Ap Euro Calendar Dbq

Explain the reasons for the adoption of a new calendar in revolutionary France and analyze reactions to it in the period 1789 to 1806. The adoption of the revolutionary calendar to replace the Gregorian calendar took place on November 24, 1793 by the National Convention. This new calendar lasted until Napoleon I abolished it in 1806. The new calendar was a adopted in revolutionary France for many reasons including secular ideas and political reasons. There were also many reactions to the change of calendar between 1789 and 1806 such a criticism.There were many secular-slanted ideas that were adopted into the new calendar during revolutionary france. In 1789, the Cahier de doleances (report of grievances), from the Third Estate of Chateau-Thierry, said that they asked for the number of religious holidays be reduced because each of them enchains the activity of a great people, being of considerable detriment to the state and the numerous disadvantages of idleness. This shows that the n ew calendar was more secular because of the decrease in the amount of religious holidays (Document 1).The illustrations of newly named months also show that the new calendar shows more secular-slanted ideas. The new months are named for prosperity and things they are known for. For example, the month of Fructidor which is the month of harvest is between August 18 and September 16, which harvest time. This shows a more secular calendar because the months are associate France with French stuff, instead of the old months being named after religious people (Document 4).In a letter to the National Convention from a peasant from Etampes, it says that with nine long, hard days of labor, the simple citizens want small distractions on their day of rest. During the use of the new calendar in France, people went to church a lot less because with the new calendar they would only go every tenth day, instead of going on Sundays during the Gregorian calendar (Document 7). Government officials in t he French town of Steenwerck, Picardy, said that people spend less time in the temple celebrating the tenth day and revolutionary festivals as an affront to republicans.This shows that the new calendar was more secular because with the new calendar people began to go to church less (Document 10). The new calendar in revolutionary France, showed how France started to move towards a more secular world. A lot of people agreed with the adoption of the new calendar by revolutionary France for many reasons. Gilbert Romme, head of the calendar reform committee, believed that the church calendar was born among ignorant people. He said â€Å"Time opens a new book for history, and it must use a new pen to record the annals of a regenerated France. What Romme means by this is that since France is going through new times, they need to change the calendar to fit it (Document 2). In â€Å"Instruction Concerning the Era of the Republic and the Division of the Year† which was a decree of th e National Convention, it said that the new calendar will eliminate incoherence and inexactitude. This means that with the new calendar people will be more exact and orderly because of more work days. It also states that the new calendar will show the character of our revolution (Document 5). In the letter to the National Convention from the village of St.Quirin, it says how the people spend their day of rest. In the letter it says that they honor the memory of the generals who have become martyrs and they read aloud the republican accomplishments. The people of the village of Quirin supported the new calendar because they got the tenth day off (Document 6). Many people agreed with the change to the new calendar in revolutionary France because, they thought it was needed since france was going through new times, they also thought the more work days will make people work better, and because some people thought that the tenth day was great.Until the new calendar was abolished by Napol eon I in 1806, it received a lot of criticism. Pierre-Joseph Denis, a former Girondin imprisoned during the Terror and then recalled to the National Convention, wrote in Opinion on the Decades that the new calendar was an act of despotism forced on the people, and the festivals based on it were detestable. Denis is criticizing the new calendar because he thinks that it was unfair that the new calendar was forced upon them (Document 8).Francois-Sebastien Letourneux, Minister of Interior, criticized the new calendar because he thinks that the interval between days of rest is too long. Letourneux said that the artisan and farmer can not work nine days in a row (Document 9). In an article in Gazette de France, it talks about the return to the Gregorian calendar. It says that the new calendar was so weak that when it fell, it didn't even offer us an opportunity to exclaim about the fragility of human things.The article also says that it was sad that the names of the festivals were not no t devoted to the benefactors of humanity, but were devoted to the cabbages, the turnips, and the artichoke (Document 11). Abbe Sieyes wrote in response to the Committee of Public Instruction's proposal for a new calendar, that it is not needed. Sieyes believed that there was no reason to differentiate ourselves from everyone else (Document 3). Many people didn't agree with the idea of the new calendar, which was the reason it only lasted until 1806.The new calendar was adopted in France for many reasons including to have more work days and to get rid of some of the holidays. Some people agreed with the new calendar because they thought that it was needed since France was changing and others agreed with it because they thought that with more work days, people will be more exact and will get more work done. Some people criticized it because they thought that nine straight days of work a week was bad for the farmers and artisans and because the new calendar wasn't needed.

Langston Hughes “Salvation” Essay

In this essay I will not only â€Å"inventory† my college readiness experience but I will also attempt to critique my own life skills as to assess my ability to excel in the college experience. Looking into the â€Å"Habits of Mind†, I understand you asked me to elaborate on one however two stand out. I would like to take the opportunity to expound on two. The first being metacognition, I am a conscious thinker. I consciously reflect on my past experiences personal and professional to determine my future endeavors. I believe success is a building block process. I have gained knowledge cognitively and intellectually by engaging in life as a whole. Past educational as well as life experiences have created a knowledge base that was honed by maturation. My personal life choices as well as a varied career in the military have given me insight into a knowledge base that has equipped me to with life skills that continue to go hand and hand with my professional goals. Most importantly completing a college degree. My second â€Å"Habits of Mind† skill I readily use is persistence; I can be dogmatic in my approach to success. This skill comes from a successful military career. I do not use the word can’t it is not in my vocabulary. I spent thirty years in the military all over the world because of this I was unable to complete my college degree. However it was always a goal I knew I would accomplish. I am now here to complete my goal. Now in all honesty I must expound on what I need to develop out of the eight habits I think I need to explore â€Å"Creativity† not that I am not creative but my military experience molded my state of mind for many years. I am still adjusting to civilian life and the freedom that it brings. This is a work in progress and knowing a weakness gives you the knowledge base to change and diversify my skills in the needed areas. In conclusion I am enjoying my college years and I am able to focus on the experience in its entireity because I am an older student. I don’t know if after high school I would have valued it as much as I do now. I make every day a learning day and I value the importance placed on my personal growth thru my educational experience.

