India Is A Democratic Country

India is a democratic country. Elections form the very basis of democracy. The parliamentary system holds elections for the composition of the government. They are very important for the effective functioning of the democracy. Through the elections, common people are able to raise their voice. They choose representative of their choice. Thus, a government of the people, by the people and for the people. The Indian Parliament is comprised of the head of the country known as the ‘President’ and the two Houses namely The House of the People (Lok Sabha) and The Council of States (Rajya Sabha) which are the legislature.The President of India is indirectly elected, for a 5 year term, and the Electoral College, is used, where the Members of Parliament of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, and the Members of Legislative Assemblies from all the states and Indian territories cast their vote. The Lok Sabha is composed of representatives of people chosen by direct election on t he basis of Universal Adult Suffrage. Lok Sabha has 545 members, 543 members elected for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies and two members appointed to represent the Anglo-Indian community. Lok Sabha Elections, elect the Prime Minister of India.Rajya Sabha has 245 members, 233 members elected for a six-year term, with one-third retiring every two years. Members of Rajya Sabha members are indirectly elected and are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies. The remaining 12 members are nominated by the President of India, usually with the advice of the Prime Minister of India. The individual states have their own governing body known as Vidhan sabha. National and state elections are ordinarily held every five years; they may be postponed in an emergency and may be held more frequently if the government loses a confidence vote.In our country, the policy of adult franchise through a secret ballot is exercised in elections. It is a voting method in which a voter’s choice in an election is confidential. Universal Adult Suffrage or general or common suffrage can be referred to as right to vote to adult citizens. Every citizen of India enjoys the right to vote. In our country India, Indian citizen (adult) of the age 18 or above is eligible to vote for the country irrespective of the caste or race.Any Indian who has attained the minimum age of 18 years on 1st January of the year can register himself or herself as a voter. Mentally challenged persons, the persons on whom Criminal Charges, offences relating to elections are registered cannot vote. The elections votes in election poll play a great role in making a political party a winner or loser. Now a day, the system of electronic voting has been introduced to have a fairer election process. To maximize the participation of voters, polling stations are set up in public institutions within 2 kms of every voter.Thus the ultimate power lies with the people of India; Every c hild whether boy or a girl reading in the schools is the future citizen of the country. Although he or she is not immediately called upon to vote or make laws, but they will have to do the same in the near future. As a citizen of tomorrow, every young person should prepare himself for this task from now on. Presidential elections have their own importance. In our country, most of the people are disinterested in the elections and the political activities of the country, so most of them do not go for voting which is really a bad thing.Voting is not an easy task. It is very necessary to take right decision whom to vote for and why to vote him. We should always keep in mind while voting if the candidate we are voting for really deserves to get voted and is really eligible to become our leader. The country is ours and we are the ultimate ones to craft and give our country a new and the best shape by voting a right and the best leader for ourselves. So, do not sleep and go to vote as we a ll can shape a new and better country.

