Friday, November 29, 2019

The Sun Also Rises - Betrayal Essays - English-language Films

The Sun Also Rises - Betrayal In the novel The Sun Also Rises , written by Ernest Hemingway the main character Jake, makes a decision to introduce the woman he loves to a young bull fighter. Jake makes this decision very much against the will of Montoya, which leads to the betrayal of both Montoya, Pedro Romero, Mike and himself. Jake does this because he is unconditionally committed to Brett, and is willing to do whatever necessary to bring her happiness, even if it is only temporary. Jake's first reaction to the news that Brett is interested in meeting and spending time with Romero is one of negativity. He learns of this from his friend Montoya and tells him not to give Romero the message. He does not think that it would be a good idea for Brett to have anything to do with Romero, and does not want him to receive the message that invites him to have coffee with their group. At this point it is clear that both Jake and Montoya do not approve of this proposed encounter. Montoya fears Brett will corrupt Pedro Romero and Jake is jealous of the possibility of them having a relationship. Jake's decision to introduce Brett and Romero ultimately leads to the greatest betrayal in the novel; the betrayal of himself. He betrays himself because he is unconditionally devoted to Brett, and her happiness. He is so in love with Brett that he will do anything for her even it means hurting himself. He is driven by the reality of his physical impotence and therefore gives up on Brett, although in his heart he will always love her. The last remark in the novel is very important in making us see how Jake ultimately betrays himself. He says "yes I said isn't it pretty to think so?" He is being sarcastic when he says this, he seems to have come to a realization that he stubbornly holds on to, that he and Brett will never work out because he can not have sexual relations with her. Brett thinks that maybe, just maybe they could work it out, but Jake kinda gives up on himself, betrays his true feelings, and throws away his possibility of a relationship he always wanted with Brett but was impossible. There is also a betrayal of pedro Romero. Jake betrays Romero and thus breaks the aficinado code. The code, almost like a code of chivalry has somewhat of an accepted theme which includes a loyalty to fellow aficinados, and looking out for their best interest. Jake breaks this accepted theme when he acts as an accomplice in getting the two of them together. Jake knows that Brett will corrupt the young bullfighter and thus betrays the bullfighter. Again he does this for his love of Brett, because he will do anything to make her happy. Jake also betrays Mike. Although they do not really get along, he should respect Mike and his plans of marriage to Brett, but he does not. He ruins Mikes chances with Brett when he helps get Brett and Pedro Romero together. To betray is to commit treason against; to be a trader. To be false or disloyal to. When using this definition of betrayal it is safe to say Jake betrays many in the novel as well as himself. In this story Jake is forced with a decision that will change a great deal of his life. His decision, ultimately costs him a good friendship, and takes away the respect that Montoya once had for him. It also ruins the chance that he might have had with Brett. He does this consciously and unselfishly without hesitation.

Monday, November 25, 2019

Alternate sources of Electri. essays

Alternate sources of Electri. essays Alternate Sources of Electricity: Wind Power Wind is created from an unequal heating of the earths atmosphere therefore wind is an indirect form of solar energy. Convection currents, which occur due to the fact that warm air rises and cooler air drops, produces this cycle of air or wind. Some of the suns energy directly heats the air but mostly the heat is transferred form the earth into the atmosphere. Between 1 - 2% of the solar radiation that reaches the Earth is converted into energy in the wind.1. Seasonal variations in the speed and direction of the wind result from the seasonal changes angle of the Earths spin relative to the Sun. Daily variations are caused by the different speeds of heating different surfaces, for example land and oceans heat up at different speeds.2 The force excreted by wind on a propeller or some sort of mechanical instrument is used to create motion. Thus converting mechanical energy into electrical is not a problem. The process is the reverse of an electric motor which uses a magnet to force the shaft to spin. Likewise if the shaft spins it will induce a magnetic field thus providing electricity. There are three basic physical laws governing the amount of energy available from the wind. The first law states that the power generated by the turbine is proportional to the wind speed cubed. For example if the wind speed doubles, the power available increases by a factor of eight; if the wind speed triples then twenty seven times more power is available. Therefore a proposed site must have a very fast wind a lot of the time to generate electricity. It is very expensive to deploy lots of wind turbines if each is only going to produce very little electricity. The second law states that the power available is directly proportional to the swept area of the blades. That is the power is proportional to the square of the blade length. For example, doubling the blade length will in...

Friday, November 22, 2019

A Separte Peace Essay Essay Research Paper

A Separte Peace Essay Essay, Research Paper In life, historical events frequently play an of import function in a individual s life. Many times people can drastically hold a alteration of sentiment over dark. In A Separate Peace, the whole ambiance at the Devon School changed as World War II progressed. The male childs either thirstily awaited bill of exchange, preferred to enlist in the country of war they wanted, or did non desire to travel at all. The pupils at the school were forced to make activities for enjoyment since old 1s could non be played because of deficiency of stuffs. When a friend returns from the war, the male childs at Devon got a existent sense of what the war was like. The male childs learned that traveling to war was non all merriment and games like they had anticipated. The influence World War II had on the characters in A Separate Peace and life at the Devon School, was clearly depicted through their actions and activities. The beginning of the novel allows the reader to acquire a feel of what the Devon School was like during that clip period. Students of war age were invariably go forthing Devon to travel to the war, either by pick or by bill of exchange. Whether childs wanted to travel or non, the expectancy was ever present. As winter approached the Devon school, so was the infringing shadow of the war. The male childs were called out to assist shovel free a troop train trapped by snow-blocked paths. The experience # 8220 ; brings the war place # 8221 ; for all of them, and they realized they would hold to confront a important determination really shortly. Maturity leaps upon them, whether they # 8217 ; re ready for it or non, at the stamp age of 17. The exhilaration of the war had gotten to everybody at the school, including the staff, and made it a helter-skelter topographic point. The male childs were able to acquire away with disobeying the regulations. Many pupils cut category, and left schoo l evidences frequently and were non penalized. When Leper returned from the war the male childs realized that take parting in the war wasn t all merriment and games, and that a batch of bad things happened. When Leper told Gene how he had been discharged on charges of insanity, Gene blew up at Leper. Gene had thought the war was a good topographic point, and the impression of a Section Eight Discharge was non what he wanted to hear. It wholly ruined Gene s ideas and his hopes. Gene was wholly set on enlisting in the ground forces, to see what so many other s were sing, until Leper informed him of the war s negative facets. Leper, more defeated than anyone, did non portion his ground for returning place with everyone. He was ashamed, and did non desire to portion the horrors of war with everyone. Scarcity of popular stuffs made it hard for the male childs at Devon to go on with some normal activities. Finny, the athletic male child he was, made up Blitzball, a game named after the celebrated Blitzkrieg ( a German war maneuver ) . The game of class was successful in maintaining the male childs busy. Along with athletic creative activities, the male childs started a nine called The Super Suicide Society of the Summer Session, a nine which about six male childs signed up for. The nine met about every dark, and had particular inductions for the members. The nine was designed to give the male childs something to make because they were unable to take part in the regular things they did. The male childs at Devon were non holding the same sort of school twelvemonth that they had had in the yesteryear. Partially because of an interuption in their day-to-day lives. World War II had a strong influence on life in the novel A Separate Peace. The writer displays the influence through the character s actions and activities. The pupils at the Devon School were overwhelmed with the thought of war, and were thirstily expecting their going to an country of it. However, when a good friend returned from the war with a different thought of how it was, the male childs rethought their avidity. The male childs were forced to do up games and such to take part in to maintain them occupied when they weren t perusal. This novel showed that like with other major historical events, war can wholly change a manner of life, altering everything from personalities to activities.

