Review of Literature Related to River Water Quality in Ireland

2.0 Literature Review2.1 River Water Quality in IrelandNational studies of Irish rivers have been carried out since 1971. In 1971, 2,900km of river channel was surveyed. The studies consisted of chemical and biological appraisals. This was before the constitution of the Environmental Protection Agency ( EPA ) , the competent authorization at the clip was An Foras Forbartha. The EPA was established in 1992 and they so became the competent authorization for H2O quality monitoring in Ireland. In 2006, the EU Water Framework Directive Monitoring Programme was implemented. From 2004-2006, 13,240km of river channel was surveyed, with biological trying carried out at 2,985 trying sites on 1,151 rivers and chemical sampling at 2,500 sites. ( EPA, 2008 ) The Monitoring Programme was put in topographic point to run into the demands of the EU Water Framework Directive ( 2000/60/EC ) , the European Communities ( Water Quality ) Regulations, 2003, Groundwater Regulations ( S.I. No 9 of 2010 ) , and Environmental Objectives European Communities ( Surface Water ) 2009. From 2007-2009, of the 13,240km surveyed the river quality showed 70 % were uncontaminated and 30 % were damaged to a greater to lesser extent. The National Water Monitoring Reports are compiled and published every three old ages. The most recent study 2011 showed that 20.1 % of rivers had high position, 48.8 % good position, 20.7 % moderate position, 10 % hapless position and 0.4 % river channel was bad position. ( EPA, 2011 )2.2 Ashlane River SourceAshlane River is sourced from Lough Gill. It flows downstream via the Garavogue River. It diverts into its ain watercourse known as Ashlane River. The River flows through Hazelwood Demesne and so through the Institute of Technology. And so out to Carton Bay which flows to Sligo Harbour. *waiting on info from Sligo Coco to finish this subdivision2.3 Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC2.3.1 OverviewThe Water Framework Directive was introduced in 2000. It established the legal model to protect, preserve and better the quality of surface, transitional and coastal Waterss and groundwater where necessary. It besides includes modified and unreal H2O organic structures. The Water Framework Directive sets out clear deadlines. The primary aim set out in the Water Framework Directive is to accomplish at least good H2O position by December 2015. The Directive was transposed into Irish statute law by the Water Policy Regulations ( S.I. No 722 of 2003 ) , Surface Water Regulations ( S.I. No 272 of 2009 ) and Groundwater Regulations ( S.I. No 9 of 2010 ) . These ordinances govern the form of the Directive by word picture, monitoring and position appraisal programmes. The Directive besides aims to continue, protect and enhance Waterss and manage H2O organic structures based on river basins or catchments. The definition of good H2O position for surface Waterss is based on its ecological position and chemical position. The Directive set out five ecological position categories: ‘high’ , ‘good’ , ‘moderate’ , ‘poor’ and ‘bad’ . ( EPA, 2005 )2.3.2 River Basin DistrictsA river basin is defined as an country of land from which surface run-off flows through watercourses, rivers and lakes into the sea at a river oral cavity or estuary. In 2003, the designation of the River Basin Districts and competent governments were completed. For each RBD a River Basin Management Plan ( RBMP ) was developed and implemented. The chief purpose of the RBD is to make an incorporate monitoring and direction system for all Waterss within each RBD, to bring forth RBMP. ( EPA, 2005 ) Figure 1: The eight River Basin Districts of Ireland. ( Water Matters, 2007 )2.3.3 Characterisation ( Article 5 ) Summary ReportsUnder the WFD a drumhead word picture study ( article 5 ) was developed in 2004 for all RBD in their legal power. This needed: ‘an analysis of RBD characteristics’ ‘A reappraisal of the impact of human activity on the position of surface Waterss and on groundwater’ ‘An economic analysis of H2O use’ The chief aim of the word picture study was to supply a sum-up of the initial word picture at each RBD degree. To make this physical, chemical and biological characteristics of surface H2O and groundwater were assessed alongside the force per unit areas due to human activity. The study identified the H2O organic structures at hazard or non at hazard of accomplishing the ‘good H2O status’ by 2015. ( EPA, 2005 ) The word picture study has given a image of the present province of H2O organic structures within each RBD. It gives a better apprehension of the future province of all H2O organic structures and provided a starting point for the design of the ‘Programme of Measures’ . The Programme of Measure is a combination of policies and direction actions for the bar of impairment of H2O quality position utilizing a cost effectual attack. . ( EPA, 2005 ) It sets out the steps that may necessitate to be taken and developed into each RBMP of the RBD. The Programme of Measures, are steps needed to run into the aims set out in the WFD in those H2O organic structures non accomplishing or at hazard of non accomplishing good position. ( EPA, 2005 )2.2.4 River Basin Management PlansIn 2009, the RBMPs were finalised and implemented into each RBD. The RBMPs set out specific environmental aims to be achieved by December 2015. They identify the programme of measured and the actions that will be taken in achieved these marks. They besides cover aims that are non set out in statute law but that are auxiliary steps in achieves the good H2O position. The competent authorization for the execution of the RBMPs is the local governments. ( EPA, 2005 )2.2.5 Monitoring RequirementsThe monitoring demands are set out in the WFD. The monitoring of groundwater and surface-water commenced in 2007. They were assigned to several bureaus ; EPA, Local Authorities, Marine Institute, Fisheries Boards, Waterways Ireland, OPW and NPWS. The WFD lay out 3 types of monitoring that is carried out on surface Waterss in order to accomplish and protect H2O organic structures. They are surveillance monitoring, operational monitoring and fact-finding monitoring. ( EPA, 2008 ) Surveillance Monitoring ( SM ) is to build an effectual program for all future monitoring programmes, to measure long term alterations in natural conditions in order to find the non-natural and the natural alterations in an ecosystem and buttocks long term alterations as a consequence of widespread anthropogenetic activity. It is besides the demand to supply supplementing and formalizing the impact assessment process detailed in Annex 11 of the Directive Operational Monitoring ( OM ) is supervising of the countries that have been at hazard of neglecting to run into the environmental aims and find the position and to measure alterations in the H2O organic structure position that have resulted from programmes of steps. Fact-finding Monitoring ( IM ) is required in countries where the exceedance of environmental aims is unknown ; it may be due to inadvertent pollution. And where surveillance monitoring indicates that the aims for a organic structure of H2O are improbable to be achieved and operational monitoring has non been established. ( Ferreira et al. , 2007 )2.2.6 Surface Water ClassificationThe position is determined by appraisal of ecological position, ecological potency and chemical position. Surface H2O are classified as High ( A ) , good ( A ) , moderate ( B ) , hapless ( C ) and bad ( D ) position. Water organic structures of high and good position are Class A Waterss as the H2O organic structure is accomplishing the WFD demands. These H2O organic structures have really small or no pollution. Moderate, hapless and bad position are underperforming and non go throughing the WFD demands. Pollution is present in these H2O organic structures. But aim to accomplish the good H2O position by 2015 .2.5 Water Quality Monitoring2.3.1 Physical-Chemical Water Quality MonitoringPhysical-chemical monitoring four times a twelvemonth and is carried out to garner specific H2O quality features. The WFD requires monitoring of rivers for thermic conditions, oxygenation conditions, acidification position and alimentary conditions. The parametric quantities tested on river H2O include: pH, temperature, dissolved O, conduction, P, alkalinity and Suspended Solids. These trials help to place the beginnings of pollution for carry oning appraisals on ecological impacts. ( EPA, 2007 ) For Ireland the chief pollutants of concern are foods and oxygenation conditions as they cause issues such as eutrophication and organic pollution. ( EPA, 2011 ) There are three elements: a ) ‘General constituents ( physico-chemical )quality elements are as specified in WFD Annex VIII ( 10 – 12 ) , ’B ) ‘Specific relevant pollutantsare those identified by Member States as being discharged in important measures ; this is besides specified in WFD Annex VIII ( 1 – 9 ) , ’degree Celsius ) ‘Precedence substancesare specified in WFD Annex X and for present intents the listing of precedence substances besides includes the unsafe substances as per the demands of WFD Annex IX’ ( EPA, 2007 ) General constituents are the scene of the Environmental Quality Standard Values for the high/good and good centrist position. Specific relevant pollutants refers to the directive for the scene of a individual EQS for each pollutant, failure to accomplish the EQS will ensue in non run intoing the good H2O position. Priority substances every bit required by the WFD are puting a individual criterion that divides the chemical position of ‘good’ and neglecting to accomplish good’ . Failure in accomplishing any of the above criterions mentioned will ensue in non accomplishing the good chemical position by 2015. ( EPA, 2007 )2.3.2 Biological Water Quality MonitoringBiological monitoring is carried out one every 3 old ages on all rivers under the WFD. The biological quality elements measured are Phytoplankton, macrophytes, invertebrates and fish. For rivers of bad position, monitoring of macro invertebrates is required to be carried out one time a twelvemonth lower limit. Benthic invertebrates ( E.g. Mayflies, rock flies, runts and pelecypods etc. , ) are good ecological indexs of pollution as they are really sensitive to alterations in an ecosystem. E.g. Organic pollution. The community diverseness in an ecosystem will worsen in the presence of organic pollution. The more sensitive species are replaced by more tolerant invertebrates in the presence of high degrees of pollution. ( EPA, 2007 ) For the appraisal of Irish Rivers, macro invertebrates have been divided into five index groups: ‘Group A, the sensitive signifiers, Group B, the less sensitive signifiers, Group C, the tolerant signifiers, Group D, the really tolerant signifiers and Group E, the most tolerant forms.’ A Biotic Index is used, it is a quality index based on the composing and copiousness of invertebrates in a specific H2O organic structure. A Q value is applied and used to find the ecological position of the river. ( EPA, 2007 )Biotic Index ( Q )StatusBoundary EQR valueQ5, Q4-5HighHigh /Good = 0.85 Good/Moderate = 0.75Q4GoodQ3-4ModerateQ3, Q2-3PoorQ2, Q1-2, Q1BadTable 1: Biotic Indexs ( Q Values ) relation to the WFD position classs ( EPA, 2007 )2.6 Water Pollutants2.4.1 PhosphorusPhosphorus is an indispensable food in surface Waterss for workss and animate beings. Phosphorus is a food of short supply in most fresh waters. High degrees of P in surface Waterss can do accelerated growing of workss and algae blooms. The accelerated growing can take to rapid O depletion or eutrophication of the H2O. This will go forth a H2O organic structure of low dissolved O so so it can non back up aquatic life, certain fish and invertebrates. In all H2O classs across Ireland P degrees have started to demo a diminution. This could be due to the reduction of inorganic fertilizer applications, storage betterments of organic fertilizers and the rigorous prohibition of distributing periods covered in the Good Agricultural Practice Regulations and increased norm rainfall 2008 – 2009. ( Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government ( DECLG ) and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine ( DAFM ) , 2013 ) In 2012, 85.4 % phosphate concentrations & A ; lt ; 0.05mg/L P and 2 % phosphate concentrations greater than 0.1 mg/L P. Overall the phosphate concentrations are worsening but the consequences are rather varied from twelvemonth to twelvemonth. ( Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government ( DECLG ) and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine ( DAFM ) , 2013 )2.4.2 Ammonia NitrogenNitrogen exists in Waterss in four chief signifiers: organic N, ammonium hydroxide N, nitrite N and nitrate N. In uncontaminated surface Waterss ammonia N is typically present in the scope of 0.01 – 0.5 mg/L N. There will besides be low degrees of organic N, no nitrite and higher degrees of nitrate. In uncontaminated Waterss nitrate is the dominant signifier of N. ( Donohue, A. , Geraghty. O. , 2012 ) Elevated degrees of ammonium hydroxide in surface Waterss are unwanted as it is an indicant of organic pollution and increases oxygen demand. High degrees of ammonium hydroxide in surface Waterss are really toxic to fish life. ( Donohue, A. , Geraghty. O. , 2012 )2.4.3 Nitrate NitrogenThe Nitrates Directive ( 91/676/EEC ) was introduced in 1991 with the chief aim of diminishing H2O pollution caused by nitrates from agricultural beginnings. The presence of nitrate ( NO3- ) in surface H2O is normal at low degrees. Beginnings of nitrate are: rainfall, decomposition of dirt organic affair and fertilisers/manures. Datas from the period 2000-2003 detected that no surface H2O in Ireland had nitrate degrees & A ; gt ; 50mg/L. ( Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government ( DECLG ) and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine ( DAFM ) , 2013 ) In recent old ages at that place has been a lessening in the mean nitrate concentrations across all H2O classs under the WFD. In 2012 71.5 % had nitrate concentrations & A ; lt ; 10mg/L NO3- , 1.3 % had concentrations & A ; gt ; 25mg/L NO3- . Overall nitrate concentrations have been worsening since 2007. ( Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government ( DECLG ) and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine ( DAFM ) , 2013 )MentionsDepartment of the Environment, Community and Local Government ( DECLG ) and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine ( DAFM ) , ( 2013 ) . 2nd Review of Ireland’s Nitrates Action Programme. Ireland: Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government ( DECLG ) and the Department of Agriculture and Food and the Marine ( DAFM ) . Donohue, A. , Geraghty. O. , Environmetal Analysis 2 Laboratory Manual. Environmental Protection 2. ( 2012 ) EPA, ( 2005 ) . The Characterisation and Analysis of Ireland ‘s River Basin Districts. Irish republic: EPA. EPA, ( 2007 ) . Proposed Quality Standards for Surface Water Classification. Water Framework Directive. Irish republic: EPA. EPA, ( 2008 ) . The Water Framework Directive – A new direction attack. Ireland ‘s Environment. Irish republic: EPA. Ferreira, J. , Vale, C. , Soares, C. , Salas, F. , Stacey, P. , Bricker, S. , Silva, M. and Marques, J. ( 2007 ) . Monitoring of coastal and transitional Waterss under the E.U. Water Framework Directive. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 135 ( 1-3 ) , pp.195-216. McGarrigle, M. , Lucey, J. and Cineide, M. ( 2011 ) . WATER QUALITY IN IRELAND 2007-2009. Wexford, Ireland: EPA. Water Matters. ( 2007 ) . 1st erectile dysfunction. Shannon: CarbonNeutral.

