Emerging Technology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Emerging Technology - Assignment Example If implemented, the use of brain computer would contribute positively to both business and the society. For instance, by intercepting the computer memory to the human brain would be a recommendable effort in treating patients suffering from mental related illness such as stress or shock. Moreover, such implementation to the brain can also be used by those who suffer from memory loss in sustaining information such as an eyewitness account in a court of law thus leading to a safer society (Afeyan Para 40). If the use of brain computer interfaces can be performed in a real scenario, then it would have the benefits of correcting medical disorder such as trauma that does not have a specific cure. Besides, it would help in sustaining significant amount of memory beyond the normal brain capacity hence considered important in different professional sectors. However, it is not very easy for people to accept the integration of system into the human body and as usual, this would be a challenge. Secondly, it is very expensive to implement such systems because it would call for both technical and medical personnel to integrate physical systems to accommodate biological transmission (Afeyan Para

Establishing & implementing a charitable program in the sport of Essay

Establishing & implementing a charitable program in the sport of equestrian show jumping - Essay Example Background: The world witnessed lately several major natural calamities like the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami caused by a strong earthquake in Aceh province, Indonesia. It was one of the largest natural disasters in recent memory that claimed the lives of 250,000 in several countries bordering the Indian Ocean and hit as far away as the coasts of Africa. All in all, it adversely affected fourteen countries by destroying tourist sites, tropical beach resorts and altering their way of life because their economies had been greatly devastated. Hurricane Katrina is a very good example also of how even governments with plenty of resources are sometimes ill equipped to deal with victims of natural disasters due to some bureaucratic red tape that hinders rapid responses to pleas for help and assistance. There are other such as disasters such as the massive earthquakes to have hit countries like Haiti which hit January 12, 2010 and in Chile last February 27, 2010 with the latest to be hit was China on April 14, 2010 in the northern province of Qinghai near Tibet. There are also many cases of man-made disasters due to environmental degradation causing massive flooding, landslides, soil erosion resulting to poor agricultural productivity and siltation of river systems. Perhaps the worst kind of man-made calamity is that one caused by armed conflicts in which mostly civilian populations became victims of forced displacement. Children, old men and women often huddle in temporary camps without adequate food, water and shelter. Most cases of these conflicts are in Africa such as the Darfur Crisis in Sudan resulting in 300,000 deaths and 3 million people forced to leave their homes and live in squalid camp conditions. It is a human tragedy of untold dimensions in modern times but also totally preventable if all its warring parties had come to the negotiating table ready to make compromises. There are still many such on-going conflicts in Africa today which are

The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay Example for Free

The Peasant’s Changing Face in Chinese Literature Essay The peasant has figured in modern Chinese fiction as a central character, through which point of view the political and social atmosphere in China can be seen. The peasant has been used a vehicle to communicate the concerns of modern China: the lack of food and supplies, the inaccessibility of education, the poverty, the uncertainty of the future. The peasant in China was regarded as the means towards progression; yet they were mere workers, insignificant compared to the grand dream. In the selection of Chinese fiction however, the peasant figures prominently as the heart and soul of its society. Even though the peasant has become the subject of Chinese fiction, it is important to understand that the peasant is a general term, and it is composed of great number of people characterized by their station in life; thus, peasants all over have similar qualities: they are uneducated, poverty-stricken, and largely overworked-underpaid. Further, it is equally important to see that the peasant is not singular and all-encompassing; there are different depictions of the peasant, to capture their different facets. In this paper I will discuss the changes in the image of the peasant in modern Chinese fiction. In Lu Xun’s â€Å"My Old Home†, the peasant was presented