Study on Carbohydrates

Effect of drinking soda sweetened high-fructose corn syrup on food Michael ABSTRACT in the with intake aspartame and body or weight G TordoffandAnnette To examine MAlleva suggest that sweet oral stimulation initiates a cephalic-phase metabolic reflex that increases appetite (10). The long-term effects of artificial sweeteners on food intake and body weight are less clear. Although some investigators report weight gain in animals given artificial sweeteners to eat or drink (1 1-13), the majority reports no effects (11, 14-17).What little work has been done in humans does little to answer the question. Two correlative comparisons ofusers and nonusers of artificial sweeteners showed that the sweeteners had no effect on body weight (18, 19). In contrast, an epidemiological study of 78 694 women found that reported weight gain was greater in those who used artificial sweeteners than in those who did not (20). There are only three published studies that have used a causative amount when ap proach. ofweight ate APM replaced In one, dieters who two, during were either hether artificial sweeteners aid intake and body weight, we gave free-living, normal-weight subjects 1 150 g soda sweetened with aspartame (APM) or high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) per day. Relative to when no soda was given, drinking APM-sweetcontrol of long-term food ened soda for 3 wk significantly reduced calorie intake drinking the of both females weight sweetened take (n = 9) and males (n = of males but not of females. soda body for 3 wk significantly and 2 1) and However, decreased the body HFCScalorie in- increased Downloaded from www. ajcn. org by guest on June 1, 2011 eight of both sexes. Ingesting either type of soda reduced intake of sugar from the diet without affecting intake of other nutrients. Drinking large volumes of APMsweetened soda, in contrast to drinking HFCS-sweetened soda, reduces sugar intake and thus may facilitate the control of calorie intake and body weight. Am J Gun Nutr 1990; 5 1:963-9. encouraged lost the same or discouraged and to use APM-sweetened (2 1). In the other fewer calories all sucrose products hospitala 6- or ized lean period obese subjects KEY WORDS tose corn syrup, Human sugar, food intake, aspartame, body high-fruc- weetness, weight, weight control Introduction It is generally benefit believed taste that artificial sweeteners (1). provide Indeed, the foods of a desirable without calories and drinks containing these substances are frequently labeled â€Å"diet. † However, the possibility that sweet, low-calorie foods and drinks actually lead to a reduction in body weight has not been examined in detail. There is mounting evidence that in the short term (< 12 h), consumption of artificial sweeteners increases the motivation to eat. Rats increase food intake after drinking a saccharin solution (2).Humans report increased hunger after drinking solu- than when they were fed a high-sucrose diet (22, 23). None of the work to date has exam ined the effect on food intake or body weight ofadding artificial sweeteners to the normal diet. In the present study, we attempted to do this by determining the effect on long-term (3-wk) food intake and body weight of consuming APM given in soda, the most prevalent vehicle for artificial sweeteners. By comparing periods when subjects drank APM, HFCS, and no soda, we planned to examine the effect of APM both as an addition to the diet and as a l2-d sugar substitute. n the diet Methods Recruitment of subjects tions Food than These of aspartame (APM), saccharin, or acesulfame-K (3, 4). intake is greater after eating a saccharin-sweetened yogurt after a glucose-sweetened or unsweetened yogurt (5). results are not caused by a postingestive or pharmacolog- The experiment was run in two replications, held in the fall of 1987 and the spring of 1988. It was approved by the Cornmittee on Studies Involving Human Beings at the University of Pennsylvania. Potential subjects were first attracte d by advertisements I 2 cal effect of the artificial sweeteners; rats eat more food after sham-drinking (ingesting but not absorbing) sucrose solution (6), and humans increase hunger ratings after chewing a gum base sweetened with as little as 0. 6 mg APM (7). Moreover, subjects who have normal sweetness perception while drinking a sweet milk shake subsequently eat more food than do subjects who cannot perceive the milk shake as sweet [because of treatment with gymnemic acid (8)]. These and other findings (9) posted the Monell on local university campuses. Upon ar- From Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia. Competitive Re- Supported y the US Department ofAgriculture’s search Grants Program grant 87-CRCR- 1-2316. 3Address reprint requests to MG Tordoff, Monell Chemical Center, 3500 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Senses Received Accepted May 30, 1989. for publication August 9, 1989. Am iC/in Nutr 1990;51:963-9. Printed in USA.  © 1990 American Society for Clinical Nut rition 963 964 TABLE 1 TORDOFF AND ALLEVA each subject was weighed (wearing casual clothes, to the nearest 100 g; the weight was not revealed to the subject), the dietary record from the previous week was examined for ambiguities, and printed instructions for the following week were given.In the two soda conditions, subjects were directed to drink four sodas a day, keep unopened bottles in a refrigerator, and record the time each bottle they were notified, was consumed. In the no-soda â€Å"There are no special instructions condition, for this Constituents of aspartame-sweetened (APM) and high-fructose-cornsyrup-sweetened (HFCS) sodas ingested daily during 21-d test periods Constituent APM HFCS Weight(g) Water(mL) 1135 1130 1135 1000 APM(mg) HFCS(g) Calories (kcal) 590 1 3 0 133 530 week. † bottles carrying collected At the end of the weekly of soda for the following the sodas was somewhat them in smaller batches isit, subjects were given 28 week (if necessary). Because cumbe rsome, a few subjects more frequently. rival at the laboratory tive subject received for an initial a written appointment, description each of the prospecstudy and Debriefing and taste tests signed a participation consent form. The study’s purpose was stated as â€Å"an ongoing project to examine basic mechanisms of food preference, food intake, and appetite. † The only procedural details given were the requirement to keep a dietary record and â€Å"you will receive beverages to drink on various days,† but â€Å"we you will receive cannot tell you at this or what they contain. time how many The description drinks also included notice ofthe requirement to attend a weekly interview at the laboratory and a schedule of remuneration, totalling $ 100 for satisfactory completion ofthe experiment. Subjects were administered the 40-question eating attitudes test (EAT-40) (24), the 5 1-question Restrained Eating Questionnaire (25), and other questionnaires to assess medi cal history, food preferences, eating attitudes, and dietary restraint. On the basis of questionnaire responses, applicants were excluded ifthey were recently or currently dieting, were avoiding caffeine, had a family history ofdiabetes, or were pregnant.Initial training period At the end ofthe 9-wk test period, taste tests were conducted to see if subjects could recognize differences between soda contaming APM and HFCS. First, each subject received a series of 16 counterbalanced triangle tests: the subject attempted to pick the disparate soda from three 10-mL samples of soda, two of one variety and one of the other. Second, the subject was allowed to drink as much as he or she wanted from four cups of soda. He or she was asked to identify whether the soda was a diet or regular type.Unbeknownst to the subject, two glasses contained APM-sweetened soda and two, HFCS-sweetened soda. Finally, we asked what the subject thought the study was about. Analysis ofdietary records Downloaded fr om www. ajcn. org by guest on June 1, 2011 Dietary diet-analysis records software were analyzed (release 3. 0, by use of NUTRITIONIST-3 N-Squared Computing, Sil- An experienced registered dietitian instructed each subject on how to complete dietary records. The 45-mm lesson emphasized the necessity of timely and accurate record keeping and included demonstrations with food models and household measures.To augment compliance, subjects were told, â€Å"We could determine what you have eaten from analysis of urine samples† (although this was untrue). To ensure understanding ofthe instructions, subjects kept a practice dietary record for 2 or 3 d. The completed record was scrutinized by the dietitian (with the subject present) to clarify any ambiguities and to familiarize subjects with the rigor required for keeping a dietary record. At this stage six females and eight males elected to quit the experiment. Two males who kept insufficiently detailed records were also eliminated. E xperiment design and procedure erton, OR) by trained personnel who were unaware of the treatment conditions. Components of foods not listed in the database were obtained directly from the manufacturers or by chemical analysis. For simplicity, we combined fructose, glucose, sucrose, and other monoand disaccharides as â€Å"sugar. † After inspection of initial results, separate values were derived for sugar in beverages (ie, soft drinks, coffee, and tea) and food (all other sources of sugar). Results Preliminary analyses found there were no differences be- Each subject maintained a dietary record continuously for 9 wk. During this eriod they received, in counterbalanced order, for 3 wk each, soda sweetened with APM, soda sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), or no experimental drinks. The cola-flavored soda was provided in ‘ 300-mL glass bottles. There was an alphanumeric code on the cap or sleeve ofeach bottle but nothing to inform the subject ofthe identity of the drink. During the appropriate periods, subjects were required to drink four bottles ( 1 1 35 g) ofsoda daily (Table 1). At the start of the test period and then at weekly intervals, tween the results of the two replications of this study, so they were combined.Of the I 3 female and 28 male subjects who started the study, 1 female and 5 males stopped keeping dietary records or failed to keep appointments at the laboratory. Three females were eliminated because of chicken pox, pneumonia, and relocation away from the area. Two males complained about having to drink so much soda, so they were also dropped from the study. Analyses and data presentation are based on the remaining 9 females and 2 1 males. Subject characteristics Anthropometric measures are shown in Table 2. Body mass indexes ofthe females and males were 25. 4  ± 1. 4 and 25. 1  ± 0. kg/m2, respectively, which falljust below the 75th percentile of body weight distribution (26). With the exception offour males who a te fixed meals four times per week, all subjects controlled their own food choice and meal size. There were minimal re- ARTIFICIAL TABLE Physical SWEETENERS AND BODY WEIGHT 965 2 characteristics of subjects* Female (n 9) Characteristic Age (y) Height (cm) =  ±  ±  ± (n Male = 21)  ±  ±  ± 28. 2 165. 5 2. 7 2. 2 4. 3 22. 9 174. 5 76. 6 0. 8 1. 2 Weight (kg) *j ±5EM 69. 6 2. 1 ports of food allergies or aversions. scores on the EAT-40, a measure 1 1 . 8  ± 2. , males 9. 9  ± 1. 1). The ing Questionnaire revealed normal No subjects had extreme of eating disorders (females 5 1-question Restrained eating behavior except Eatthat two females and one male had high (> 2 SD above the mean) restraint (factor 1) scores and five males had high disinhibition (factor 2) scores. None of the questionnaire responses corre- lated ofthe significantly except Restrained with Eating food intake Questionnaire) or weight between and = change hunger calorie p < during (factor intake the 3 d ur- experiment, for a correlation ing the no-soda Body weight baseline) period (r 0. 37, 0. 05). Subjects gained slightly but wk of drinking HFCS-sweetened significantly more weight after 2 soda than after the same pesoda or no experimental soda was more marked after 3 wk (Fig did males durHFCS-sweet- riod drinking APM-sweetened (Appendix A). This difference 1). Females lost significantly more weight than ing the control (no-soda) period. While drinking ened soda, females gained p < 0. 0 1) and males gained drinking APM-sweetened  ± 0. 29 kg, p kg, < weight significantly (0. 97  ± 0. 25 kg, slightly (0. 52  ± 0. 23 kg, NS).While soda, females lost gained weight slightly (0. 47 males weight significantly (0. 25  ± 0. 22 NS) but 0. 05). Thus, the effect on both sexes combined and days (1-21 d). Separate analyses were performed either including or excluding the ingredients from the experimental sodas. All the analyses found that females consumed significantly less than did male s, and there was no interaction between sex and treatment (Appendix A). None ofthe analyses produced a main effect or interaction involving the days factor, indicating that intakes were stable across the 2 l-d treatment periods.The possibility ofcarry-over effects from one period to another was examined using the same procedure as for body weight data. Results from the first 3-wk period were analyzed separately by using between-subject comparisons (Appendix B). The results of these analyses from a period before carry-over effects could have occurred were similar to those from the complete set of data, indicating that carry-over effects were either absent or, if present, undetectable and thus ofminor significance. Calories.Relative to calorie intake during the no-soda condition, drinking 530 kcal HFCS-sweetened soda/d produced a large and highly significant increase in total calorie intake (including calories in the experimental soda). Drinking the same volume ofAPM-sweetened soda de creased calorie intake. Both APM and HFCS consumption significantly reduced intake of calories from the diet (ie, calories excluding the sodas) to the same extent (by 179 and 195 kcal/d, respectively; Table 3). The decrease in dietary calorie intake produced by drinking either form of soda was due entirely to a decrease in sugar intake (Fig 2).Drinking soda did not affect the intake of protein, fat, alcohol, or complex (nonsugar) carbohydrate (Table 3). Sugar andsoda. During the period without experimental sodas, average intake of sugar-sweetened soda was 292  ± 1 33 g for females and 414  ± 85 g for males. Three females and two males drank essentially no (< 25 g/d) HFCS-sweetened soda; one female and two males drank > 1 135 g/d. Intake of APMsweetened soda during the same period was 1 59  ± 82 g for females and 88  ± 40 g for males, which included 6 females and 16 males who did not drink any. The total intake ofboth typesDownloaded from www. ajcn. org by guest on June 1, 20 11 ofdrinking HFCS-sweetened body weight, whereas the soda crease was to nonsignificantly in weight seen when gain soda was to significantly increase effect of drinking APM-sweetened decrease males it. Female =9) Male (n=2 1) Because APM could of the counterbalanced reflect either a direct caused body design drank of the study, soda sweetened period the dewith influence by a previous ofthe soda or recovof HFCS- ery from possibilities, the weight we sweetened-soda consumption. compared To discriminate weight changes between of the these three ) C male and three female subgroups of subjects during the first 3 wk of the experiment (Appendix B) and during each of the three 3-wk periods of the study (Appendix C). The pattern of results for each of the periods was more-or-less similar to that seen overall, although because of the smaller group loss in sensitivity produced by the use ofbetween-subject parisons, the only significant during the first 3-wk period difference for females 0 -C 0 .4. J ii No -1 sizes and corn- ci) was present >‘ 0 0 (Appendix who effects loss drank seen C). Judging APM-sweetened weight when per se. ofbody y the desoda gain could drank FIG Soda APM crease in the weight before any possible occur, soda it appears containing that of males carry-over the weight subjects HFCS APM was due to the soda Food intake and of total calories were anwith factors of sex, treatment, Intakes of the various nutrients alyzed by three-way ANOVAs in body weight during 3-wk periods when subjects sweetened with aspartame (APM), an equal weight ofsoda sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup(HFCS), or had no experimental manipulation (no soda). *p < 0. 05 relative to weight gain in no-soda period. 1. Changes drank 150 g/d of soda 966 TABLE 3 ofdrinking Effect on dietary nutrient intake sweetened with APM or HFCS* Measure Nosoda TORDOFF AND ALLEVA evidence that the effects weight were influenced soda. ofthe sodas on calorie intake and body by the subjectsâ€℠¢ ability to identify the guessed the experiment’s purpose; most soda (1 135 g/d) APM kcal/d HFCS None ofthe subjects Females(n = 9) Alcohol Fat Protein Carbohydrate 65 ±23 747 ±93 266 ±25 39 ±12 745 ±95 262 ±28 58 ±23 726 ± 84 256 ± 27 405  ± thought we were performing market a new brand of soda. None noticed changed their body weight or altered take or selection.Discussion research of some kind on that drinking the sodas their patterns of food in- Imposing the requirement to drink 1 135 g/d of APM-sweetened soda on normal-weight, freely feeding subjects decreased calorie intake significantly (by 7%) and reduced body weight slightly (significantly in males). This was in marked contrast to 261 ±60 255 ±55 225 ±56 the highly significant, 13% increase in calorie intake and sig932 ±45 945 ±56 937  ±41 nificant increase in body weight produced by consumption of 373 ±23 384 ±27 373 ± 18 the same amount of HFCS-sweetened soda.The two types of s oda produced an identical, 33% decrease in dietary sugar in617 ±43 612  ±48 ComplexCHO 624 ±49 461  ± 38t take (excluding the sugar in the soda), without affecting intake Sugar 674  ± 49 453  ± 40t Totalintake 2801  ± 150 2647 ± 153 2645 ± l24 t ofother macronutrients. This was caused in part by the â€Å"experimental† sodas displacing discretionary beverages; subjects i  ±SEM. given four bottles ofsoda per day have little motivation to purt Significantly different from no-soda condition: tp < 0. 005, f#{231}p chase and drink their own. However, drinking either form of