Market Potential Index Essay

What are the indicators used in developing this index? Market Potential Index was developed to help companies compare emerging market with each other so they can determine which market to enter and the appropriate marketing strategies for those countries. Eight dimensions were used to create the index; each measured using different indicators (Global EDGE). Market size is measured using indicators such as urban population and electricity consumption. Market growth rate is measured using Average annual growth rate of primary energy use and Real GDP growth rate. Growing markets will show increase demand for products. Market intensity is measured using GNI per capita and private consumption as a percentage of GDP. Market Consumption Capacity is measured using Percentage share of middle-class in consumption/income. Commercial Infrastructure is measured using indicators like Cellular mobile subscribers, Main Telephone lines, Number of PC’s bought, number of internet users, Paved road density, percentage of household with TV and population per retail outlet. Economic freedom relates to the degree of economic and political freedom residents enjoy. It is measured using indicators such as economic freedom index and political freedom index. Market Receptivity related to amount of imports a country consumes and the willingness to try forging products. It is measured using Per capita imports from US and Trade as a percentage of GDP from country trade data. Country risk is measured using the indicator country risk rating from country risk survey Which of the indicators, in your opinion, would have a greater impact for a company that markets laptop computers? I think the dimension of Commercial Infrastructure would have a greater impact for a company that markets laptop computer because it is measured using a very relevant indicator of number of Pcs (per 1000 habitants). This dimension also created using indicators such as number of cellular mobile subscribers, main telephone lines and number of internet users. All these indicators are very useful in determining if the market is favorable to enter because if the market has high number of internet users or telephone  and PC owners, it might show the company that the market has already been tapped by other companies and maybe prompt them to look at other markets, where commercial infrastructure is moderate or low. Using the MPI, which countries would be ideal for this company to enter? Why? I think that China would be ideal for the laptop company to enter because it has a high market size and market growth rate but a moderate to low commercial infrastructure. The way I am reading the MPI, It means that china has room to grow in the commercial infrastructure area and a laptop company could capitalize on this great opportunity. Whereas, Hong Kong, Czech Republic and South Korea are rated high for commercial infrastructure, which could means that those markets might have well established laptop companies and not worth it for this company to enter and compete. On the other hand, you also have to take into account other seven dimensions because a market might have low commercial infrastructure and potential to grow but also have very high country risk, low economic growth and market size for this laptop company to enter. Using the same logic and taking into account other seven indicators, I think some other ideal countries for this company to enter along would China would be Turkey, India, Singapore, Peru, Mexico, and Malaysia.

The Enlightment

Sydell Mejia Prof. Goulding EN202-21 2/25/10 Importance of Reason The Enlightment age was a very important time period; it started in the eighteen century. This age was also known as the age of reason. Men of this age felt they were â€Å"Enlightened† group. They believed they were coming to their senses, educated men of this time thought that the universe was logical, rational, and reasonable, and this could even out a man's modern passions and actions. They had the beliefs that they had come closer to any other age to figure out how the universe and men worked and how to live more a good life more reasonably. The Enlightenment also challenged many of the former ideas, one of which was ignorance. Orgon in Moliere’s, Tartuffe, exemplifies the idea of ignorance, due to the fact he is ignorant of Tartuffe’s true character. DORINE: â€Å"There was that headache Madame had the day you left. Well, it got really bad. She had a fever†. ORGON: â€Å"And Tartuffe? † DORINE: â€Å"He’s fine- Rosy nose and red cheeked, drinking your wine. † ORGON: â€Å"Poor Man! †(1. 4. 8-14). Although Orgon hears news about his ill wife, he only shows his care towards Tartuffe. He also fails to recognize that Tartuffe is tricking them and is not thinking as reasonably as Cleante is. In Act I, scene 5, Cleante is trying to talk sense into Orgon; he is the voice of reason in this scene. Cleante accuses Orgon of being unable to distinguish hypocrisy and true devotion to the family. He tells Orgon that his love of Tartuffe is unrealistic, and attempts to â€Å"enlighten† him about Tartuffe's true character: Cleante: â€Å"Orgon, listen, You’re out of your mind. / Or you’re mocking me. Or both combined. / How can you speak such nonsense without blinking? † (1. 5. 73-75). Although Cleante knows that Orgon is wrapped around his feelings for Tartuffe. Orgon believes so strongly in Tartuffe's piety and goodness that he is willing to sacrifice the happiness of his daughter, therefore thinking unreasonably and affecting his family negatively, such as making his daughter marry someone she does not want to marry, sacrificing the happiness of his daughter. Dorine is another character that presents reason throughout the play. Dorine, Mariane’s maid, is someone with a low social status and because she is a member of the working class, she is portrayed as ignorant in the family because of her low social status. Although in the play she is of low social status, she is smarter than Orgon and also a lot more reasonable. She is able to point out that Tartuffe is an imposter. Dorine says, â€Å"Now there’s a lie that beats everything. / His pretended reverence for our king! †(5. 7. 25-26). This shows that it does not matter what social class one comes from to determine their level of reason. Dorine is someone from a lower social standing than the family, but yet, is able to socialize and befriend the family she works for. His control affects his family, especially his daughter. In the play, she is to marry to the man she loves, but when Tartuffe enters the picture, Orgon breaks his promise to her fiance, and tells her she has to marry Tartuffe instead. However, Orgon is challenged by his family, who work to prove Tartuffe is a fake. This is a conflict to the power order of society and brings into question the authority of this order, by the end of the play, Tartuffe turns his back on Orgon and tries to arrest him. He brings an officer of the king back to take Orgon. However, while Tartuffe attempts to get Orgon arrested, the king saw through him and reasoned that Tartuffe was the one to be accused and put to trial. In his Narrative, Oluadah Equiano, describes in detail his experiences when he was captured and enslaved. In an attempt to persuade the reader of the Englishmen evil actions, Equiano reveals the hypocrisy of European ideas of enlightenment and the dehumanizing nature of slavery. Equiano Olauduah's autobiography, The Interesting Narrative Life of Equiano Olauduah is a unique and intriguing story which includes vivid and great detailed descriptions of the author's life both as a slave and a free black man. Throughout Equiano's life he encounters many hardships and misery. In the beginning of the narrative, he explains his experience on a slave ship when he was sent away: â€Å"These filled me with astonishment, which was soon converted into terror when I was carried aboard† (38). He explains his amazement of the new advances throughout the ship but also explains the terror of being on the ship and watching the miserable slaves upon the ship. He has come in contact with many people of different races, religion and intelligence. Equiano was a well-rounded intelligent black male which many people admired. Although Equiano purchased his freedom and now considered a free man, he still endured man hardships. Works Cited â€Å"Age of Reason. † History – AllAboutHistory. org. Web. 20 Feb. 2010. http://www. allabouthistory. org/age-of-reason. htm. Moliere. Tartuffe A New Verse Translation (ED. Norton Critical Editions_)_. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007. Print.

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Chlamydia Trachomatis infections Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Chlamydia Trachomatis infections - Dissertation Example Similarly, an increase in prevalence rate was higher among African Americans than among whites. Same observations were made among â€Å"American/Indians,† ‘Hispanics and whites in which the Alaska natives registered the highest prevalence rate followed by Hispanics and the whites reporting a significantly lower rate. These observations suggest a relationship between the Chlamydia ‘Trachomatis’ infections and both age bracket and ethnicity as risk factors, a subject that can be ascertained in Miami Florida. Though the difference in the prevalence rate of the infections across age groups and ethnic groups has been identified, no significant relationship has been scientifically established. The problem is, therefore, determination of the existence of a significant relationship between the infections and the factors. The thesis will, therefore, conduct a quantitative research, based on existing data on the infections’ prevalence rates across different age groups, with the age bracket of 14- 24 years as a group, and ethnic groups in Miami Dade Florida. The research will then apply statistical analysis to determine the existence of a significant relationship between the factors and the prevalence rates with the objective of determining the age group and ethnicity are risk factors for the infections. Research questions The research will seek to answer the following questions Is there a significant relationship between Chlamydia Trachomatis infections prevalence rate and the 14 to 24 - age bracket?