as a person who first saw the world as a human being just like his master; in Gao Xiaosheng’s â€Å"Li Shunda Builds a House†, we see a persevering and ambitious albeit a naà ¯ve peasant; in Qiao Dianyun’s â€Å"A Wordless Monument† the peasants were shown as self-interested, lazy and short-sighted individuals; in Mo Yan’s â€Å"The Cure† the peasants were too superstitious for their own good; and in Li Rui’s â€Å"Electing a Thief† we saw that peasants were dependent and passive. In this paper, I would like to show that although the peasant in modern Chinese fiction remains largely as an uneducated and subservient class, these manifest in more ways than one. In Lu Xun’s â€Å"My Old Home†, the peasant was introduced through the eye of Master Xu going home. The master saw the peasant, Jun Tu, from memory. They were young, and although Jun Tu was the son of their servant that automatically makes him his servant, they became friends. From the text it was clear that the young Master Xu looked up at Jun Tu because he knew how to catch birds, have seen many different colored seashells, and knew so many stories outside the young master’s experience. For the brief time that they were together, the boundaries of master-servant collapsed and they were simply children who knew friendship. It is through this that we see an image of the peasant as equally human as any – first and foremost, before he is a servant he is an individual, he has dreams and aspirations, he was once a child. Jun Tu the child saw the world as brightly as his young master, if not more so. He had seen more of the world and loved it. However, as Master Xu realized when he saw the grown up Jun Tu, the child was no longer there. The harsh realities of life have forced the wonder out of his eyes, and in its place set eyes who have known suffering intimately. In â€Å"Li Shunda Builds a House†, we see a different kind of peasant – Li Shunda was naà ¯ve and almost childlike in his simplicity, but he is persevering and ambitious, and although he believes in being a follower, he learns to think for himself in small ways. The family willingly sacrificed to build their dream of a house, starving themselves to save money to but the materials only to be duped into contributing the fruits of their sacrifice to the commune. In this story we see a cast of peasants – Li Shunda, his sister, his wife, his son. The wife showed more sense than Li Shunda, despite her being a beggar before, when she saved and hid a number of belongings from being donated to the commune by her husband. Even with her sensibilities, she kept silent because of the political atmosphere during that time which was hostile to objections, and because in Chinese culture women are submissive to their husbands. His sister Shunzen stayed with him despite wealthy suitors so she can help him pursue his cause; after all, Li Shundan had taken care of her since she was small. She grew old and ended up with an utterly destitute man, which did not bother her since she was used to hard work. In Li Shunda’s sister we see a peasant who values paying back the family more than seeking better opportunities. Clearly, this behavior is borne out of culture and lack of education – in her case, she did not realize that by marrying into a wealthy family she would be in a better position to help her brother. All she knew how to do was manual labor, and that what was she was going to pay him back with. Li Shunda was a loyal follower – he believed the leaders and he followed what was said even though he did not quite understand it. He worked hard and never lost sight of his dreams (although from the two-storey house he eventually conceded to building just a one-storey), despite having lost his money and investments one way or another through a cunning official or a failed revolution. Still, not losing faith in the power of an honest work, he kept on despite his disappointment in the leaders he loyally followed. In Li Shundan we see an image of a hard-working peasant who does not get the appropriate compensation for all his work. In the end of the story he manages to build his house, but the questions begs whether it was all worth it. If he was in a different place and time, if he knew what the ideology of socialism and communism meant, if he understood what was happening in his country at that time, maybe he could have built his house sooner, all the sacrifices and failures he had to endure were unnecessary. Perhaps what separates Li Shundan from the other peasants in the collection is that he has a dream he was willing to give up anything just to reach it. In this story, the image of the peasant is one who never gives up irrespective of the hardships he has to endure. On the other hand, in Qiao Dianyun’s â€Å"A Wordless Monument†, we saw the events unfold through the eyes and voice of a peasant. The peasants lived blissfully in their