Night World : Soulmate Chapter 16

It was a very long time before Hannah heard footsteps again. She distracted herself during the long wait by whistling songs under her breath and thinking about the people she loved. Her mother. Her mother didn't even miss her yet, didn't know she was gone. But by tomorrow she would. Tomorrow was May first, Hannah's birthday, and Chess would give her mother the letter. Chess, of course. Hannah wished now that she'd spent more time saying goodbye to Chess, that she'd explained things better. Chess would have been fascinated. And she had a right to know she was an Old Soul, too. Paul Winfield. That was strange-she'd only known him a week. But he'd tried to help her. And at this moment, he knew more about Hannah Snow than anyone else in Montana. I hope he doesn't start smoking again if he rinds out I'm dead. Because that was probably how she would end up. Hannah had no illusions about that. She had a weapon-but so did Maya, and Maya was much faster and stronger. She was no match for Maya under the best of circumstances, much less when she was weak and feverish. The best she could hope for was to get Maya to kill her while she was still human. She thought about the Circle Daybreak members. They were good people. She was sorry she wouldn't have the chance to know them better, to help them. They were doing something important, something she instinctively sensed was necessary right now. And she thought about Thierry. He'll have to go wandering again, I guess. It's too bad. He hasn't had a very happy life. I was starting to think I could take that sadness out of his eyes†¦. When she heard a noise at last, she thought it might be her imagination. She held her breath. No. It's footsteps. Getting closer. She's coming. Hannah shifted position. She had stationed herself near the mouth of the cavern; now she took a deep breath and eased herself into a crouch. She wiped her sweaty right palm on her jeans and got a better grip on her stake. She figured that Maya would shine the flashlight toward the pole where Hannah had been tied, then maybe take a few steps farther inside the cavern, trying to see what was going on. And then I'll do it. I'll come out of the darkness behind her. Jump and skewer her through the back. But I've got to time it right. She held her breath as she saw light outside the mouth of the cavern. Her greatest fear was that Maya would hear her. Quiet†¦ quiet†¦ The light came closer. Hannah watched it, not moving. But her brain was clicking along in surprise. It wasn't the slanted, focused beam of a flashlight. It was the more diffuse pool of light from a lantern. She's brought another one. But that means†¦ Maya was walking in. Walking quickly-and not pausing. She couldn't shine the light onto the pole yet. And she didn't seem anxious to-apparently it didn't occur to her that she needed to check on Hannah. She was that confident. Hannah cursed mentally. She's going too far-she's out of range. Get up! Her plan in ruins, she flexed her knees and stood. She heard a crack in her knee joint that sounded as loud as a gunshot. But Maya didn't stop. She kept going. She was almost at the pole. As silently as she could, Hannah headed across the cavern. All Maya had to do was turn around to see her. Maya was at the pole. She was stopping. She was looking from side to side. Hannah was behind her. Now. Now was the time. Hannah's muscles could feel how she had to stab, to throw her weight behind the thrust so that the stake went in under Maya's left shoulder blade. She knew how to do it. †¦ But she couldn't. She couldn't stab somebody in the back. Somebody who wasn't menacing her at the moment, who didn't even know they were in danger. Oh, my God! Don't be stupid! Do it! Oh, my Goddess! a voice echoed back in her head. You're not a killer. This isn't even self-defense! Frustrated almost to the point of hysteria, Hannah heard herself let out a breath. It was wet. She was crying. Her arm drooped. Her muscles collapsed. She wasn't doing it. She couldn't do it. Maya slowly turned around. She looked both beautiful and eerie in the lantern light. She surveyed Hannah up and down, looking in particular at the drooping stake. Then she looked at Hannah's face. â€Å"You're the strangest girl,† she said, in what seemed to be genuine bewilderment. â€Å"Why didn't you do it? You were smart enough to get yourself out and make yourself a weapon. Why didn't you have the guts to finish it?† Hannah was asking herself the same thing. Only with more expletives. I am going to die now, she thought. And maybe die for good-because I don't have guts. Because I couldn't kill somebody I know is completely evil and completely determined to kill me. That's not ethics. That's stupid. â€Å"I suppose it's that Egyptian temple training,† Maya was saying. â€Å"Or maybe the life when you were a Buddhist-do you remember that? Or maybe you're just weak.† And a victim. I've spent a couple thousand years being a victim-yours. I guess I've got my part down perfect by now. â€Å"Oh, well. It doesn't really matter why,† Maya said. â€Å"It all comes down to the same thing in the end. Now. Let's get this over with.† Hannah stared at her, breathing hard, feeling like a rabbit looking at a headlight. Nobody should live as a victim. Every creature has a right to fight for its life. But she couldn't seem to get her muscles to move anymore. She was just too tired. Every part of her hurt, from her throbbing head to her raw fingertips to her bruised and aching feet. Maya was smiling, fixing her with eyes that shifted from lapis-lazuli blue to glacier green. â€Å"Be a good girl, now,† she crooned. I don't want to be a good girl†¦. Maya reached for her with long arms. â€Å"Don't touch her!† Thierry said from the cavern mouth. Hannah's head jerked sideways. She stared at the new pool of light on the other side of the cave. For the first few seconds she thought she was hallucinating. But, no. He was there. Thierry was standing there with a lantern of his own, tall and almost shimmering with coiled tension, like a predator ready to spring. The problem was that he was too far away. And Maya was too fast. In the same instant that it took Hannah to make her brain believe her eyes, Maya was moving. In one swift step, she was behind Hannah, with her hands around Hannah's throat. â€Å"Stay where you are,† she said. â€Å"Or I'll break her little neck.† Hannah knew she could do it. She could feel the iron strength in Maya's hands. Maya didn't need a weapon. Thierry put the lantern down and raised his empty hands. â€Å"I'm staying,† he said quietly. â€Å"And tell whoever else you've got in that tunnel to go back. All the way back. If I see another person, I'll kill her.† Without turning, Thierry shouted. â€Å"Go back to the entrance. All of you.† Then he looked at Hannah. â€Å"Are you all right?† Hannah couldn't nod. Maya's grip was so tight that she could barely say, â€Å"Yes.† But she could look at him, and she could see his eyes. She knew, in that moment, that all her fears about him not wanting her anymore were groundless. He loved her. She had never seen such open love and concern in anyone's face before. More, they understood each other. They didn't need any words. It was the end of misunderstandings and mistrust. For perhaps the first time since she had been Hana of the Three Rivers, Hannah trusted him without reservation. They were in accord. And neither of them wanted this to end with a death. When Thierry took his eyes from Hannah's, it was to look at Maya and say, â€Å"It's over, now. You have to realize that. I've got twenty people down here, and another twenty on the surface waiting.† His voice became softer and more deliberate. â€Å"But I give you my word, you can walk out of here right now, Maya. Nobody will touch you. All you have to do is let Hannah go first.† â€Å"Together,† Hannah said, coughing as Maya's hands tightened, cutting off her breath. She gasped and finished, â€Å"We go out together, Thierry.† Thierry nodded and looked at Maya. He was holding his hand out now, like someone trying to coax a frightened child. â€Å"Just let her go,† he said softly. Maya laughed. It was an unnatural sound, and it made Hannah's skin crawl. Nothing sane made a noise like that. â€Å"But that way, I won't win,† Maya said, almost pleasantly. â€Å"You can't win anyway,† Thierry said quietly. â€Å"Even if you kill her, she'll still be alive-â€Å" â€Å"Not if I make her a vampire first,† Maya interrupted. But Thierry was shaking his head. â€Å"It doesn't matter.† His voice was still quiet, but it was filled with the authority of absolute conviction, a kind of bedrock certainty that held even Hannah mesmerized. â€Å"Even if you kill her, she'll still be alive-here.† He tapped his chest. â€Å"In me. I keep her here. She's part of me. So until you kill me, you can't really kill her. And you can't win. It's that simple.† There was a silence. Hannah's own heart was twisted with the force of her love for him. Her eyes † were full. She could hear Maya breathing, and the sound was ragged. She thought that the pressure of Maya's hands was infinitesimally less. â€Å"I could kill you both,† Maya said at last in a grating voice. Thierry lifted his shoulders and dropped them in a gesture too sad to be a shrug. â€Å"But how can you win when the people you hate aren't there to see it?† It sounded insane-but it was true. Hannah could feel it hit Maya like a well-thrown javelin. If Maya couldn't have Thierry as her prize, if she couldn't even make him suffer, what was the point? Where was the victory? â€Å"Let's stop the cycle right here,† Thierry said softly. â€Å"Let her go.† He was so gentle, and so reasonable, and so tired-sounding. Hannah didn't see how anyone could resist him. But she was still surprised at what happened next. Slowly, very slowly, the hands around her neck loosened their grip. Maya stepped away. Hannah sucked in a deep breath. She wanted to run to Thierry, but she was afraid to do anything to unbalance the delicate stalemate in the cavern. Besides, her knees were wobbly. Maya was moving around her, taking a step or two in front of her, facing Thierry directly. â€Å"I loved you,† she said. There was a sound in her voice Hannah had never heard before, a quaver. â€Å"Why didn't you ever understand that?† Thierry shook his head. â€Å"Because it's not true. You never loved me. You wanted me. Mostly because you couldn't have me.† There was a silence then as they stood looking at each other. Not because they understood each other too well for words, Hannah thought. Because they would never understand each other. They had nothing to say. The silence stretched on and on-and then Maya collapsed. She didn't fall down. But she might as well have. Hannah saw the life go out of her-the hope. The energy that had kept Maya vibrant and sparkling after thousands of years. It had all come from her need to win . . . and now she knew she'd lost. She was defeated. â€Å"Come on, Hannah,† Thierry said quietly. â€Å"Let's go.† Then he turned to shout back into the tunnel behind him. â€Å"Clear the way. We're all coming out.† That was when it happened. Maya had been standing slumped, her head down, her eyes on the ground. Or on her backpack. And now, as Thierry turned away, she flashed one glance at him and then moved as fast as a striking snake. She grabbed the black stake and held it horizontally, her arm drawn back. Hannah recognized the posture instantly. As Hana of the Three Rivers she'd seen hunters throw spears all the time. â€Å"Game over,† Maya whispered. Hannah had a fraction of a second to act-and no time to consider. All she thought was, No. With her whole weight behind the thrust, she lunged at Maya. Stake first. The sharp wooden point went in just under Maya's shoulder blade. She staggered, off balance, her throw † ruined. The black stake went skittering across the rough stone floor. Hannah was off balance, too. She was falling. Maya was falling. But it all seemed to be happening in slow motion. I've killed her. There was no triumph in the thought. Only a sort of hushed certainty. When the slow-motion feeling ended, she found herself the way anybody finds themself after a fall. On the ground and surprised. Except that Maya was underneath her, with a stake protruding from her back. Hannah's first frantic thought was to get a doctor. She'd never seen someone this badly hurt before- not in this life. There was blood seeping out of Maya's back around the makeshift stake. It had gone in very deep, the wood piercing vampire flesh like razor-sharp steel through a human. Thierry was beside her. Kneeling, pulling Hannah slightly away from Maya's prone form, as if she might still be dangerous. Hannah reached for him at the same time, and their hands met, intertwined. She held on tight, feeling a rush of warmth and comfort from his presence. Then Thierry gently turned Maya onto her side. Hair was falling across Maya's face like a black waterfall. Her skin was chalky white and her eyes were wide open. But she was laughing. Laughing. She looked at Hannah and laughed. In a thick choking voice, she gasped. â€Å"You had guts-after all.† Hannah whispered, â€Å"Can we do anything for her?† Thierry shook his head. Then it was terrible. Maya's laugh turned into a gurgle. A trickle of blood ran out of the side of her mouth. Her body jerked. Her eyes stared. And then, finally, she was still. Hannah felt her own breath sigh out. She's dead. I killed her. I killed someone. Every creature has the right to fight for its life-or its loved ones. Thierry said softly, â€Å"The cycle is broken.† Then he let Maya's shoulder go and her body slumped down again. She seemed smaller now, shrunken. After a moment Hannah realized it wasn't an illusion. Maya was doing what all vampires do in the movies. She was falling in on herself, her tissues collapsing, muscle and flesh shriveling. The one hand Hannah could see seemed to be wasting away and hardening at the same time. The skin became yellow and leathery, showing the form of the tendons underneath. In the end, Maya was just a leather sack full of bones. Hannah swallowed and shut her eyes. â€Å"Are you all right? Let me look at you.† Thierry was holding her, examining her. Then when Hannah met his eyes, he looked at her long and searchingly and said with a different meaning, â€Å"Are you all right?† Hannah understood. She looked at Maya and then back at him. â€Å"I'm not proud of it,† she said slowly. â€Å"But I'm not sorry, either. It just-had to be done.† She thought another moment, then said, getting out each word separately, â€Å"I refuse to be †¦ a victim†¦ anymore.† Thierry tightened his arm around her. â€Å"I'm proud of you,† he said. Then he added, â€Å"Let's go. We need to get you to a healer.† They walked back through the narrow passageway, which was no longer dark because Thierry's people had placed lanterns every few feet. At the end of the passage, in the room with the vertical shaft, they had set up some sort of rope and pulley. Lupe was there, and Nilsson, and the rest of the CIA group. So were Rashel and Quinn. The fighters, Hannah thought. Everyone called and laughed and patted her when she came in with Thierry. â€Å"It's over,† Thierry said briefly. â€Å"She's dead.† Everyone looked at him and then at Hannah. And somehow they knew. They all cheered and patted her again. Hannah didn't feel like Cinderella anymore; she felt like Dorothy after killing the Wicked Witch. And she didn't like it. Lupe took her by the shoulders and said excitedly, â€Å"Do you know what you've done?† Hannah said, â€Å"Yes. But I don't want to think about it any more right now.† It wasn't until they'd hauled her up the vertical shaft that it occurred to her to ask Thierry how he'd found her. She was standing on an inconspicuous hillside with no buildings or landmarks around. Maya had picked a very good hiding place. â€Å"One of her own people sold her out,† Thierry said. â€Å"He got to the house about the same time I did this evening, and he said he had information to sell. He was a werewolf who wasn't happy with how she'd treated him.† A werewolf with black hair? Hannah wondered. But she was too sleepy suddenly to ask more questions. â€Å"Home, sir?† Nilsson said, a little breathlessly because he'd just come up the shaft. Thierry looked at him, laughed, and started to help Hannah down the hill. â€Å"That's right. Home, Nilsson.†