Is Oil a Blessing or a Curse for the Middle East Essay

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Marketing management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

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Social Enterprise - Literature review Example Although studies acknowledge the existence of tensions between social goals and business ventures there is inadequate systematic analysis. The paper addresses the issue by considering tensions arising from social mission and commerce ventures by highlighting their prevalence and differences. The paper also explores the way organizational theories provide insight into tensions; and goes ahead to develop schedule for future research by expanding on the phenomenon. Research in social enterprise has increased because several years ago only a limited number of colleagues recommended scholars to consider social enterprises seriously (Nyssens, Adam & Johnson, 2006). Social enterprises aim at attaining the common good through use of business disciplines and power within the marketplace in advancing social, environmental and human justice (Hines, 2005). Social enterprises are distinguished by the ability to directly address intractable social needs in serving the common good with commercial activity being its strong revenue driver. Although the notion of social enterprises arouse obvious appeal in many, their ultimate influence within the, market place has not yet been established. There are challenges that emerge preventing the concept from attaining its full potential like the bleak economic outlook that decreased availability of investors and credit as well as donors and customers. Although currently there is no comprehensive guidance mechanism f or linking social concerns with capitalism in order to enhance social welfare, the paper establishes a framework of duality by analysing social actions within organizations. The paper begins by grounding the concept within social enterprises; however, the emerging complexity in organizational response to social concerns increases marketplace confusion and unpredictability (Massetti, 2012). Even though the meaning regarding social enterprise is contested, many

Chinese Cinema Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Chinese Cinema - Case Study Example Yimou began his career by making films thate looked at the past, present, and the future through a futuristic eye. He emphasized a lot on the resilience, even the stubbornness, of Chinese people in the face of hardships and adversities. The films dared to deconstruct China and reform the culture. His earlier films appear to be influenced a lot by his background and the life struggle. However, it is quite surprising to observe that Yimou has changed his track completely to make some morality fables and period martial art movies. The message from these movies also was quite confusing, considering his previous reputation as a dissident filmmaker (Salazar). Zhang Yimou was born in 1952 in the Xi'an province of China. He grew up in socialist China where class struggle dominated life and literature. His father and brother were associated with the Kuomintang (Nationalist party). So, as a child, Yimou suffered stigmatization and ridicules. The Cultural Revolution of 1966 forced him to quit studying and start working as a farm hand and laborer. Meanwhile, Yimou developed interest in painting and amateur still photography. He used his portfolio of photographs to gain admission to the cinematography department of the Beijing Film Academy in 1978. In the film academy, Yimou was exposed to art films by various European, Japanese, Chinese, and American directors, including Fei Mu, Kurosawa, Tarkovsky, Antonioni, Scorsese, and Truffaut. He graduated from the film academy in 1982 along with stalwarts such as, Chen Kaige and Tian Zhuangzhuang. The influence of these art films and such compatriots can be seen in all of Yimou's early films. Yimou started his cinematic career as a director of photography (One and Eight, 1984). In this very first venture, his unique talent was highly visible. He shot his pictures from obscure angles and captured the color stock as though it were black and white. He positioned the actors at the side, rather than at the center to improve the dramatic effect. He also used unique visual styles, based on the asymmetrical and unbalanced composition of the shots. Earlier Films - Theme and the Cinematic Vision In 1987, Zhang Yimou embarked on his directorial debut, Red Sorghum. The movie brought Yimou a lot of critical acclaim and catapulted him into the forefront of the world's art directors. The film had a lot of lush images, though the plot was simple and short. It told the story of Jiu'er, a poor girl who is sent by her parents into a pre-arranged marriage with a much older man. Thereafter, the tale revolves around the life and struggle of Jiu'er and finally her tragic end. The movie is very different from the faster and cheaper forms of Hollywood color films, primarily because of its strong melodrama and the overwhelming visual quality. The cinematography splashes its passionate colors all over the screen with abandon. The visual impact of the film is voluptuous. Yimou has used the red color as a symbol to represent passion. For Jiu'er, the red of masculinity dominates the wedding sedan, the wild sorghum, the sorghum wine, and the fire that consumes her at the end. Red Sorghum breaks cultural taboos against representing female orgasm, ecstasy, and reproductive continuity onscreen. Bold close-ups of the heroine's face, such as in the wild-sorghum abduction scene were new in mainland Chinese cinema. However, Yimou showcases female desire as

The Dynamics of Elite Politics during the Jiang Era Article

The Dynamics of Elite Politics during the Jiang Era - Article Example The article notes that there was a transformation under Jiang Zemin in Chinese elite politics from the previous political regimes. Jiang managed to bring reconciliation and ensure that the elites are on the same book and line of thought. This is evidenced by the few personal rivals or outspoken critics of his leadership (Shambaugh 4). Largely, Jiang managed to build on the policies set by other regions well. The manner of policymaking in the Jiang era was more of a direct deviation from the previous administration. In the process of policymaking, the leader prioritized consultation rather than imposing of particular policies. I think this approach showed the dimension that the leader wanted China to take for the sake of the future. For a leader who was criticized for not being as visionary as the others, Jiang clearly paved the way for a more liberal China that was ready to adopt the inclusive model of decision-making. By harmonizing the political elites, he was creating an open system that encouraged sharing of ideas for the development of the country. He borrowed the concepts of inclusion from other leaders who had attempted it but was keen to make it a success. That said, it shows that his focus was streamlining elite politics to accept the concepts of inclusion politics fully. He achieved this goal to a large extent in his leadership. The composition of the political elites in Jiang Era demonstrates a mixed composition and a wealth of ideas from both the old policymakers and new entrants (Shambaugh 7). Both bear different ways of tackling problems, but critics argue that the new entrants were raw in terms of decision making and experience. However, it appears as necessary for the change in composition of the top brass of politicians so that there can be different views that achieve modern approaches. The fact that the military composition, in terms of military leaders has taken another dimension shows the desire of the leader to

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Essay Example for Free

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Essay Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and polymath back in the 1800s. Goethe is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. Although he was alive so long ago, the ideas he put out there are still pertinent to the modern world: such as my personal life, recent movies, and current events. Goethe came up with this viewpoint on life: Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision rising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen, incidents and meeting and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, proven and magic in it. Begin it now! Goethe’s quote is a universal truth. His philosophy is even proven in my life. A project was given to me that I grew abhorrence for. Procrastinating until a couple days before the due date, I became upset and overwhelmed. I started convincing myself I could not do it. My mother said, â€Å"you’re making it harder than what it is. Do your research. Let the ideas come to you. It will all come together once you start. Stop putting it off and just do it. â€Å" With that in mind, I centered my concentration to my project and nothing but my project. Ideas kept coming to me as I let my mind and words flow. I became the person I needed to pretend to be for the project. I completed it to my best ability. I even made the appearance of my project outstanding. My teacher was so impressed with my work that she presented it to the class, and it was passed around the room. It all happened because I focused my mind on that specific goal. The movie Forrest Gump is an all-time favorite. The main character was committed to every task he was given. One day he decided to run, and he ran across the United States. It took him 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours until he felt he was finished. Furthermore, while he was at camp in the army, all he did was play ping-pong. All he thought about was ping-pong. He even played ping-pong in his sleep. He was so good a whole crowd would come to watch him play. Even when he was in the army and went to save his â€Å"best good friend† Bubba, he didn’t stop until he found him. He saved his whole platoon that day while searching for Bubba. Every time he was on a mission or had a goal, he would direct all his focus to that particular objective. He had the ability to focus on anything and do it to his full potential. In the world today, we are in an economic crisis. Companies lay off workers; therefore, there are loads of unemployed people. Since they have no jobs, they are not receiving money. Companies aren’t selling much because people have no money to buy things that are not necessities. There is no flow of money. Everyone is afraid to put their cash out there because they are frightened by the fact that they might not be successful and wouldn’t have enough to buy necessities anymore. There is ineffectiveness and hesitancy in the world. No one wants to take a risk and be committed to one thing. Once people devote themselves to fixing the economy, it will happen. However, everyone is waiting on someone else to do it. Just like in the great depression, everyone was afraid to do something about the problem, until everyone said enough is enough and were devoted to fixing the problem; and look what happened because of that. We solved the crisis. In my final analysis, many people are not focused and are worried about too much. Focus on one thing and commit yourself to it. Everything a person does should be there center of attention. By doing this, one will achieve their goal and maybe even more than expected. Goethe’s philosophy shows how to reach a goal: Focus, commit, and do it. Just like Nike, a successful shoe company, says, â€Å"Just do it† and whatever you want to happen, will happen.

Exercise Addiction Essay Example for Free

Exercise Addiction Essay Exercise is important for the overall health and wellbeing of all people. People engage in physical activity for a variety of reasons. For some, being healthy is their only reason for exercising; for others, it may be to build more muscle, or gain endurance. â€Å"Exercise involves planned, structured, repetitive bodily movement done to improve or maintain physical fitness. † Exercise should always be beneficial; however excessive exercise can lead to harmful outcomes, and in come cases exercise can become an addiction. Exercise addiction has many of the same characteristics seen drug addiction such as: tolerance withdrawal, lack of control, intention effects, time, reduction in other activities, and continuance. Researchers have developed conceptually sound diagnostic criteria for exercise dependence, but have yet to determine a suitably convincing mechanism for its onset. In order to determine what type of interventions would be effective for treating or overcoming exercise addiction, researchers must first have an understanding of what causes the addiction. Understanding what psychological and physiological mechanisms are present in exercise addiction can help researchers to develop an intervention that will address all factors that nurture the addiction. The purpose of this study is to examine existing literature on the underlying mechanisms that could be responsible for the onset of exercise addiction in individuals in order to determine what types of intervention are needed to effectively treat exercise addiction. The study will include interviews to assess exercise addiction. Theoretical background In 1977, psychiatrist George L.  Engel released an article, The Need for a New Medical Model: A Challenge for Biomedicine, in which he proposed the Biopsychosocial Model, or BPSM. 1 â€Å"The Biopsychosocial Model is a method of understanding health and illness through biological, psychological, and social factors. † 2 Prior to Engel’s model, the Medical Model was the primary approach to medicine. The Medical Model focused on finding a single specific cause of illness to cure the disease, not the person as a whole. In The Need for a New Medical Model, Engel outlined weaknesses of the Medical Model. Engel addressed the Medical Model as a reductionist approach to medicine. 3 The Medical Model suggested that all diseases could be reduced to a single underlying â€Å"measurable biological variable† and treated without consideration of the other factors that may be related to the onset of the disease or illness. 1 (p 319) According to Engel: †¦a medical model must also take into account the patient, the social context in which he lives, and the complementary system devised by society to deal with the disruptive effects of illness, that is, the physician role and the health care system. This requires the Biopsychosocial model. (p324) According to the Medical Model, health can be equated to an absence of disease. Engel argued that the biological factors found in the medical model are not sufficient to provide a full understanding of disease. The Medical Model neglected to take into consideration individuals who feel well and are diagnosed with a disease, as well as individuals who are free of disease but feel sick. Engel proposed, â€Å"a biopsychosocial model which includes the patient as well as the illness would encompass both circumstances. † 1(p324) The BPSM explains disease through biological, psychological, and social factors. The BPSM can be understood by examining the components of the model. 4 The biological component â€Å"plays a key role is the BPSM. † 2 This component of the BPSM explains disease in relation to physiological causes such as pathogens or disorder in the functioning of the individual’s body. 5 A plausible biological mechanism of exercise addiction is the beta-endorphin hypothesis. â€Å"Aerobic exercise is known to stimulate the release of beta endorphin and other endogenous opioid peptides that appear to exert analgesic effects and may also produce addictive behaviors. Endorphins can block stress and create feeling of euphoria in an individual. Individuals who exercise excessively will be more receptive to endorphins and could potentially develop a tolerance for the hormone. Once the individual has developed a tolerance for the beta-endorphins, he or she will need to exercise longer and harder to achieve the same effects as before tolerance. This leads to the individual engaging in addictive behaviors that can also be explained as psychological process. 7 The psychological component of the BPSM explains disease as a manifestation of the individual’s thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. â€Å"Psychological dependence causes an individual to feel they need a substance to feel good. † 2 Negative thinking, low self-esteem, personality disorder such as perfectionism, etc. , could cause the addictive behavior. For example, an individual who does not cope well with stress may form a behavioral habit of exercise in order to feel good; they are addicted to exercise because of its mood-boosting biological effects. â€Å"In a philosophical sense, the biopsychosocial model states that the workings of the body can affect the mind, and the workings of the mind can affect the body.   However, biological and psychological factors alone are still not sufficient to completely explain exercise addiction in individuals. 2 The sociological component of the BPSM explains how social factors such as culture or socioeconomic status can be an underlying cause of illness. The behavior of an individual can be closely related to the culture and peer groups to which they belong. An individual may become addicted to exercise because of pressures of social norms. For example, an individual may have developed an addiction to exercise as a result of peer pressures to be thin. Significance of Proposed Research  The biopsychosocial model can be used to conceptualize exercise addiction. It is important to study the BPSM because further research is needed to determine the etiology and effective treatment for exercise addiction. To successfully treat or overcome an addiction, the individual must address each component that contributes to the overall behavior. The significance of this study will be to improve understanding of exercise addiction using the biopsychosocial model, determine the types of intervention needed to treat exercise addiction, and develop, as well as, test a multicomponent clinical strategy for treating the addiction. Proposed Methods The study will involve the evaluation of the biopsychosocial model in relation to exercise addiction. The targeted population for this study includes the following: individuals who are physically active and individuals who are classified as addicted to exercise. In order to ensure an efficient sample will be chosen, the target population will consist of 100 individuals. The sampling technique that will be used is a survey type of research, the Exercise Addiction Inventory. The EAI will include questions such as â€Å"When I exercise do I feel guilty† and â€Å"Is exercise the most important thing of my life? † (8) From this research, a sample from the target population will be selected. The sample will include 10 males and 10 females who are classified as addictive exercisers, as well as 10 males and 10 females who are non-addictive exercisers. Individuals who are classified as addicted to exercise will be submitted and additional questionnaire that will identify whether the individual has evidence of physiological dependence or no physiological dependence. Conclusion Exercise addiction is a disorder that has many underlying and contributing factors. Previous research did not provide sound information on the mechanisms of exercise dependence. The biopsychosocial model approach to addiction can be used to formulate an intervention for individuals who are diagnosed with exercise addiction. In order to treat an exercise addiction all components of the individual and the disease should be addressed.