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Medicare Value Based Purchasing Program Research Paper

Medicare Value Based Purchasing Program - Research Paper Example The implementation of separate value based purchasing programs for each of the different Medicare providers requires more than just trumpeting the program. The program has different payment levels and efficiency measuring strategies for hospitals, physicians and other practitioners, home health agencies, ESRD providers and facilities, and skilled nursing facilities. (Reichard 2009). The Policy: The Medicare Value based purchasing programs have been formulated in an effort to facilitate the transformation of the Medicare system from a passive payer of claims to an active purchaser of care. The operational infrastructure of RHQDAPU as established by the CMS has been used as a base for the development of Medicare Value based purchasing programs which includes the following provisions: i. As specified by the President’s FY2006 and FY2007 budgets, the value based purchasing programs are budget neutral and are formulated in accordance with the policy recommendations of Institute of Medicine (IOM) and Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). ii. The existing Medicare performance measurements and reporting infrastructure together with RHQDAPU components have been used as a foundation for the structure of Value Based Purchasing Programs. iii. ... In accordance with the provisions of Patient Protection and Affordable Car Act of 2010, the data collected in the initial year would be utilized in informing the concerned medical individuals about their incentive payments. v. The implementation and coordination of VBP program would be undertaken by CMS, which will also monitor the effectiveness of the program through consensus processes such as Hospital Quality Alliance (HQA), National Quality Forum (NQF), and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO). vi. The reporting requirements specified in Division B, Title 1, Section 109 of Tax Relief and Healthcare Act will be utilized by VBP programs for the measurement of performance and the calculation of incentive payments. vii. The VBP programs will undertake the responsibility of eliminating existing disparities in the health care system. The enforcement of the Value based purchasing programs would not be undertaken without the consent of the concerned m edical personnel. viii. A withholding up to 2% of total payments pertaining to specific Medicare providers would be utilized in the evaluation of the incentive pool. All funds collected under the value based purchasing programs will be offered as incentive payments to the eligible participants will not be changed over time. (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 2007). Models of VPB Programs: The value based purchasing programs are composed of three models which are listed as follows: Model 1: Single Large Purchaser: This involves a large active Medicare supplier which is working collaboratively with other suppliers. If reward incentives are targeted at these individuals then inevitably the overall performance of the health care system as a whole will

Monday, November 18, 2019

Proposition 8 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Proposition 8 - Assignment Example persons along with their addresses and financial contribution towards the campaign has been recorded for the future references through social networking websites. However, the data recorded as public information is inconvenient to access and possesses the risk of privacy breach (California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, 2008). With the emergence of internet, privacy is the most essential concern for users accessing internet. The development of information technology and computer science has both positive and negative effects and on the negative side, it has led to different unethical practices. Hackers and intruders are identified to access confidential information through unauthorized access on the system. In this regard, it can be possible for cyber criminals to access data of the married persons unethically, which may raise problems for donors providing private information such as address and credit card information among others. Thus, it can be asserted that Proposition 8 may raise challenges in terms of breach of privacy rights as well as threats for donors providing private information (Sembok, 2003). It can be evidently asserted that the actions undertaken in the Proposition 8 of providing private information publicly through social networking websites have raised problems relating to inconvenience of accessing information and breach of privacy. Additionally, the actions of providing private information without appropriate privacy measures and security tools may assist intruders and hackers in breaching information of donors efficiently (Perlroth, 2012; Sembok,

Saturday, November 16, 2019

Arranged Marriages Essay Example for Free

Arranged Marriages Essay Love is a many splendored thing: well thats what Ive heard. Eyes meet, birds sing, hearts beat and the world turns upside down; unless you are in a arranged marriage. Only the parents are happy, and of course we want our parents to be happy but at whose expense? For centuries arranged marriages were a tradition and in some cultures they still are. There may be a good reason why arranged marriages are good for the people in the east. However today, arranged marriages are still ongoing because its traditional, I dont think thats a good tradition. I mean celebrating New Years Eve in Times Square New York is a good tradition. Its a good tradition because I feel and know that no one ever gets hurt celebrating New Years Eve. Arranged marriages can hurt and deny a persons certain civil rights. There are plenty of cultures where there are no such things as civil or human rights but it still doesnt make it right. Arranged marriages are a tradition from a past era, I believe that arranged marriages are a way of controlling people, especially women. Around the world there has been a custom or tradition of subjugating women. Eastern cultures or religions believe that it is their right to make women 2nd class citizens. To me it means much more, like controlling a life. If you have the desire to control women and to control their lives start with the marriage. In the western societies they tend to frown upon that kind of control inflicted upon women. Im sure that women tend to frown upon that as well, any control over anyone is frowned upon. There must be a certain lack of respect for both the bride and groom in arranged marriages, these marriage ideas might be old but who said that theyre a good idea? Some traditions should be destroyed faster than a Scotsman can clean out a free bar at a wedding reception. Arranged marriages are one of those traditions. Romeo and Juliet is a classic example of why arranged marriages are outdated and ends in tragedy. Those times required most young women and men to enter into a relationship, that werent of their own choice, but their parents. You would not think that in todays society that arranged marriages still existed, however the parents are still planning their childrens life; albeit, the children are adults. The purpose of this is to maintain the wealth for both families. If the case was that a young girl was being made to marry a adult male, that is being labelled as paedophilia. Yet in India or in the east it is still ongoing and it doesnt make a difference, here in England its a different story for that matter and is illegal. These children are brainwashed into believing that this is normal and that love or any other emotion is not their right but to blindly allow the wishes of their parents. We have not stepped forward in time but have fallen into biblical proportions. That may have sounded too descriptive (biblical proportions), but we have to realize that in biblical times children were married off to other family members for the purpose of continuing their ancestors and that was thousands of years ago and yet its still happening in todays society. One might consider that arranged marriages are more like a business deal than a true marriage, often with the engaged couple being used as pawns on a chess game. Marriage should not be only a business proposition. Call me a hopeless romantic but I dont believe that two people can be truly happy together unless it was themselves who saw valuable qualities in their partner, what is more is that it completely defies the law of nature. More importantly a marriage should be based on usual trust and affection, as well as common goals. Anything less than that and all you end up with is an emotionless, false union. Arranged marriages are a mockery or the true nature of marriage, a worthless document to be filed into our court systems. What is love? That is said to be one of the hardest questions to be answered as many people dont know what it is. In all truth I dont think anyone knows the answer unless they are in love and even so its a unexplainable feeling that someone cant describe to another. You can only know what it is when you are in it. In a arranged marriage I feel that you cant find that love feeling between the two people in the relationship. As I said earlier we do want to make our parents happy and yes theyre the ones that know whats best for us and only want us to make the right decisions. But I dont think they know or understand that even though they might think the man/women were going to marry may not be the right choice, were in love with them. Whatever love is. We care about them and at the time you know that you want to be with them for the rest of your life and most importantly theyre yours forever and youre theirs. And it doesnt matter what people say and if they disagree with your choice. Because you know what you want and thats him/her. But this is not what you get in a arranged marriage. In a arranged marriage I would imagine that the woman would feel somehow trapped, thats how Id feel if I was in the situation. Id be so cooped up on trying to keep my parents happy and not being able to express how I felt to anyone and would feel as if it were my duty. If more couples were matched up through class, education, family background, life goals and earnings Thats quoted from a women called Aneela Rahman. She was on BBCs 2 programme Arrange Me a Marriage. The programme was about finding a partner for each contestant she had, she had one month to match someone with another. Traditions are one thing but outdated, irrational, new age slavery is another thing, I realize that whether you marry for love or not, it can either turn out good or bad, but there should be the opportunity of choice not mandatory rule. On the whole I am against arranged marriages. I think that it is not needed to please parents and not the actual bride and groom. If you want your children to get married and fall in love then let them do it in their own time. Its not something that can be rushed into and found straight away or first time round. Love should be experienced and not just felt.