Naturebros

Q1. Summarize the information presented regarding the present and proposed products. Briefly describe the company’s 2004 and 2005 objectives. Ans. Dale Morris, being a cooking enthusiast, created a new season mix in 1993 which was based on a nutritive yeast extract and used a considerable amount of lesser salt than other seasonal mixes. This mix being very popular among family and close friends, he decided to ‘test market’ his product via a charity event and once successful, he saw an opportunity of a new saleable product. His vision however was stalled till 2002 due to lack of startup capital. Eventually, he raised enough money (a total of $65,000) by selling 15 percent each of his stock to his mother and two work colleagues to lease machinery and setup a small production facility and bring his product to grocery stores by August of 2002. The product was an instant hit among customers. Having a sales background himself, Morris had no problems in coming up with ways to promote his product. His tasting demonstrations, similar to what he held for family and friends were a hit and attracted enough sales in seven states and to consider expanding the product line and make inroads to markets in more states as well. In order to expand however, Morris needed more capital. Not only was the market to be expanded, two new products had to be launched as well. This meant additional expenses in product development, production, advertising and distribution. The present product, although a low salt seasoning, does not cater to the salt free market. Thus a salt free variant is to be developed along with an MSG based flavor enhancer. The company’s 2004 objectives are to stabilize its current markets in terms of sales and distribution and to achieve a 5 percent market share in the category of seasoned salt, a 10 percent market share in salt substitutes and a 5 percent market share in MSG based flavor enhancers. Strategy for 2004 concentrates more on existing markets. Although a 10 percent market share in the salt free category seems a bit optimistic, it is possible due to the lack of competitors in this market segment. For 2005, the company plans to expand to eight new markets namely Los Angeles, Phoenix, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, Spokane and Portland. These new markets make up 17.1 percent of total grocery sales and thus are an attractive market to tap into. Like 2004, here too 5 percent shares for the salt based seasoning, 10 percent for the salt free version and 5 percent market share for the MSG based enhancer are objectified. The methods to be used will range from aggressive advertising to tapping into the more health conscious West Coast psyche. Price advantages will further help realize these aims for both existing and new markets. All this will be done due to the fact that the company is currently in the market expansion process and has to make unique selling propositions in order to capture a larger share of the market. Q2. After reviewing this material, make a list of additional information which should be supplied to support the sales projections. Ans. The sales forecasts seem to be well worked upon but that isn’t the case. The biggest blunder is that percentage aims for each new market and existing market have not be clearly specified. Only totals have been given for existing and new markets and new ones with the aims at 5 or 10 percent (as per product) being calculated based on the overall totals of each market. Since the existing markets have to be stabilized and expanded, there should e more specific information regarding each individual state in terms of market and percentage to be achieved in dollar amounts. Same should be the case for new markets as well. The second problem with these forecasts is that although the company has outlined its financial and percentage aims in each of these markets, no specifications whatsoever have been given as to the volume and price of the product being sold there. This is essential because Nature Bros. will have to decide what packages and what volume of sales they plan on distributing in these areas. Thus sales have to be given not only in dollar amounts but in amount of units and weight per package as well. Thirdly, the price set for each package should also be included in order to calculate how Nature Bros. will capture the market. A proper product into price figure is needed here rather than the existing dollar amounts. Q3. Comment on objectives: Are they reasonable, optimistic, or conservative? What marketing mix would best support this growth rate? Ans. The objectives seem to be reasonable for the current markets but are a bit too optimistic for new markets. The main reason for this is that the current markets are aware of their products. They just need to keep enhancing their advertisement efforts in order to capture a larger market share. New products too will be welcomed more openly. New markets always show resistance to new entrants. Secondly, local home grounds are always easier to work in; it’s the new markets that always create problems especially due to the startup inertia faced by products. In order to achieve these objectives, Nature Bros. will have to go big in these new markets. They will ahev to concentrate a lot on achieving the right marketing mix so as not to expend too much and still achieve their objectives:  §Ã‚   Promotion: promotional campaign launched by Nature Bros. have so far been successful in most cases. Form personal friends to tasting stalls, Morris has done well so far in achieving fame for his product. The new products however might need that extra push. First of all, they should go for more branding of the products. Customers might confuse the positioning of the existing product and leave it and the salt free version might eat away into the original products sales. Since Nature Bros. have thus far marketed their existing product as healthy and low salt, a salt less substitute will only shed bad light on the existing seasoning mix. Thus Nature Bros. should start repositioning its existing brand and use the same in new markets. Quality should be strictly controlled and maintained at all costs.  §Ã‚   Price: the pricing strategy as outlined in the plans seems to be fine for this product. One aspect that Nature Bros. have neglected however is the price demand elasticity of their product. They should test this strategy in their existing markets and see if they are in a position to charge premiums at this stage or not. This will give a fair idea as to for how long they will have to sell their products at reduced prices (how long it takes to achieve customer loyalty) and how sensitive the customers are in terms of price changes. If a little drop in price means a considerable increase in sales then Nature Bros. can achieve their target market shares without 3040 percent price cuts as they currently plan to. On the other hand if this is not the case and customers are not too elastic, then not only discounts but extra promotion will also have to be done and this would mean leaner profit margins with additional promotion costs.  §Ã‚   Promotion: the promotion strategy is fine and tested in the existing markets. Their decision to advertise in cooking magazines is a good one as well. One additional aspect however would be to properly launch their product and activate their brand through a certain event or fair. A proper launch and enough publicity can do wonders for a product in any given case. The church sale was the most successful for Morris and made him realize that a marketable product is at hand. Similarly, if ature Bros. were to contact other organizations such as churches or TV shows to use their product, this would result in a lot of publicity. This along with a few interviews to newspapers and leading cooking magazines will help a lot in creating enough hype and launching the product.  §Ã‚   Distribution: this is probably the weakest link in the whole plan. There seem to be no formal plans nor strategies regarding the actual distribution of the product. Being a young company, Nature Bros. will have to carefully assess which distribution strategies are cheapest and yet most effective. Although all products will be sold at grocery stores, Nature Bros. can decide whether it will be supplying directly to these stores or use the services of a third party in the form of a distribution intermediary. More intermediaries however mean higher product selling prices and this could result in Nature Bros. not effectively achieving their pricing strategy in the new markets and thus eventually losing market share. Q4. Evaluate the information supplied regarding a new product development and physical assets in light of the pro forma income statements Morris developed. Ans. The case shows that new product development and physical assets are going to be beneficial in nature, primarily due to the reason that the cost of goods sold as projected by the pro forma sheet show a decline over the years. Additionally, sales increase over the years. The new product if developed can help in terms of profits eventually, since profits automatically increase with the decrease in cost of goods sold and increase in sales over the years projected. Apart from operational expenses though, research and development expenses, and depreciation expenses of physical assets would increase causing an increase in the total cost incurred by the organization apart from the cost of goods sold. Q5. Is the capital sought appropriate for the circumstances? If more information is needed, state what it is and how it could be obtained. Ans. The capital sought is not appropriate mainly due to two reasons. The objectives outlined in terms of market shares are too optimistic in some cases. If Nature Bros. seriously intends to achieve these objectives   then they might have to expend a lot more in promotion and also further lower their prices. Secondly although promotion expenses are stated, not much has been said about other below the lien activities. It is rare that the cost of BTL activities are easily anticipated and put on paper for budgeting purposes. The second reason is that no mention has been made of distribution channels and strategies. This whether they decide to own the channel themselves or employ third parties, in both cases additional expenses will most certainly entail. Lastly, every firm always keeps a certain excessive amount of capital for emergencies. Since these are projections, Nature Bros. will most certainly have to attain a little more extra capital and retain it for unpredictable circumstances. Q6. What sources should Morris approach for this amount of capital? Ans. The product has done well in the past few years. A proper business plan and more professional projections can easily help Morris market his idea to banks as well as more serious venture capitalists in a very effective manner. The best option would be to borrow from a financial institution as opposed to selling off more equity to individuals. This is so because selling off equity might result in loss of ownership and decision power and at this stage conflicts among partners is something Nature Bros. should not risk. The ownership once diluted would result in actually loss of control, and decision making power would be vested in the hands of the shareholders. Apart from this, Nature Bros. has become too big to rely solely on funds borrowed from family and friends and is not big enough to go public as yet. Thus the best options would be to find capital form either banks at a fixed interest rate or angel investors who are interested and more patient than other categories of venture capitalists. These investors are interested in returns but rarely intervene in the management aspect of the business and are more accommodating as well. This source of funding or capital would help in reducing the amount of taxes that the company would have to pay, and additionally, fewer amounts would have to be given out to the shareholders as dividend. Thus any source which costs below the going interest rate and doesn’t result in selling of equity would be suitable for Nature Bros. Q7. Based on the current balance sheet, how much equity should he give up for the investment? The current balance sheet of the company shows several things. One of the basic aspects is the amount of assets that the company holds at this point in time. The total assets are about sixty seven thousand, and corresponding to that, the total liabilities are about fifty eight thousand. This shows that the company can cover its liabilities through the assets that it currently holds. On the other hand, the equity that the company has at this point in time is about nine thousand. A lot of potential in terms of equity investment is seen here since the company can not only withhold the amount of liabilities but also has enough to cater to the shareholders as well in terms of its liquid assets. In this case, about half of the liabilities amount can be given up for the investment and still be able to keep a significant amount of money in the liability section. The ball park figure is assumed in order to create a fifty-fifty balance between the liabilities and the equity side. The ideology is that the amount of figure noted would be able to create enough equity in the organization that would not jeopardize reporting and decision making in the company, and yet, be enough that it balances out the loans taken from banks and other individuals and institutions. References: Hisrich, R., Peters, P., & Shepard, D. (2008). Entrepreneurship. 7th Edition. Irwin: McGraw-Hill. Entrpreneur.com (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2007, from http://www.entrepreneur.com/bizstartups/index.html U.S. Small Business Administration (n.d.). Retrieved February 17, 2007, from http://www.sba.gov/smallbusinessplanner/index.html   

Urban Planning and decision-making in Dubai Essay

Urban Planning and decision-making in Dubai - Essay Example n of this paper that the biggest concerns Dubai seems to have at this point are: 1) sustainability 2) cultural considerations 3) labor relations and 4) traffic. Sustainability is an issue that can best be judged from a future point. The cultural considerations are also elements that are being worked out in many ways. So labor and transport issues become the central themes of this paper. The biggest complaint to date is traffic problems. The planning of roads seems to have lost its way. This, in contrast to the other planning elements, seems a small problem but it is becoming more and more of an issue as Dubai becomes popular and established as an international city. What role does the public play in the decision-making process during the development of Dubai? To what extent did the government maintain a monopoly over these decisions? How active of a role did the private sector play in the urbanization of the city? How has globalization affected the decision-making process? A review of Leonie Sandercock’s â€Å"Toward Cosmopolis† shows that Sandercock writes about the cultural pluralism of planning theory in a way that is highly idealistic (Blanco 1998). She is said to discuss her social project in a political and economic vacuum, failing to address the underlying causes of the social problems. Cosmopolis is, for Sandercock, â€Å"a common civic culture which has embraced the social project of tolerance, alterity, and inclusion† (Blanco 1998). Sandercock states that there are three forces that create the major cultural politics of difference: migration and multiculturalism, postcolonialism, and the age of women and minorities. She believes that the history of planning has supported segregation and discrimination. These are major forces at work in Dubai’s planning. A perceived threat of marginalization (Aarts 1999) by less developed countries has often led to their full interaction with the world economy, before they may be ready. Aart feels that