village going about their and followed what was handed down to them even if they did not understand what it was about. They worked to survive and feed themselves, and although they have an idea of what will be a more efficient system for them, they did not do it because their old ways are working just fine for them. In this attitude we the peasant as having no ambition or desire towards progress – they are content and comfortable with their lives. They dislike hard work – they knew that no matter how hard they worked the fruits of their labor will not be for them anyway, so they find excuses not to toil. Also, they dislike those who do not conform, who they do not understand. As a peasant village generally unsatisfied with their lives and yet unwilling to work hard because it offers them no incentives, they are naturally miserable. They passed their days not thinking and analyzing their actions, not knowing why they do the things they do. To vent out their misery they picked on the things they do not understand, like the monument which they turned into a bridge, and later on picked on the old school master Xu Shuge. They were particularly angered with Xu Shuge who will not bend according to their ways, who will not walk on the bridge, who will not even speak despite torture. They cannot understand why Xu Shuge chooses to suffer when he can easily opt out and join their protests. It reflects their behavior – they dislike suffering. They want money and better lives without working hard for it. They get easily jealous of somebody else’s good fortune, and gossips and fights ensue. In a nutshell, the peasants were depicted as self-interested, lazy individuals who cannot comprehend the value of working together as a group to build their community, and they have no desire to learn; for them, what they need is food and money, not education or learning about the past or future. Mo Yan depicted a more sympathetic peasant in his â€Å"The Cure†. Although it is tempting to credit the peasant’s overly superstitious nature as rooted also in the lack of education, it could be that the violent and vicious atmosphere at that time has forced people to search for and turn to anything that could offer them hope. In this story, we see a peasant and his son driven by desperation and out of love for the grandmother to take out the gall bladder of his masters. He reasoned that the master is not bound to live because of the gunshots, but nevertheless he asks for forgiveness even before he takes out the gall bladder, sending his master to his already certain death. The feudal system of servants and masters, and of children and parents have trapped the peasant to do what is only available for him to perform his duties, if not as a servant then at least as a son, no matter how absurd these are, since no other alternative is possible. The fallacy of superstition then becomes the only way for the peasants, the only truth they can grasp. Lastly, in Li Rui’s â€Å"Electing a Thief†, we are faced with a dependent and passive image of the peasant. First, we saw the peasant as getting even with the team leader by electing him as the most possible thief, and it seemed like a victory for them to finally take over their lives and their production of grain. And yet, when the team leader resigns in disgust, the peasants find themselves lost and unable to lead themselves. The peasant have been used to being subservient that they cannot imagine being responsible for themselves; even if being a peasant meant hard work and measly pay, it is better than being burdened with responsibility such as securing grain. After all, they have grown accustomed and comfortable with that kind of feudal system, that they can no longer imagine how they could survive outside of it. We see here that even though the peasants were given the opportunity to be free, they would probably seek the old limitations that hindered their growth and industry because they have been trained to look down at themselves as incapable of handling such a huge task of leadership, and they see themselves as workers of the community not as producers or providers for themselves. From the selections, we have gleaned that although the recurring problem of the peasants stem from their lack of education and their subservient mentality, there are varying depictions of the peasant’s life. Also, we saw how the peasant tries to cope with the challenges of his time. The image of the peasant might be the poverty-stricken and desperate peasant, but let us remember that the peasant wears different faces, has different images. That for every lazy peasant who disliked work there is also the peasant who persevered and gained the respect of men despite his simple-mindedness, that the peasant was once a child and owned the world, and that there is always the peasant who was handed freedom and refused to drink from it.

