols are also becoming widely used. Electronic meters now use low-power radio, GSM, GPRS, Bluetooth, IrDA, as well as RS-485 wired link. The meters can now store the entire usage profiles with time stamps and relay them at a click of a button. The demand readings stored with the profiles accurately indicate the load requirements of the customer.This load profile data is processed at the utilities for billing and planning purposes. AMR (Automatic Meter Reading) and RMR (Remote Meter Reading) describe various systems that allow meters to be checked without the need to send a meter reader out. An electronic meter can transmit its readings by telephone line or radio to a central billing office. Automatic meter reading can be done with GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) modems, one is attached to each meter and the other is placed at the central utility office. Solid-state designAs in the block diagram, the meter has a power supply, a metering engine, a processing and communication engine (i. e. a microcontroller), and other add-on modules such as RTC, LCD display, communication ports/modules and so on. The metering engine is given the voltage and current inputs and has a voltage reference, samplers and quantizes followed by an ADC section to yield the digitized equivalents of all the inputs. These inputs are then processed using a Digital Signal Processo r to calculate the various metering parameters such as powers, energies etc.The largest source of long-term errors in the meter is drift in the preamp, followed by the precision of the voltage reference. Both of these vary with temperature as well, and vary wildly because most meters are outdoors. Characterizing and compensating for these is a major part of meter design. The processing and communication section has the responsibility of calculating the various derived quantities from the digital values generated by the metering engine. This also has the responsibility of communication using various protocols and interface with other add-on modules connected as slaves to it.RTC and other add-on modules are attached as slaves to the processing and communication section for various input/output functions. On a modern meter most if not all of this will be implemented inside the microprocessor, such as the Real Time Clock (RTC), LCD controller, temperature sensor, memory and analog to di gital converters. (Solid state electricity meter used in a home in the Netherlands) Multiple tariff (variable rate) meters Electricity retailers may wish to charge customers different tariffs at different times of the day to better reflect the costs of generation and transmission.Since it is typically not cost effective to store significant amounts of electricity during a period of low demand for use during a period of high demand, costs will vary significantly depending on the time of day. Low cost generation capacity (base load) such as nuclear can take many hours to start, meaning a surplus in times of low demand, whereas high cost but flexible generating capacity (such as gas turbines) must be kept available to respond at a moment's notice (spinning reserve) to peak demand, perhaps being used for a few minutes per day, which is very expensive.Some multiple tariff meters use different tariffs for different amounts of demand. These are usually industrial meters. Domestic usage Dom estic variable-rate meters generally permit two to three tariffs (â€Å"peak†, â€Å"off-peak† and â€Å"shoulder†) and in such installations a simple electromechanical time switch may be used. Historically, these have often been used in conjunction with electrical storage heaters or hot water storage systems. Multiple tariffs are made easier by time of use (TOU) meters which incorporate or are connected to a time switch and which have multiple registers.Switching between the tariffs may happen via a radio-activated switch rather than a time switch to prevent tampering with a sealed time switch to obtain cheaper electricity. United Kingdom Radio-activated switching is common in the UK, with a nightly data signal sent within the long wave carrier of BBC Radio 4, 198  kHz. The time of off-peak charging is usually seven hours between midnight and 7. 00am GMT, and this is designed to power storage heaters and immersion heaters. In the UK, such tariffs are branded Economy 7 or White Meter.The popularity of such tariffs has declined in recent years, at least in the domestic market, due to the (perceived or real) deficiencies of storage heaters and the comparatively low cost of natural gas. An â€Å"Economy 10† meter is also available, giving five hours of heating overnight, with boosts in mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Most meters using Economy 7 switch the entire electricity supply to the cheaper rate during the 7 hour night time period, not just the storage heater circuit. The downside of this is that he daytime rate will be significantly higher, and standing charges may be a little higher too. For instance, normal rate electricity may be 9p per kWh, whereas Economy 7's daytime rate might be 14 to 17 p per kWh, but only 5. 