The count of monte cristo Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The count of monte cristo - Essay Example The means of revenge and the end of the story are also different in the book and the film. The book reveals Edmond’s plan to pay back to those who falsely accused him, causing him to serve a jail term of 14 years in Chateau d’If. Danglars and Fernard Mondego had falsely witnessed against him, claiming that he was a Bonapartist traitor (Dumas 10). Villefort order the imprisonment of Edmond. However, Edmond escapes from jail. He purchases an island after discovering that the treasure of Monte Cristo was in it, and he becomes the Count. He then proceeds to execute his plan of revenge by using his intellectualism and great richness to gain the social status that wittily attracts the enemies. After the three men have taken the bait, he begins to take revenge on them. He uncovers their past sins, corruption, crimes, and secrets. They get humiliated to an extent of getting insane and even committing suicide. He manipulates Danglars stocks and financial status in the bond market. Edmond lets the whole world know how, during the Greek independence war, Fernard betray ed a close friend by the name Ali Pasha, a Janina monarch. He also unearths how Ferdinand subsequently sold Ali Pasha’s wife and daughter into the system of slavery. Additionally, Edmond uncovers the old affair between Danglar’s wife and Villefort that result in the birth of a boy child. He reveals how Villefort buried the child alive because he saw him being stubborn. However, Villefort’s enemy saved the child, named him Benedetto, and took care of him. Benedetto works as a steward of Edmond’s property. Edmond humiliated Villefort by exposing the identity of the boy and circumstances of his life. However, Edmond’s pursuit of revenge in the book does not make his love for friends and family to waiver. He buys all debts of Pierre Morrel to save him from a financial crisis. He accepts Dangler’s repentance, release him from prison, and allow him his small

Practical Application of the Ethical Decision-Making Manual for Essay

Practical Application of the Ethical Decision-Making Manual for Helping Professionals - Essay Example This model focuses on ethical strategies within an inter-professional context, so that it attempts to provide guidance for ethical dilemmas that may occur across the helping professions, such as education, nursing, social work, law and medicine (Steinman, Franks Richardson & McEnroe, 1998). This paper shall review the complexity of ethical decisions that are at times required by teachers within elementary, middle and high schools. Firstly, a brief outline of five ethical principles considered necessary for all ethical decision-making models shall be provided. Secondly, the model of Steinman, Franks Richardson and McEnroe shall be detailed. Next, applications of the proposed ethical decision-making model shall be presented, as relevant to ethical considerations within the school system. Finally, a conclusion shall synthesize the main points of the paper to highlight the importance of ethics to schools. School staffs continually experience situations that could be considered ethical dilemmas, in which they are required to apply confident and strong decision-making abilities (Strike, 1997). As such, for school staff to behave in a manner that is considered ethical, it is necessary that they also be responsible for their behavior, as the two are interdependent concepts (Strike, 1997). Essentially, school staffs are expected as educational leaders to continually develop the ability and capacity for reflection on their behaviors and choices to determine if they have acted ethically. Although many of the numerous decisions teachers and other schools staff make throughout a single day may not immediately appear to have ethical implications, contemporary Western societies are experiencing a rapid advancement in technologies, increases in litigations, and an increased emphasis on issues of social protection, all of which are relevant to the conduct of school staff. Additionally, at a local level, educational institutions are more and more are required to adopt standardized assessments of student achievement, and to be aware of issues of equal opportunity across genders, ethnicities and physical/cognitive abilities (Strike, 1997). Another ethical consideration relevant to the school includes the evaluation of teachers' performance (Messer, 2001).Ethical decision-making models tend to be based on five over-riding moral principles (Kitchener, 1984 as cited in Bradley and Hendricks, 2001). Kitchener (1984) determined that these five principles formed the basis of the concepts that comprise any ethical decision (as cited in Bradley & Hendricks, 2001). The five moral principles are: 1) Autonomy - each individual is acknowledged to have a freedom of choice. In regards to school staffs, they have the right to make their own decisions that align with theirpersonal philosophies, whilst also recognizing that they are responsible for theirdecisions, and that this responsibility requires assessment of the effects of one'sactions on others. The rights of autonomy extend to students, and school staffs are

Experiment Report Lab Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Experiment - Lab Report Example he most important factor affecting the availability of these nutrients is soil pH, a measure of the amount of hydronium ion (H+) that is present in solution. Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, lower values mean that the solution is acidic and soils with pH higher than 7 are alkaline. Different crops vary in their response to acid and alkaline soil conditions (Mathers, 2001). However, for most field crops, slightly acidic (pH = 5.6) to neutral soils are optimal for growth. Soil pH affects plant growth and productivity indirectly because, depending on the nutrient, availability is affected which can result in nutrient deficiency or nutrient toxicity. In higher pH or alkaline soils, result in deficiencies in the essential micronutrients iron, zinc, and manganese. Soil pH of less than 5.5 is already considered strongly acidic and will not support growth of economically important crops. Thus, the right soil pH is a requirement for maximum yield production. The development of acid soils has been due to high weathering brought about by warm temperatures and rainfall, and manmade events like the continuous use of nitrogen fertilizers and acid rain effects. At pH below 6 or under acidic soils, increased availability of micronutrients like iron, manganese, zinc , copper and aluminium result in toxicity symptoms (CSIRO Plant Industry, 2004); while decreased availability of phosphorus results in deficiency of this element . This is very true in humid countries where soil acidity is often associated with low crop productivity (Schroth, Lehman, & Barrios, 2003). The class was divided into eight groups. Each group was asked to bring soil samples from the area near their residence. In the laboratory, the pH and temperature of pure water was determined. After adding water to the soil and mixing the slurry, the pH and temperature of each sample were measured. Mean values of the soil pH of each group were determined, and the hydronium ion concentration was calculated using the

Credit Risk Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Credit Risk - Research Paper Example The following part of this paper will make one aware of the concept of credit risk in detail. Credit risk-background The last few decades witnessed the collapse of some major banks as a result of borrowers’ credit repayment failure. Hence, many of the world’s largest banks and other financial institutions have developed comprehensive systems in order to deal with credit risk arising from different aspects of their businesses. The main objectives of such systems involve the identification, quantification, aggregation, and management of credit risk exposures. In modern days, those systems constitute a major part of risk management and performance measurement. Circumstances of credit risk Credit risk issues mainly include lost principal and interest, diminishing cash flow, and rise in collection costs. The credit risk arises in a number of situations and some of them are described below. A business or consumer fails to pay the amount due on a mortgage loan, credit card, or other loan. A business or consumer makes no payment due on a trade invoice. A business fails to pay a worker’s earned wages when due. A government bond issuer does not pay the amount due on a coupon or principal payment. An insolvent insurance company does not make a payment due on a policy obligation. A government sanctions bankruptcy permission to an insolvent business. Types of credit risk The credit risk is mainly of three types including default risk, credit spread risk, and downgrade risk. Default risk: When companies or individuals are unable to make payment due on their debt obligations, it is called default risk. Lenders and investors are vulnerable to default risk in all forms of credit extensions. In order to mitigate the issues associated with the default risk, lenders often charge return rates that equals the debtor’s level of default risk. Credit spread risk: According to Fabozzi, when an issuer’s obligation performs inefficiently relative to othe r bonds as a result of an increase in the credit spread, it is called credit spread risk (638). When the credit spread increases, it leads to a proportional decline in the market price of the bond issue. Downgrade risk: as Fabozzi points out, an unexpected downgrading of an issue results in an increase in the credit spread and it subsequently leads to a decline in the price of the issue (638). Such a risk is known as downgrade risk; it is very closely related to credit spread risk. Assessment of credit risk Nowadays, a variety of improved sources and sophisticated programs are applied to evaluate and manage credit risk. Some companies have established separate credit risk departments to examine the financial potency of their customers and sanction (or not) credit accordingly. Such departments conduct in house programs to effectively deal with the avoidance, reduction, and transfer of credit risk. Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Dun and Bradstreet are some of the example s of organizations providing credit risk management services for a fixed fee. Majority lenders use their own models to determine and class existing as well as potential customers on the basis of risk and thereby to apply most suitable strategies. In case of products like unsecured personal loans and mortgages, lenders usually charge relatively higher price for higher risk clients in order to secure the transaction to some extent. In

'NGOs legitimacy and representation at the global level' Literature review

'NGOs legitimacy and representation at the global level' - Literature review Example ons and an annual addition of 1200 new ones (Yearbook of international organizations, 2013).This essay seeks to examine the concepts of legitimacy and representation of these NGOs at the global level. In addition, the essay intends to find out the ways in which accountability and representation can be enhanced. As a point of departure, a pressing question on the legitimacy and present political debate on reclaiming the democratic projects in the context of globalization has arose and it needs to be answered. Numerous institutions and scholars have always argued out the extent to which these NGOs are legitimate, responsible and answerable (MACDONALD, 2008). These aspects directly affect the subjects. For instance, the reason for the recent mounting of pressure of high profile campaigns for democratization of powerful international organizations such as the IMF and world Bank includes the belief that, these organizations are neither not representatives of the subjects, nor do they exhibit the aspects of accountable bodies. Montesquieu, a balanced democrat argues that any leadership that is a representative of subjects must get consent of the governed. This follows that, a legitimate NGO should be attributed to the consent of the governed either through elections or by acclamation. This follows that, democracy is exhibited in these institutions if Montesquieu principle is applied (LOY, 1968). On the other hand, Locke confirms that the aspect of legitimacy must be derived from the subjects and once a legitimate body has been consented, then subjects have a preserve of their rights through these bodies. Locke believes that, the interests of the subjects must come first before personal interests (LOCKE, 1990). The question that arises is that who bestows responsibilities to NGOs and how representation of citizens is gained? This follows that, the aspect of representation is challengeable. Despite MACDONALD’s assertion that, alternative non-electoral mechanism of