Fault Tree Analysis

Fault Tree Analysis Fault Tree Analysis Fault tree analysis (FTA) is a failure analysis in which an undesired state of a system is analyzed using boolean logic to combine a series of lower-level events. This analysis method is mainly used in the field of safety engineering to quantitatively determine the probability of a safety hazard. An Overview of Basic Concepts This quick subject guide provides an overview of the basic concepts in Fault Tree Analysis (FTA, system analysis) as it applies to system reliability and a directory of some other resources on the subject. History of Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) is another technique for reliability and safety analysis. Bell Telephone Laboratories developed the concept in 1962 for the U.S. Air Force for use with the Minuteman system. It was later adopted and extensively applied by the Boeing Company. Fault tree analysis is one of many symbolic analytical logic techniques found in operations research and in system reliability. Other techniques include Reliability Block Diagrams (RBDs). Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) was originally developed in 1962 at Bell Laboratories by H.A. Watson, under a U.S. Air Force Ballistics Systems Division contract to evaluate the Minuteman I Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) Launch Control System. Following the first published use of FTA in the 1962 Minuteman I Launch Control Safety Study, Boeing and AVCO expanded use of FTA to the entire Minuteman II system in 1963-1964. FTA received extensive coverage at a 1965 System Safety Symposium in Seattle sponsored by Boeing and the University of Washington. Boeing began using FTA for civil aircraft design around 1966. In 1970, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a change to 14 CFR 25.1309 airworthiness regulations for transport aircraft in the Federal Register at 35 FR 5665 (1970-04-08). This change adopted failure probability criteria for aircraft systems and equipment and led to widespread use of FTA in civil aviation. Within the nuclear power industry, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission began using probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methods including FTA in 1975, and significantly expanded PRA research following the 1979 incident at Three Mile Island. This eventually led to the 1981 publication of the NRC Fault Tree Handbook NUREG-0492, and mandatory use of PRA under the NRCs regulatory authority. Fault Tree Analysis (FTA) attempts to model and analyze failure processes of engineering and biological systems. FTA is basically composed of logic diagrams that display the state of the system and is constructed using graphical design techniques. Originally, engineers were responsible for the development of Fault Tree Analysis, as a deep knowledge of the system under analysis is required. Often, FTA is defined as another part, or technique, of reliability engineering. Although both model the same major aspect, they have arisen from two different perspectives. Reliability engineering was, for the most part, developed by mathematicians, while FTA, as stated above, was developed by engineers. Fault Tree Analysis usually involves events from hardware wear out, material failure or malfunctions or combinations of deterministic contributions to the event stemming from assigning a hardware/system failure rate to branches or cut sets. Typically failure rates are carefully derived from substantiated historical data such as mean time between failure of the components, unit, subsystem or function. Predictor data may be assigned. Assigning a software failure rate is elusive and not possible. Since software is a vital contributor and inclusive of the system operation it is assumed the software will function normally as intended. There is no such thing as a software fault tree unless considered in the system context. Software is an instruction set to the hardware or overall system for correct operation. Since basic software events do not fail in the physical sense, attempting to predict manifestation of software faults or coding errors with any reliability or accuracy is impossible, unless assumptions are made. Predicting and assigning human error rates is not the primary intent of a fault tree analysis, but may be attempted to gain some knowledge of what happens with improper human input or intervention at the wrong time. FTA can be used as a valuable design tool, can identify potential accidents, and can eliminate costly design changes. It can also be used as a diagnostic tool, predicting the most likely system failure in a system breakdown. FTA is used in safety engineering and in all major fields of engineering. More on Fault Tree Diagram (FTD) Fault tree diagrams (or negative analytical trees) are logic block diagrams that display the state of a system (top event) in terms of the states of its components (basic events). Like reliability block diagrams (RBDs), fault tree diagrams are also a graphical design technique, and as such provide an alternative to methodology to RBDs. An FTD is built top-down and in term of events rather than blocks. It uses a graphic model of the pathways within a system that can lead to a foreseeable, undesirable loss event (or a failure). The pathways interconnect contributory events and conditions, using standard logic symbols (AND, OR etc). The basic constructs in a fault tree diagram are gates and events, where the events have an identical meaning as a block in an RBD and the gates are the conditions. Fault Trees and Reliability Block Diagrams The most fundamental difference between FTDs and RBDs is that in an RBD one is working in the success space, and thus looks at system successes combinations, while in a fault tree one works in the failure space and looks at system failure combinations. Traditionally, fault trees have been used to access fixed probabilities (i.e. each event that comprises the tree has a fixed probability