43p per kWh at night. Timer switches installed on washing machines, tumble dryers, dishwashers and immersion heaters may be set so that they switch on only when the rate is lower. (Economy 7 Meter and Teleswitcher) Commercial usage Large commercial and industrial premises may use electronic meters which record power usage in blocks of half an hour or less.This is because most electricity grids have demand surges throughout the day, and the power company may wish to give price incentives to large customers to reduce demand at these times. These demand surges often correspond to meal times or, famously, to advertisements in popular television programmers. Appliance energy meters Plug in electricity meters (or â€Å"Plug load† meters) measure energy used by individual appliances. There are a variety of models available on the market today but they all work on the same basic principle.The meter is plugged into an outlet, and the appliance to be measured is plugged into the meter. Such meters can help in energy conservation by identifying major energy users, or devices that consume excessive standby power. A power meter can often be borrowed from the local power authorities or a local public library. In-home energy use displays A potentially powerful means to reduce household energy consumption is to provide convenient real-time feedback to users so they can change their energy using behavior. Recently, low-cost energy feedback displays have become available.A study using a consumer-readable meter in 500 Ontario homes by Hydro One showed an average 6. 5% drop in total electricity use when compared with a similarly sized control group. Hydro One subsequently offered free power monitors to 30,000 customers based on the success of the pilot. Projects such as Google Power Meter, take information from a smart meter and make it more readily available to users to help encourage conservation. Smart meters Smart meters go a step further than simple AMR (automatic meter reading).They offer additional functionality including a real-time or near real-time reads, power outage notification, and power quality monitoring. They allow price setting agencies to introduce different prices for consumption based on the time of day and the season. These price differences can be used to reduce peaks in demand (load shifting or peak lopping), reducing the need for additional power plants and in particular the higher polluting and costly to operate natural gas powered piker plants. The feedback they provide to consumers has also been shown to cut overall energy consumption.Another type of smart meter uses nonintrusive load monitoring to automatically determine the number and type of appliances in a residence, how much energy each uses and when. This meter is used by electric utilities to do surveys of energy use. It eliminates the need to put timers on all of the appliances in a house to determine how much energy each uses. Prepayment meters The standard business model of electricity retailing involves the electricity company billing the customer for the amount of energy used in the previous month or quarter.In some countries, if the retailer believes that the customer ma y not pay the bill, a prepayment meter may be installed. This requires the customer to make advance payment before electricity can be used. If the available credit is exhausted then the supply of electricity is cut off by a relay. (Prepayment meter and magnetic stripe tokens, from a rented accommodation in the UK. The button labeled A displays information and statistics such as current tariff and remaining credit. The button labeled B activates a small amount of emergency credit should the customer run out)In the UK, mechanical prepayment meters used to be common in rented accommodation. Disadvantages of these included the need for regular visits to remove cash, and risk of theft of the cash in the meter. Modern solid-state electricity meters, in conjunction with smart cards, have removed these disadvantages and such meters are commonly used for customers considered to be a poor credit risk. In the UK, one system is the Pay Point network, In some cases, prepayment meters have not be en accepted by customers.There are various groups, such as the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) association, which promote common standards for prepayment metering systems across manufacturers. where rechargeable tokens (Quantum cards for natural gas, or plastic â€Å"keys† for electricity) can be loaded with whatever money the customer has available. Recently smartcards are introduced as much reliable tokens that allows two way data exchange between meter and the utility. (A prepayment key) In South Africa, Sudan and Northern Ireland prepaid meters are recharged by entering a unique, encoded twenty digit number using a keypad.This makes the tokens, essentially a slip of paper, very cheap to produce. Around the world, experiments are going on, especially in developing countries, to test pre-payment systems. In some cases, prepayment meters have not been accepted by customers. There are various groups, such as the Standard Transfer Specification (STS) association, which p romote common standards for prepayment metering systems across manufacturers. Prepaid meters using the STS standard are used in many countries. Time of day meteringTime of Day metering (TOD), also known as Time of Usage (TOU) or Seasonal Time of Day (SToD), metering involves dividing the day, month and year into tariff slots and with higher rates at peak load periods and low tariff rates at off-peak load periods. While this can be used to automatically control usage on the part of the customer (resulting in automatic load control), it is often simply the customers responsibility to control his own usage, or pay accordingly (voluntary load control). This also allows the utilities to plan their transmission infrastructure appropriately.See also Demand-side Management (DSM). TOD metering normally splits rates into an arrangement of multiple segments including on-peak, off-peak, mid-peak or shoulder, and critical peak. A typical arrangement is a peak occurring during the day (non-holida y days only), such as from 1 pm to 9 pm