Mahons Poetry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Mahons Poetry - Essay Example In this paper, I will explore how Mahon breathes life into these ordinary, everyday objects. I will look at how Mahon goes beyond merely giving them human characteristics (for example appealing to our visual sense and making something 'look' human); it is important to also show how Mahon makes us believe that they have feelings, and can experience different sounds and form judgments, just like we can. 'Table Talk' is fascinating because it speaks of a piece of furniture with a past: "When I was pine and lived in a cold climate." This table in question is not the focus of Mahon's attention because it looks or sounds in someway human; it has a history, like people. The table can remember when it was a tree, and the "chain-saw surgery" it endured in order to transform into furniture. It longs to "dance" again, no doubt in the breeze of its natural environment. In a more basic attempt to personify the table then, Mahon appeals to our senses (visual and auditory, as well as kinesthesia- the feeling of action).1 He speaks of the table wanting to "dance, / to scare your pants off." When we think of something with human qualities, we think of something that looks and acts in ways that are fundamentally human (like speaking, eating and in this case, dancing). Many poets will say, such as Wordsworth, that daffodils dance in the wind, or that the whining of an old door could be described as an old woman screeching. Rarely though does personification go beyond this. Mahon on the other hand appeals to our ability to think, feel, remember and experience situations. We relate to the pain that the writing table has suffered and the ideas that it has. 'Morning Radio' is different to 'Table Talk' in the way that the inanimate object in question is not suffering in the way that the writing table is, the radio is displaying more simple human traits, as we discussed before. The radio has a "fretwork throat," and through this he 'speaks' to those who will listen. The Radio is used by Mahon as medium for emitting beautiful music: "Woodwinds entering/ delicately," and reading the daily news. Arguably this poem is a 'simpler' example of Mahon's personification skills, the 'he's' in the poem could be a reference to the radio, and the fact that "he speaks" gives it a human quality.I think that it is possible to view 'Morning Radio' as a simpler version of 'Table Talk,' but I think that there is a lot more to 'Morning Radio' than that. If we look at what Mahon talks about in this poem, the seven o'clock news, "that the world is coming to an end," and a "new day" beginning, we can begin to see a pattern. Mahon's Radio talks about the changin g and new world (the news, sorrow and new beginnings); he is referring to different aspects of human life. So why does he do this I think that Mahon does this not just to create 'he'- the Radio, but rather he uses the Radio to make us question our lives. By mentioning the news and beautiful music, he is using the Radio to provoke a reaction out of us. The fact that he says "WE" in upper case, I believe is another tool that Mahon uses to make us see the Radio as a 'person' who speaks to us. In addition to this though the "WE" is inclusive and is addressed to us the reader.Looking at the two poems then, what can we say about the effectiveness

Toyota's strategy for production efficiency Essay

Toyota's strategy for production efficiency - Essay Example ler’s end worked hand in hand to develop the sienna minivan so that in return Toyota could provide the much needed production values and techniques as far as automobile manufacturing was concerned, to Chrysler. This was seen as a one-off exercise, aimed at bridging the gap between Chrysler and Toyota, since each one of these companies was willing to learn a thing or two from the other’s realms. Chrysler was ready to share the information because it sought the help of Toyota in manufacturing the automobiles when it came to state of the art production techniques (Clifford 1998). Chrysler wanted to touch the benchmark in the industry and for that it was ready to go in an all-out fashion and work with the key automobile manufacturer, so that the benefits were mutual in the end. This was a very important merger for the two automobile manufacturers as the link provided for understanding each other’s strengths in their meticulous areas of expertise. Chrysler was willing to share its minivan know-how as it wanted to acquire the best of manufacturing skills and techniques, which is a very good initiative by the Chrysler make. In the end, the result was a win-win situation for everyone as quality was improved at both sides. 2. Many companies seek to cut costs and improve quality by introducing techniques such as just-in-time and quality circles. The results, however, often fall short of those achieved at Toyota. Why do you think this is the case? The results are usually lesser than expected. This is because the estimates are always based on the best practices but the on ground realities are usually different. The just-in-time and related quality mechanisms bank on the provision of quality at all costs, however what these processes forget is the fact that this is not always possible to reach new height and break fresh grounds. The companies thus have a hard time dealing with the improvement in quality and these techniques are not given much room to be exploited in the

Enlightened Nationalism Essay Example for Free

Enlightened Nationalism Essay Such were the words of Alexis de Tocqueville in his mocking evaluation of Prussia’s Civil Code (Allgemeines Landrecht). As its rudimentary principles, the code according to him is basically those of the French Revolution but its real stipulations conserved the German ethnicity. This ongoing pressure involving new and old in Prussia is the subject of Matthew Levinger’s profound study on the efforts of Prussian leaders as they try to invigorate the nation between their defeat by the French in 1806 and the Revolution of 1848. While the rest of Western Europe (or the world for that matter) is developing in quite the same way, Prussia, the largest German estate of the 1st half of the 19th century, chose to embark on a special path of historical development or what is called as Sonderweg. It is because of this that most historians argue that the Germans lagged behind in modernizing their political institutions especially in that decisive historical moment in history. In Matthew Levinger’s book, he challenges the readers to rethink that general perception regarding Prussia’s history. His studies show that a profound and irre ¬versible political transformation (enlightenment) occurred in Prussia beginning in the Napoleonic era—right after the humiliating rout of the famed Prussian army by Napoleon’s forces (Levinger, p. 227). In the brink of annihilation, a group of Prussian leaders decided to mobilize the populace by uniting a rationalized monarchy and a politically active â€Å"nation†. They saw this mobilization as something that would make the monarchial estate stronger. Truly enough it enhanced the power of the monarchy, but it inhibited the formation of an effervescent parliamentary system of rule. In Levinger’s urge to understand why Germany chose a disastrous turn by embracing National Socialism between 1933 and 1945 ignited his interest in history and thereby writing this book. Like most works regarding German history, this book also has its roots in exile, but Levinger approaches the problem quite indirectly as he has only viewed the effects of exile remotely. Parts I and II of the book discusses about the concept of â€Å"nation† and part III shows how this concept came to play. Many questions and answers will arise from reading it. For one, the book does not only present answers to the question about what kind of country Prussia was but shows us the current state of living for most Germans during that time as well. The book gives us a reason to believe that even though this so-called â€Å"enlightened nationalism† was but a strand in Prussian political culture, it greatly influenced Prussian political evolution. It also provides an exciting insight about the controversial question whether there was a distinctive German path modernization. Another main query that will be answered here is to what extent were the political resistances in Prussia during this era were shaped by ideological influences as opposed to material forces? And even though, the analysis in this book is only about Prussia, it can also give us a great deal of information in understanding the ensuing 19th c. Germany and how nationalism in the rest of the world evolved. Moreover, it tells us about the products of â€Å"enlightened nationalism†Ã¢â‚¬â€a mixed legacy of positive outcomes and ill-effects. In contrast to the French Revolution, the Prussian reform movement did not want to abolish the old government in order to create a new one for their ultimate goal which we can call Pax Germania. They only tried to reconstruct on hand organizations by trying to instill radical and democratic principles into their framework. They tried to unite rationalized monarchy (from above, and for the people) and a politically active people (from below and for the king and fatherland). The enlightened nationalism brought about a legacy of political and public transformation in many aspects, most notably in education and administration. This key reinterpretation of Prussian history from the Napoleonic era to the Revolution of 1848 shows how modifications enthused by the enlightenment eventually forged an authoritarian political culture and a nation that later came to dominate Germany. The books well-documented insights do not only help us understand about Prussia but it also sheds new light on the birth of German nationalism—thus awaking a sleeping giant†¦only to fall from grace.