FePt Nanoparticle Films Under in-situ Applied Magnetic Field

FePt Nanoparticle Films Under in-situ Applied Magnetic Field Synthesis and characteristics of FePt nanoparticle films under in-situ applied magnetic field Mo-Yun Gao, Xu Qian, Ai-Dong Li*, Xiao-Jie Liu, Yan-Qiang Cao, Chen Li, Di Wu Abstract FePt nanoparticle with L10-phase has extremely high magnetocrystalline anisotropy, good chemical stability, and resistance to oxidation, and has been considered as the most promising candidate for untra-high-density magnetic recording media. In this work, in-situ magnetic field was applied during the synthesis of FePt nanoparticles via a chemical solution method. FePt nanoparticle films were prepared by a dropping method. The effect of in-situ applied magnetic field on the structure, morphology and magnetic properties of FePt nanoparticle films was characterized. Under magnetic field as-synthesized FePt nanoparticles are monodispersed and can be self-assembled over larger area by a dropping method. The chemically ordered L10-phase FePt can be obtained after annealing at 700  °C for 60 min in forming gas (7% H2+93% Ar). It is revealed that applied magnetic field during the synthesis of FePt nanoparticles not only significantly improves the nanoparticles’ c-axis preferred orientation with the larger perpendicular c-axis preferred orientation degree D(001) of 3.47, but also benefits the phase transition of FePt nanoparticles from fcc to fct structure during the annealing process. The FePt nanoparticle films synthes ized under magnetic field also shows some magnetic anisotropy. Keywords: L10-phase FePt; Chemical solution synthesis; Applied magnetic field; C-axis oriented; Magnetic anisotropy 1. Introduction With the rapid development of magnetic recording technique, the superparamagnetic effect becomes the bottleneck to further increase magnetic storage density. The ferromagnetic L10 FePt assemblies with face-centered tetragonal (fct) structure has extremely high magnetocrystalline anisotropy, good chemical stability, and resistance to oxidation [1-3], considered as the most promising candidate for ultra-high-density magnetic recording media. Chemical solution method has become an attractive route to obtain FePt nanoparticles (NPs) with the controllable size, well-defined shape, and ordered monolayer assemblies since Sun et al. made great success in preparing monodisperse FePt NPs [4]. Based on this, a lot of studies have been conducted to explore and optimize the synthesis of FePt NPs, such as modifying fabrication methods [5-13], optimizing assembly methods [7,14-21] and fabricating FePt one-dimensional nanorods /nanowires [22-28] and so on. As-prepared fcc-FePt NPs need to be transformed to ferromagnetic fct-FePt, high temperature annealing will produce severe grain growth and particle aggregation, leading to the decrease of the particle positional order [29]. Great efforts have been made to suppress the unfavorable phenomenon upon annealing and worked. For example, element such as Ag [30], Au [31], and Sb [32] with low surface energy is doped into FePt NPs to abstain from the influence of annealing by decreasing the phase transition temperature of FePt. However, one defect is that the phase transition temperature is too high to avoid particle aggregation, another is that the morphology of FePt nanoparticle will become uncontrolled and self-assembled array over large area are destroyed after Sb doping. In addition, the core-shell structure of inorganic substance such as ZnO [33,34], MnO [35], NiO [36] and SiO2 [37] covering on FePt NPs solves the problem of sintering and aggregation of NPs. However, as the thickness and morphology of core-shell structure is uncontrolled and there exists strong magnetic dipole interaction between FePt magnetic NPs, making it difficult for self-assembled of NPs and orderly array over large area fail to form. Recently it reported that nonmagnetic films like Al2O3 deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) upon FePt NPs self-assembly array can improve the stability of FePt NPs under high temperature, preventing NPs from sintering and aggregation [38]. Other work like dispersing FePt NPs into the TiO2 substrate by sol-gel is a good way to protect FePt NPs during annealing [39], but element Fe of FePt will be lost in acidic TiO2 sol. In this work, we reported that in-situ magnetic field was applied during the synthesis process of FePt NPs and the dip coating process to form FePt NPs films. The FePt NPs were prepared via chemical reduction of Pt(acac)2 and thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)5 under different magnetic conditions in the presence of oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OAm) at 220à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. The prepared FePt NPs films were than annealed at 700 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 60 min in forming gas (7% H2 + 93% Ar) to form the L10 phase of FePt. It is revealed that applied magnetic field not only significantly improves the c-axis preferred orientation, but also benefits the phase transition of FePt NPs from fcc to fct structure. The FePt NPs thin film synthesized under magnetic field also shows some magnetic anisotropy. Under magnetic field as-synthesized FePt NPs are monodispersed and can be self-assembled over larger area by a dropping method. 2. Experimental 2.1 Synthesis of FePt NPs FePt nanoparticles were synthesized through a standard polyol process with a modified synthetic condition using standard airless procedures under a gentle flow of pure nitrogen (N2) [12,39]. Typically, the FePt nanoparticles were prepared via chemical reduction of Pt(acac)2 and thermal decomposition of Fe(CO)5 under different magnetic conditions in the presence of oleic acid (OA) and oleylamine (OAm) at 220à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™. In a typical procedure, 0.125 mmol of Pt(acac)2 was mixed with 20 mL of phenyl ether under the gentle nitrogen gas flow. The mixture was heated to 50 °C, and stir until the platinum source dissolved completely in the solvent. After that the mixed solution was heated to 150 °C and 40 ÃŽ ¼L of oleic acid (OA),42.5 ÃŽ ¼L of oleylamine (OAm), and 80 ÃŽ ¼L of Fe(CO)5 were added step by step under different magnetic conditions with continuous stream of nitrogen. After that, the solution was heated up to 220  °C at the rate of 10  °C per minute., and refluxed for 30 min under the nitrogen protection. After the prepared black solution cooling down to the room temperature naturally, 50 ÃŽ ¼L of oleic acid (OA), 50 ÃŽ ¼L of oleylamine (OAm) and absolute ethanol were added into the mixture to a total volume of 80 mL. The black products were then precipitated by centrifugation (8000 r/min for 10 min) and the solution supernatant was discarded. The precipitate was then dissolved in 10 mL of hexane and precipitated again in 40 mL of absolute ethanol by centrifugation. The black FePt NPs were synthesized by repeating the separation process for 2~3 times. The magnetic NPs were dispersed in 6 mL of octane and stored in brown glass bottle under the nitrogen conditions. 2.2 Preparation of FePt NPs films Assembled FePt NPs on the HF-treated n-Si (100) substrates (1.0Ãâ€"1.0 cm2) were prepared by droping a drop of 2 mg/mL FePt solution (FePt NPs dispersed in octane) including a small amount of OA and OAm. As the organic solvent on the surface of FePt NPs was dried under the protection of N2 at room temperature, the FePt NPs were then heated to 120  °C and maintained for 2h in the baking oven to remove the organic solvent completely. In-situ magnetic field was applied in a patr of the samples during the dip coating process to form FePt NP films and another part were in nonmagnetic field for comparison. Three kinds of samples with different external magnetic field applied during the synthesis process and the dip coating process were listed in Table 1. The prepared FePt NP films were than annealed at 700 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã†â€™ for 60 min in forming gas (7% H2 + 93% Ar) with a rising speed of 5  °C/min to form ordered fct-FePt before characterization. 2.3 Characterization The structure and crystalline phase were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD, D/max 2000, Rigaku) using Cu KÃŽ ± radiation (ÃŽ » = 1.5406 Ã…) operated at 40 kV and 40 mA. The morphology and microstructure of various samples were characterized using a transmission electron microscopy (TEM, Tecnai G2 F20 S-twin, FEI) operating at 200 kV. The compositions of all samples were analysed by the energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) attached to a field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM, Zeiss). Magnetic properties of the fct-FePt were measured by a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID, MPMS XL-7, Qauntum Design) with a maximum field of 35 kOe. 3. Results and discussion Figure 1 (a) and (b) show the XRD patterns of unannealed and annealed FePt NPs films under different magnetic conditions. In Fig. 1 (a), the emergence of two broad peak at 40.3 o and 46.9 o of all samples which represent the Bragg peaks (111) and (200) illustrate the fcc-FePt NPs of average grain size of 4.1 nm calculated by Scherrer equation were obtained. It is obvious that in sample 2# and 3#, the peak (200) are stronger and closer to the highest peak (111) where diffraction is most likely to occur compared with sample 1# without magnetic field applied, indicating that in-situ magnetic field applied during the synthesis process exhibit the trend for FePt NPs to align perpendicular to the (100) crystal plane. While magnetic field applied during dip coating process make no obvious effect before anneal via comparing sample 2# with 3#. High temperature annealing make the phase transform from fcc to fct as indicated by the emergence of the Bragg peaks of (001), (110), (002) and (201) a s shown in Fig. 1 (b). The Bragg peak (001) and (002) are much stronger with the magnetic field applied during the synthesis process among which the intensity of peak (001) has been ahead of main peak (111) and peak (002) split from peak (200) are higher than peak (200) apparently. It means that the fct-FePt NPs films with the magnetic field applied during the synthesis process after high temperature annealing exhibit c-axis preferred orientation that is fct-FePt NPs align along the c-axis perpendicular to the surface of films which is the easy axis of magnetization [40]. Magnetic field applied during both during the synthesis process and the dip coating process has slightly improve c-axis preferred orientation, inferior to sample 2#. We define the degree of c-axis preferred orientation D(001) of fct-FePt in direction [001] as follows [41]: D(001)= (I(001)/I(111))measure/(I(001)/I(111))standard where (I(001)/I(111))standard=0.3 is got in diffraction patterns of fct-FePt powder with random orientation, while (I(001)/I(111))measure can be calculated from the XRD patterns of annealed sample 1#, 2# and 3#. Degree of the chemical ordering parameter S was introduced to illustrate the degree of order of FePt NPs films quantificationally. It is defined as follows[42,43]: S2=[1-(c/a)measure]/[1-(c/a)standard] where c and a are the lattice constants for the fct-FePt, evaluated from the (001) and (110) Bragg peaks of the XRD patterns and the axial ratio (c/a)measure for the partially ordered phase can be calculated then. For the fully ordered-phase FePt, (c/a)complete = 0.9657. Some data of samples under different magnetic conditions are listed in Table 2, including unannealedI(200)/I(111), annealed I(001)/I(111), degree of the chemical ordering parameter S and degree of c-axis preferred orientation D(001). It is easily seen from Table 2 that samples 2# and 3# with external magnetic field applied have a certain degree of [200] preferred orientation before anneal, making [001] preferred orientation more obvious after anneal. Comparing the degree of the chemical ordering parameter S of all samples, we can see that applied magnetic field during the synthesis of FePt nanoparticles not only significantly improves the NPs’ c-axis preferred orientation with the larger perpendicular c-axis preferred orientation degree D(001) of 3.47, but also benefits the phase transition of FePt NPs from fcc to fct structure during the annealing process. The reason for obvious c-axis preferred orientation may attribute to the anisotropy induced by external magnetic field during the nucleation of FePt for that applied magnetic field changed the barrier of nucleation in different orientation ,making the ratio I(200)/I(111) bigger in superparamagnetic particles and a-axis orientation enhanced, which is mor e likely to be transformed to c-axis orientation during the process of films formation and high temperature annealing. 4. Conclusion Acknowledge This project is supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51202107), a grant from the State Key Program for Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2011CB922104), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities. Ai-Dong Li also thanks the support of Priority Academic Program Development in the Jiangsu Province and the Doctoral Fund of Ministry of Education of China (Grant No. 20120091110049). References [1] S. H. Sun, Adv. Mater. 18 (2006) 393. [2] H. Zeng, J. Li, J. P. Liu, Z. L. Wang, and S. H. Sun, Nature. 420 (2002) 395. [3] D. Weller, A. Moser, L. Folks, M. E. Bet, W. Lee, M. Toney, M. Schwieckert, J. U. Thieleand, and M. F. Doerner, IEEE Trans. Magn. 36 (2000) 10. [4] S. H. Sun, C. B. Murray, D. Weller, L. Folks, A. Moser, Science 287 (2000) 1989. [5] B. Jeyadevan, K. Urakawa, A. Hobo, N. Chinnasamy, K. Shinoda, K. Tohji, D. D. J. Djayaprawira, M. Tsunoda, M. Takahashi, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. Part 2 42 (2003) L350. [6] M. 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Soc. 125 (2003) 7528. [25] T. L. da Silva, L. C. Varanda, Nano Res. 4, 7 (2011) 666. [26] H. G. Liao, L. K. Cui, S. Whitelam, H. M. Zheng, Science 336 (2012) 1011. [27] N. Poudyal, G. S. Chaubey, V. Nandwana, C. B. Rong, K. Yano, J. P. Liu, Nanotechnology 19 (2008) 355601. [28] M. Chen, T. Pica, Y. B. Jiang, P. Li, K. Yano, J. P. Liu, A. K. Datye, H.Y. Fan, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 129 (2007) 6348. [29] J. M. Qiu, P. Wang, Appl. Phys. Lett. 88, 19 (2006) 192505. [30] S. S. Kang, J. W. Harrell, D. E. Nikles, Nano Lett. 2 (2002) 1033. [31] S. S. Kang, Z. Y. Jia, D. E. Nikle, J. W. Harrell, IEEE Trans. Magn. 39 (2003) 2753. [32] Q. Y. Yan, T. Kim, A. Purkayastha, Y. Xu, M. Shima, R. J. Gambino, G. Ramanath, J. Appl. Phys. 99 (2006) 08N709. [33] H. Zeynali, H. Akbali, R. K. Ghasabeh, S. Arumugam, Z. Chamanzadeh, G. Kalaiselvan, Nano 7 (2012) 1250043. [34] T. J. Zhou, M. H. Lu, Z. H. Zhang, H. Gong, W. S. Chin, B. Liu, Adv. Mater. 22 (2010) 403. [35] S. S. Kang, G. X. Miao, S. Shi, Z.Jia, D. E. 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Privacy in Cyberspace Essay -- Internet Essays