Thursday, November 14, 2019

The Nature of Solitude in Chopins Novel, The Awakening Essay -- Chopi

The Nature of Solitude in Chopin's Novel, The Awakening "The name of the piece was something else, but she called it ‘Solitude.' When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore. He was naked. His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him."(47) "All along the white beach, up and down, there was no living thing in sight. A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water...when she was there beside the sea, absolutely alone, she cast the unpleasant, pricking garments from her, and for the first time in her life she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her. How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known."(138) These two passages from Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, both utilize much of the same imagery in conveying the nature of solitude, yet they do so towards creating somewhat oppositional representations. The instance of the first passage occurs on the night when Edna's own "awakening" begins, describing her fondness for music and the pictorial effects that it has upon her before she is then moved to tears by Mademoiselle Reisz's performance. The second passage is taken from the last pages of the novel wherein Edna swims out to sea, presumably towards her death. In looking back through the novel for this assignment I was struck by the similarity of these two passages and by the way that the imagery in them seems t... ... attitude of "hopeless resignation," she portrays an attitude of amazed excitement as she describes the scene as "delicious" and her place in it as that of a "new-born creature" entering into a new world and existence. The male figure in the first passage stands passive and "resigned" on the shore, but Edna in her state of wonderment acts, defiantly choosing her own fate in the face of the same societal pressures. Tragically, her choice means death and conveys the novel's sentiment that in a repressively sexist society the only option for an "awakened" woman may be oblivion. Through these shared images and the ideas that they represent, the two passages link and reflect upon one another and the characters' situations. This linkage enhances the palpable visual and sensual nature of the novel, thus beautifully presenting Chopin's multi-layered vision of solitude.

Monday, November 11, 2019

Changes in the Practice of Nursing Essay

The health care in the United States is changing, patients need and demand outstanding services delivery. So we as nurses are called up onto deliver this service. With the shift in the health care sector nurses will be even more in demand. This demand will be tied to skill levels and education. This is why it is so important for all nurses to commit to furthering their studies, it will make them more marketable. There will be many new job opportunities due to the restructure of the United States health care system.Providing health insurance to an additional 30 million people will likely make access to care a problem because of inadequate availability of primary care providers to meet the expected increase in demand. This is calling for innovative new ways on how to deliver health care in the United States. A few delivery systems are: -An accountable care organization (ACO) is a group of care providers who coordinate health care for a patients. This could include Doctors, Hospitals, Specialist and other health care providers. The idea is to keep health care cost down and avoid unnecessary test and procedures, but provide high quality care. (Gold, 2013) -Nurse Managed Health Clinics (NMHC) emphasize health promotion, education and disease prevention. It is a facility which is based in a community and staffed with advanced practice nurses as leaders. It provides primary healthcare services to the community. (Kovner & Walani, 2010) – Another module or philosophy of primary care is a medical home. It is a team-based facility, which is patient-centered, comprehensive, coordinated, accessible, and focuses on quality and safety. (â€Å"hrsa,† n.d.) All patients should receive the best coordinated care possible, especially the chronically ill, to get the right care at the right time is the purpose of these new modules. At the same time we should avoid unnecessary duplication of services and preventing medical errors – For example: The growth of chronic illness and aging populations, in particular, has placed a substantial burden on the healthcare system. Very popular is the patient-centered medical home model that emphasizes continuous coordinated  patient care. It has been shown to lower costs while improving health care outcomes. The patient-centered medical home is a way of organizing primary care that emphasizes care coordination and communication to transform primary care into â€Å"what patients want it to be.† Medical homes can lead to higher quality and lower costs, and can improve patient’s experience of care. Nurse Managed Health Clinics are led by advanced practice nurses to provide basic primary healthcare and screening. This could possibly be very cost effective if operated to their full potential. But let’s not forget that we also see and increasing demand of Nurse Practitioners (NP) in the hospital setting. We all know our two co-workers who went back to school and completed their NP program and now work in our Emergency Department as NP’s. Many hospitals also started using NP’s to take care of their in-patients. To keep up the demand of these facilities nurses with higher education are the future of the new health care system. Continuity of care is needed, it is the process by which the patient and the physician are cooperatively involved in ongoing health care management toward the goal of high quality, cost-effective medical care. Better quality care is given by higher educated nurses, so to stay marketable and to provide the best possible care to our patients it is in our interested to further our knowledge and our education. Nurse 1: The new health reform not only impact everyone as an individual, but it will also impact businesses as a whole. One of the main points of the new health care reform is to ensure that all Americans have insurance. With insurance not having been mandatory before, Americans who were uninsured had to deal with several financial problems when it came to paying medical bills. There are several individuals that do not have any medical insurance because they either do not have a job or the job that they do have does not offer insurance. And even some people who have the option to have insurance may not buy it because they don’t want to pay for it. And then these same people who have the option to have it but choose not, may end up using a government program to obtain medical services. This cost all tax payers more money for people who have the option to obtain insurance for them but choose to use a government facility. With this new reform it will be mandatory for every individual to obtain at least some sort of basic medical insurance for  themselves. Without insurance, people can sometimes not get the proper care that they deserve. And even though most hospitals do not turn away people without insurance, they do not cut them a break and still stick them with the high medical costs for the medical services that were administered. Americans who did not previously have insurance will now have obtained it. With the increase of insured Americans, the demand for health care providers will increase substantially. A huge percentile of practicing physicians and nurses are over the age of 50. Therefore the medical schools will need to recruit more students to become health care providers. Moreover, this will require additional professors as well as additional medical schools in order to handle the increase in enrollment. I am hoping that this can start our country down a better road with our health care situation. With the layout that has been provided, I can see that the idea is for everyone to benefit from this in one way or another. First, every American will benefit from having the insurance and being able to seek medical attention when needed. Insurance companies will benefit from claims. Doctors will benefit from receiving increased patients. Medical schools will benefit from having an increase of enrollment. Nurse 2: The changes to the nation’s health care system will affect nursing practice as we know it. We see change daily in our current practice. To prepare myself for the challenges and prospects that lie ahead, I am invested in advancing my education by being enrolled in an MSN program, I should complete this program by the end of this year. I do my best to step up to a more advanced leadership positions, currently fulfilling the role of a day shift supervisor in our Emergency Department. I try to stay current about the hospital and unit policies and procedures. I assist staff and physicians with changes, additions, and updates to our computer charting program system. My future plans for changes in my practice include earning certification in Emergency (CEN).I am trying right now to gain more understanding of the legislative process that helps shape health care policies. I needed to write a paper for school and found this subject fascinating. To meet society’s future healthcare needs, changes are necessary in the way nurses function and we need to improve and advance our education, so that we can development nursing management capabilities. To  help progress science, and be qualified to meet the needs of many types of patients, nurses need to be leaders, while providing excellent care. Collaboration among healthcare professionals is a requirement in an ever-changing and complex system. It is vital that nurses take ownership, step-up and be personally involved in helping transform health care and hospitals, into a safer place, which is accessible, fiscally responsible, and comprehensive in its care. Nurse 3: The rising cost of healthcare in today’s economy is in desperate need of a reform, we all know that. Because of this enormously cost many people are unable to receive medical care. People are sicker due to the inability to receive medical attention when it’s needed, so there wait and often the problem is getting much worse by the time there seek medical care. I am very worried about the increasing demand of nurses and the nursing shortage. If we do not address the nursing shortage very soon I see that in the future quantity will replace quality in nursing. Nurses will burn out and leave there position due to the increased demand and increased patient work load. Nurse to patient ratio is increasing, due to financial cuts from hospitals. Hospitals need to work more efficient to be able to keep their doors open. This is not very helpful to job satisfaction. We need to address these issues now. A few ideas would include for hospitals to pay for nursing school and have the student sign a contract to work for the hospital and every year worked 5000 dollars are forgiven in there loan. Also the demand is for everyone to continue with their education and obtain a BSN, MSN or doctorate, this cuts down on the quality of life in itself. Hospitals should give paid hours each week, to each nurse who is obtaining an advanced degree (like 4 hours a week). Summary I think each of my Co-Workers had a little different view on what is health reform meaning to them. In general each one had some kind of understanding about it and each nurse choose to share the point which is most dear to them about the reform. I agree mostly with all of them. The nursing shortage needs to be addressed and a larger more qualified nursing work force needs to be created. Nursing will have a huge impact on how we form the new health care system in the United States. Advanced practice in clinical settings  seems to be the most reasonable way of addressing the need of the public. Managed health care can be a solution to decrease the enormously cost of health care nowadays. References . Med-Surg Nursing, 23(1), 61-6. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/detail?vid=4&sid=d44f4649-8f31-43d2-bce8-b6a777bc1157%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=ccm&AN=2012491341 Accountable Care Organizations . (2013). Retrieved from http://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/ACO/ Gold, J. (2013). ACO is the hottest three-letter word in health care. Retrieved from http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/stories/2011/january/13/aco-accountable-care-organization-faq.aspx Kovner, C., & Walani, S. (2010, January). Nurse Managed Health Centers . nursing research network. Retrieved from http://thefutureofnursing.org/resource/detail/nurse-managed-health-centers-nmhcs M. Colette Carver,Anne T. Jessie. (2011, May). Patient-Centered Care in a Medical Home. The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 16(2). Retrieved from http://www.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/ Vol-16-2011/No2-May-2011/Patient-Centered-Care-in-a-Medical-Home.html Swan, B. A. (2011, Nov.-Dec.). Health Care Reform: Current Updates and Future Initiatives For Ambulatory Care Nursing. Nursing Economic, 29(6), 331-4. Retrieved from http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.library.gcu.edu:2048/eds/detail?vid=4&sid=d44f4649-8f31-43d2-bce8-b6a777bc1157%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4102&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#db=ccm&AN=2011388254 What is a medical home? Why is it important? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hrsa.gov/healthit/toolbox/Childrenstoolbox/BuildingMedicalHome/whyimportant.html