A Solar Cell (The Photovoltaic Cell) Essay

A Solar Cell (The Photovoltaic Cell) Essay A solar cell or the photovoltaic cell is an electrical device that converts light energy directly into electricity. This cell when exposed to light can generate and support an electric current without being attached to any external voltage source. The solar cell uses the photovoltaic effect to produce electricity.thw word Photovoltaic comes from the Greek word meaning light, and from the word Volt, which is the the unit of electro-motive force also the word volt comes from the last name of the inventor of the battery (electrochemical cell), the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta. Thus we get the term photo-voltaic. The photovoltaic effect, in brief, is a process in which electric current is produced in a material upon exposure to light. The photovoltaic effect being directly related to the photoelectric effect is actually a different phenomenon. In photovoltaic effect, the light is incident upon the material surface; the electrons present in the valance band of the atom absorb energy from the light and jump to the conduction band (band theory). Now these electrons are attracted by a positively charged electrode and thus the circuit is completed and the light energy is converted into electric energy. On the other hand, in photoelectric effect, the electrons are ejected from a materials surface upon exposure to radiation. Photovoltaic systems are extraordinary and very useful with a huge list of advantages. The reason they are so unique is they have no moving parts (in the classical mechanical sense) to wear out. There are no fluids or gases (except in hybrid systems) that can leak out. The best part about these is that they need no fuel to operate. Having a rapid response, they achieve full output instantly. These cells can operate at moderate temperatures producing no pollution while producing electricity, although waste products from their manufacture and toxic gases in the event of catastrophic failure and disposal may be a concern. Solar cells require little maintenance if properly manufactured and installed. Silicon, the second most abundant element in the earths crust can be used to make these cells. Thus, their production is possible on a large scale with an added advantage of them being modular, permitting a wide range of solar-electric applications such as: 1) Small scale for remote applications and residential use. 2) Intermediate scale for business and neighborhood supplementary power. 3) Large scale for centralized energy farms of square kilometers size. Solar cells have a relatively high conversion efficiency giving the highest overall conversion efficiency from sunlight to electricity yet measured. This gives them wide power-handling capabilities, from microwatts to megawatts. Clearly, photovoltaic cells have an appealing range of characteristics. [1] 1.1 HISTORY The physical phenomenon responsible for converting light to electricity-the photovoltaic effect-was first observed in 1839 by a French physicist, Edmund Becquerel. Becquerel noted that a voltage appeared when one of two identical electrodes in a weak conducting solution was illuminated. The Photovoltaic effect was first to be noticed and researched in solids, e.g. selenium, in the 1870s. However, it was in 1883 Charles Fritts built the first solid state photovoltaic cell; he coated the semiconductor selenium with an extremely thin layer of gold to form the junctions. The device was only around 1% efficient. In 1888 Russian physicist Aleksandr Stoletov built the first photoelectric cell based on the outer photoelectric effect discovered by Heinrich Hertz earlier in 1887. The first practical photovoltaic cell was developed in 1954 at Bell Laboratories by Daryl Chapin, Calvin Souther Fuller and Gerald Pearson. A diffused silicon p-n junction was used by them; this junction could reach 6% efficiency, as compared to the selenium cells in which it was difficult to reach 0.5%. At first, cells were developed for toys and other minimal uses, since the cost of the electricity they produced then was very high; i.e. a cell that produces 1 watt of electrical power in bright sunlight cost about $250, compared to $2 to $3 per watt for a coal plant. [2] In 1958, the U.S. Vanguard space satellite used a small (less than one-watt) array of cells to power its radio. These cells functioned so well that the space scientists soon realized the Photovoltaic could be a very effective power source for many space missions. Technological development of the solar cell has been a part of the space program ever since then. Besides the space programs, another source is the transistor industry has contributed greatly to solar-cell technology. Transistors and PV cells are made from similar materials, and their workings are determined by many of the same physical mechanisms. A great amount of research and development has been done in improving and developing the ever-useful transistor, and there has been a regular discovery of valuable information in relation to solar cells. This situation has reversed in recent times and much of the research happening in PV is affecting transistor technology. 1.2 EFFICIANCY OF SOLAR CELLS Today, photovoltaic systems are capable of transforming one kilowatt of solar energy falling on one square meter into about a hundred watts of electricity. One hundred watts can power most household appliances like television, stereo, or a lamp etc. . In fact, on a standard basis a roof covered with solar cells facing the sun in a typical home provides about 8500-kilowatthours of electricity annually, which also is almost equal to a average households annual consumption on electricity. On comparison, a present-day, 200-ton electric-arc steel furnace, demanding electricity worth 50,000 kilowatts, would for a PV power supply, require about a square kilometer of land. Certain factors make capturing solar energy difficult. Apart from the suns low illuminating power per square meter, sunlight is discontinuous and is affected by time of day, climate, pollution, and season. Power sources based on photovoltaic require either back-up from other sources or storage for times when the sun is obs cured. Moreover, the cost of a photovoltaic system is very high (electricity from PV systems in 1980 cost about 20 times * that from conventional systems powered by fossil fuels). Thus, solar energy for photovoltaic conversion into electricity is abundant, inexhaustible, and clean; yet, on the other hand it also requires special techniques to gather enough of it effectively. When sunlight is incident on the solar cell, most of the energy is lost even before it can be converted to electricity. Maximal sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiencies for solar cells range up to 30% (and even higher for some highly complex cell designs), but typical efficiencies are 10%-15%. Most current work on cells is directed at enhancing efficiency while lowering cost. Certain physical processes limit cell efficiency-some are inherent and cannot be changed; many can be improved by proper design. Reflection is the first factor that reduces the efficiency of the cell. Normal, untreated silicon reflects 36% (or more) of the sunlight that strikes it. This would be a horrendous loss in terms of efficiency. Fortunately, there are several ways of treating cell surfaces to cut reflection drastically. By dint of these methods, reflection can be lowered to a quite manageable 5% or so. The second factor affecting the electricity production and then, in turn, the efficiency of the cell is the intensity of light falling on it. Now, this light can be of two types- -Light that is not energetic enough to separate electrons from their atomic bonds. -Light that has extra energy beyond that needed to separate electrons from bonds. Both of the above types of light contribute in reducing the efficiency of the cell. Light entering a solar cell can- a. Go right through it. b. Become absorbed, generating heat in the form of atomic vibrations. c. Separate an electron from its atomic bond, producing an electron-hole pair. d. Produce an electron-hole pair but have an excess of energy, which then becomes heat. Only (c) is a near-perfect means of transforming sunlight into electricity. Since the suns spectrum has a wide variety of energies and intensities, the key is to match a material and its characteristic band gap energy with the spectrum so that the maximum amount of energy in the suns spectrum falls just above the characteristic energy. The third factor that reduces the efficiency of the cell is electron-hole recombination. There are two ways in which recombination of electrons and holes occurs, which can be characterized as direct and indirect recombination. -Direct Recombination: Direct recombination is relatively rare. It happens when an electron and a hole randomly encounter each other, and the electron falls back into the hole. Thus the materials original bonds are reasserted, and the electrons and holes energies are lost as heat. -Indirect Recombination: Indirect recombination can occur in many ways. (Indirect means that the electron and hole do not just run into each other and combine-the interaction is influenced by further circumstances.) Contrary to what one might expect, indirect recombination is much more of a problem in solar cells than direct recombination. Resistance is a factor which reduced efficiency of almost all known electrical appliances and the solar cell is no different. Resistance losses in solar cells occur predominantly in three places: in the bulk of the base material, in the narrow top-surface layer typical of many cells and at the interface between the cell and the electric contacts leading to an external circuit. Resistance losses lower voltage and enhance the chances of recombination of charges, reducing current. Usually it is better to highly dope silicon to reduce resistance as highly doped silicon has numerous free carriers to conduct the current. After considering the various factors discussed, we can actually look forward to see and study the construction of the solar cells with maximum possible efficiency. [3-10] 1.3 types AND GENERATIONS of solar cells Solar cells can be of many types as we know them. Todays modern technology has allowed us to be able to study each in detail and help with improving energy output and increasing efficiency. There are three types of