Privacy in Cyberspace Computers and the Internet have changed many things in the world today. People surf the web on a daily bases for information and entertainment. The Internet is making things like paying your bills from home a possibility. This was something that you had to leave the house to do, even if it was just dropping a check in the mail. Now you can pay your bills and buy your groceries, with every thing being just a point and a click away. Other things that can be done on the Internet is E-mail and stock trading. The police and the FBI have even used the Internet to capture and convict criminals. All this new technology is coming at us so fast and from so many places. Such as television, magazines and news papers, pushing to buy sell or trade on the Internet. Yet how much do we know about what happens when you buy something or E-mail someone, who sees all this information. Could some Internet criminal get my credit card numbers, or bank account information. Many people in to days world do a great deal of their finical business on the Internet. Yet who is to say that people who the message is being sent are the only ones who will be reading it. You must remember that when you log on and send a message to someone that it could go through many systems before it gets to its final destination. While being sent through the system any one can read what was sent, and it is not illegal if it is readily accessible to the public. As you are looking at other peoples computers they can be looking at your computer. Many browsers keep track of where you have been on the Internet by using cookies. A cookie file is a small piece of information that a web server can store. However cookies are not without their problems. On... ...to your encrypted files then someone else could also. This issue should go one way or the other. It is either you take the risk of letting everyone have a chance to access what you wrote, or nobody has access to it. If nobody has access or control over what is going on then it could become a criminals play ground. Yet if we let people have access to our accounts, we have some degree of safety, at the cost of our privacy. I look at it this way if you don=t want people to see your underwear drying on a close line don=t put them on the line to start with. The same goes for your E-mail if you don=t want other people to read it then don=t send it. It is the same thing with keeping a secret once you tell one person they could tell some one else, that is why they say that three people can keep a secret if two are dead. Source Privacy in Cyberspace privacyright.org

Destructive Love in Toni Morrisons Song of Solomon Essay examples --

Destructive Love in Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon When an emotion is believed to embody all that brings bliss, serenity, effervescence, and even benevolence, although one may believe its encompassing nature to allow for generalizations and existence virtually everywhere, surprisingly, directly outside the area love covers lies the very antithesis of love: hate, which in all its forms, has the potential to bring pain and destruction. Is it not for this very reason, this confusion, that suicide bombings and other acts of violence and devastation are committedÂ…in the name of love? In Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon, the reader experiences this tenuity that is the line separating love and hate in many different forms and on many different levelsÂâ€"to the extent that the line between the two begins to blur and become indistinguishable. Seen through Ruth's incestuous love, Milkman and Hagar's relationship, and Guitar's love for African-Americans, if love causes destruction, that emotion is not true love; in essence, such destructiv e qualities of "love" only transpire when the illusion of love is discovered and reality characterizes the emotion to be a parasite of love, such as obsession or infatuation, something that resembles love but merely inflicts pain on the lover. As her "daddy's daughter", there is little doubt that a form of love exists between Ruth Dead and Dr. Foster; however, such love is not truly love because as evidenced by Ruth's subsequent life, the filial relationship better resembles an emotional dependence that Ruth took for granted (67). The great emotional schism within her that is the result of her father's death leaves Ruth dysfunctional: she is unable to emote towards other, especially her family. Instead, ... ... Sunday man. He has instead become his cause, and the person behind that cause has been lost. In Song of Solomon, through many different types of love, Ââ€"Ruth's incestuous love, Milkman and Hagar's romantic love, and Guitar's love for his race, Ââ€"Toni Morrison demonstrates not only the readiness with which love will turn into a devastating and destructive force, but also the immediacy with which it will do so. Morrison tackles the amorphous and resilient human emotion of love not to glorify the joyous feelings it can effect but to warn readers of love's volatile nature. Simultaneously, however, she gives the reader a clear sense of what love is not. Morrison explicitly states that true love is not destructive. In essence, she illustrates that if "love" is destructive, it is most likely, a mutation of love, something impure, because love is all that is pure and true.

pirating goods :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Pirating goods A man walks into a movie theater buys a ticket and takes his seat. He sits in the back row as not to disturb anyone with his large hat. The movie finishes and one hour later I’m watching the movie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"God bless the INTERNET†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  According to Hoovers online Business network more then 800 billion dollars was spent last year on Software, Music, Movies and games. Now that’s a lot of money. I’m going to show you how to download all those things that people spent 800 Billion dollars on last year for free.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I know about piracy because movies and other such copyrighted items seem to materialize in my possession.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Well you already know how the process begins if you want to find out how it gets to the internet and even how to get it for yourself and save money then listen on.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When that person got home he connected his video camera to a computer. Then he transferred the movie to his computer and the deed was done. All anyone would have to do now to get the movie was use a file sharing service similar to Napster and now they to have the movie. And if two people get the movie from each person who has it and the cycle continues everyone who wants that movie and knows about the process will have it. Sounds easy doesn’t it? Well it is.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  File sharing has recently taken a new route with the addition of features, which allow us to not only share music, which we can still happily due, but also things like complete movies, pictures, and even programs. So anyone want the new windows operating system WINDOWS XP its their. I know because I have it. And the best part is if you know how to use Napster you know how to use these programs. Now the best WEB SITE for finding such programs is WWW.ZEROPAID.COM. There you will find about 26 different Napster like services, which can be used to download music, pictures and yes movies. Whether classics like Clockwork Orange or brand new releases like The Score (which I happen to have and a side not for those of you planning to watch it DON’T) no matter what it is your guaranteed to find it somewhere on the internet.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Once you have installed your program of choice I recommend WIN-MX I have found it the easiest to use and I find that it has one of the largest selections