Happy earth 1 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Happy earth 1 - Essay Example A young learner at level A1 should be able to comprehend and use common and everyday words or expressions at a satisfactory level. For instance, a young learner should be able to construct a simple- sentence structure using the words provided in Happy Earth 1 book. He or she should be able to construct a sentence using the words ‘flamingo, ‘fly. ‘fast. (Bowler,2001)Hence, he or she should combine the words and form a simple sentence. ‘flamingos fly fast. At this level, the young learner should be able to introduce, ask and answer questions about themselves. About Happy Earth 1, a young learner should be able to write their name, for example, my name is Trevor. Their favourite physical exercise (P.E), a young learner should be able to read and write, for instance, I jump high. In the music section, a young learner should be able to say, for example, I sing loudly. Moreover, he or she should be able to say or write ‘I speak English very well.’ Level A2 learners under basic level can also cope with Happy Earth 1 book. A learner in A2 should be able to understand simple sentences and words related to their environment. For instance, under animal action (Happy Earth 1) when the author refers to an animal with a big tail, strong legs and jumps a lot, a learner at this level A2 should be able to relate the simple description to a kangaroo. This shows that he or she can relate to his environment and also comprehend the words big, strong and jumps.

Elements, Mixtures and Compounds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Elements, Mixtures and Compounds - Essay Example For example, a mixture of iron and sulfur can be taken in any proportion while a compound such as iron (II) sulfide always has a ratio of 7 : 4 by mass of iron and sulfur (Leong & Aik, 2009). When a mixture is prepared by mixing two or more substances, there is no chemical exchange involved and there is absence of heat or light production. When a compound is prepared, it is usually accompanied with a chemical change in which some heat, light or both are liberated. For example, when a mixture is prepared by mixing iron filings and sulfur, no heat is liberated. However, when hot iron filings and sulfur are taken together in a test tube, a chemical reaction occurs resulting in the formation of iron sulfide (Fe + S ?FeS). The test tube glows red because of heat produced during the reaction (Leong & Aik, 2009). The properties of a mixture are characteristic of the individual substances mixed. On the contrary, the properties of a compound are very different from those of the original eleme nts. For example, in a mixture of iron filings and sulfur, properties such as magnetism, color, texture of the individual substances are retained. Iron sulfide, a compound, has very different properties from those of iron and sulfur. It lacks magnetic activity and also has different physical and chemical properties (Leong & Aik, 2009). ... 2) Supposed that you have a pure substance, how can you tell whether it is a compound or an element?   An element cannot be further broken down chemically, while a compound can be broken down into individual components or elements using chemical reactions specific for that compound. For example, heating mercuric oxide, which is a compound, over a Bunsen flame, will result in the decomposition and separation of mercuric oxide into mercury and oxygen. However, mercury and oxygen, which are elements, cannot be further broken down using any chemical means (Leong & Aik, 2009). Therefore, in order to tell whether a given pure compound is an element or a compound, it will be subjected to various separation procedures to determine if it can be broken down further. Its melting and boiling points and other physical and chemical properties will also be noted and compared with those of preexisting elements and compounds for ease of identification. 3) What is the difference between an ionic and a covalent bond? Chemical bonds such as ionic and covalent bonds determine the properties of a compound. The main differences between the two kinds of bonds are discussed as follows: Ionic bond is formed when electrons are transferred from one atom to another. The transfer of electrons results in the formation of a positive and a negative ion that are held together by strong electrostatic attraction. For example, salt (NaCl) is formed when an electron from sodium (Na) is transferred to chlorine (Cl) to form ions (Na+ and Cl- ) that are held together to form salt (NaCl). Covalent bond is formed when an electron pair from the outer shell is shared between two atoms. For instance, Hydrochloric acid

Comparetive Advertising Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Comparetive Advertising - Essay Example In a direct comparative advertising, a product or the particular features of a product are specifically compared with same features of a specified competitor. In the second classification, an advertisement describes only one product or the features of that one product and favorably compares it with all other competing products in an indirect and general way (Comparative Advertising 3). Comparative The utilization of comparative advertising in the United States mounted with the Federal Trade Commission's contention that "direct comparative ads, which provide information on named competitors, result in more informed decision making (Pechmann & Esteban 1)." There had been a widespread debate whether this type of advertising must be permitted. After it had been approved in the US, there is an ensuing controversy of its effectiveness. Though many American companies use comparative advertising in their operations, its efficiency as a marketing tool to create demand is still in question. Others claim that instead of boosting revenue, comparative advertising fail to reach the target audience with the intended message. This situation dampens the efficiency of marketing campaign but also misleads buyers. The effectiveness of comparative advertising is linked with various factors notably cultural and degree of comparison. ... This paper aims to assess the efficiency of comparative advertising in the US market. It also aims to expose the significant factors which should be considered before coming up with an effective comparative advertising campaign. In order to develop the idea further, two different advertisements, Miller and Urine-Gone which are examples of comparative advertising will be utilized. It should be noted while Miller employs a direct advertising campaign, Urine-Gone uses lesser degree by using an indirect approach. The commercial of Miller shows a consumer which made a decision of choosing the Miller product after being presented with other competitors' brands inside the refrigerator. The main rationale of using comparative advertisement rests on the premise that this marketing tool significantly affects the behavior of customers as well as the image of the business. This claim was supported by the study conducted by Bennett which revealed that projected brand quality in comparative ads is directly correlated with improvement in buyer behavior (Bennett 93). Urine-gone was able to achieve this result as it became quite successful in gaining customers' preference towards the products by using a comparison on the features of its product to the ones made by its competitors. On the other hand, it was found out that the higher intensity of comparison in advertising decreases its efficacy. The research conducted by Barrio-Garcia which analyzed how buyers respond to comparative advertising and confirmed that the greater the degree of comparison results in lower consumer perception and increases counter-arguments among customers on the true value of the product. Thus, analyzing the ad

Business Disaster Recovery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Disaster Recovery - Essay Example The topic of the research has also been recognized by the researchers and social scientist as an important issue for the business so there was lot of literature present at different resources around the topic that cover the topic from different aspects. In this situation it was one of the major concerns to select and review the material that is not only relevant but also useful for the dissertation. Having too much choices in front often creates confusions and a big worry was to overcome this confusion that what to take for the review and what not. In the same way the selection of the company for the case study was also not a simple decision because there are many company that have faced disasters at some time and they have also make their plans for the recovery. Some of them were successful in restoring their losses and some of them were failed so it was a difficult decision to select the company. Moreover it was decided to conduct an in-depth interview of personnel of the selected company so there were also concerns about the matter that weather any of the personnel will allow due time for interview and weather the results or findings of the interviews will be fruitful for the research or not. The present work is done while utilizing all the best possible sources and abilities and if there is another chance got to do the same work again then there much be review of the work previously done to find out the mistakes and flaws so that in the next attempt all the flaws can be removed.