solar cell- Amorphous cells, Polycrystalline Monocrystalline. Amorphous, also known as the thin-film solar cells are more commonly seen in devices like toys, calculators etc. Monocrystalline solar cells are cut from one silicon ingot which is got from a single large silicon crystal. Polycrystalline cells are cut from an ingot derived from many smaller crystals. Mono cells are made by growing an ingot of the silicon crystal from a smaller crystal, hence the name mono-crystalline or single-crystal. This ingot is then trimmed and sliced into wafers. In case of polycrystalline cells, molten silicon is poured into a square mould allowing it to set. Now silicon cools and sets at different rates, that is, the inside cools slower than the outer part and there is no seed crystal to grow the new material. This uneven cooling itself creates multiple crystals within the block thus giving it the name of poly-crystalline or multi-crystalline. Due to its multifaceted surface, this type of solar cell is a better performer even in dim light conditions giving greater wattage even from a small surface area. Amorphous cells are made by depositing a thin sheet of silicon over a surface like steel. The panel we get is a single piece and individual cells are not visible. These cells do not have a high efficiency and thus give a lesser investment for our investment. Apart from this solar cells can be divided into three generations, being: 1st generation 2nd generation 3rd generation First-generation cells are based on expensive silicon wafers and makeup 85% of the current commercial market. Second-generation cells are based on thin films compounds such as amorphous silicon, or copper indium selenide. The materials are relatively cheap, but research is needed to raise the efficiency of these cells if the cost of delivered power is to be reduced. Third-generation cells have shown a dramatic increase in efficiency that maintains the cost advantage of 2nd generation materials. Their design may make use of carrier multiplication, hot electron extraction, multiple junctions, sunlight concentration, or new materials.[11] First generation solar cells: These are the dominant type of cells available in the commercial market. A crystalline silicon wafer is used for the production of these cells. They tend to have a large surface area and a single layer p-n junction diode. Being so widely used, these cells have their own advantages and disadvantages. On the pros side, these cells have a broad spectral absorption rate and also have high carrier mobility. But these cells require expensive manufacturing technologies and also growing ingots is a very intensive process. Another disadvantage we can usually observe in these cells is that it is relatively easy for an electron to encounter a hole and thus that leads to recombination instead of electricity production. Most of the energy from a high energy photon is usually lost as heat.[12] Second generation solar cells: Second generation solar cells are mounted on glass substrates. The production costs that were plaguing first generation solar cells find some relief with the second generation. There are many companies who desire to release second-generation thin-film solar cells to the public. The material used in second generation solar cells are normally; amorphous silicon, micro-crystalline silicon, cadmium telluride (CadTel) and copper indium selenide/sulfide[14]. We see a potential for cost advantages in this generation over crystalline silicon because of various reasons. There is a lower material use along with fewer and simpler manufacturing steps. These cells also have the perfect band gap for solar energy conversion.[13][14] Third generation solar cells: The third generation cells are very different from the previously discussed cells. They do not rely on a p-n junction to separate photo-generated charge carriers but are based on a silicon substrate with a coating of nanocrystals. The third generation is the future of solar cells and the cheapest of them all. They are exactly what the sun-powered industry needs for renewable and efficient power sources. As solar cell technology continues to grow, our solar conversion efficiency will continue to rise and production expenditure will continue to drop. The third generation solar cells focus on reducing manufacturing cost and enhancing the performance of 2nd generation solar cell technology. Nanotechnology is one area that is being researched upon by this new generation of cells. Nanotechnology is being used to improve the basic solar cell to have improved electrical performance which also makes it more cost efficient. [15,16] 1.4 POLYMER SOLAR CELL AND ITS DEVELOPMENT One of the unique 3rd generation solar cells we know today is the polymeric solar cell. usually consist of an electron- or hole-blocking layer on top of an indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive glass followed by electron donor and an electron acceptor (in the case of bulk heterojunction solar cells), a hole or electron blocking layer, and metal electrode on top. During the last 30 years the polymer solar cell has developed from an inefficient light-harvesting device with almost no lifetime to a device that may be introduced to the commercial market within a short span of years. Today scientists are working with a lot of di ¬Ã¢â€š ¬erent types of polymer solar cells and since it will be too comprehensive to deal with all of them, only one type will be treated in this report. The type of solar cell which will be treated is a polymer/fullerene bulk hetero-junction solar cell This type of polymer solar cell consist of 6 layers: Glass, ITO, PEDOT:PSS, active layer, calcium and aluminum. The glass serves as a supporting layer for the solar cell and the only demand glass has to ful ¬Ã‚ ll is that it does not absorb light in the visible area, since the solar cell uses this light to generate power. Other and more  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exible types of supporting layers, like transparent polymers, can also be used. The focus of this report will not lie on the supporting layer and therefore the use of other types of supporting layers will not be discussed any further.[18] ITO (indium tin oxide) and aluminum serves as the electrodes in the solar cell. Beyond that, the ITO and Aluminium are also used to generate a built-in electric held caused by the difference in the metals work functions. This electric field is used dissociate the excitons, which are generated when the active layer absorbs light, and afterwards to pull the charge carriers out from the active layer. Like glass the ITO layer is transparent in the visible area. PEDOT:PSS (poly[3,4-(ethylenedioxy)-thiophene]:poly(styrene sulfonate)) and calcium are two materials which are introduced into the solar cell in order to increase the built-in electric  ¬Ã‚ eld and thereby improve the performance of the solar cell. The active layer in this polymer solar cell consists of a blend between the conjugated polymer MEH-PPV ((poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)- 1,4-phenylenevinylene])) and the modi ¬Ã‚ ed fullerene PCBM (1-(3-Methoxycarbonylpropyl)-1-phenyl-[6.6]C61). MEH-PPV is the absorbing part of the active layer and PCBM is introduced into the layer to make the dissociation of the excitons more e ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ective. In bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells, light generates excitons with subsequent separation of charges in the interface between an electron donor and acceptor blend within the devices active layer. These charges then transport to the devices electrodes where these charges flow outside the cell, perform work and then re-enter the device on the opposite side. The cells efficiency is limited by several factors especially non-geminate recombination. Hole mobility leads to faster conduction across the active layer.[29][30] By simply blending polymers (electron donors) with fullerene (electron acceptor) in organic solvents, a self assembling interpenetrating network can be obtained using various coating technologies ranging from laboratory-scale spin coating or spray coating to large-scale fabrication technologies such as inkjet printing[20,21], doctor blading [17] , gravure[23] , slot-die coating[24] and  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡exographic printing[25] . In the last few years, several effective methods have been developed to optimize the interpenetrating network formed by the electron donor and acceptor, including solvent annealing (or slow-growth)[ 25] , thermal annealing[ 26-28] and morphology control using mixed solvent mixtures[ 29] or additives [30] in the solutions of donor/acceptor blends. Poly (3-hexylthiophene)(P3HT) in particular has been subject to increasing interest in the polymer research community, but signi ¬Ã‚ cant progress has also been made in developing new active-layer polymer materials [19,30-37] . Since around 2008, the efficiency of PSCs has risen to 6% using new conjugated polymers as electron donors [34]. Although progress has been impressive, there is still much to do before the realization of practical applications of PSCs. Many factors need to be taken into account in efficiently converting sunlight into electricity. Figure 2: Shows the energy levels in a polymer solar cell. ITO(indium tin oxide) is used as the high work function electrode and Al is used as the low work function electrode. (a) displays the energy levels before the polymer solar cell is assembled. (b and c) shows the energy levels after assembling. In (b) the polymer is an isolator and therefore the electric field changes linearly through the cell. The polymer used in (c) is a hole conducting polymer and therefore a Schottky junction will be formed between the polymer and the low work function electrode. The absorption range, the photon-electron conversion rate and the carrier mobilities of the light-harvesting polymers are among the crucial parameters for achieving high-efficiency solar cells. Furthermore, fabricating large area devices without signi ¬Ã‚ cantly losing efficiency while maintaining long lifetime of the device remains challenging.