Advertising & Sales Promotion on Cement Industry

ASSIGNMENT ADVERTISING & SALES PROMOTION CEMENT INDUSTRY PROF. ANAND DESAI SATISHKUMAR BIRADAR Roll no 07 (MMM IV) The cement industry has come a long way since 1914 when the first cement plant was set up at Porbandar. In the past, the government's regulation restricted the growth of the Indian cement industry. The removal of these controls resulted in rapid progress in terms of new capacity creation and higher production. As of March 2012, the country had an installed cement capacity of around 325-330 million tonnes with most of the capacities being added only during the last decade. | Evolution of the cement industry The cement industry is one of India's core sectors. The country's first cement plant was set up in Porbandar, Gujarat in 1914. Earlier, the government regulated the industry with licensing, price and distribution controls. A gradual removal of these controls resulted in rapid capacity creation. Following this, the country moved from a cement scarcity situation to a sur plus position. As of March 2012, the pan India total installed cement capacity stood at around  325-330 million tonnes. Currently, India is the second-largest producer of cement in the world.The evolution of the cement industry in India can be broadly divided into three periods – the period of total government control (up to 1982), the period of partial decontrol (1982 to 1989) and the period of total decontrol (after 1989). Period of total government control Events during the period of government control This period marked the beginning of cement industry where government, with an intention to promote the sector, exercised strict control over the industry. It set out production limits, price as well as the distribution channels that should be employed to sell cement.This was aimed at ensuring fair prices to producers and consumers across the country, thus reducing regional imbalances. The fixed price at which producers would sell cement was based on the cost of production of cement throughout the country plus a marginal profit. This price contained a freight component that was averaged over the country as a whole. If the actual freight component of a manufacturer was lower than that included in the uniform price, producers had to pass on the amount to the pool sum, representing the difference between the uniform price freight component and the freight costs incurred by them.On the other hand, if the actual freight incidence was higher than the freight element accounted for in the uniform price, producers were reimbursed the difference. This freight pooling system encouraged producers to set up manufacturing plants across the country. Before this system, the industry was concentrated in the eastern part of the country where accesses to raw materials were readily available. However, a drawback of this system was the lack of incentive to producers to minimise costs since they would be reimbursed by the uniform pricing system.As a result, the average cos t of production as well as demand for scarce railway capacity increased. Period of partial government decontrol Events during the period of partial decontrol On account of inefficiencies of the uniform price system, the government introduced a system of partial decontrol in 1982. A levy quota of 66. 6 per cent for sales to the government was imposed on existing units while for new and sick units the quota was lowered to 50 per cent. The balance 33. 4 per cent could be sold in the open market to general consumers.A ceiling price was set for sales in the open market to protect consumers from unreasonable high pricing. During this period, cement producers were able to earn profits from the levy sale to government at fixed prices. But for the non-levy sales, profits decreased as there was a sudden increase in cement supply in the open market which led to greater competition among the manufacturers. During this period, the government gradually reduced the levy quota and increased retenti on prices  in order to  increase the profitability on sales in the open market.Period of total decontrol Events post decontrol In 1989, the government removed all price and distribution controls. The system of freight pooling was scrapped and a subsidy scheme, to ensure availability of cement at reasonable prices in remote and hilly regions, was implemented. This opened up opportunities in the industry and was marked by huge investments in the coming years. Industry structure As of March 2012, the total installed cement capacity  Ã‚  in India stood at approximately  325-330 million tonnes.The industry can be broadly classified into pan-India, regional and standalone players. Pan-India players include large players like Holcim group companies- ACC and Ambuja   and Aditya Birla group company- UltraTech Cement (including Samruddhi Cement)  . Companies of both these groups are adding capacities through either greenfield or brownfield expansions. Players whose presence is res tricted to one or two regions, with a stronghold in the markets of their respective operations are included in the category of regional players.Key examples of players included in this segment are Jaiprakash Associates (North and Central), Lafarge (concentrated in the East), India Cement (South), Shree Cement (North), Binani Cement (North), Kesoram Industries (South),  Chettinad Cement (South), Dalmia Cement (South), Madras Cement (South) etc. Players like Panyam Cement, Penna Cement, etc, are concentrated  and operational  in few states within a region. Owing to their largely local reach, these players are classified as standalone players. Industry structure as of March 2012Industry status There’s something about walls and advertising. It’s ironic, really. On the one hand, you have telecom brand Airtel talking of breaking down walls (‘Deewarein Gir Jaati Hain’), while on the other, you have Ambuja Cement talking of unbreakable walls (‘Yeh Deew aar Nahin Tootegi’). Obviously, the context is vastly different in the two cases, but one can’t help but notice the strikingly opposite thoughts, executed along similar lines. | The demolition talks in progress| | Boy, interrupted| | Bulldozer fails| |The stumped builder| | Rejoicing children| | ‘Ambuja Cement. Yeh Deewaar nahin tootegi'| A new television commercial (TVC) for Ambuja Cement, created by Grey Worldwide, revolves around the story of a wall that doesn’t break, seasoned with an emotional (almost humanitarian) twist. The TVC opens on a shot of the caretaker of an orphanage introducing the children to a Mr Choksi. She tells them that Choksi is going to build a hotel on the site of the orphanage. At this point, a little boy says to Choksi, â€Å"Sir, par last time†¦ † but he is shushed by an older boy. The following morning, the heartless Choksi arrives with bulldozer in tow. At his signal, the bulldozer delivers a powerful blow on the building, but is unable to bring it down. The little boy tries to explain again, but is stopped midway again by the elder one. Choksi tries his best, but is not able to demolish the orphanage. As he wonders about the strength of the building, the little boy says, â€Å"Arre sir, last time bhi yeh deewar nahin tooti thi (Sir, even last time, this wall could not be broken down). As a disappointed Choksi leaves with his men, the children and their caretaker start dancing in joy, and the voiceover concludes, â€Å"Ambuja Cement. Yeh Deewaar Nahin Tootegi. † For the longest time ever, Ambuja has been harping on its ‘giant compressive strength’ proposition; the brand even created the visual of a ‘giant’ and then a broken hammer. Perhaps its most memorable ad was the one involving two estranged brothers trying to break down the wall that runs between their houses (Bhai Bhai, featuring Boman Irani, which was released six years ago).After that humorous attem pt, came some ads which presented the brand in a sentimental vein (the Dadi ad), a move that Vivek Deshpande, Ambuja Cement’s vice-president for brand and promotions, agrees was rather disastrous, so much so that the Bhai Bhai ad was recalled. â€Å"Our new ad is a correction of this,† he says, adding that the brand will now strike a balance between emotion and humour. The new film clearly explores a situation where a wall should not break for the right reasons.Priti Nair, national creative director, Grey Worldwide, says that the strength of the wall was juxtaposed with the strength of character of the orphanage caretaker and the children. â€Å"Cement is a low involving category,† says Nair. So, the children element and the often used Bollywood type plot (victory of good over evil) were added to make the ad more entertaining. Nair and her team wanted to stay away from the stereotypical ‘milavat (adulteration)’ type ads for cement, or even those inv olving big buildings and pride of ownership. â€Å"We wanted to show the victory of the underdogs,† she explains.The ad has been directed by Abhinay Deo of Ramesh Deo Productions, who says that the film had to strike a perfect pathos-humour balance. Interestingly, the initial idea was to show that the kids are also surprised when the wall doesn’t crack. â€Å"But we ruled that out,† Deo says, because the innocence of a small boy trying desperately to make the big, bad builder understand what his predecessors couldn’t do, would add to the fun element. â€Å"Another older child warning him to stay quiet in a rather knowing fashion builds the suspense,† he grins.

Causes and Consequences of World War I Essay

Belief in inevitability of war and advocacy of war to become supreme major cause for WW1. 5. Anglo-german naval rivalry Britain was supreme at sea and was challenged by germany. Britain couldn’t accept this. The rivalry culminated in WW1. 6. Absence of international organisation Concert of europe was informal group of nations aftr napoleans defeat but couldn’t control its member and didn’t represent the entire free world. The system of pacific settlement of international disputes set up by the hague conference was unsatisfactory. And couldn’t contain imperial rivalries. 7. Negative role of the press in creating war psychology despite attempts of governments to normalise their relations. 8. Autrian and serbian rivalry Austria-hungary wanted access to sea at the cost of slav territories and serbia represented slav nationalism. The two had contradictory aims. This led to a conflict of interest and was encouraged by the russian czar as well building grounds for war. 9. Personal ambitions of leader. Kaiser william II of germany, austra-hungary, russian leaders(czar and his wife). 10. The Sarajevo incident Annexation of bosnia-herzegovina by austria in 1908, 2 balkan wars, italian annexation of tripolo ,moroccan crisis along with the japanese threat to peace in the background, the assassination of the crown price of austria-hungary, archduke franze ferdinand with his wife in sarajevo june,1914 was a direct cause for WW1. Consequences The results of the great war were almost as numerous as its causes. By the end of the world war in 1918, american president woodrow wilson proposed peace and made a statement of war aims in his famous ’14 points’ 1. Open covenant of peace,openly arrived at and Abolition of secret diplomacy 2. Absolute freedom of navigation at sea, outside territorial waters in peace and war except by international action. 3. Removal of eco barriers and establishment of equal trade conditions 4. Reduction in national armaments to the point only needed for domestic security 5. Free,open minded and impartial adjustment of all colonial claims 6. Evacuation of all russia territory and allowing its to politically develop in acc with her own national policy 7. Evacuation and restoration of Belgium 8. Same for france and return of alsace and Lorraine to it. 9. Readjustment of italian frontiers along clear line of nationality 10. Freest opportunity of autonomous devt for people of austria-hungary 11. Evacuation and restoration of romania,serbia and montenegro and free access to sea for serbia 12. Autonomous devt of the non turkish possessions of the sultan 13. Resurrection of independent polan with access to sea. 14. Formation of a general association of nations for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of pol independence and territorial integrity to small n great alike. These were accepted but not followed by the european nations of the peace conference and were later rejected by the american senate after woodrow wilson lost his popularity and presented them befre the senate. Paris peace conference Fightin in WW1 ended with complete surrender of germany in nov,1918. Representatives of allied and associated powers assembled at paris on 18 jan 1919 to draw a new map of europe and the world. Selection of paris as venue unfortunate decision. It was done to take revenge from germany for the french humiliation at the hall of mirrors in versailles aftr the french defeat in the franco-prussian war. The conference was a victors club as none of the leaders of the defeated countries attended it as they were allowed no say in the conference. The conference was dominated by 4 leaders- woodrow wilson, PM lloyd george of britain, PM of france george celemnceau, italian PM vittorio orlando. It was at this conference that the treaty of Versailles was signed, officially ending WW1 on 28th july 1919. Provisions of treaty of versailles 1. Territorial provisions territorial changes in respect of germany. †¢alsace and lorraine returned to france †¢eupene,malmady and mernet given to belgium east germany given to posen †¢ Parts of west prussia and silesia to poland. Poland given access to to sea at the cost of german by way of corridor in west prussia. †¢port memel and hinterland taken away but fate undecided. Later given to lithuania. †¢coal mining area of saar demanded by france by nt given to france. Only under temporary control of france. Aftr 15 years- plebiscite conducted whether saar wants to go to germany, france or remain with league of nations †¢ Ausrtia-hungary broken up into small states. New austria small ger speaking landlocked state. Due to fears of france, germany and austria prevented from uniting without permission of league of nations of which france was permanent member. †¢small german territory also given to czechoslovakia. †¢germany also lost all colonies which were taken up by other powers of league of nations. 2. Economic provisions of reparation. †¢War indemnity cudnt be imposed on germany because a)cost of war borne by allies impossible to return for germany b)woodrow wilson against war indemnity since war cost weren’t only borne by allies but also by defeated powers. so allies demanded compensation for indiscriminate bombing and loss of lives at the hands of germany †¢no payable amount was fixed. A reparation commission set up to determine the extent of civilian losses keeping in mind germanys capacity to pay back. †¢germany was to gives horses and cattle to france n belgium and coal to france,belgium n italy. It was to surrender it submarine telegraph cables to allies and surrender all merchant ships more than 1600 tonnes. †¢default on part of germany was punishable by allies †¢customs union between Luxembourg and germany abolished to end german control over luxembourg economy. repartion commission submitted its report in april 1921 and total amount payable by germany was 6,600,000,000 pounds. †¢germany ws to giv trade facilities of certain commodities to allies. Acces to sea to Czechoslovakia and Switzerland. †¢german rivers and canal internationalised. 3. Disarmament †¢principle of reduction of arms incorporated in covenant of league. But it was not followed by allied powers. There were severe disarmament provisions for germany that made her a military cripple †¢army limited to 100,000 troops and 4000 officers. Recruitment only voluntarily. †¢navy limited to 6 battle ships,6 light cruisers,12 destroyers and 12 torpedo boats. No submarines. Strength of navy only 15000 men and 1500 officers. War ships in excess were to be dismantled. †¢debarred from having an air force and naval aircrafts. †¢german general staff abolished. Allied control commission set up to supervise enforce of these clauses. Set up ws to be funded by germany again. 4. War and guilt crimes †¢germany declared solely responsible for war by article 231 of treaty. german emporer kaiser william II was found guilty of violation of treaties and international law. He sought asylum in netherlands who refused to hand him over to allies for a trial. †¢german people could never accept that their country alone was responsible for the war. 5. Provisions regarding international organisation †¢1st part of treaty provided for the establishment of a world organisation to be known as league of nations. †¢ Its constitution,called covenant, was adopted at the paris conference and included all peace treaties. It was to consist of an assembly,council and secretariat. †¢ A permanent court of international justice and international labour organisation was to be set up. †¢ These bodies were meant to maintain peace,settle international disputes peacefully,punish countries who may break the covenant and improve social and economic life all over the world. The guarantees of the enforcement of the treat were written in part XIV according to which until successful execution of the treaty the entire Rhineland(west of rhine with bridgeheads) would be occupied by allied powers. Germany was ultimately reduced from a world power to an insignificant small power. She was forced to give up monarchy and accept democracy which was something the country wasn’t prepared for. The treaty was so humiliating that the german had sworn revenge for it. The seeds for WW2 had been sown. Hitler later exploited this situation and imposed dictatorship in 1933 and began rearmament under the excuse that the allies had not reduced their armaments. This led to another arms race,violation of the treaty and eventually culminated in the second world war. Other treaties †¢treaty of st. ermain with austria on the model of treaty of versailles with excpetion of the reparation clause. †¢treaty of neuilly with bulgaria †¢treaty of tianon with hungary †¢treaties of sevres and luasanne with defeated turkey to separate its constituents and reduce military capacity and pay reparation Fall of Ottoman empire Its fall during the war created many newly independent middle eastern nation states which were quickly taken over by britain france etc. Economic depression The end of the war also caused a temporary economic bubble which soon popped and led to the great depression.