Saturday, November 9, 2019

Philip Morris Ethical Issues Essay

The Philip Morris founded a cigarette company in 1847 London. They specialized in hand-rolled cigarettes and were very much a small, family ran business. In 1902 the company moved to New York City and had a new demographic in a new country. The company remained small and was actively only the sixth largest tobacco company in the United States. With the famous â€Å"Marlboro Man† advertising campaign the company gained popularity and in 1983 Philip Morris was the largest cigarette company in the United States. From there, the company began to expand into other businesses expanding on its international market. Philip Morris acquired Miller Brewing Company in 1970 and General Foods in 1985. The same year Philip Morris Companies was incorporated as a publicly traded company. Philip Morris continued their expansion with the takeover of Kraft in 1988 and the merger between South African Breweries with Miller Brewing in 2002. Philip Morris Companies changed its name to Altria Group Inc. in 2003 and spun off Kraft Foods in 2007. (4) They then gained the international business of Philip Morris as a separate company and acquired U. S. Smokeless Tobacco Company. The holding company owns Philip Morris USA, U. S.  Smokeless Tobacco Company, Philip Morris Capital Corp and Nu Mark, a new company that produces Nicotine Lozenges. Company Success and Campaigns Today Philip Morris is still top in the cigarette market. The company’s cigarette brands have about half of the cigarette market in the United States. The other Philip Morris brands include Parliament, Virginia Slims, Merit, Cambridge, and Basic. The majority of the company success comes from their genius advertising in the 1950’s. (4) Widely regarded as one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time the â€Å"Marlboro Man† helped Philip Morris bring itself to the top of the industry. Marlboro used the image of a rugged cowboy enjoying a cigarette on horseback quickly adapt men into enjoying their brand. Released in 1955 the success of the advertisement was incredible. In 1954 Marlboro sales accounted for $154 million in cigarette sold. From there the campaign expanded into other professions including sports stars, racing drivers, and other â€Å"manly-men† to boost bran recognition. (6) The campaign continued through 1999 and is still widely recognized in today’s pop-culture. A lot of Philip Morris’s success can be attributed to the fact that their product is addictive. Having customers with a physical dependency to their product makes customer loyalty an easy thing especially when demand is high. Tobacco Regulation and its Effect on the Company While Philip Morris enjoyed uncontested financial success throughout the latter half of the 20th century it appears trouble is coming. Through the 60’s smoking was a lifestyle in the United States. It was associated with a life of glamor and practically had everyone smoking. By 1963 American adults were smoking an average of 12 cigarettes per day. In 1963 the Surgeon General released the linking of cigarette smoking and cancer. Since then the tobacco industry has only become more regulated. A year later the Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act was passed which required all cigarettes sold to carry the Surgeon General’s warning. As research into the negative effects of smoking grew stronger the regulations and bans began. In 1990 smoking was banned on buses and domestic flights the first movement in the prohibition of smoking and its dangers to others. With these regulations came lawsuits against the industry from individual smokers and various parties. The tobacco companies settled in 1998 to gain immunity from future lawsuits from government groups in return for $246 billion to be paid out over the course of 25 years. (4) While big tobacco was able to avoid these trials general concern for health caused sales to fall. At first Philip Morris and other tobacco companies publicly disclaimed any link between lung cancer and smoking but this was not enough. To combat these health claims cigarette companies released filtered cigarettes that claimed to limit the amount of dangerous particles in tobacco smoke. The filtered cigarettes were in fact just as harmful as regular cigarettes because consumers would take bigger drags to make up for the lack of smoke. In 2006 the District of Columbia District Court ruled the tobacco companies had made many offenses including lying about health risks and marketing to children. (8) As a result tobacco companies are now required to remove misleading statements about filtered cigarettes being safer and to provide more insight into company procedures. Increased regulation has had Philip Morris dealing with a constantly increasing tobacco tax. The government directly taxes cigarettes in all state owned property. These taxes have led to the drastic increase in cigarette prices. Philip Morris and other companies push the tax down towards their customers. The current state of the tobacco industry is not what it use to be but Philip Morris remains profitable with their large involvement in all markets. (4) Despite a clear public understanding of health risks millions of addicted smokers continue their habit. As Philip Morris continues to make money off a product that is addictive and damaging to its customer it is easy to question the moral roots of the company. An Ethical Look on a â€Å"Evil† Company With full speculation as corporations go Philip Morris is certainly on the list as a â€Å"Evil company. The fact is that the company sells a harmful addictive products that kill almost 20% of Americans each year. In addition the company has long known about the dangers of smoking despite repeatedly denying the medical claims. Although these accusations Philip Morris is taking steps to change their business outlook. The steps to gain a more favorable public opinion shows that the company is not acting unethically. When the reports about health issues came along with smoking Philip Morris made an unprecedented decision. Instead of targeting the health problems and looking to manufacture â€Å"safer† cigarettes Phillip Morris began marketing to the younger crowd. (6) While not necessary breaking the law by physically selling to minors it is clear that the company believes that targeting a younger more impressionable crowd is the solution. It’s hard to pinpoint the moral beliefs of Philip Morris. The company is still extremely successful and their success comes with the expense of the well being of their customers. Philip Morris and Positive Ethical Behavior Philip Morris a company speculated for its concerned about its stakeholders has also still had initiatives that benefit society. Unlike most of its smaller competitors Philip Morris has never manufactured flavored cigarettes. Other tobacco companies came under serious fire for flavored blends like Twista Lime, Mandarin Mint, Beach Breezer. These flavored cigarettes provided a way to appeal to a younger crowd. Philip Morris has never engaged in this kind of behavior and in some cases has made an effort to even deter minors from smoking. Since 1998 the company has spent a self reported $1 billion on youth smoking prevention including its â€Å"Think Don’t Smoke† campaign that was started in the 2000’s. (3) The Philip Morris website is packed with information on the dangers of smoking and the company even supported FDA regulation of tobacco which was eventually allowed by the Tobacco Control Act in 2009. Most recently Altria was listed on Fortune Magazine’s Top 100 most admired companies of 2011 for positive business behavior. In the Socially Responsible category they ranked fourth. The company donated $54 million to multiple nonprofit organizations including the Red Cross, the Smithsonian, and the United Negro College Fund. Looking at the company they engage in parts of an ethically sound corporation that values the impact it can have on society. However once the nature of the business that Philip Morris is engaged in is known only then will the company be hindered. Company Views and the Utilitarian Approach There is no doubt that Philip Morris’s public relation division are hard at work. Despite their social outreach its intention is misguided. The company’s social agenda is arguably just another operating cost to help improve the reputation of Philip Morris as the best of the worse. The company’s support of FDA tobacco regulation might have seemed like a moral move but FDA regulation of tobacco ends up helping Philip Morris. FDA regulation makes it much harder for smaller cigarette companies to survive. Only Philip Morris has the supply chain and brand recognition to remain profitable as cigarettes become more regulated. Additionally FDA regulation makes the industry unattractive heightening the barriers that Philip Morris’s has gaining a competitive advantage. (1) Applying the Utilitarian approach provides an interesting insight into the ethical breakdown of the company. The Utilitarian thinking is the ideal society that starts in an original position where everyone is equal. From there changes in equality should be open to everyone and the changes in equality are to everyone’s advantage. Essentially this approach with an unequally high proportion of wealth, assets, or abilities would have an affect on this type of company. With an equal chance to have an unequal proportion of wealth, assets, or abilities every individual would fight to make unequal distribution to benefit society. Looking at Philip Morris through the Utilitarian approach shows that the company is not acting fairly. Philip Morris engages in many business activities to help maintain their competitive advantage including supporting FDA regulation that would kill their competitors. On a more broad scale the inequality of wealth that Philip Morris has amassed over the years has not been to the advantage of society as a whole. In fact the success of the company has come at the expense of the health and well being of society. While it’s apparent that Philip Morris does not abide by this approach it is hard to blame the company. The Fact of the Matter for Philip Morris Because the negative effects of smoking are widely known and well supported the right to a healthy life falls on the individual to uphold in this situation because smoking is known to be detrimental to that right. That being said the addictive properties of nicotine make this argument known. Philip Morris for years repeatedly denied claims about the health issues of smoking and released filtered cigarettes that claimed them to be healthier. In many ways avoiding helping to deprive people of their right to live healthily would have been directly in opposition of their business. This makes Phillip Morris an interesting situation. Tobacco has been in western culture for around 500 years and for the majority of that time it was a large part of culture and was celebrated as a luxury. It helped bring the colonies money. Today tobacco is frowned upon and the companies that were once so wildly successful and respected in America are being asked to limit business. To ask Philip Morris to act completely ethically would be asking them to shut down operations completely. They sell a product that takes years off of lives and is responsible for 440,000 deaths each year. (4) While they can continue to pursue â€Å"healthier† forms of smoking and ingesting nicotine there is no way for the company to operate without harming someone. What makes tobacco an anomaly in the business ethics debate is the willingness for their customers to purchase products that will end up harming them. When we think of business ethics it is normally thought of as creating negative actions in the environment. In the case of Philip Morris the negative actions fall on the company’s customers who willingly accepts them. The solution to this problem does not lie in the hands of Philip Morris or any of the other tobacco companies. In Conclusion While in the past the company has made unethical business decisions like covering up health concerns or trying to convince the public that their cigarettes are safer the industry is at a point now where they are acting as ethically as possible.  They are simply providing a product that has strong demand. It is within our government’s duty to protect citizens when they are incapable of making smart decisions as individuals. From this report the real danger here is nicotine the addictive substance in cigarettes. This matter should be controlled by the FDA and needs to be limited. Until then tobacco and its and its suppliers will always be contested and Philip Morris will continue doing what they have been doing.

Thursday, November 7, 2019

The Basics of Magnetic Levitated Trains (Maglev)