Book Report Mythologies by Roland Barthes Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Book Report Mythologies by Roland Barthes - Essay Example He says that "All the toys one commonly sees are essentially a microcosm of the adult world" (Barthes, 1972, p.53), and that for instance, a girls doll is "meant to...'condition' her to her future role as mother" (Barthes, 1972, p.53). If we apply this to videogames, we can immediately see that semiotics, especially as applied to ideology, might shed more light on the role that games play in our globalised society. According to Barthes, French toys are an illustration of the belief that children are a miniature reflection of adults -toys offer too much direction - they do not allow children to engage in their own imaginative play. By providing children with "artificial" materials and toys are we, in turn, providing them with an "artificial" view of the world Mythologies is a text which is not one but plural. It contains fifty-four (only twenty-eight in the Annette Lavers's English translation) short journalistic articles on a variety of subjects. These texts were written between 1954 and 1956 for the left-wing magazine Les Lettres nouvelles and very clearly belong to Barthes's priode "journalistique"' (Calvet: 1973 p.37). They all show a topicality, typical of good journalism. Because of their very topicality they provide the contemporary reader with a panorama of the events and trends that took place in the France of the 1950s. Although the texts are very much of and about their times, many still have an unsettling contemporary relevance to us today. The majority of the fifty-four texts focus on various manifestations of mass culture, la culture de masse: films, advertizing, newspapers and magazines, photographs, cars, children's toys, popular pastimes and the like. Mythologies, however, includes an important theoretical essay entitled Le Mythe aujourd'hui' (Barthes: 1970 pp.193-247). In Le Mythe aujourd'hui', Barthes is at the barber's and is handed a copy of the Paris-Match. As he sees a photograph of a black soldier saluting the French flag, the arrangement of coloured dots on a white background, he understood it to be embedded with a signifier and a signified, constituting the idea of French imperialism and that France's empire treats all its subjects equally. It is a retrospectively imposed where its position after the journalistic articles is also significant. This expressed not simply the chronological order in which they were written, but also to make more explicit some of the concerns that underpin the fifty-four essays. There is, then, a certain amount of continuity between the two parts' of Mythologies. If there is a certain amount of thematic continuity between the two parts' of Mythologies then it is here, where Barthes claimed that he wanted to challenge the innocence' and naturalness' of cultural texts and practices. Although objects, gestures and practices have a certain utilitarian function, they are not resistant to the imposition of meaning. There is no such thing, to take but one example, as a car which is a purely functional object devoid of connotations and resistant to the imposition of meaning. A BMW and a Citron 2CV share the same functional utility, they do essentially the same job but connote different things about their owners: thrusting,

Obligations Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Obligations - Essay Example The specific performance of the task by the offerree is the objective indicating that the offerree has agreed to the terms of offer and acceptance. Therefore, it flows that there are three aspects to it, firstly, there is a valid offer flowing from the offeror to the offerree, secondly, the offeree accepts the offer by promise or conduct and thirdly, the object of consideration is fulfilled by the offerree. Therefore it could be logically analysed that the offer is an expression of willingness to contract on certain terms and the intention of the offerree, upon specific performance, becomes binding as soon as it is accepted by the person to whom it is intended. (Offer). In the above case, Aishah fulfilled the terms of the offer made by her father, Hasan, by attending all her seminars and also by graduating with a first class degree. By conduct she has accepted and fulfilled all the terms of the agreement. Thus her father is bound to pay her  £1000 and also give her a car as promised to her through a valid offer. This could be enforced by Aishah on her father, Hasan. There are several rules which govern offer and acceptance. In the first place, the communication of acceptance has to be communicated to the offeror by the offeree, or by any other person. Again, in case of non-acceptance, the fact should also be communicated to the offeror. In the leading case, Felthouse v.Bindley (1862) 142 ER 1037, it was held that silence was not tantamount to acceptance. The details of this case were that an uncle wrote to his nephew expressing his intentions to buy one of his horses. He wrote if he did not hear from the nephew, he would consider the horse as his (uncle) own. The nephew did not reply. The uncle though he had established ownership over the horse by implicit acceptance. However, later, the horse was sold through auction. The uncle sued the auctioneers, on the grounds that

The form and function of Concept Store Literature review

The form and function of Concept Store - Literature review Example The subsequent section provides a detailed overview of concept stores, thus giving insight into the inception of this retail store concept and the principal features that characterize it. This chapter also covers the factors that contribute to the widespread adoption of concept stores in the fashion sector, under the key drivers section. Other factors addressed under this literary analysis segment include the format of a conventional concept store, the potential size and popular locations of these retail stores, as well as, the distribution hierarchy adopted by most concept stores. The latter section provides information on strategic function, design or architectural form of a concept store, and the overall language concept of this category of stores. The concluding part of the literature review chapter identifies research gaps that exist in study information available on concept stores, their design and overall operation. The physical environment of a store is one of the principal issues that retailers are supposed to take into account when launching a business venture. This is because it plays a significant role in affecting consumers’ decision to purchase and experience the entire shopping experience. Management of a store’ retail setting, therefore, affects both parties with the store owners’ enjoying increased revenues from enhanced customer loyalty, and shoppers gaining pleasure from the ambient shopping environs. Referred to as â€Å"atmospherics† the concept of managing the physical environs of a store was initially proposed by Kotler (1973). In this case, management of the atmosphere of a store is delineated as concerted effort to conceptualize a design that evokes certain emotions, which increase purchasing probability. Stimuli spurred by in-store setting directly correlates with the amount of pleasure that customers derive from shopping at the store. Ambient aspects related to the physical background of a store usually

Trace the pathway of blood through the heart Article

Trace the pathway of blood through the heart - Article Example Five subjects inhaled about 100MBq of Technegas after which body images were taken at time gaps to determine the distribution of the Technegas. The earliest detection of radioactivity in the blood was after one minute, reaching a maximum after about 20 minutes stabilizing at that point for one hour. The radioactivity in the liver was stable, whereas that of the bladder increased over time. Strong radioactivity was discovered in the salivary glands, thyroid glands, and stomach because of accumulation of TcO4- in these organs (Nemmar et al. 413). Ingested particles also caused radioactivity in the stomach apart from the TcO4- from saliva and gastric secretions. â€Å"We conclude that inhaled ultrafine 99mTc-carbon particles, which are very similar to (the ultrafine fraction of) actual pollutant particles, diffuse rapidly into the systemic circulation, and this should be considered relevant for the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality related to ambient particle pollution† (Nemmar et al. 413). I selected this article because it is relevant to studying the pathway of blood through the body. It even shows how the substances that get into blood distribute to various parts of the body, a phenomenon that is of utmost significance in physiology. I learnt that inhalation of ultrafine particles is extremely dangerous since they have a large surface area and, therefore, diffuse rapidly. Nemmar, A., P.H.M. Hoet, B. Vanquickenborne, D. Dinsdale, M. Thomeer, M.F. Hoylaerts, H. Vanbilloen, L. Mortelmans and B. Nemery. â€Å"Passage of Inhaled Particles into the Blood Circulation in Humans.† Circulation. 2002.105 (2002):411-414. Web. 27 Nov.

Mystic Monk Coffee Essay Example for Free

Mystic Monk Coffee Essay Introduction Mystic Monk coffee company is a cloistered monastic environment where monks from the Carmelite monastery of Clark, Wyoming spend their daily manual labour hours roasting coffee (Thompson, 2012, pg. 420). The monks are a religious sect of the Catholic church and are fully dedicated to their religious and spiritual side, which requires most of their daily hours, be spent praying or contemplating in silence; this leaves little time to spend on coffee roasting productions, especially due to the small population of monks that are able to live at the Carmelite monastery. There were many restrictions that the Carmelite monks faced with their coffee productions such as having restricted roasting capacity, inadequate land and partial workers. Father Daniel Mary, the prior of the Carmelite order, had a vision of expanding the small monastery of 13 monks, by creating a new Mount Carmel in the Rocky Mountains of Wyoming. There is a nearby location called the Irma Lake Ranch that would include a large house, caretaker house, guesthouse, a gothic church, a convent for Carmelite nuns, a hunting cabin and a dairy and horse barn; this would allow the monks to expand their opportunities, as well as expand their Carmelite monk residents (Thompson, 2012, pg. 421). This vision is everything that Father Daniel Mary ever dreamed, the only thing prohibiting the change, is that the Irma Lake Ranch will cost the monks $8.9 Million. The Mystic Monk coffee company only earns money based on their coffee sales (11% of revenues) and donations from private donators; the Carmelite monastery received a $250,000 donation which they can use at their discretion (Thompson, 2012, pg. 420,423). The following report will take a look at the options that are available to the Carmelite monks and what would be the most strategic plan that should be enforced in order for the monastery to be successful. External and Internal Analysis S.W.O.T. Analysis Strengths * Fair trade/ Organic Arabica beans * Variety of coffee flavors * Accessories (t-shirts, cups, CD’s) * Online shopping is available * Tea has been added to selection * Free labour/ No wages paid * Affordable/ reasonable retail price * Membership â€Å"coffee club† * Favors catholic market (large)| Weaknesses * Limited roasting capability (540 lbs/day) * Limited production due to worship * Cant expand due to limited land * Coffee is not a necessity (trend?) * Caffeine is highly addictive (health) * Purchase beans instead of growing * No business expertise/ experience * No absolute competitive advantage * Poor earnings (11% of revenues)| Opportunities * Expand availability into grocery stores * Collaborations (Keureg, Tassimo) * Other purposes (weight loss, bio fuel) * Increase advertisements * Expand into international market * Start a franchise * Open coffee shops (Starbucks, Tim’s)| Threats * Poor coffee growing season * Natural disaster/ weather * Eco nomic Conditions (recession) * Established competition (Folgers, nabob) * Others’ personal religious beliefs * Dependant on donations/ revenues| (Mystic Monk, n.d., pg. 1) Alternatives The Mystic Monk coffee company has to look at their options before they are able to make a decision regarding the continuation of their business. The two options that are available to the Carmelite monks at this point in time are: 1) stay at the current location of Clark, Wyoming, and continue operations as they are and use some donation money to purchase another roaster to help increase production or 2) see if the owners of Irma Lake Ranch would â€Å"gift† them a portion of the ranch without monetary repayment, as a donation, and they would pay the owners as a lease to own the remaining balance of the land, until a breakeven point has been reached. Discussion of Alternatives The first option is to stay at their current location to continue operations as they are. The advantages of choosing this option are: 1) retaining their donations and revenues to improve their current monastery, 2) there is little to no risk involved. The disadvantages of choosing this option are: 1) there is little opportunity to expand the Mystic Monk Company, 2) they cannot easily increase their Carmelite population. The second option is to move to a nearby area, which would involve purchasing the Irma Lake Ranch. The advantages of choosing this option are: 1) the Mystic Monk Coffee can increase production easily, 2) there is a large opportunity to expand, 3) the new Carmelite monastery would allow its population to double. The disadvantages of choosing this option are: 1) there is a tremendously high level of risk involved, 2) the owners may not gift the monks any land. Recommendation After evaluating the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative, a decision has been concluded that the most practical and strategic option would be to receive a portion of the Irma Lake Ranch, as a â€Å"gift† without monetary repayment, then pay the land owners on a lease to own schedule with the increased earnings projected from the new Mount Carmel location. This is the most logical selection if they want to expand and improve their Mystic monk coffee brand, as well as their community; the Carmelites will have no opportunity to grow or expand if they choose to stay where they are and continue on as they have been, as well as soon they will not be able to keep the supply at an adequate level to cover the demand for their products. The Carmelite monastery would have more financial opportunities available with this purchase, such as milk production from the dairy cows, horse rides on the trails through the forest, increased population to help roast and package the coffee. Also, the monks would have sufficient land to be capable of growing and producing their coffee beans without the need of suppliers, which in turn will decrease the cost of goods sold and drastically increase the Mystic Monk’s net profit margin from the current 11% of the sales revenue. The risk on this investment is exceptionally high, but if it is successful, the reward and pay off could be far greater than projected. Action Plan A realistic action plan must now be devised, to ensure that the previous decision is executed correctly, otherwise the Carmelite monks and the Mystic Monk coffee company will not be successful. The monastery is incapable of affording the Irma Lake Ranch with the funds that they currently have, including the $250,000 donation. The Mystic Monk coffee company should confront the current owners of the Irma Lake Ranch and see if they would be willing to â€Å"gift† them a portion of the property without monetary repayment, which could be considered a donation; the remaining balance owing on the land could be contracted as a lease or rent to own situation, where a breakeven point would be reached in a reasonable time frame. Also, because the property has been â€Å"gifted† to the Carmelite monks, they would be eligible to receive a tax break, which would significantly affect their financial status. The new property would be able to offer the monastery an opportunity to expand their brand by introducing tourism, sustainability and other financial opportunities. If the Mystic Monk coffee company decided that they would be capable or growing their own beans on the new land, they would be able to drastically cut costs on the cost of goods sold and eliminate suppliers, which in turn will increase their marginal earnings from the sales revenue. All of these new opportunities are realistic and show that the increased earnings would rapidly and effortlessly be able to pay off the remaining balance owing to the original Irma Lake Ranch owners. Conclusion In conclusion, the Mystic Monk coffee company has been successful with its entrance into the coffee market, however demands are increasing and new opportunities are being presented to the Carmelite monastery. If they wish to grow and expand their business and community, they are going to need to take the risk which is to relocate to a more practical location, ideally the Irma Lake Ranch. Irma Lake Ranch offers many new prospects to the Carmelite monks, which they would not be exposed to if they stay at their current location. This property can allow them to be independent from suppliers and venture into new venture projects such as introducing horse trail rides and milk from the dairy cows. Although the monks are a non-for-profit group, the sales revenue will mostly be paid to the original property owners until the principal amount is depleted, the rest of the money from earnings and donations will be put towards building, growing and maintaining the new Mount Carmel Monastery. References Mystic Monk Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online | Online Coffee Store. (n.d.). Mystic Monk Coffee | Buy Coffee Beans Online | Online Coffee Store. Retrieved January 24, 2013, from http://www.mysticmonkcoffee.com/store/storefront.php Thompson, A. A., Peteraf, M. A., Gamble, J. E., III, A. S. (2012). Case 1. Crafting and Executing Strategy (18th Edition ed., pp. 420-424). New York: McGraw-Hill/ Irwin.