[38] [39] Therefore, a major challenge lies in fabricating polymer solar cells, in which free-charge-carrier generation is a critical step. Fortunately, it has been found that efficient charge transfer can take place between materials, that is, donor and acceptor molecules, with suitable energy level offsets. The strong electric field at the molecular interface of two materials with different electrochemical potentials is capable of separating the excitons into weakly bounded Coulombic pairs, and thereafter separated charge carriers. In cases where the donor and acceptor molecules form an intimate contact in blend films, efficient charge transfer takes place with an efficiency approaching 100%. The short exciton diffusion length which is much smaller than the necessary film thickness for effective optical absorption, has limited the external quantum efficiency (EQE) and hampers the efficient utilization of the photogenerated excitons in organic photovoltaics. A major breakthrough was achieved with the bulk heterojunction (BHJ) concept, where the nanoscale phase separation creates donor/acceptor interfaces for exciton dissociation via efficient charge transfer from donor to acceptor throughout the film. The concepts of donor/acceptor and BHJs, thus, establish the cornerstones of polymer solar cells. Diagram of a polymer-fullerene bulk heterojunction. The bulk-heterojunction concept. After absorption of light by the photoactive material, charge transfer can easily occur due to the nano-scopic mixing of the donor and acceptor (solid and dashed area). Subsequently, the photo generated charges are transported and collected at the electrodes. Here highest occupied molecular orbital is abbreviated as HOMO and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital as LUMO. Despite the high attainable EQE, overall power conversion efficiencies (PCE) reported are still low, due to the inferior charge-transport properties and limited spectral absorption range of the polymer active layer. On one hand, endeavors in synthesis and development of novel low-band-gap polymers are being carried out to harvest the major part of the solar spectrum. [40-46] On the other hand, film-growth dynamics of polymer blends via solution processes has become one of the central topics to derive maximal efficiency from bulk-heterojunction structures. Meanwhile, precise efficiency measurements provide solutions to the spectral mismatch between the solar spectrum and polymer absorption, offering accurate evaluation of novel photoactive materials. High internal quantum efficiencies can be expected, provided that efficient donor-to-acceptor charge transfer and transport in the bulk heterojunctions occurs. A suitable energy-level alignment between the donor and acceptor to provide the driving force morphology plays a decisive role linking the optoelectronic properties and device performance to the fabrication processes. In addition to experimental results, simulation techniques have also been applied to predict the optimal morphology, yielding results that are consistent with the experimental conclusion that a nanoscale phase separation with a bi-continuous pathway toward the electrode is desired. Fabrication parameters such as solvent selection and annealing treatment are the most critical factors in film morphology. However, additive incorporation also showed significant benefits toward improving device performance. The overall effects of morphology manipulation assist in forming an interpenetrating network of donor and acceptor molecules, facilitating both charge transfer and carrier transport. Lateral phase separation has been observed and well-understood in several systems. Beyond that, the ingredient distribution of the donor and acceptor molecules along the cross-section of blend films, that is, vertical phase separation has been observed recently in the nanoscale film morphology, which intuitively governs the charge transport and collection. Thus, an ideal morphology consists of phase separation laterally and vertically, which should both be optimized for satisfying device performance.[47,50-52] A variety of post-treatment methods can alter the optoelectronic properties of the polymer-blend films. Annealing processes in polymer solar cells can be divided into two categories: thermal annealing [53,57,58] and solvent annealing.[48,59-61] Both techniques concentrate on improving the nano scale lateral phase separation of both the crystalline P3HT aggregates and PCBM domains. Thermal annealing can be applied either on the final device (post-annealing) or on the polymer film only (pre-annealing). The annealing temperature and time are the two most critical parameters in this approach. However, the selection of solvent as well as metal electrodes could also affect the ultimate device performance. Solution processing has many advantages over other film fabrication technologies, which usually require complicated instruments as well as costly and time-consuming procedures. Therefore, solution processing has developed into the most favored methodology for fabricating organic optoelectronic devices. Solution processing also allows the freedom to control phase separation and molecular self-organization during solvent evaporation and/or film treatment. The solvent establishes the film evolution environment, and thus has foreseeable impact on the final film morphology. Selection and combination of solvents have been shown to be critical for the morphology in polymer-blend films, and are well-documented in the literature. [48,49]. Spin-coating from single-solvent solutions results in thin films, which possess optoelectronic properties determined by the solution parameters and the spin-coating process, for example concentration, blending ratio, spin speed and time, etc. Meanwhile, solv ent properties, such as boiling point, vapor pressure, solubility, and polarity, also have considerable impact on the final film morphology. [62-75] 1.5 Work function of solar cells 1.5.1 Work function of material The work function is the minimum energy needed to move an electron from the Fermi energy level, EF, to vacuum energy, Evac.   The work function varies by using different materials and also by doping. It is lower for n-type semiconductor than for p-type because Fermi levels within the band gap of a semiconductor depends upon doping. Where are work functions of the n-type and p-type materials respectively. Junctions having different work functions give way to an electrostatic field. 1.5.2 Metal-semiconductor junction Metal-semiconductor junction is the simplest type of charge separating junction. If we have an n-type semiconductor of work function metal of work function, such that, it is called a Schottky barrier. When metal and semiconductor are separate from each other, the Fermi levels will look like in fig. 5(a). But when they are in contact (electronic), these levels will line up. The exchange of charge carriers across the junction results in this, with the consequence that the layers approach the equilibrium (thermal). The energy at the conduction band edge at the interface between semiconductor and metal is higher than in the bulk of the semiconductor. The electrostatic potential energy is shown in fig. 5(b) by the change in Evac. The space charge region or depletion region is the region where there is a net charge. As Evac changes, so must the conduction and valence band energies, and that too by the same amount (proportionality). This happens because the electron affinity and band gap are invariant in the semiconductor, and is called band bending.[76] 1.5.3 p-n heterojunction A heterojunction consists of two different materials with different band gaps and these can also be either p-n or p-i-n junctions. Devices based on heterojunctions can improve carrier collection and thus efficiency. Due to change in the band gap, a discontinuity exists in the conduction and valence band at the junction. The potential step will affect the effective fields for the two carrier types in different ways. Usually, one carrier type is assisted by the field change, while the other is opposed. In fig. 6(b), the field that drives electrons to the n side is increased, while the field driving holes towards the p side is decreased. [76] We know that the standard form of an organic photovoltaic cell is based upon sandwiching a thin semiconducting organic layer(s) between two conducting layers having different work functions here we have higher work function conductors typically made of gold or ITO and lower work function conductors typically made of aluminum or calcium.   We have already discussed in section 1.2 how the efficiency of solar cell can be improved, here we will consider mathematical expression of efficiency. Efficiency is defined as measures the amount of energy converted to electric current relative to the total energy incident upon the cell, it is designated with Greek letter , ÃŽÂ ·. The formula for calculating efficiency is: ÃŽÂ · = Jsc X Voc X FF, where Jsc is the short-circuit current (when there is maximum current flowing and no voltage difference across the circuit),  Voc is the open-circuit voltage (when there is no current flowing), and FF is the fill-factor (the actual power relative to the theoretical power produced by the cell). To increase the efficiency of Polymer Solar cells, we need to improve these 3 factors. Jsc is primarily affected by band-gap, carrier mobility, and film formation properties of the active layer. Voc is primarily affected by the material band-gap and the device structure. FF, is particularly difficult to predict and design, but seems related to the relative motilities of the electrons and holes.[77-80] 1.6 Inverted Polymer Solar Cells The regular device structure for polymer solar cells is indium tin oxide (ITO), where a p-type layer is used for anode contact, and a low-work-function metal as the cathode. Both the p-type layer and the low-work-function metal cathode are known to degrade the device lifetime. [106-108] The p-type layer is potentially detrimental to the polymer active layer due to its acidic nature, which etches the ITO and causes interface instability through indium diffusion into the polymer active layer. Low work- function metals, such as calcium and lithium, are easily oxidized, increasing the series resistance at the metal/BHJ interface and degrading device performance. In principle, ITO is capable of collecting either holes or electrons, since its work function (4.5 to 4.7 eV) lies between the typical highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) values of common organic photovoltaic materials. The polarity of the ITO electrode depends mainly on the contact