The Basics of Magnetic Levitated Trains (Maglev) Magnetic levitation (maglev) is a relatively new transportation technology in which non-contacting vehicles travel safely at speeds of 250 to 300 miles-per-hour or higher while suspended, guided, and propelled above a guideway by magnetic fields. The guideway is the physical structure along which maglev vehicles are levitated. Various guideway configurations, e.g., T-shaped, U-shaped, Y-shaped, and box-beam, made of steel, concrete, or aluminum, have been proposed. There are three primary functions basic to maglev technology: (1) levitation or suspension; (2) propulsion; and (3) guidance. In most current designs, magnetic forces are used to perform all three functions, although a nonmagnetic source of propulsion could be used. No consensus exists on an optimum design to perform each of the primary functions. Suspension Systems Electromagnetic suspension (EMS) is an attractive force levitation system whereby electromagnets on the vehicle interact with and are attracted to ferromagnetic rails on the guideway. EMS was made practical by advances in electronic control systems that maintain the air gap between vehicle and guideway, thus preventing contact. Variations in payload weight, dynamic loads, and guideway irregularities are compensated for by changing the magnetic field in response to vehicle/guideway air gap measurements. Electrodynamic suspension (EDS) employs magnets on the moving vehicle to induce currents in the guideway. Resulting repulsive force produces inherently stable vehicle support and guidance because the magnetic repulsion increases as the vehicle/guideway gap decreases. However, the vehicle must be equipped with wheels or other forms of support for takeoff and landing because the EDS will not levitate at speeds below approximately 25 mph. EDS has progressed with advances in cryogenics and superconducting magnet technology. Propulsion Systems Long-stator propulsion using an electrically powered linear motor winding in the guideway appears to be the favored option for high-speed maglev systems. It is also the most expensive because of higher guideway construction costs. Short-stator propulsion uses a linear induction motor (LIM) winding onboard and a passive guideway. While short-stator propulsion reduces guideway costs, the LIM is heavy and reduces vehicle payload capacity, resulting in higher operating costs and lower revenue potential compared to the long-stator propulsion. A third alternative is a nonmagnetic energy source (gas turbine or turboprop) but this, too, results in a heavy vehicle and reduced operating efficiency. Guidance Systems Guidance or steering refers to the sideward forces that are required to make the vehicle follow the guideway. The necessary forces are supplied in an exactly analogous fashion to the suspension forces, either attractive or repulsive. The same magnets on board the vehicle, which supply lift, can be used concurrently for guidance or separate guidance magnets can be used. Maglev and U.S. Transportation Maglev systems could offer an attractive transportation alternative for many time-sensitive trips of 100 to 600 miles in length, thereby reducing air and highway congestion, air pollution, and energy use, and releasing slots for more efficient long-haul service at crowded airports. The potential value of maglev technology was recognized in the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA). Before the passage of the ISTEA, Congress had appropriated $26.2 million to identify maglev system concepts for use in the United States and to assess the technical and economic feasibility of these systems. Studies were also directed toward determining the role of maglev in improving intercity transportation in the United States. Subsequently, an additional $9.8 million was appropriated to complete the NMI Studies. Why Maglev? What are the attributes of maglev that commend its consideration by transportation planners? Faster trips - high peak speed and high acceleration/braking enable average speeds three to four times the national highway speed limit of 65 mph (30 m/s) and lower door-to-door trip time than high-speed rail or air (for trips under about 300 miles or 500 km). Still higher speeds are feasible. Maglev takes up where high-speed rail leaves off, permitting speeds of 250 to 300 mph (112 to 134 m/s) and higher. Maglev has high reliability and less susceptible to congestion and weather conditions than air or highway travel. Variance from schedule can average less than one minute based on foreign high-speed rail experience. This means intra and intermodal connecting times can be reduced to a few minutes (rather than the half-hour or more required with airlines and Amtrak at present) and that appointments can safely be scheduled without having to consider delays. Maglev gives petroleum independence - with respect to air and auto because of Maglev being electrically powered. Petroleum is unnecessary for the production of electricity. In 1990, less than 5 percent of the Nations electricity was derived from petroleum whereas the petroleum used by both the air and automobile modes comes primarily from foreign sources. Maglev is less polluting - with respect to air and auto, again because of being electrically powered. Emissions can be controlled more effectively at the source of electric power generation than at the many points of consumption, such as with air and automobile usage. Maglev has a higher capacity than air travel with at least 12,000 passengers per hour in each direction. There is the potential for even higher capacities at 3 to 4-minute headways. Maglev provides sufficient capacity to accommodate traffic growth well into the twenty-first century and to provide an alternative to air and auto in the event of an oil availability crisis. Maglev has high safety - both perceived and actual, based on foreign experience. Maglev has convenience - due to a high frequency of service and the ability to serve central business districts, airports, and other major metropolitan area nodes. Maglev has improved comfort - with respect to air due to greater roominess, which allows separate dining and conference areas with the freedom to move around. The absence of air turbulence ensures a consistently smooth ride. Maglev Evolution The concept of magnetically levitated trains was first identified at the turn of the century by two Americans, Robert Goddard, and Emile Bachelet. By the 1930s, Germanys Hermann Kemper was developing a concept and demonstrating the use of magnetic fields to combine the advantages of trains and airplanes. In 1968, Americans James R. Powell and Gordon T. Danby were granted a patent on their design for a magnetic levitation train. Under the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act of 1965, the FRA funded a wide range of research into all forms of HSGT through the early 1970s. In 1971, the FRA awarded contracts to the Ford Motor Company and the Stanford Research Institute for analytical and experimental development of EMS and EDS systems. FRA-sponsored research led to the development of the linear electrical motor, the motive power used by all current maglev prototypes. In 1975, after Federal funding for high-speed maglev research in the United States was suspended, industry virtually abandoned its interest in maglev; however, research in low-speed maglev continued in the United States until 1986. Over the past two decades, research and development programs in maglev technology have been conducted by several countries including Great Britain, Canada, Germany, and Japan. Germany and Japan have invested over $1 billion each to develop and demonstrate maglev technology for HSGT. The German EMS maglev design, Transrapid (TR07), was certified for operation by the German Government in December 1991. A maglev line between Hamburg and Berlin is under consideration in Germany with private financing and potentially with additional support from individual states