The rise and fall of Richard III

The rise and fall of Richard III Using first hand accounts and the views of historians from various sources this essay focuses upon the question: When considering the reasons for Richard IIIs rise and fall from power to what extent were Richard IIIs strengths also his greatest weakness. Many historians consider that he usurped the English throne in 1783, triggering the end of the medieval period and the Plantagenet dynasty. The study of the role played by Richard in the ending of this epoch allows us to look at whether one man really can make that much difference to history as well as to consider how history itself is written. This essay sets out to investigate Richard IIIs many qualities as a ruler, such as his intelligence, and aims to show how these aided him in claiming the throne, yet also ultimately led to his downfall. Other, exogenous factors in his rise and fall are also considered in order to judge the comparative importance of his personality in this matter. The essay starts by looking at the legend of Ri chard III (including the famous Shakespeare play in which he is portrayed as a tyrant by the Tudor playwright) in order to set his achievements, and interpretations of him, in a historical context. The reasons behind Richard successfully taking the crown and keeping it are then considered. This touches upon many controversial, deeply-debated events (such as what happened to the Princes in the Tower?) which have arguably led to his poor reputation. The essay then analyses how his apparent strengths failed to prevent his dethroning by Henry Tudor, before concluding that these eventually became his areas of greatest weakness, such as his patriotism and his high levels of education and ego. To what extent were Richard IIIs strengths also his greatest weaknesses? In 1485, the medieval period ended with the death of Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth. Richard III is well known throughout the world due to the scandalous Princes in the Tower situation, where many historians and the public hold Richard III responsible for the double disappearance of the heirs to the throne, Richard IIIs nephews and sons of Edward IV. Not to mention with him being eternally immortalised within Shakespeares play Richard III. However regardless of his forceful and slightly underhand taking of the throne, Richard was not the complete villain that history portrays him as. His evil reputation, Conscience is but a word that cowards use, devised at first to keep the strong in awe, possibly exaggerated by Shakespeares Richard III, was fashioned at least in part by the labours of Tudor propagandists to rationalise Henry VIIs own usurpation. It is possible that Shakespeare was funded by Tudor patrons, thereby possibly ensuring that Shakespeare wrote positively about Henr y Tudor. However it appears that Shakespeare used the Chronicle writers, Vergil and Holinshed and even Thomas More to base his play upon, so perhaps he was only writing with the information provided and it was not a vindictive quest. According to Alison Weir nearly all narrative sources for this period have a partisan bias: most were written in the South of England and reflect anti-northern sentiments, for Richard III was identified very much with the northern interests. He achieved power in 1483 due to many of his strengths; nevertheless Richard III had lost power two years later to Henry Tudor, potentially demonstrating that although Richard IIIs strengths achieved him the throne they also led to his downfall. The first strength that is instantly noticed when looking into Richard IIIs childhood and life before he became king, is how educated he was in the ways of being a member of the Royal family. As a young man Richard III was sent to train under Warwicks Master of Henxman, this was a household official whose job it was to implant in Richard the rudiments of knightly conduct. According to a source at this school the pupils were taught to ride cleanly and surely; to draw them also to jousts; to learn to them to wear their harness and to have all courtesy in words, deeds, and degrees however what is important to note is that along with all these necessary skills of a noble, he was also taught a traditional English public school education, tempered with book learning and other liberal accomplishment. This source demonstrates that in appearances he would have looked and ac ted like royalty, but it also taught him knowledge which aided him greatly in the future for example making English the standard language for law so that everyone could understand it. Intelligence and cunning played a huge role in the success of Richard III in becoming King as his intellect stood him ahead of other individuals. This can be seen consistently throughout Richard IIIs seizing of power and throughout his short reign. The main event that allows us to see the part that intelligence and cunning played is with the introduction of the law Titulus Regius (1483) by which the title of King was granted to Richard III. Invented by the parliament, all loyal subjects and advisors to Richard III, this official declaration explains why Parliament had decided that the marriage of Edward IV of England to Elizabeth Woodville had been false, in order to give more power to Richard III as well as aid the prevention of another potential uprising like what had just occurred. Consequently their offspring had no right to the throne, and therefore placing Richard III on the throne of England. Furthermore we see how cunning he was by the fact that no one tried to oppose this new ruling, not even Henry VII as he was hiding and gathering an army in France during this period. This is a prime example of how cunning and intelligence were key strengths in helping Richard III achieve power, as few individuals had the flair to create such an elaborate scheme and the desire to achieve power, without his education and background he may have never achieved his ruler status in the first place. Another instance of this is regarding his arch-rivals stepfather Lord Stanley. Richard knew that he had to keep Stanley on his side and although he could not trust him, he needed his influence in the North West and in North Wales so he used Stanley to keep order in his country, this is another demonstration of Richards cunning allowing him to obtain power. There are many instances where the chicanery of Richard III appears throughout his life, firstly in the usurpation of the throne where he decided that Hastings was too loyal to the children of Edward IV, so he trumped up a charge of treason on this lord and had him summarily executed, showing Richard IIIs ability to be wily and ruthless. The highest profile example of this was concerning the Princes in the Tower, in 1483. Although this event is held in controversy by many historians, such as historian Alison Weir who argues that Richard III was to blame whereas another historian who researches the period Paul Murray Kendall argues that Henry had an even ambiguous claim to the throne so if the Princes where still alive Henry Tudor would have had even less claim to the throne. Who is responsible for this catastrophic occurrence, resulting in the death of the two heirs to the throne after Edward IV? There are many different people who have been blamed for this tragedy, however many consider that Richard III had the biggest reason to see the two sons of Edward IV dead. Alison Weir, a well-known historian has written a novel on the subject looking at both sides of the argument and the sources, and in her conclusion she states Given all the other evidence already discussed in previous chapters, then only one man could have been responsible for their deaths: Richard III. However as he discredited them as being illegitimate, why would he have them killed and have negative impact towards his reign, but his right to the throne was still shaky so he potentially had them killed to remove any possible threat to his reign. This all just shows how cunning and conniving he was through removing any threat and doing the whole process without making the situation appear like a coup dà ©tat. Instead it appeared that Richard III was doing the country a favour. This all goes to show the great advantage that Richard IIIs strengths played in allowing him to achieve the throne through guile and shrewd. Looking at the other side, there are many other people who could be blamed for this tragedy, firstly Henry Tudor for the same reason that Richard III is blamed, in order to remove the rightful heirs to the throne. However revisionists now claim that it might have been the Duke of Buckingham, Richard IIIs biggest ally, trying to clear the path for Richard. Potentially this tragic situation could show off another of Richard IIIs strengths, if he is not responsible for the death of the heirs, that of being an opportunist and ruthless in his quest for power. This personality trait that we see in Richard III could have resulted from childhood, according to a website devoted to the Monarchs, the young Richard grew up amidst the violent civil strife of the Wars of the Roses, it formed and molded him and he was very much the product of that turbulent age. From this source we can see that Richard was just a product of the time and for that reason we can see that Richard III used many of the events that occurred both in the past and present. In agreement with Alison Weir about how ruthless and dangerous Richard III could be Sir Thomas More, famous for writing the History of King Richard III the novel that was later used by Shakespeare to write his famous play. At the same time that the Princes in the Towers situation was going on Richard III was also allegedly involved in falsely accusing and arresting Jane Shore, late Edward IVs mistress. This was once again another power play. As written by Thomas More from firsthand accounts the Protector sent into the house of Shores wife (for her husband dwelled not with her) and spoiled her of all that she ever had, above the value of two or three thousand marks, and sent her body to prison. And when he had a while laid unto her for the manners sake, that she went about to bewitch him, and that she was of counsel with the Lord Chamberlain to destroy him. From this source we can see that Richard III even before he became King was ruthless in his removal of all potential enemies, not caring whether he falsified the crimes that this woman supposedly committed. Despite this source coming from a historian at the time it is possible that Sir Thomas More only wrote unflatteringly about Richard III because he thought that he would be able to further his career at the time. Also Thomas More grew up in the house of the Lord Chancellor during Henry Tudors reign so it is likely that he had biased opinions regarding Richard III. His ruthlessness is perhaps best summed up by how he attempted to seize power following the unexpected death of Edward IV, on the 9th April 1483, with the death of the current ruler there was a sudden gap in the countries leadership that needed to be filled. As the current heirs to the throne were 12 and 9 respectively, they were too young to rule by themselves, so Richard III was named protector. Richard III then used this chance to achieve power himself. All this again shows just how much of an opportunist he was, and how much this played in helping him to achieve the throne. A more cynical historian could view this as just a stroke of luck