of occurring) while RBDs may have included time-varying distributions for the success (reliability equation) and other properties, such as repair/restoration distributions. Drawing Fault Trees: Gates and Events Fault trees are built using gates and events (blocks). The two most commonly used gates in a fault tree are the AND and OR gates. As an example, consider two events (or blocks) comprising a Top Event (or a system). If occurrence of either event causes the top event to occur, then these events (blocks) are connected using an OR gate. Alternatively, if both events need to occur to cause the top event to occur, they are connected by an AND gate. As a visualization example, consider the simple case of a system comprised of two components, A and B, and where a failure of either component causes system failure. The system RBD is made up of two blocks in series (see RBD configurations), as shown next: The fault tree diagram for this system includes two basic events connected to an OR gate (which is the Top Event). For the Top Event to occur, either A or B must happen. In other words, failure of A OR B causes the system to fail. Relationships Between Fault Trees and RBDs In general (and with some specific exceptions), a fault tree can be easily converted to an RBD. However, it is generally more difficult to convert an RBD into a fault tree, especially if one allows for highly complex configurations. The following table shows gate symbols commonly used in fault tree diagrams and describes their relationship to an RBD. (The term Classic Fault Tree refers to the definitions as used in the Fault Tree Handbook (NUREG-0492) by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission). Methodology FTA methodology is described in several industry and government standards, including NRC NUREG-0492 for the nuclear power industry, an aerospace-oriented revision to NUREG-0492 for use by NASA, SAE ARP4761 for civil aerospace, MIL-HDBK-338 for military systemsfor military systems. IEC standard IEC61025 is intended for cross-industry use and has been adopted as European Norme EN61025. Since no system is perfect, dealing with a subsystem fault is a necessity, and any working system eventually will have a fault in some place. However, the probability for a complete or partial success is greater than the probability of a complete failure or partial failure. Assembling a FTA is thus not as tedious as assembling a success tree which can turn out to be very time consuming. Because assembling a FTA can be a costly and cumbersome experience, the perfect method is to consider subsystems. In this way dealing with smaller systems can assure less error work probability, less system analysis. Afterward, the subsystems integrate to form the well analyzed big system. An undesired effect is taken as the root (top event) of a tree of logic. There should be only one Top Event and all concerns must tree down from it. Then, each situation that could cause that effect is added to the tree as a series of logic expressions. When fault trees are labeled with actual numbers about failure probabilities (which are often in practice unavailable because of the expense of testing), computer programs can calculate failure probabilities from fault trees. The Tree is usually written out using conventional logic gate symbols. The route through a tree between an event and an initiator in the tree is called a Cut Set. The shortest credible way through the tree from fault to initiating event is called a Minimal Cut Set. Some industries use both Fault Trees and Event Trees. An Event Tree starts from an undesired initiator (loss of critical supply, component failure etc.) and follows possible further system events through to a series of final consequences. As each new event is considered, a new node on the tree is added with a split of probabilities of taking either branch. The probabilities of a range of top events arising from the initial event can then be seen. Classic programs include the Electric Power Research Institutes (EPRI) CAFTA software, which is used by many of the US nuclear power plants and by a majority of US and international aerospace manufacturers, and the Idaho National Laboratorys SAPHIRE, which is used by the U.S. Government to evaluate the safety and reliability of nuclear reactors, the Space Shuttle, and the International Space Station. Outside the US, the software RiskSpectrum is a popular tool for Fault Tree and Event Tree analysis and is licensed for use at almost half of the worlds nuclear power plants for Probabilistic Safety Assessment. Analysis Many different approaches can be used to model a FTA, but the most common and popular way can be summarized in a few steps. Remember that a fault tree is used to analyze a single fault event, and that one and only one event can be analyzed during a single fault tree. Even though the fault may vary dramatically, a FTA follows the same procedure for an event, be it a delay of 0.25 msec for the generation of electrical power, or the random, unintended launch of an ICBM. FTA analysis involves five steps: Define the undesired event to study Definition of the undesired event can be very hard to catch, although some of the events are very easy and obvious to observe. An engineer with a wide knowledge of the design of the system or a system analyst with an engineering background is the best person who can help define and number the undesired events. Undesired events are used then to make the FTA, one event for one FTA; no two events will be used to make one FTA. Obtain an understanding of the system Once the undesired event is selected, all causes with probabilities of affecting the undesired event of 0 or more are studied and analyzed. Getting exact numbers for the probabilities leading to the event is usually impossible for the reason that it may be very costly and time consuming to do so. Computer software is used to study probabilities; this may lead to less costly system analysis. System