in northern Germany along the proposed route. The line would connect with the high-speed Intercity Express (ICE) train as well as conventional trains. The TR07 has been tested extensively in Emsland, Germany, and is the only high-speed maglev system in the world ready for revenue service. The TR07 is planned for implementation in Orlando, Florida. The EDS concept under development in Japan uses a superconducting magnet system. A decision will be made in 1997 whether to use maglev for the new Chuo line between Tokyo and Osaka. The National Maglev Initiative (NMI) Since the termination of Federal support in 1975, there was little research into high-speed maglev technology in the United States until 1990 when the National Maglev Initiative (NMI) was established. The NMI is a cooperative effort of the FRA of the DOT, the USACE, and the DOE, with support from other agencies. The purpose of the NMI was to evaluate the potential for maglev to improve intercity transportation and to develop the information necessary for the Administration and the Congress to determine the appropriate role for the Federal Government in advancing this technology. In fact, from its inception, the U.S. Government has aided and promoted innovative transportation for economic, political, and social development reasons. There are numerous examples. In the nineteenth century, the Federal Government encouraged railroad development to establish transcontinental links through such actions as the massive land grant to the Illinois Central-Mobile Ohio Railroads in 1850. Beginning in the 1920s, the Federal Government provided commercial stimulus to the new technology of aviation through contracts for airmail routes and funds that paid for emergency landing fields, route lighting, weather reporting, and communications. Later in the 20th century, Federal funds were used to construct the Interstate Highway System and assist States and municipalities in the construction and operation of airports. In 1971, the Federal Government formed Amtrak to ensure rail passenger service for the United States. Assessment of Maglev Technology In order to determine the technical feasibility of deploying maglev in the United States, the NMI Office performed a comprehensive assessment of the state-of-the-art of maglev technology. Over the past two decades, various ground transportation systems have been developed overseas, having operational speeds in excess of 150 mph (67 m/s), compared to 125 mph (56 m/s) for the U.S. Metroliner. Several steel-wheel-on-rail trains can maintain a speed of 167 to 186 mph (75 to 83 m/s), most notably the Japanese Series 300 Shinkansen, the German ICE, and the French TGV. The German Transrapid Maglev train has demonstrated a speed of 270 mph (121 m/s) on a test track, and the Japanese have operated a maglev test car at 321 mph (144 m/s). The following are descriptions of the French, German, and Japanese systems used for comparison to the U.S. Maglev (USML) SCD concepts.  Ã‚   French Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) The French National Railways TGV is representative of the current generation of high-speed, steel-wheel-on-rail trains. The TGV has been in service for 12 years on the Paris-Lyon (PSE) route and for 3 years on an initial portion of the Paris-Bordeaux (Atlantique) route. The Atlantique train consists of ten passenger cars with a power car at each end.   The power cars use synchronous rotary traction motors for propulsion. Roof-mounted pantographs collect electric power from an overhead catenary. Cruise speed is 186 mph (83 m/s). The train is non-tilting and, thus, requires a reasonably straight route alignment to sustain high speed. Although the operator controls the train speed, interlocks exist including automatic overspeed protection and enforced braking. Braking is by a combination of rheostat brakes and axle-mounted disc brakes. All axles possess antilock braking. Power axles have anti-slip control. The TGV track structure is that of a conventional standard-gauge railroad with a well-engineered base (compacted granular materials). The track consists of continuous-welded rail on concrete/steel ties with elastic fasteners. Its high-speed switch is a conventional swing-nose turnout. The TGV operates on pre-existing tracks, but at a substantially reduced speed. Because of its high speed, high power, and anti wheel slip control, the TGV can climb grades that are about twice as great as normal in U.S. railroad practice and, thus, can follow the gently rolling terrain of France without extensive and expensive viaducts and tunnels. German TR07 The German TR07 is the high-speed Maglev system nearest to commercial readiness. If financing can be obtained, groundbreaking will take place in Florida in 1993 for a 14-mile (23 km) shuttle between Orlando International Airport and the amusement zone at International Drive. The TR07 system is also under consideration for a high-speed link between Hamburg and Berlin and between downtown Pittsburgh and the airport. As the designation suggests, TR07 was preceded by at least six earlier models. In the early seventies, German firms, including Krauss-Maffei, MBB, and Siemens, tested full-scale versions of an air cushion vehicle (TR03) and a repulsion maglev vehicle using superconducting magnets. After a decision was made to concentrate on attraction maglev in 1977, advancement proceeded in significant increments, with the system evolving from linear induction motor (LIM) propulsion with wayside power collection to the linear synchronous motor (LSM), which employs variable frequency, elect rically powered coils on the guideway. TR05 functioned as a people mover at the International Traffic Fair Hamburg in 1979, carrying 50,000 passengers and providing valuable operating experience. The TR07, which operates on 19.6 miles (31.5 km) of guideway at the Emsland test track in northwest Germany, is the culmination of nearly 25 years of German Maglev development, costing over $1 billion. It is a sophisticated EMS system, using separate conventional iron-core attracting electromagnets to generate vehicle lift and guidance. The vehicle wraps around a T-shaped guideway. The TR07 guideway uses steel or concrete beams constructed and erected to very tight tolerances. Control systems regulate levitation and guidance forces to maintain an inch gap (8 to 10 mm) between the magnets and the iron tracks on the guideway. The attraction between vehicle magnets and edge-mounted guideway rails provide guidance. The attraction between a second set of vehicle magnets and the propulsion stator packs underneath the guideway generate lift. The lift magnets also serve as the secondary or rotor of an LSM, whose primary or stator is an electrical winding running the length of the guideway. T R07 uses two or more non-tilting vehicles in a consist. TR07 propulsion is by a long-stator LSM. Guideway stator windings generate a traveling wave that interacts with the vehicle levitation magnets for synchronous propulsion. Centrally controlled wayside stations provide the requisite variable-frequency, variable-voltage power to the LSM. Primary braking is regenerative through the LSM, with eddy-current braking and high-friction skids for emergencies. TR07 has demonstrated safe operation at 270 mph (121 m/s) on the Emsland track. It is designed for cruise speeds of 311 mph (139 m/s). Japanese High-Speed Maglev The Japanese have spent over $1 billion developing both attraction and repulsion maglev systems. The HSST attraction system, developed by a consortium often identified with Japan Airlines, is actually a series of vehicles designed for 100, 200, and 300 km/h. Sixty miles-per-hour (100 km/h) HSST Maglevs have transported over two million passengers at several Expos in Japan and the 1989 Canada Transport Expo in Vancouver. The high-speed Japanese repulsion Maglev system is under development by Railway Technical Research Institute (RTRI), the research arm of the newly privatized Japan Rail