Monday through Friday during the summer and from 6:30 am to 12 noon and 5 pm to 9 pm during the winter. More complex arrangements include the use of critical peaks which occur during high demand periods. The times of peak demand/cost will vary in different markets around the world.Large commercial users can purchase power by the hour using either forecast pricing or real time pricing. Prices range from we pay you to take it (negative) to $1000/MWh (100 cents/kWh). Some utilities allow residential customers to pay hourly rates, such as Illinois, which uses day ahead pricing. Power export metering Many electricity customers are installing their own electricity generating equipment, whether for reasons of economy, redundancy or environmental reasons. When a customer is generating more electricity than required for his own use, the surplus may be exported back to the power grid.Customers that generate back into the â€Å"grid† usually must have special equipment and safety devices to protect the grid components (as well as the customer's own) in case of faults (electrical short circuits) or maintenance of the grid (say voltage potential on a downed line going into an exporting customers facility). This exported energy may be accounted for in the simplest case by the meter running backwards during periods of net export, thus reducing the customer's recorded energy usage by the amount exported.This in effect results in the customer being paid for his/her exports at the full retail price of electricity. Unless equipped with a detent or equivalent, a standard meter will accurately record power flow in each direction by simply running backwards when power is exported. Such meters are no longer legal in the UK, but instead a meter capable of separately measuring imported and exported energy is required. Where allowed by law, utilities maintain a profitable margin between the price of energy delivered to the consumer and the rate credited for consumer-generated energy that flows back to the grid.Lately, upload sources typically originate from renewable sources (e. g. , wind turbines, photovoltaic cells), or gas or steam turbines, which are often found in cogeneration systems. Another potential upload source that has been proposed is plug-in hybrid car batteries (vehicle-to-grid power systems). This requires a â€Å"smart grid,† which includes meters that measure electricity via communication networks that require remote control and give customers timing and pricing options.Vehicle-to-grid systems could be installed at workplace parking lots and garages and at park and rides and could help drivers charge their batteries at home at night when off-peak power prices are cheaper, and receive bill crediting for selling excess electricity back to the grid during high-demand hours. Ownership Following the deregulation of electricity supply markets in many countries (e. g. , UK), the company responsible for an electricity meter may not be obvious.Depending on the arrangements in place, the meter may be the property of the meter Operator, electricity distributor, the retailer or for some large users of electricity the meter may belong to the customer. The company responsible for reading the meter may not always be the company which owns it. Meter reading is now sometimes subcontracted and in some areas the same person may read gas, water and electricity meters at the same time. Location The location of an electricity meter varies with each installation. Possible locations include on a utility pole serving the property, in a street-side abinet (meter box) or inside the premises adjacent to the consumer unit / distribution board. Electricity companies may prefer external locations as the meter can be read without gaining access to the premises but external meters may be more prone to vandalism. (Current transformers used as part of metering equipment for three-phase 400 A electricity supply. The fourth neutral wire does not require a current transformer because current cannot flow in this wire without also flowing in one of the three phase wires) Current transformers permit the meter to be located remotely from the current-carrying conductors.This is common in large installations. For example a substation serving a single large customer may have metering equipment installed in a cabinet, without bringing heavy cables into the cabinet. Customer drop and metering equation Since electrical standards vary in different regions, â€Å"customer drops† from the grid to the customer also vary depending on the standards and the type of installation. There are several common types of connections between a grid and a customer. Each type has a different metering equation. Customer supplies may be single-phase or three-phase.In the United States and Canada, three-wire single phase is common for residential and small commercial customers. Three phase supplies may be thr ee wire, or four wire (with a system neutral). Blondel's theorem states that for any system with N current-carrying conductors, that N-1 measuring elements are sufficient to measure electrical energy. This indicates that different metering is needed, for example, for a three-phase three-wire system than for a three-phase four-wire (with neutral) system. In North America, it is common for electricity meters to plug into a standardized socket outdoors, on the side of a building.This allows the meter to be replaced without disturbing the wires to the socket, or the occupant of the building. Some sockets may have a bypass while the meter is removed for service. The amount of electricity used without being recorded during this small time is considered insignificant when compared to the inconvenience which might be caused to the customer by cutting off the electricity supply. Most electronic meters in North America use a serial protocol. In many other countries the supply and load termina ls are in the meter housing itself. Cables are connected directly to the meter.In some areas the meter is outside, often on a utility pole. In others, it is inside the building in a niche. If inside, it may share a data connection with other meters. If it exists, the shared connection is often a small plug near the post box. The connection is often EIA-485 or infra-red with a serial protocol such as IEC 62056. In 2010, networking to meters is rapidly changing. The most common schemes seem to combine an existing national standard for data (e. g. ANSI C12. 