analysts can help with understanding the overall system. System designers have full knowledge of the system and this knowledge is very important for not missing any cause affecting the undesired event. For the selected event all causes are then numbered and sequenced in the order of occurrence and then are used for the next step which is drawing or constructing the fault tree. Construct the fault tree After selecting the undesired event and having analyzed the system so that we know all the causing effects (and if possible their probabilities) we can now construct the fault tree. Fault tree is based on AND and OR gates which define the major characteristics of the fault tree. Evaluate the fault tree After the fault tree has been assembled for a specific undesired event, it is evaluated and analyzed for any possible improvement or in other words study the risk management and find ways for system improvement. This step is as an introduction for the final step which will be to control the hazards identified. In short, in this step we identify all possible hazards affecting in a direct or indirect way the system. Control the hazards identified This step is very specific and differs largely from one system to another, but the main point will always be that after identifying the hazards all possible methods are pursued to decrease the probability of occurrence. Comparison With Other Analytical Methods FTA is a deductive, top-down method aimed at analyzing the effects of initiating faults and events on a complex system. This contrasts with Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), which is an inductive, bottom-up analysis method aimed at analyzing the effects of single component or function failures on equipment or subysystems. FTA is very good at showing how resistant a system is to single or multiple initiating faults. It is not good at finding all possible initiating faults. FMEA is good at exhaustively cataloging initiating faults, and identifying their local effects. It is not good at examining multiple failures or their effects at a system level. FTA considers external events, FMEA does not. In civil aerospace the usual practice is to perform both FTA and FMEA, with a Failure Mode Effects Summary (FMES) as the interface between FMEA and FTA. Alternatives to FTA include Dependence Diagram (DD), also known as Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) and Markov Analysis. A Dependence Diagram is equivalent to a Success Tree Analysis (STA), the logical inverse of an FTA, and depicts the system using paths instead of gates. DD and STA produce probability of success (i.e., avoiding a top event) rather than probability of a top event. References Ericson, Clifton (1999). Fault Tree Analysis A History (pdf). Proceedings of the 17th International Systems Safety Conference. http://www.fault-tree.net/papers/ericson-fta-history.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Rechard, Robert P. (1999). Historical Relationship Between Performance Assessment for Radioactive Waste Disposal and Other Types of Risk Assessment in the United States (pdf). Risk Analysis (Springer Netherlands) 19 (5): 763-807. doi:10.1023/A:1007058325258. SAND99-1147J. http://www.osti.gov/bridge/servlets/purl/759847-JsFRIG/webviewable/. Retrieved 2010-01-22. Winter, Mathias (1995). Software Fault Tree Analysis of an Automated Control System Device Written in ADA (pdf). Masters Thesis (Monterey, CA: Naval Postgraduate School). ADA303377. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA303377. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Benner, Ludwig (1975). Accident Theory and Accident Investigation. Proceedings of the Society of Air Safety Investigators Annual Seminar. http://www.iprr.org/papers/75iasiatheory.html. Retrieved 2010-01-17. DeLong, Thomas (1970). A Fault Tree Manual (pdf). Masters Thesis (Texas AM University). AD739001. http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=AD739001Location=U2doc=GetTRDoc.pdf. Retrieved 2010-03-09. Eckberg, C. R. (1964). Fault Tree Analysis Program Plan. Seattle, WA: The Boeing Company. D2-30207-1. http://www.dtic.mil/srch/doc?collection=t3id=AD0299561. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Begley, T. F.; Cummings (1968). Fault Tree for Safety. RAC. ADD874448. http://www.dtic.mil/srch/doc?collection=t3id=ADD874448. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Hixenbaugh, A. F. (1968). Fault Tree for Safety. Seattle, WA: The Boeing Company. D6-53604. http://www.dtic.mil/srch/doc?collection=t3id=AD0847015. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Acharya, Sarbes; et. al. (1990) (pdf). Severe Accident Risks: An Assessment for Five U.S. Nuclear Power Plants. Wasthington, DC: U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NUREG-1150. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr1150/v1/sr1150v1-intro-and-part-1.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Vesely, W. E.; et. al. (1981) (pdf). Fault Tree Handbook. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NUREG-0492. http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/nuregs/staff/sr0492/sr0492.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Vesely, William; et. al. (2002) (pdf). Fault Tree Handbook with Aerospace Applications. National Aeronautics and Space Administration. http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/doctree/fthb.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-17. 7.9 Fault Tree Analysis (pdf). Electronic Reliability Design Handbook. B. U.S. Department of Defense. 1998. MIL-HDBK-338B. http://www.everyspec.com/MIL-HDBK/MIL-HDBK+(0300+-+0499)/download.php?spec=MIL-HDBK-338B.015041.pdf. Retrieved 2010-01-17. Fault Tree Analysis. Edition 2.0. International Electrotechnical Commission. 2006. IEC61025. ISBN2-8318-8918-9. Long, Allen (pdf), Beauty the Beast Use and Abuse of Fault Tree as a Tool, fault-tree.net, http://www.fault-tree.net/papers/long-beauty-and-beast.pdf, retrieved 16 January 2010.