Marvel

Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group Chen Ziqiang Wu Libin Lin Yingshuai Deng Linli Lim Yihao 2011/11/29 1. Why did Marvel file for Chapter 11? Were the proble ms caused by bad luck, bad strategy, or bad execution? We think that Marvel filed for Chapter 11 mainly due to its bad business strategy. Three o f its six b usiness lines, Trading cards, Stickers and Comic Books started facing the decline in sales after year 1993. There were two main reasons for this decline: F irst, these businesses increasingly had to compete with a lternative forms of child entertainment (mainly video games).Second, the decline in sales was driven by disappointed collectors who had viewed comic books as a form of investment and stopped buying them as company stopped increasing the prices. We believe that the company should have foreseen these events while performing a market research and forming a long- term business and financial strategy. The three unpromising business lines account ed to 61% of total revenues of a company in year 1995. At the same time, the company's financial strategy was based on highly optimistic business expectations and was not suitable for unfavorable turn of demand for entertainment products towards video games.Due to its high leverage (52%), the company was not able to serve all the debt in case of sharply declining revenues. It is obvious that the company did not anticipate the cha nge in customers' preferences and was wrong in prediction of market trends, focusing on cards, stickers and publishing business lines and leveraging itself. Moreover, in 1995 Marvin continued its leveraged expansion into entertainment cards b usiness – acquiring Skybox. This decision was extremely imprudent, as the company was already on the threshold of financial distress and should have sought for high growth pportunities to expand in order to boost its revenues instead of adding debt to buy business whic h produces non- demanded products. Operatin g ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Sales 115. 1 223. 8 415. 2 Cost of Sales 58. 2 112. 6 215. 3 Cost of sales/ Sales 50. 6% 50. 3% 51. 9% SG&A 21. 4 43. 4 85. 3 SG&A/Sales 18. 6% 19. 4% 20. 5% Net Income 16. 1 32. 6 56 Net Income/Sales 14. 0% 14. 6% 13. 5% 1994 514. 8 275. 3 53. 5% 119. 7 23. 3% 61. 8 12. 0% 1995 823. 9 383. 3 46. 2% 231. 3 27. 9% – 48. 4 – 5. 8% 1996 581. 2 372. 4 61. 4% 168 28. 9% – 27. 9 – 4. 8%As can be seen in the table above, Marvels operating ratios dropped dramatically. The cost of Sales/Sales rose from 51% in 1991 to 62% in 1996, together with the SG&A expenses/Sales rising from 19% to 29%. Additionally Marvels Net Income/Sales dropped from 14% to – 5%. Leverage ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Total Debt 355,3 324,7 Shares outstanding 97,7 98,6 102,6 Share price 5 12 26 Market value of equity 488,5 1183,2 2667,6 Debt/ D+E 23,1% 10,9% EBITDA 35,5 67,8 114,6 EBITDA/SALES 30,8% 30,3% 27,6% Int erest expenses 3,50 6,50 14,60 EBITDA/Interest 10,1 10,4 7,8 1994 585,7 103,7 16 1659,2 6,1% 119,8 23,3% 16,50 7,3 1995 934,8 101,3 12 1215,6 43,5% 214,7 25,9% 43,20 5,0 1996 977 101,8 4 407,2 70,6% 40,8 7,0% 42,70 1,0 Compare the management policy and the leverage ratios from that time together with its operating ratios, we believe Marvel made an extremely impudent move to acquire Skybox in 1995. While their operating margins where deteriorating and their leverage coverage ratio (EBITDA/Interest) where falling, they should have acquired a different policy. For all above stated reasons, we believe that the company's financial problems were caused mainly by bad strategy and poor management. . Evaluate the proposed restructuring plan. Will it solve the proble ms that caused Marvel to file Chapter 11? As Carl Icahn, the largest unsecured debt holder, would you vote for the proposed restructuring plan? Why or why not? A. ) We believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of th e problems that Marvel is facing. We also believe that the proposed restructuring plan will not solve the actual problems that Marvel is facing but only provide temporary relief to the company that is not sustainable.The proposed restructuring plan aims at providing liquidity to Marvel, lifting its debt burden and expanding its existing toy business. This is to be achieved by means of a recapitalization of the company through an emission of 427mn additional shares of common equity fo r a total value of USD 365mn. Additionally, the outstanding public debt of the company shall be retired with debt holders being paid in the shares that acted as collateral for their loans. With the proceeds of the emission and the lowered debt burden, Marvel is then supposed to acquire the remaining stake in ToyBiz, its toy manufacturer subsidiary.The recapitalization through the issue of 427mn new shares would solve the acute liquidity problems of the firm and the retirement of the firm’s public d ebt would lower the debt burden of the firm significantly. However, we believe that Marvel, under the proposed plan, would use its newly gained liquidity and flexibility to the wrong end. The acquisition of the remaining shares of ToyBiz would mean the continuation of an already ill- fated strategy that led to the current crisis.We therefore believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of the problems that Marvel is facing. More precisely, the plan offers a solution for the symptoms of the underlying problems only. It solves the liquidity problem that caused Marvel to violate some of its debt covenants and it also lowers the company’s debt burden. The core problem in our view, the business strategy of Marvel, is not abandoned but even pursued further. B. ) I would not you vote for the proposed restructuring plan.The shares being p ledged to their bonds as collateral are valued largely lower now than they were when the bonds were first issued , which result in t hey can only recover a fraction of the face value of their bonds in the form of equity now and a breaking even again seems questionable. This argument does not necessarily hold for the investors who bought the deeply discounted bonds but given the valuat ion of Bear Stearns it is questionable whether they will recover their investment either. 3. How much is Marvel’s equity worth per share under the proposed restructuring plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned?What is your assessment of the pro forma Financial projections and liquidation assumptions? Marvel’s current market price that is 2 dollars before restricting plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned. Table 1: Debt/Equity Ratio With the aim to calculate Marvel’s equity with the proposed a cquisition of Toy Biz we used DCF model. As Debt/Equity ratios are stable (table 1), FCFE is used to calculate the cash flow with the following assumptions. Table 2: Assumptions Assume: Discount Rate is equal to average Annual Return on Investments in Stocks from 1997 to 2001. *Annual Returns data is from histretSP. xls (http://pages. tern. nyu. edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/Inv2ed. htm) Table 3: FCFE 401. 7million/528. 8 million = 0. 76 Dollars per share. It shows that Mr. Perelman pays 13. 3% premium for new shares (he pays 0. 85 dollars per share). M arvel’s liquidation value Table 4: Marvel’s liquidation value The liquidation value is 424. 7million via Chapter 7. 4. Will it be difficult for Marvel or other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding company to issue debt in the future? The outstanding debt of Marvel has been downgraded by two rating agencies. In 1995 S and Moody’s downgraded the holding companies’ debt from B to B- .In 1996 Moody’s downgraded Marvel’s public debt. After that, Marvel had announced that it would violate specific bank loan covenants due to decreasing revenues and profits. Downgrading of debt increases the change o f default. After downgrading of debt, the process of probability to default increased substantially. The low credit rating indicates a high risk of defaulting on a loan and, hence leads to high interest rates or the refusal of a loan by the creditor. Investors realize this risk and therefore would demand a higher default premium. The increased default pre miums raised the cost of capital for the holding company.Given the increased risk premium and default possibilities, Marvel and other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding group would having more difficulties issuing new debt in the future. Debt holders and creditors where raising questions about the integrity on the judgment decisions from Perelman. Judge Balick approved Marvel did not discriminate unfairly against non- affecting creditor classes and provided it was fair and equitable to all classes. In reaction, a lawyer challenged the Bearn Stern’s conclusions and insinuated Bearn Sterns had multiple levels of co nflicts due to the contingency fee provided by Perelman.In the end even the Vice – Chairman of the Andrew group had to come with a statement to overcome all the negative sounds in the market. Anyhow it looks like Perelman’s reputation was damaged already. 5. Why did the price of Marvel’s zero-coupon bonds drop on Tuesday, Nov 12, 1996? Why did portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam sell their bonds on Friday, Nov 8,1996? On Nov 12, 1996, Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds fell by more than 50% when the spokesman for the Andrews Group announced the details of the proposed restructuring plan.According to the announcement, Perelman was to purchase, through Perelman- related entities, 410 million shares of newly- issued Marvel common for $0. 85 per share, 81% discount to the then prevailing market price of $4. 625. The newly- issued stock would not be subject to the pledge of Perelman- owned Marvel stock that otherwise secured the bonds. The announcement of this self- dealing transaction was in no way foreshadowed by Marvels' prior public statements and conflicted with the covenants in the indentures to the bonds.Therefore, the market prices of the bonds to decline suddenly as the collateral t hat supported the bonds. Perelman's Marvel common stock holdings pre- proposed transaction was diluted from 80% of the equity in Marvel to less than 16%. The terms of the prospective transaction required Marvel to increase the number of its outstanding shares to approximately 511. 6 million shares from 101. 8 million, diluting Marvel common stockholders and greatly reducing the value of the shares that were pledged as collateral for the bonds. So it greatly impaired and reduced the value of the bonds.In fac t, Marvel bondholders were divested of virtually the whole of their collateral while Perelman would maintain 80% ownership of the firm, purchasing the newly- issued shares at grossly sub- market prices while preserving the ability to write off Marv el's losse s against the reported income in his other consolidated enterprises due to the maintenance of his 80% ownership of the firm. The price of Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds dropped also due to it did not meet the expectation of the debt holders, who analyzed the b ond by fair value or future growth of the firm.In addition, the public would predict that the restructuring plan could not be settled down so that the firm would have a very uncertain future, even bankrupt. Thus, the price declined because a lot of debt holders could not bear the risk for getting nothing and sold out their debts. On Nov 8, 1996, Howard Gittis, vice chairman of Andrews Group, called Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments, two of the largest institutional holders of Marvel’s public debt, and asked them what they would like to see in a restructuring plan.Portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam decided to sell more that $70 million of Marvel bonds at a price of $0. 