Group. RTRIs ML500 research vehicle achieved the world high-speed guided ground vehicle record of 321 mph (144 m/s) in December 1979, a record that still stands, although a specially modified French TGV rail train has come close. A manned three-car MLU001 began testing in 1982. Subsequently, the single car MLU002 was destroyed by fire in 1991. Its replacement, the MLU002N, is being used to test the sid ewall levitation that is planned for eventual revenue system use. The principal activity at present is the construction of a $2 billion, 27-mile (43 km) maglev test line through the mountains of Yamanashi Prefecture, where testing of a revenue prototype is scheduled to commence in 1994. The Central Japan Railway Company plans to begin building a second high-speed line from Tokyo to Osaka on a new route (including the Yamanashi test section) starting in 1997. This will provide relief for the highly profitable Tokaido Shinkansen, which is nearing saturation and needs rehabilitation. To provide ever improving service, as well as to forestall encroachment by the airlines on its present 85 percent market share, higher speeds than the present 171 mph (76 m/s) are regarded as necessary. Although the design speed of the first generation maglev system is 311 mph (139 m/s), speeds up to 500 mph (223 m/s) are projected for future systems. Repulsion maglev has been chosen over attraction maglev because of its reputed higher speed potential and because the larger air gap accommodates the ground motion experienced in Japans earthquake-prone territory. The design of Japans repulsion system is not firm. A 1991 cost estimate by Japans Central Railway Company, which would own the lin e, indicates that the new high-speed line through the mountainous terrain north of Mt. Fuji would be very expensive, about $100 million per mile (8 million yen per meter) for a conventional railway. A maglev system would cost 25 percent more. A significant part of the expense is the cost of acquiring surface and subsurface ROW. Knowledge of the technical details of Japans high-speed Maglev is sparse. What is known is that it will have superconducting magnets in bogies with sidewall levitation, linear synchronous propulsion using guideway coils, and a cruise speed of 311 mph (139 m/s). U.S. Contractors Maglev Concepts (SCDs) Three of the four SCD concepts use an EDS system in which superconducting magnets on the vehicle induce repulsive lift and guidance forces through movement along a system of passive conductors mounted on the guideway. The fourth SCD concept uses an EMS system similar to the German TR07. In this concept, attraction forces generate lift and guide the vehicle along the guideway. However, unlike TR07, which uses conventional magnets, the attraction forces of the SCD EMS concept are produced by superconducting magnets. The following individual descriptions highlight the significant features of the four U.S. SCDs. Bechtel SCD The Bechtel concept is an EDS system that uses a novel configuration of vehicle-mounted, flux-canceling magnets.   The vehicle contains six sets of eight superconducting magnets per side and straddles a concrete box-beam guideway. An interaction between the vehicle magnets and a laminated aluminum ladder on each guideway sidewall generates lift. A similar interaction with guideway mounted null flux coils provides guidance. LSM propulsion windings, also attached to the guideway sidewalls, interact with vehicle magnets to produce thrust. Centrally controlled wayside stations provide the required variable-frequency, variable-voltage power to the LSM. The Bechtel vehicle consists of a single car with an inner tilting shell. It uses aerodynamic control surfaces to augment magnetic guidance forces. In an emergency, it levitates onto air-bearing pads. The guideway consists of a post-tensioned concrete box girder. Because of high magnetic fields, the concept calls for nonmagnetic, fiber-re inforced plastic (FRP) post-tensioning rods and stirrups in the upper portion of the box beam. The switch is a bendable beam constructed entirely of FRP. Foster-Miller SCD The Foster-Miller concept is an EDS similar to the Japanese high-speed Maglev but has some additional features to improve potential performance. The Foster-Miller concept has a vehicle tilting design that would allow it to operate through curves faster than the Japanese system for the same level of passenger comfort. Like the Japanese system, the Foster-Miller concept uses superconducting vehicle magnets to generate lift by interacting with null-flux levitation coils located in the sidewalls of a U-shaped guideway. Magnet interaction with guideway-mounted, electrical propulsion coils provides null-flux guidance. Its innovative propulsion scheme is called a locally commutated linear synchronous motor (LCLSM). Individual H-bridge inverters sequentially energize propulsion coils directly under the bogies. The inverters synthesize a magnetic wave that travels along the guideway at the same speed as the vehicle. The Foster-Miller vehicle is composed of articulated passenger modules and ta il and nose sections that create multiple-car consists. The modules have magnet bogies at each end that they share with adjacent cars. Each bogie contains four magnets per side. The U-shaped guideway consists of two parallel, post-tensioned concrete beams joined transversely by precast concrete diaphragms. To avoid adverse magnetic effects, the upper post-tensioning rods are FRP. The high-speed switch uses switched null-flux coils to guide the vehicle through a vertical turnout. Thus, the Foster-Miller switch requires no moving structural members. Grumman SCD The Grumman concept is an EMS with similarities to the German TR07. However, Grummans vehicles wrap around a Y-shaped guideway and use a common set of vehicle magnets for levitation, propulsion, and guidance.   Guideway rails are ferromagnetic and have LSM windings for propulsion. The vehicle magnets are superconducting coils around horseshoe-shaped iron cores. The pole faces are attracted to iron rails on the underside of the guideway. Nonsuperconducting control coils on each iron-core leg modulate levitation and guidance forces to maintain a 1.6-inch (40 mm) air gap. No secondary suspension is required to maintain adequate ride quality. Propulsion is by conventional LSM embedded in the guideway rail. Grumman vehicles may be single or multi-car consists with tilt capability. The innovative guideway superstructure consists of slender Y-shaped guideway sections (one for each direction) mounted by outriggers every 15-feet to a 90-foot (4.5 m to a 27 m) spline girder. The structural s pline girder serves both directions. Switching is accomplished with a TR07-style bending guideway beam, shortened by use of a sliding or rotating section. Magneplane SCD The Magneplane concept is a single-vehicle EDS using a trough-shaped 0.8-inch (20 mm) thick aluminum guideway for sheet levitation and guidance. Magneplane vehicles can self-bank up to 45 degrees in curves. Earlier laboratory work on this concept validated the levitation, guidance, and propulsion schemes. Superconducting levitation and propulsion magnets are grouped in bogies at the front and rear of the vehicle. The centerline magnets interact with conventional LSM windings for propulsion and generate some electromagnetic roll-righting torque called the keel effect. The magnets on the sides of each bogie react against the aluminum guideway sheets to provide levitation. The Magneplane vehicle uses aerodynamic control surfaces to provide active motion damping. The aluminum levitation sheets in the guideway trough form the tops of two structural aluminum box beams. These box beams are supported directly on piers. The high-speed switch uses switched null-flux coils to guide the vehicle through a fork in the guideway trough. Thus, the Magneplane switch requires no moving structural members. Sources: Sources:  National Transportation Library  http://ntl.bts.gov/