Import Substitution :: essays research papers

Import Substitution Describe import substitution (Inward looking) developmental strategy, clearly outlining the differences between the first and second stage. Assess its effectiveness in promoting economic development. Compare inward looking and outward looking strategies and discuss the assertion that the latter is superior. The First Stage of Import Substitution: All present day industrial and developing countries protect their manufacturing industries for the domestic markets. While the industrial countries of today rely primarily upon the usage of relatively low tariffs, developing countries apply high tariffs or quantitative restrictions which either limit or completely exclude competition from their imports. Protection like that - high protection - discriminates against exports through the explicit/implicit taxation of the export activities. Explicit taxation can take the form of export taxes whereas implicit taxation occurs as a result of the effects of protection on the exchange rate. As your protection level increases, your exchange rate level will decrease in order to ensure the necessary equilibrium of the balance of payments and the lower the amount of domestic currency exporters receive per unit of foreign exchange earned. There is no need for high protection at the first stage of import substitution in the replacement of the imports of non-durable consumer goods (clothing, shoes, household goods, textile fabrics, leather, wood and other types of inputs) since these commodities exist in the developing countries that are at the initial frontier of industrialization. The commodities I mentioned are intensive in unskilled labor, the scale of output is relatively low, and costs do not rise substantially at lower output levels. The production of the commodities do not involve the use of sophisticated technology or highly educated workers and suppliers for parts, components, materials and accessories are not necessary for highly efficient operations. An argument for infant industry protection and promotion is made for the "easy" stage, that being the first stage of import substitution because even though the domestic production of the commodities generates external economies in the form of labor training, entrepreneurial development and the spread of technology, there is a viable argument for infant industry protection because without the shielding from larger, more sophisticated companies, these infant industries will be crushed and overwhelmed by exceeding costs, non- competitiveness due to the lack of highly skilled laborers and the simple fact that these infant industries are technologically incompetent. The Second Stage of Import Substitution: I see the first stage of import substitution as a temporary requirement because the domestic production rises since it not only provides for increases in consumption but it also replaces imports. The rate of this growth however will decline as soon as the process of import substitution is completed.

The Contrasts between Hayden and Stevens Essay -- Poetry Analysis

Both Robert Hayden’s poem â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† and Wallace Stevens’ poem â€Å"The Plain Sense of Things† describe different aspects of what defines house and home. Although a home can be a house, a house does not always mean a home. This difference, among other factors, correlates with how both poets play on the emotional undertones between a house full of people and a lone house in the woods. While Hayden seeks to describe how one’s house is a home because of a father’s love-filled action, Stevens delineates a house’s transformation from a home for people to a home for the natural world. Although the poets use two different tones for their respective poems, both define what a home could stand for. â€Å"Those Winter Sundays† depicts the speaker’s childhood memory of Sunday church mornings. The speaker explains that his father, despite having to work outside the rest of the week to provide for his family, would go outside early mornings to retrieve firewood to heat the home. Only when the heat from the fire would warm the whole house and he polished his son’s church shoes, would the speaker’s father wake the family from their slumber. No one showed their appreciation for this action that displayed the father’s love for his family. The speaker shows deep self-reproach from his indifference toward his father, which he concludes was from being young and naà ¯ve. In line 5 (â€Å"No one ever thanked him†) and in line 10 (â€Å"Speaking indifferently to him†) the speaker explicitly states that during those times he did not particularly care whether or not his father took the time to warm the house, polish his good shoes and then wake him up for church. At the time the speaker may have been fearful of his parents fighting, confrontation or yelling tha... ...s and downs. Both â€Å"These Winter Sundays† and â€Å"The Plain Sense of Things† set out to describe what the speaker feels a home is, whether it’s where one’s family is or where life resides in. Either poem takes intricate detail using the seasons to help reflect the underlying emotions of the poem’s voice along with standout lines that help the reader know what the speaker aims to say, why they say it and how they choose to say it. Hayden and Stevens do a nice job of conveying a certain sense without having to be boldly explicit. Works Cited Hayden, Robert. â€Å"These Winter Sundays†. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 6. Print. Stevens, Wallace. â€Å"The Plain Sense of Things†. Poems, Poets, Poetry: An Introduction and Anthology. Ed. Karen S. Henry. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 8. Print.