37 per dollar of fac e value on the next day. The main reason for selling by the managers is the conversation between Howard Gittis and them, which caused the managers considering the result of restructuring plan. They believed the plan would disappoint the public depending on their professional judgment. Perhaps, during this conversation, they got some detail information of the plan which proved the present value of Marvel’s bonds was overvalued.It gave the chance for them to avoid tens of millions of additional losses in diminished value that would have followed and suffer t he time they continued to hold the bonds already existing facts were revealed. On the other hand, the managers may worried about the downgrade of the bonds because the requirement of their portfolio allocation which constrained the percentage of the lower graded bonds or prohibited buying such bonds. Therefore, the bonds have to be sold to meet the requirement. Marvel Bankruptcy and Restructuring at Marvel Entertainment Group Chen Ziqiang Wu Libin Lin Yingshuai Deng Linli Lim Yihao 2011/11/29 1. Why did Marvel file for Chapter 11? Were the proble ms caused by bad luck, bad strategy, or bad execution? We think that Marvel filed for Chapter 11 mainly due to its bad business strategy. Three o f its six b usiness lines, Trading cards, Stickers and Comic Books started facing the decline in sales after year 1993. There were two main reasons for this decline: F irst, these businesses increasingly had to compete with a lternative forms of child entertainment (mainly video games).Second, the decline in sales was driven by disappointed collectors who had viewed comic books as a form of investment and stopped buying them as company stopped increasing the prices. We believe that the company should have foreseen these events while performing a market research and forming a long- term business and financial strategy. The three unpromising business lines account ed to 61% of total revenues of a company in year 1995. At the same time, the company's financial strategy was based on highly optimistic business expectations and was not suitable for unfavorable turn of demand for entertainment products towards video games.Due to its high leverage (52%), the company was not able to serve all the debt in case of sharply declining revenues. It is obvious that the company did not anticipate the cha nge in customers' preferences and was wrong in prediction of market trends, focusing on cards, stickers and publishing business lines and leveraging itself. Moreover, in 1995 Marvin continued its leveraged expansion into entertainment cards b usiness – acquiring Skybox. This decision was extremely imprudent, as the company was already on the threshold of financial distress and should have sought for high growth pportunities to expand in order to boost its revenues instead of adding debt to buy business whic h produces non- demanded products. Operatin g ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Sales 115. 1 223. 8 415. 2 Cost of Sales 58. 2 112. 6 215. 3 Cost of sales/ Sales 50. 6% 50. 3% 51. 9% SG&A 21. 4 43. 4 85. 3 SG&A/Sales 18. 6% 19. 4% 20. 5% Net Income 16. 1 32. 6 56 Net Income/Sales 14. 0% 14. 6% 13. 5% 1994 514. 8 275. 3 53. 5% 119. 7 23. 3% 61. 8 12. 0% 1995 823. 9 383. 3 46. 2% 231. 3 27. 9% – 48. 4 – 5. 8% 1996 581. 2 372. 4 61. 4% 168 28. 9% – 27. 9 – 4. 8%As can be seen in the table above, Marvels operating ratios dropped dramatically. The cost of Sales/Sales rose from 51% in 1991 to 62% in 1996, together with the SG&A expenses/Sales rising from 19% to 29%. Additionally Marvels Net Income/Sales dropped from 14% to – 5%. Leverage ratios Marvel Entertainment Group 1991 1992 1993 Total Debt 355,3 324,7 Shares outstanding 97,7 98,6 102,6 Share price 5 12 26 Market value of equity 488,5 1183,2 2667,6 Debt/ D+E 23,1% 10,9% EBITDA 35,5 67,8 114,6 EBITDA/SALES 30,8% 30,3% 27,6% Int erest expenses 3,50 6,50 14,60 EBITDA/Interest 10,1 10,4 7,8 1994 585,7 103,7 16 1659,2 6,1% 119,8 23,3% 16,50 7,3 1995 934,8 101,3 12 1215,6 43,5% 214,7 25,9% 43,20 5,0 1996 977 101,8 4 407,2 70,6% 40,8 7,0% 42,70 1,0 Compare the management policy and the leverage ratios from that time together with its operating ratios, we believe Marvel made an extremely impudent move to acquire Skybox in 1995. While their operating margins where deteriorating and their leverage coverage ratio (EBITDA/Interest) where falling, they should have acquired a different policy. For all above stated reasons, we believe that the company's financial problems were caused mainly by bad strategy and poor management. . Evaluate the proposed restructuring plan. Will it solve the proble ms that caused Marvel to file Chapter 11? As Carl Icahn, the largest unsecured debt holder, would you vote for the proposed restructuring plan? Why or why not? A. ) We believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of th e problems that Marvel is facing. We also believe that the proposed restructuring plan will not solve the actual problems that Marvel is facing but only provide temporary relief to the company that is not sustainable.The proposed restructuring plan aims at providing liquidity to Marvel, lifting its debt burden and expanding its existing toy business. This is to be achieved by means of a recapitalization of the company through an emission of 427mn additional shares of common equity fo r a total value of USD 365mn. Additionally, the outstanding public debt of the company shall be retired with debt holders being paid in the shares that acted as collateral for their loans. With the proceeds of the emission and the lowered debt burden, Marvel is then supposed to acquire the remaining stake in ToyBiz, its toy manufacturer subsidiary.The recapitalization through the issue of 427mn new shares would solve the acute liquidity problems of the firm and the retirement of the firm’s public d ebt would lower the debt burden of the firm significantly. However, we believe that Marvel, under the proposed plan, would use its newly gained liquidity and flexibility to the wrong end. The acquisition of the remaining shares of ToyBiz would mean the continuation of an already ill- fated strategy that led to the current crisis.We therefore believe that the restructuring plan can only solve part of the problems that Marvel is facing. More precisely, the plan offers a solution for the symptoms of the underlying problems only. It solves the liquidity problem that caused Marvel to violate some of its debt covenants and it also lowers the company’s debt burden. The core problem in our view, the business strategy of Marvel, is not abandoned but even pursued further. B. ) I would not you vote for the proposed restructuring plan.The shares being p ledged to their bonds as collateral are valued largely lower now than they were when the bonds were first issued , which result in t hey can only recover a fraction of the face value of their bonds in the form of equity now and a breaking even again seems questionable. This argument does not necessarily hold for the investors who bought the deeply discounted bonds but given the valuat ion of Bear Stearns it is questionable whether they will recover their investment either. 3. How much is Marvel’s equity worth per share under the proposed restructuring plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned?What is your assessment of the pro forma Financial projections and liquidation assumptions? Marvel’s current market price that is 2 dollars before restricting plan assuming it acquires Toy Biz as planned. Table 1: Debt/Equity Ratio With the aim to calculate Marvel’s equity with the proposed a cquisition of Toy Biz we used DCF model. As Debt/Equity ratios are stable (table 1), FCFE is used to calculate the cash flow with the following assumptions. Table 2: Assumptions Assume: Discount Rate is equal to average Annual Return on Investments in Stocks from 1997 to 2001. *Annual Returns data is from histretSP. xls (http://pages. tern. nyu. edu/~adamodar/New_Home_Page/Inv2ed. htm) Table 3: FCFE 401. 7million/528. 8 million = 0. 76 Dollars per share. It shows that Mr. Perelman pays 13. 3% premium for new shares (he pays 0. 85 dollars per share). M arvel’s liquidation value Table 4: Marvel’s liquidation value The liquidation value is 424. 7million via Chapter 7. 4. Will it be difficult for Marvel or other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding company to issue debt in the future? The outstanding debt of Marvel has been downgraded by two rating agencies. In 1995 S and Moody’s downgraded the holding companies’ debt from B to B- .In 1996 Moody’s downgraded Marvel’s public debt. After that, Marvel had announced that it would violate specific bank loan covenants due to decreasing revenues and profits. Downgrading of debt increases the change o f default. After downgrading of debt, the process of probability to default increased substantially. The low credit rating indicates a high risk of defaulting on a loan and, hence leads to high interest rates or the refusal of a loan by the creditor. Investors realize this risk and therefore would demand a higher default premium. The increased default pre miums raised the cost of capital for the holding company.Given the increased risk premium and default possibilities, Marvel and other companies in the MacAndrews and Forbes holding group would having more difficulties issuing new debt in the future. Debt holders and creditors where raising questions about the integrity on the judgment decisions from Perelman. Judge Balick approved Marvel did not discriminate unfairly against non- affecting creditor classes and provided it was fair and equitable to all classes. In reaction, a lawyer challenged the Bearn Stern’s conclusions and insinuated Bearn Sterns had multiple levels of co nflicts due to the contingency fee provided by Perelman.In the end even the Vice – Chairman of the Andrew group had to come with a statement to overcome all the negative sounds in the market. Anyhow it looks like Perelman’s reputation was damaged already. 5. Why did the price of Marvel’s zero-coupon bonds drop on Tuesday, Nov 12, 1996? Why did portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam sell their bonds on Friday, Nov 8,1996? On Nov 12, 1996, Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds fell by more than 50% when the spokesman for the Andrews Group announced the details of the proposed restructuring plan.According to the announcement, Perelman was to purchase, through Perelman- related entities, 410 million shares of newly- issued Marvel common for $0. 85 per share, 81% discount to the then prevailing market price of $4. 625. The newly- issued stock would not be subject to the pledge of Perelman- owned Marvel stock that otherwise secured the bonds. The announcement of this self- dealing transaction was in no way foreshadowed by Marvels' prior public statements and conflicted with the covenants in the indentures to the bonds.Therefore, the market prices of the bonds to decline suddenly as the collateral t hat supported the bonds. Perelman's Marvel common stock holdings pre- proposed transaction was diluted from 80% of the equity in Marvel to less than 16%. The terms of the prospective transaction required Marvel to increase the number of its outstanding shares to approximately 511. 6 million shares from 101. 8 million, diluting Marvel common stockholders and greatly reducing the value of the shares that were pledged as collateral for the bonds. So it greatly impaired and reduced the value of the bonds.In fac t, Marvel bondholders were divested of virtually the whole of their collateral while Perelman would maintain 80% ownership of the firm, purchasing the newly- issued shares at grossly sub- market prices while preserving the ability to write off Marv el's losse s against the reported income in his other consolidated enterprises due to the maintenance of his 80% ownership of the firm. The price of Marvel’s zero- coupon bonds dropped also due to it did not meet the expectation of the debt holders, who analyzed the b ond by fair value or future growth of the firm.In addition, the public would predict that the restructuring plan could not be settled down so that the firm would have a very uncertain future, even bankrupt. Thus, the price declined because a lot of debt holders could not bear the risk for getting nothing and sold out their debts. On Nov 8, 1996, Howard Gittis, vice chairman of Andrews Group, called Fidelity Investments and Putnam Investments, two of the largest institutional holders of Marvel’s public debt, and asked them what they would like to see in a restructuring plan.Portfolio managers at Fidelity and Putnam decided to sell more that $70 million of Marvel bonds at a price of $0. 37 per dollar of fac e value on the next day. The main reason for selling by the managers is the conversation between Howard Gittis and them, which caused the managers considering the result of restructuring plan. They believed the plan would disappoint the public depending on their professional judgment. Perhaps, during this conversation, they got some detail information of the plan which proved the present value of Marvel’s bonds was overvalued.It gave the chance for them to avoid tens of millions of additional losses in diminished value that would have followed and suffer t he time they continued to hold the bonds already existing facts were revealed. On the other hand, the managers may worried about the downgrade of the bonds because the requirement of their portfolio allocation which constrained the percentage of the lower graded bonds or prohibited buying such bonds. Therefore, the bonds have to be sold to meet the requirement.