Monday, November 4, 2019

Homeless Women Bettering Themselves Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Homeless Women Bettering Themselves - Essay Example However, the silver lining on the cloud is that the homeless women are not averse to leading a settled life as is usually thought of them and many of them do evince the potential to better their life and circumstances, if they get a chance to do so. Plight of Homeless Women The life of the homeless women certainly tends to be utterly tough and loaded with insecurity. For homeless women tend to be quiet a vulnerable segment of the society and the anti-social elements like criminals, rapists, muggers, drug pushers and pimps do find it easier to take advantage of the homeless women, simply owing to their augmented vulnerability (Wenzel, 2006). However, the thing that needs to be considered is that the homeless women do not prefer to remain vulnerable by choice, at least not all of them. There exist sufficient examples of homeless women who managed to make something of themselves, once they were given a chance to do so (Wenzel, 2006). The media stories almost on a regular basis do celebr ate the ingenuity and initiative of the homeless women who took a step forward and bettered their lives. Homeless Women- Success Stories For instance, Kayla Kinker from Covington happened to be a homeless woman. The good thing about Kayla was that she had panache for education, irrespective of being homeless. Certainly life was tough for Kayla, shifting across unstable habitations and doing without the basic utilities and civic amenities (The River City News, 2013). She even did not know as to when she will come across her next meal. However, things changed for Kayla as she moved to a shelter for the homeless that facilitated her with a more stable and comfortable living environment (The River City News, 2013). It was then that Kayla was required to decide as to whether she should continue with her education or should withdraw to work full time to help her family (The River City News, 2013). Luckily Kayla took the initiative and decided that she would be of much use to her family an d the community if she continues with her education. Consequently Kayla managed to graduate from High School with honors and after finishing her degree from Berea College, is on her way to becoming a physician (The River City News, 2013). Yet, Kayla, irrespective of being homeless, not only managed to help herself, but her goal is to start a community health center, so as to payback the community that helped her in her time of need (The River City News, 2013). Yet, Kayla does not happen to be the only successful homeless women around. Equally amazing is the experience and the story of AnnMarie Walsh, who managed to accrue thousands of followers on Twitter by simply sharing her story of homelessness (Torres, 2012). AnnMarie became homeless after she ended up with a divorce and lost her job (Torres, 2012). The sad thing is that AnnMarie also suffered from some other mental and health issues (Torres, 2012). Being alone and homeless on the Chicago roads, AnnMarie turned to Twitter for s eeking solace and comfort. And the Twitter initiative taken by AnnMarie Walsh accrued to this 41 year old homeless woman almost 4,800 regular followers to whom she twitted her experience of being homeless and the problems faced by her on a regular basis (Torres, 2012). To do so, AnnMarie uses the computer facilities at

Saturday, November 2, 2019

Hydraulics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hydraulics - Essay Example Most of the ancient towns and cities in United Kingdom are close to the river always experiencing damages from flooding over time. SuDS are small scale source control measures which are useful in draining surface water in a more natural way through infiltration, retention and storage devices in urban areas. They employ methods that mimic natural drainage systems by passively removing contaminants in surface water and naturalizing flow rate (JEFFERIES, 2011 p 189-221). After reducing the water volumes and pollutants near the water source, a corresponding reduction in the rate of flow downstream and flood discharges are evident. Reducing rate of downstream flow and flood discharges contribute in improving the quality of water. Further improvements are realizable due to reduced storm water into sewers because little surface water spills over into the sewer system, this spillage if often allowed force raw sewer discharge into the water courses. Certain infiltration based systems such as permeable pavements, swale and detention ponds are always important in controlling the effect of storm water in built-up areas. Permeable pavements are alternative grounds that allow storm water to filter through the voids into the underlying stone reservoirs for temporarily storage (KING, & WISLER, 2008 p 117-131). Permeable pavements consist of permeable surface layer, bedding a layer, underlying stone aggregate reservoir and a filtration layer laid at the bottom. Swales are shallow channels for collecting, and removing pollutants from water (KING, & WISLER, 2008 p 207-231). Swales have shallow side slopes and a flat bottom. They usually have grass covers and mostly water flows in a thin layer through the grass. Detention ponds are for improving the quality of urban runoff and reducing the rates at which the peak storm flows this is possible by providing temporary storage during large storms. Slow sand Filters have a filtration rate of 0.15 m3/m2†¢h, the