Girl with a Pearl Earring Essay

In the novel Girl With A Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, Griet faces many challenges which causes her identity to change. Though Griet starts out as an innocent maid who has to follow orders, she starts developing her own opinion and the ability to make decisions. Griet changes from an household servant to having the courage to share her opinion to a mature lady, capable of making her own decisions. Many factors contribute to the change in Griet’s identity, but the main factor is Vermeer, her master. At first, Griet is viewed as an innocent girl, who is compelled to work as an maid due to her father’s incapability to provide for her family. She does not want to leave her family and go to an unknown place, but she has to; in order to fulfill her family’s needs’. This is evident when Griet says to her sister, Agnes, â€Å" ‘You know I don’t want to leave. I have to’†(7). When she arrives at the Vermeer household, she is viewed as a helper with the household chores, and a girl who must follow her master’s orders’. Later on, she starts to consider the Vermeer household as her own family. ’I have two families now, and they must not mix’†(53). This quote demonstrates the fact that Griet is adapting to her environment, and that she has started considering them as her family. This illustrates a change in her identity, as she has changed from a compelled and scared young girl to a maid, capable of adapting to a new environment. Throughout the course of the novel, Griet starts developing her own opinion along with the courage to speak her opinion. At first, she just went along with what she was told: â€Å" ‘But he was my master. I was meant to so as he said’†(57). This demonstrates the fact that Griet completes tasks without thinking. Even if she wants to say something, she doesn’t, because she gives her opinion no importance. Griet always had the ability to recognize Vermeer’s paintings’ strengths and weaknesses, but she didn’t have the courage to say it. This changes, due to Vermeer, who forces Griet to give her opinion. â€Å" ‘It is a better painting now’†(64). This supports Griet’s change in identity, form being too scared to speaking her mind to having the courage to give her opinion to her master. Near the end, Griet’s identity has gone through the process of a young maid to a mature lady. At first, Griet’s opinion held no importance. She does not have a say in anything. This is evident when she says, â€Å" ‘ What would I think, madam? ’†(157). Griet has certainly developed an opinion, but not the courage to speak it in front of others. She is aware of her status as a maid. This changes throughout the course of the novel. Griet does develop the courage to take the decision of her life as well as carry it out. â€Å" ‘I did not pick up the knife. I turned and walked from the room’†(215). This quote illustrates Griet’s ability to make and carry out decisions. She is not going to tolerate any wrong accusations, and she has learned to take a stand for herself. This change occurs due to Vermeer and his art. Somewhere in between, Griet realizes that she has had enough, and she’s not going to let anyone come and accuse her of doing something she didn’t do. Vermeer and his paintings made Griet feel that she does hold importance, and no one has the right to accuse her wrongfully. Therefore, Griet’s identity undergoes a lot of changes throughout the novel. First, she is maid who is duty- bound to work in an unknown place due to her family’s needs’. As the book continues, she starts developing her opinion as well as the ability to say it. In the end, she is a mature lady with the capability to decide for herself. All of the changes are due to Vermeer. He was the one who accepted her and allowed her to give her opinion, and he was also the one who rejected her by silently standing there while Griet was being wrongfully accused.