19 or IEC 62056) operating via the internet protocol with a small circuit board that does either power line communication, or ties to a digital mobile phone network. A commercial power meter) Tampering and security Meters can be manipulated to make them under-register, effectively allowing power use without paying for it. This theft or fraud can be dangerous as well as dishonest. Power companies often install remote-reporting meters specifically to enable remote detection of tampering, and specifically to discover energy theft. The change to smart power meters is useful to stop energy theft. When tampering is detected, the normal tactic, legal in most areas of the USA, is to switch the subscriber to a â€Å"tampering† tariff charged at the meter's maximum designed current.At US$ 0. 095/kWh, a standard residential 50  A meter causes a legally collectible charge of about US$ 5,000. 00 per month. Meter readers are trained to spot signs of tampering, and with crude mechanical meters, the maximum rate may be charged each billing period until the tamper is removed, or the service is disconnected. A common method of tampering on older meters is to attach magnets to the outside of the meter. These magnetically saturate the coils or current transformers, preventing the alternating current from forming eddy currents in the rotor, or inducing voltages in the current transformer.Rectified DC loads cause mechanica l (but not electronic) meters to under-register. DC current does not cause the coils to make eddy currents in the disk, so this causes reduced rotation and a lower bill. Some combinations of capacitive and inductive load can interact with the coils and mass of a rotor and cause reduced or reverse motion. The owner of the meter normally secures the meter against tampering. Revenue meters' mechanisms and connections are sealed. Meters may also measure VAR-hours (the reflected load), neutral and DC currents (elevated by most electrical tampering), ambient magnetic fields, etc.Even simple mechanical meters can have mechanical flags that are dropped by magnetic tampering or large DC currents. Newer computerized meters usually have counter-measures against tampering. AMR (Automated Meter Reading) meters often have sensors that can report opening of the meter cover, magnetic anomalies, extra clock setting, glued buttons, A common method of tampering on older meters is to attach magnets to the outside of the meter. These magnetically saturate the coils or current transformers, preventing the alternating current from forming eddy currents in the rotor, or inducing voltages in the current transformer.When tampering is detected, the normal tactic, legal in most areas of the USA, is to switch the subscriber to a â€Å"tampering† tariff charged at the meter's maximum designed current. At US$ 0. 095/kWh, a standard residential 50  A meter causes a legally collectible charge of about US$ 5,000. 00 per month. Meter readers are trained to spot signs of tampering, and with crude. inverted installation, reversed or switched phases etc. (A Duke Energy technician removes the tamper-proof seal from a electricity meter at a residence in Durham, north Carolina)Some tampers bypass the meter, wholly or in part. Safe tampers of this type normally increase the neutral current at the meter. Most split-phase residential meters in the United States are unable to detect neutral curr ents. However, modern tamper-resistant meters can detect and bill it at standard rates. Disconnecting a meter's neutral connector is unsafe because shorts can then pass through people or equipment rather than a metallic ground to the generator. A phantom loop connection via an earth ground is often much higher resistance than the metallic neutral connector. Even in hese cases, metering at the substation can alert the operator to tampering. Substations, interties and transformers normally have a high-accuracy meter for the area served. Power companies normally investigate discrepancies between the total billed and the total generated, in order to find and fix power distribution problems. These investigations are an effective method to discover tampering. In North America power thefts are often connected with indoor marijuana grow operations. Narcotics detectives associate abnormally high power usage with the lighting such operations require.Indoor marijuana growers aware of this are particularly motivated to steal electricity simply to conceal their usage of it. Self evaluation This 42 days Industrial Training has led me to understand the various designing, assembling and the manufacturing processes of equipments in the industry, BENTEX. It has also enhanced my knowledge about the functioning and management of an industry, which I am sure, will be beneficial to me in my career. Regards, Name – Devesh Kumar Roll no. – 303956 Branch – Digital electronics (3rd year) Institute – C. R. R. I. T.