and it did not demonstrate anything about Richard IIIs actual character. A final important strength that Richard III possessed was loyalty to his king and country. Understandably this is a good quality so why would a loyal man commit treason and potentially kill Edward IVs sons? Well there are many differing views on why this happened; firstly it was never a doubt that Richard remained loyal to the king throughout Edward IVs reign. This can be seen quite often throughout the reign as Richard III supported Edward when he was overthrown by his other son, Duke of Clarence, and then helped Edward regain power through his military prowess and his courage in battle. However it is possible to argue that here is another example of Richard IIIs cunning, he could possibly just be supporting the right man to further himself in politics. Some historians even claim that Richard III was often reckless in battle, which could explain why Richard lost the Battle of Bosworth, 1485. This view of many is supported by Anne Crawford who in her study of Richard III states that Richards plan had turned into disaster and all he could do was attempt to make political capital at home, Furthermore in regards to loyalty there is a clear case that on the accession of his brother, Richard was created the Duke of Gloucester, traditionally a royal title, and at which Richard adopted he white boar as his personal badge, according to a source he also took the motto Loyaulte me lie (loyalty binds me). This would explain Richard IIIs loyalty to Edward IV but not to any of his descendants. However relating back to the question, his loyalty enabled him to become King on a variety of levels, rather ironically; firstly according to the majority of historians such as Nigel Saul, Richard III would never have gained power without the aid of the duke of Buckingham. Richards loyalty inspired other people to join in and support him, which was obviously key to his claim to power. The support of the second most influential man in England eased Richard IIIs path to become King. In conclusion the most important strengths of Richard III that helped him achieve power successfully were his intelligence and cunning. However it can be argued that out of these attributes it was Richard IIIs cunning and intelligence that allowed him to achieve power, through scandals and new laws and many other reforms. However what is well-known is that Richard III only reigned for approximately two years, a relatively short reign, before he was killed at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 and the Tudor period began, with Lord Stanley claiming King Henry, God save King Henry! Firstly through loyalty as we saw Richard III manipulate his way into power, through rewarding those those who were loyal to him during this period, showering them with gifts in order to keep them loyal. An example of this is with Richard IIIs new son in law, the Earl of Huntingdon, who took over the lands of Buckinghams betrayal, and with this he bought Williams loyalty through wedding Richards bastard daughter Katherine to him as well as including a generous dowry, according to Anne Crawford as much as the sum of 1000 marks a year. Finally another trait that of being cunning also served Richard III well, as he decided after being crowned to go on a royal progress to gather support for himself. These skills mentioned helped Richard III to keep power for the two years that he held it for, but eventually many historians, including Anne Crawford, Nigel Saul and Antony Cheetham agree that these skills also contributed greatly to his ultimate downfall. Firstly with Richard IIIs intelligence from his education he felt able to introduce new laws all by himself, which therefore made him responsible in the publics eyes for the negative laws restricting the peoples lives. Also he increased taxes in order to reward his followers, maintaining their loyalty. Evidently the public would not have liked this as they could barely afford to pay the old taxes. Therefore Richard III lost a lot of the public support that he had gained and with the growing popularity of Henry Tudor, it appeared that Richard IIIs downfall was becoming imminent. Another attribute that arguably turned from a strength into a weakness was loyalty, that of his followers and his loss of the ability to inspire. Richard III sat uneasily on his throne in 1483; the deep mistrust of the nobility had been engendered by the death of Lord Hastings and the apparent vanishing of Edward V and his brother. At Lincoln, on 11th October, Richard received the disturbing news that his most loyal ally, the Duke of Buckingham, had abandoned his cause and now supported Henry Tudor. Buckinghams reasons for deserting remain a mystery, he was said to feel sorry for his previous actions, possibly an admission of guilt for the Princes in Tower, but it is possible that he felt that he deserved more recognition for all that he had done for Richard III, and Henry offered the Duke more power and rewards. It has also been suggested that, as the Duke was the direct progeny of Edward IIIs youngest son himself, his support of Richard was part of a plan to help him achieve the th rone himself. Anne Crawford, a historian of the Yorkist era puts forward the argument that who knows whether Buckingham aspired the throne himself, whether he jumped on a bandwagon or whether he foresaw that his rule of south Wales would be threatened. This betrayal by the Duke hit Richard III very hard as he lost his greatest ally whom he considered a friend. In a primary source letter to his Chancellor Russell, Bishop of Lincoln Richard expresses his anger at the betrayal of Buckingham, the Duke of Buckingham-the most untrue creature living: whom with Gods grace we shall not be long till that we will be in that parts, and subdue his malice. We assure you there was never falser traitor purveyed for; as this bearer Gloucestert shall show you. In this letter we see how far Richard III had potentially slipped emotionally. This looked very bad for Richard now as he lost the main support of other nobles to Henry Tudor. Furthermore in the following year after Richard showed that he intended to keep all the power that he had amassed as a Duke in the north of England, as a result he lost support around the country. In the summer of 1484 after this action, many rebellious ballads and rhymes started to emerge in London, the most famous attributed to William Collyngboure the Cat [Sir William Catesby], the Rat [Sir Richard Ratcliffe] and Lovell our dog[Lord Lovell] all serving under a Hog [Richard III]. This slanderous rhyme a deliberate slur at the supporters of Richard III and the King himself showed how far Richard III was starting to fall in public opinion. In further support of exogenous factors leading to Richard IIIs downfall from the throne on the 22nd August 1485, there was finally the expected battle between Richard III and Henry Tudor, now known as the Battle of Bosworth, famous for being the last time a monarch was killed in battle. After Richards death the continuator of the Croyland Chronicle depicted the event as thus the tusks of the boar [Richard] were blunted and the red rose [Henry Tudor], the avenger of the white [the princes in the Tower] now shone upon England. This source clearly shows how public opinion was no longer supporting Richard and they saw Henry as a righteous avenger for the evil deeds of Richard III. However it is impossible to be sure whether this was just propaganda or a personal belief. Linking to the attributes that led to Richard IIIs downfall here is a key skill that ultimately led to his death as well as ruin. Richard IIIs pride meant that he wore his crown into the battle, making him an easy target. In fact this can be linked to the earlier point about loyalty; Richard III was not killed by Henry Tudor or even the duke of Buckinghams men, but by Sir William Stanleys men. Stanley saw a chance to win the gratitude of Henry Tudor, while leading a counterstrike from the sidelines and surrounding the King with a superior force cutting off Richard III from his main army. With Richard dead the army disintegrated, leaving Henry Tudor to claim the throne. It can be seen here how both pride and loyalty turned on Richard III leading clearly to his downfall. However it can be argued that there are other reasons why Richard III lost his throne, firstly the time that Richard ruled was a turbulent period. With Richards usurpation, it led to the possibility that there would be another, either by the people to replace the rightful heir or another potential candidate to try and take the throne before Richard III could consolidate his power. It could also be considered that unlucky situations that Richard III faced, first, on 9th April 1484, Richards only son and heir, Edward of Middleham died, perhaps of tuberculosis. Both Richard and his wife Anne Neville were said to be preoccupied with grief. Many in that superstitious age saw it as celestial vengeance for Richard IIIs handling of his brothers sons. Furthermore fate seemed to working against Richard III. In March 1485, when Queen Anne Neville died of tuberculosis, her husband was said to be loath to visit her in her lodgings. Subsequent to Annes death rumors arose that Richard III had poisoned her, though ungrounded in fact, they demonstrate Richards subjects suspicions of him. He was required to make a mortifying communal refutation of the rumors, saying that he was not delighted at her death but as sorry and as heavy in heart as a man can be and to deny that he planned for an incestuous matrimony with his niece. Richard III was destroyed by grief, which all affected his judgment to rule and provided Henry Tudor with the opportunity to muster a force to remove Richard III from the throne. In conclusion we can see that Richard IIIs key characteristics eventually changed from assets to liabilities and played a huge contribution to his downfall. It is easy to see that Richards strengths ironically became his weaknesses. His cunning and intelligence seem to have been a recurring factor in all aspects of Richard IIIs life. In his use of the law to achieve the throne, but then he used this knowledge to introduce new measures and taxes which lost him public support. Pride and deviousness allowed him to inspire followers however it also arguably led to his death on the battle field as he foolishly wore his crown into battle. Finally manipulating his supporters, this led to him losing many supporters including Lord Stanley which ultimately led Richard IIIs defeat in battle. His luck also ran out with the death of his wife and son, by taking the throne by force, his determination also ended up working against him as it inspired Henry Tudor to copy him. He started a trend of people taking the throne, rather than being born to it. Therefore it was only a matter of time before Richard III met his downfall, whether he caused it himself or whether it was just fate. Revisionist historian Nigel Saul, writer of the Oxford Illustrated history of Medieval England is of a similar opinion that it is doubtful whether either Edward IV or Richard III ever quite felt secure on the throne analyzing the evidence and arguments it appears that the revisionist idea is the most valid as it appears Richard III was vilified by propaganda. However his methods did provide a basis for his infamously flawed character and led to the circumstances which caused his downfall. Word Count: 3677

Evaluation Of An Error Control Codec Information Technology Essay

Evaluation Of An Error Control Codec Information Technology Essay The assignments object is to design and evaluate an error control codec. This aims to prove in practice the Hamming code theory. In the first part there is a design of an encoder and its simulation. From the encoder simulation we can figure how the code words are generated and when a codeword is valid. The decoder purpose is to recover the codeword from the received word. To accomplish this, syndrome theory was used. A design and a simulation of the decoder is shown in answer 2. Final, a codec is designed with an addition of XOR gates to introduce errors. The main reason of this is to understand why Hamming code can detect 2 errors and correct only one. Introduction to Hamming linear block codes Noise causes errors (data distortion) during transmission. So, a received message has bit errors. A repercussion of noise is the alteration of one or more bits of a codeword. Alteration of a bit means inversion of its situation because signals have binary form. Some examples of noisy communication channels are: a) an analogue telephone line which, over which two modems communicate digital information and b) a disk drive. There are two solutions that can achieve perfect communication over an imperfect noisy communication channel, physical and system solution. Physical modifications increase the cost of the communication channel. Information theory and coding theory offer an alternative approach: we accept the given noisy channel as it is and add communication systems to it, so that we can detect and correct the errors introduced by the channel. As shown in figure 1, we add an encoder before the channel and a decoder after it. The encoder encodes the source message s into a transmitted message t, adding redundancy to the original message in some way. The channel adds noise to the transmitted message, yielding a received message r. The decoder uses the known redundancy introduced by the encoding system to infer both the original signal and the added noise. Figure 1 Error correcting codes for the binary symmetric channel [1] The only cost for system solution is a computational requirement at the encoder and decoder. Error detection and error correction In order to make error correction possible, the bit errors must be detected. When an error has been detected, the correction can be obtained by: a) receiver asks for repeated transmission of the incorrect codeword until a correct one has been received Æ’Â   Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) b) using the structure of the error correcting code to correct the error Æ’Â   Forward Error Correction (FEC). Forward Error Correction is been use for this assignment. Error Detection Automatic Repeat Request Forward Error Correction Block Code Block Code Convolutional Code Figure 2 The main methods to introduce error correction coding Linear block codes Linear block codes are a class of parity check codes that can be characterized by the (n, k) notation. The encoder transforms a block of k message digits into a longer block of n codeword digits constructed from a given alphabet of elements. When the alphabet consists of two elements (0 and 1), the code is a binary code comprising binary digits (bits).[4] The current assignment of linear block codes is restricted to binary codes. The output of an information source is a sequence of binary digits 0 or 1 (since we discuss about binary codes). In block coding, this binary information sequence is segmented into message blocks of fixed length. Each block can represent any of 2k distinct messages. The channel encoder transforms each k-bit data block into a larger block of n bits, called code bits. The (n-k) bits, which the channel encoder adds to each data block, are called redundant or parity bits. Redundant or parity bits carry no information. Such a code is referred to as an (n, k) code. [5] The encoding result is the codeword. Any generator matrix of an (n, k) code can be reduced by row operations and column permutations to the systematic form. [6] We call a systematic code the code where the first k digits (information or message bits) of the code word are exactly the same as the message bits block and the last n-k digits are the parity bits as it shown below. Message Information bits Redundant or parity bits k n-k n digit codeword Figure 3 (n, k systematic block code) Encoding and Decoding of Linear Block Codes The generator matrix is a matrix of basis vectors. The generator matrix G for an (n, k) block code can be used to generate the appropriate n-digit codeword from any given k-digit data sequence. The H and corresponding G matrices for the current assignment block code (6, 3) are shown below: Æ’Â   H is the parity check matrix Æ’Â   G is the generator matrix The first three columns are the data bits and the rest three columns are the parity bits. Systematic code words are sometimes written so that the message bits occupy the left hand portion of the codeword and the parity bits occupy the right hand portion. This reordering has no effect on the error detection or error correction properties of the code.[4] Study of G shows that on the left of the dotted partition there is a 33 unit diagonal matrix and on the right of the partition there is a parity check section. This part of G is the transpose of the left hand portion of H. As this code has a single error correcting capability then dmin, and the weight of the codeword must be 3. As the identity matrix has a single one in each row then the parity check section must contain at least two ones. In addition to this constraint, rows cannot be identical. [7] The parity check bits are selected so they are independent of each other. The Hamming distance between two code words is defined as the number of bits in which they differ. The weight of a binary codeword is defined as the number of ones which it contains (the number of the nonzero elements-bits). The codeword is given by the multiplication of data bits and the generator matrix. The operations of modulo-2 multiplication (AND) and modulo-2 addition (EXOR) are used for the binary field. Æ’Â   EXOR addition Æ’Â   AND multiplication The parity check equations are shown below: If the components of the output transmission satisfy these equations: then the received codeword is valid. These equations can be written in a matrix form: where c is the codeword. The syndrome Let c be a code vector which was transmitted over a noisy channel. At the receiver we might obtain a corrupted vector r. Decoder must recover c from r. The decoder computes, S=Hr where S is called the syndrome and r is the received vector (arranged as a column vector) then if, then r is not a code word. The syndrome is the result of a parity check performed on r to determine whether r is a valid member of the codeword set. If r is a member the syndrome S has a value 0. If r contains detectable errors, the syndrome has some nonzero value. The decoder will take actions to locate the errors and correct them in the case of FEC. No column of H can be all zeros, or else an error in the corresponding codeword position would not affect the syndrome and would be undetectable. All columns of H must be unique. If two columns of H were identical, errors in these two corresponding codeword positions would be indistinguishable. [4] Hamming code can correct a single bit error and detect two bit errors assuming no correction is attempted. Answers to assignment questions Task 1 Design the encoder for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting codec using the interleaved [P1P2D1P3D2D3] format. You can implement your parity generation using XOR gates. Simulate your circuit to check for correct operation. Answer 1 An encoder is a device used to change a signal (such as a bitstream) or data into a code. The code may serve any of a number of purposes such as compressing information for transmission or storage, encrypting or adding redundancies to the input code, or translating from one code to another. This is usually done by means of a programmed algorithm, especially if any part is digital, while most analog encoding is done with analog circuitry. [3] Encoder creates the codeword in a combination of information and parity bits. Interleaving is a way to arrange data in a non-contiguous way in order to increase performance and avoid burst errors. In our case we use interleaved to protect the data bits from continuous error. Figure 4 Encoder design for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting codec Since the encoder is for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting codec, that means there are 3 information bits and 3 parity bits. Thus, 8 code words are generated from the encoder Æ’Â   2k where k are information bits Æ’Â   23=8. The H and G matrix are shown below for a (6, 3) Hamming code: All possible code words Message x G = Codeword Weight [000] x G 000000 0 [001] x G 001011 3 [010] x G 010101 3 [100] x G 100110 3 [011] x G 011110 4 [101] x G 101101 4 [110] x G 110011 4 [111] x G 111000 3 Table 1 All possible code words The minimum distance is dmin=3 Figure 5 Encoder simulation Checking if c=(D1D2D3P1P2P3) is a codeword The EXOR gate () is a logic gate that gives an output of 1 when only one of its inputs is 1. X1 (Input) X2 (Input) Y1 (Output) 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 Table 2 Truth table of EXOR Gate Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   Æ’Â   c is a valid codeword. Task 2 Design the decoder for a (6,3) Hamming single error correcting coded using the interleaved [P1P2D1P3D2D3] format. You can use a 3-to-8 line decoder for syndrome decoding and XOR gates for the controlled inversion. Simulate your circuit to check for correct operation. Answer 2 A decoder is a device which does the reverse of an encoder, undoing the encoding so that the original information can be retrieved. The same method used to encode is usually just reversed in order to decode. [3] Decoder tries to reveal the correct data word from the codeword. Thus means that here is the process where detection and correction of codeword take place. Figure 6 Decoder design for a (6.3) Hamming single error correcting codec Decode the received codeword Figure 7 Decoder simulation r is the received word Æ’Â   111000 Æ’Â   Æ’Â   r is code word Task 3 Join your encoder to decoder and add an XOR gate with an input in each bit transmission line to allow you to introduce errors into the transmission. Simulate your circuit and check that it can cope with the six single errors as expected. Answer 3 Figure 8 Codec desing Figure 9 Six single errors As it shown from the above figure the codec can cope with the six single errors. This is possible because: Message x G = Encoder Codeword Weight [000] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 000000 0 [001] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 001011 3 [010] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 010101 3 [100] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 100110 3 [011] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 011110 4 [101] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 101101 4 [110] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 110011 4 [111] x G à ¢Ã¢â‚¬  Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ 111000 3 Table 3 All possible code words and their hamming weight The minimum distance of a linear block code is defined as the smallest Hamming distance between any pair of code words in the code.[5] The minimum distance is dmin=3. The error correcting capability t of a code is defined as the maximum number of guaranteed correctable errors per codeword. where t is the error correcting capability For dmin=3 we can see that all t=1 bit error patterns are correctable. In general, a t-error correcting (n, k) linear code is capable of correcting a total of 2n-k error patterns.[4] Task 4 By experimenting with your implemented codec, examine the effect, in terms of additional errors, of (i) all 15 double errors, (ii) all 20 triple errors, (iii) all 15 quadruple errors, (iv) all 6 quintuple errors, (v) the single sextuple error. Note. You only need consider one of the 8 possible input data words. Why? Answer 4 (i) Figure 10 15 double errors (ii) Figure 11 20 triple errors (iii) Figure 12 15 quadruple errors (iv) Figure 13 6 quintuple errors (v) Figure 14 The single sextuple error Since the error correcting capability is tà ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤1, our codec cant detect or correct more than 1 error. Thus, the above results. Task 5 Calculate the post codec probability of a code being in error, A(n), for each of the five categories examined in Task 4. Then calculate the overall number of errors per 6 bit word, Eav, given by the following model based on the binomial distribution as function of the channel bit error probability p. Plot the decoded error probability as function of p. Over what range of p do you conclude that this codec is useful and why? Answer 5 A(n)=1-(number of correct errors/number of total errors) A(n) is going to be always 1 except the case where the codec detects and corrects 1 single error Æ’Â   then A(n)=1 Using matlab for the plot p=[0:0.01:1]; Eav=[15*p.^2.*(1-p).^4+20*p.^3.*(1-p).^3+15*p.^4.*(1-p).^2+6*p.^5.*(1-p).^1+p.^6.*(1-p).^0];pd=Eav/6; plot(p,pd) xlabel(Bit error probability (p)) ylabel(Decoder error probability Pd(p)) grid on Figure 15 Plot of decoder error probability (pd) as function of p Conclusions Parity bits must be added for the error detection and correction. Hamming distance is the criterion for error detection and correction. Error detection can be done with addition of one parity bit but error correction needs more parity bits (Hamming code). Hamming code can detect 2 bit errors assuming no correction is attempted. Hamming code can correct only a single bit error. The ability to correct single bit errors comes at a cost which is less than sending the entire message twice. Sending a message twice is not accomplish an error correction.