Use Of Timber In Projects Construction Essay

Use Of Timber In Projects Construction Essay The informal interviews revealed some additional factors, not discussed in the literature review, which may have helped to shape the position of timber within the marketplace in the UK. These factors were included in the formal questionnaire and are discussed below. Time to complete timber construction projects Discussion with timber engineers revealed that the time taken to build on site with timber is longer than typical steel structures. Though we would not wish to suggest that careful engineering of steel structures is any less important, it must be accepted that the steel construction in the UK has a very well established track record for single storey non domestic use. Steel sheds for commercial and industrial use are ubiquitous the length and breadth of the UK and, by association, the engineering and site skills which produced them must be very well established in the UK construction industry. How long history of steel construction manifests itself in a construction project can be quite subtle. The bolt length in steel is 30mm but timber can be 300mm so tolerance to fit them on site is far narrower with timber. Timber engineer, Peter Steer remarked that to get the bolt into its fixing can be highly problematic and can cause delay for inexperienced fabricators. Such delay simply wouldnt happen for steel fabrication as the skill involved in fitting a 30m bolt is commonplace compared to a 300mm bolt. There are very many more steel fabricators with the skills to deliver the former but far fewer timber site specialists who can comfortably deliver the latter. So the tendency is for delay on site. It is difficult to compare timber projects with an exact match for a steel frame project but timber structural engineer Frank Werling said that engineered timber structures can require 3 weeks to engineer versus 1 week for steel. Price differential between steel and engineered timber sections Nick Milestone, MD of B K Timber Structures said that the rising price of steel during the period 2000-2008 saw the price of engineered timber draw closer to comparable steel sections. This gave greater price competitiveness to timber suppliers and the use of timber gradually became more widespread in the UK. The word gradually must be emphasised there because long span timber structures were still quite rare until very recently when supermarkets and their architects led the way in demanding timber for these low rise, long span timber structures. Even though steel prices were climbing rapidly there was such a weight of expertise, of established supply chains and comfort of architects and clients in steel structures that steel retained its hegemony in the market. However since 2008 steel has crashed from circa 1400euro to 1000euro a tonne. This has coincided with a drop in the value of the pound relative to the euro. (European Central Bank statistics www.ecb.europa.eu/stats) The result is that, although the disparity between steel and Glulam sections had narrowed to approximately 10% in 2008, it is now over 40%. However demand at BK timber structures hasnt fallen while the price differential has widened during the past 2 years. This may be because there are other drivers such as the high aesthetic of Glulam beams and the sustainability of using timber structures that are keeping timber buoyant in the marketplace. Supply of engineered timber for large framed structures Tim Reynolds of BRE explained that UK timber eg Sitka spruce has a strength grade of C16. That grown in the drier EU countries is C24 or better. Glulam requires at least C24 timber. Therefore, here in the UK we must accept a situation where our own forests cannot produce timber of adequate strength grades. Either the timber is imported from other countries for UK factories to produce the Glulam, or Glulam sections are bought ready made from factories overseas. If the former situation were to take place then a company would need to find enormous start-up costs to procure the right machinery and train the workforce necessary to begin producing large Glulam sections. This would need to take place against a growing but still relatively minor market share for engineered timber frame construction in the UK. Furthermore, this hypothetical new UK Glulam factory would still be competing against established European competitors who have developed their expertise and can use locally sourced timber. In fact, often the large forestry and sawmilling companies in EU nations have sufficient scale and turnover to be able to afford the capital investment necessary to develop their own Glulam manufactories. This could not realistically take place in the UK where, not only do our forests produce insuffici ently strong softwood for Glulam manufacture, but the forestry industry is diffuse. Small UK forestry firms with modest turnover are content to sell their lumber for fence posts and other lower grade uses. They would be unlikely to find the capital necessary to establish their own Glulam manufactories. Where timber buildings, such as grid-shell structures, can be built with lower strength UK grown timber there has traditionally been a problem with the supply from the UK forestry industry, according to Peter Wilson of the centre for Timber Engineering at Napier University. The Scottish enterprise centre identified this as a key barrier to development of UK forestry into higher value added markets. It came to the conclusion that the barrier to using UK grown timber was a lack of qualified engineers who understood the potential of the material. For this reason the centre for timber engineering was set up. Peter Wilson says there has been a significant improvement in the skill base in the UK but there is still no culture of building with timber in the UK. Also, here the forestry sector is fragmented and, apart from isolated examples such as the magnificent Savills Grid-shell building, earns its living at the bottom of the value chain with fence posts and pallet manufacture. Due to this fragmented and low earning forestry sector there is little capital to invest in plant and sawmill machinery. By contrast, Scandinavian, Austrian and German forestry companies are large economic concerns with the capital to set up Glulam manufactories where start-up costs can be 20 million euro or more, almost as a secondary concern. No UK timber company or forestry company would be able to set up such a facility. This is likely to remain a structural reason why high strength structural engineered timber must be imported into the UK. This may have implications for surety of supply and cost differentials due to exchange rates. UK traditional procurement methods According to survey respondents the UK has, to some extent, lagged behind mainland Europe in the adoption of Project Management procurement methods, or Novated design and build, where a site structural engineer can be part of the design team at an early stage. There are fewer architects experienced and skilled enough in designing the connection details of large span timber structures in the UK due to the relative scarcity of such projects. By contrast architects who can design and work with steel connections in relative comfort are far more common and all stages of the design process for steel structures are so well established in the UK that the plans are efficiently realised on site by the steel fabricators. The relative lack of recent project experience from UK architects with timber means that the involvement of a site structural engineer is of great importance. The connection details can be complex and often need to be prefabricated to specific design tolerances before they can be assembled on site. A traditional procurement process would tend to leave these connection details until later in the process when there is a pressing and critical need for erection of the structure on site. As the site engineers in this traditional process will be unlikely to have been involved in the design team then there will be inevitable delay as they attempt to interpret the plans of the design engineer. At this point, the costs incurred by the site fabricators are higher as they are devoting more resources into carrying out plans that they have not been involved in. This lack of communication or cohesion in the design of the engineering element of the building can have cost implications and act as a d isincentive to design timber structures. If we look at the example of the Savill building at Windsor great park Green Oak Carpentrys Site Manager, Steve Corbett, said there were genuinely no real problems with the construction, which he attributed to the architect commissioning Buro Happold and Green Oak Carpentry early in the design phase so that engineering issues were addressed as part of the design from the start. Mark Feely, a chartered architectural technologist, who worked on a recent RICS award submitted design for an ASDA timber store in Oldham told me that his client pushed for a sustainable green store and Finn Forest UK Ltd were employed before the architect. It was a design and build contract so it was unusual to go straight for a technical supplier without competitive tender. Mark explained that sometimes this unusual sequence of procurement happens when a contractor is persuasive with a client and can demonstrate a technical mastery of a structure that suits their needs. This possibly lends weight to an argument that both clients and architects lack the experience of working with these timber structures and are looking for technical leadership from contractors who, as we have discussed, are few in UK construction. This ASDA store was also deemed to be time critical as there was a clear marketing strategy to keep pace with Tesco who had recently procured a timber framed store buildin g. Fire risk, perception of risk and insurance implications Suppliers of timber structural products said that they faced a perception from clients that their building insurance would be higher due to a perceived high risk of fire. Discussions with fire engineers at insurance companies have suggested that there is no price difference fixed for timber structures and it depends on the overall building design and detailing. Skills and training in design and assembly of timber structures There are fewer carpentries in the UK than in other EU countries where there is a tradition and a demand for timber building in non domestic settings. For timber contractors such as BK structures, the demand for their services can outstrip their capacity and as there are few competing companies the order books become full and projects may struggle to find contractors without booking well in advance of the project. This would also suggest that the price of carpentry is kept buoyant by a relative lack of competition. At the Napier school for Timber engineering there has been a recent surge in applicants for courses in timber engineering to Eurocode 5 on 31st March 2010. The courses were oversubscribed and, while this represents a positive demand from qualified timber engineers for developing their skills, there will be an inevitable lag effect. Engineers will need to familiarise themselves with EC5 and to become proficient with putting the new code into practise. Dr Julie Bregulla of the BRE told me that this is quite a significant barrier for the UK timber industry and stems from the almost cottage-industry nature of the sector. In other countries the timber sector has more resources to employ people to lobby and negotiate to have the code structured in a way that suits their industry. Analysis of structured questionnaire The table on (page) shows the full data set from the respondents to the questionnaire. The statements listed were put forward to a range of leading figures from all parts of the supply chain in timber construction. Suppliers, clients, timber engineers, architects and academic research professionals were asked to rank these statements from 0 to 10 with 0 at the end of the continuum where there was profound disagreement and 10 at the end where there was strongest agreement. This data is expressed in the chart below, where the bars represent the highest, lowest and mean ranking for each question.

My Friend from Denmark :: Friendship Essay

My Friend from Denmark Question Answered: Recall a multicultural experience that has positively impacted your educational career. Discuss your experience and describe the ways in which you have benefited from this experience. I remember when I first met Soren as clear and crisp as the wind that blew that early September morning. He had just come to America from Denmark the previous week, we were both nervous but he was sweating and very pale. We were both starting new schools, but he was starting in a new country as well. I arrived at our new high school an hour early, and the first thing that struck me was a boy my age with shockingly bright blonde hair. I went to sit with him at the bus stop in hopes of striking up a conversation and perhaps making a friend. We sat side by side for sometime until we acknowledge the other's presence with quick glances. Finally I decided I was the one who had to take the first step. "Nice backpack, man," I said. "Thank you very much," he anxiously responded. He had a strong accent I recognized as European, and this caused me to ask where he was from. "Dahnmark" he said "Where?" I asked. "Dahnmark. You know, like Copenhagen? Dahnmark." "Oh, you mean Denmark!" I said "Yah! I mean, yes!" he said, and we immediately became friends. As the school year went by, I asked Soren many questions about his country and he gave me many interesting answers. I had already enjoyed the friendships of many international students, and had just started to learn Japanese. He said that in Denmark they watch "The Simpsons" and "Baywatch" regularly. He also told me about the banking industry his family was in, and the religious ceremonies that are unique to his country. Talking with Soren made me want to learn more about the Kingdom of Denmark, so I began researching it. I scoured books and found that it is a very wealthy country, and that its territories include Greenland and the Faroe Islands. After questioning my father, I was surprised to learn that my family comes from Denmark. I was part Danish! I was very excited to tell Soren and could not wait to tell him the news the next day.

Historical Methodology Essays -- Racism Literature Books Papers

Historical Methodology The Strange Career of Jim Crow, by C. Van Woodward, traces the history of race relations in the United States from the mid and late nineteenth century through the twentieth century. In doing so Woodward brings to light significant aspects of Reconstruction that remain unknown to many today. He argues that the races were not as separate many people believe until the Jim Crow laws. To set up such an argument, Woodward first outlines the relationship between Southern and Northern whites, and African Americans during the nineteenth century. He then breaks down the details of the injustice brought about by the Jim Crow laws, and outlines the transformation in American society from discrimination to Civil Rights. Woodward’s argument is very persuasive because he uses specific evidence to support his opinions and to connect his ideas. Considering the time period in which the book and its editions were written, it should be praised for its insight into and analysis of the most i mportant social issue in American history. From the beginning of the book, Woodward argues that prior to Jim Crow, segregation in the Southern states was not as strong as many assume. To support this claim he cites Slavery in the Cities, where author Richard C. Wade provides evidence for segregation while at the same time states that, â€Å"‘In every city in Dixie†¦blacks and whites lived side by side, sharing the same premises if not equal facilities and living constantly in each other’s presence.’†[1] In the rural areas during slavery, African Americans and whites also had a large amount of social interaction, because, as Woodward explains, â€Å"control was best maintained by a large degree of physical contact and association.†[2] .. ...better in the 1950’s. [22] Given the historical context in which the book was written, its popular reception, its persuasiveness, and the realities of the history of race relations which it exposes, the book’s significance cannot be denied. [1] C. Vann Woodward, The Strange Career of Jim Crow. (Oxford University Press: New York, 1955), 14. [2] Woodward, 22. [3] Woodward, 19. [4] Woodward, 21. [5] Woodward, 37. [6] Woodward, 53-54. [7] Woodward, 54. [8] Woodward, 65. [9] Woodward, 69. [10] Woodward, 71. [11] Woodward, 72-73. [12] Woodward, 130-132. [13] Woodward, 81. [14] Woodward, 98. [15] Woodward, 115. [16] Woodward, 118. [17] Woodward, 119. [18] Woodward, 128. [19] Woodward, 174. [20] William S. McFeely, The Strange Career of Jim Crow, Afterword, 224 [21] McFeely, 227. [22] McFeely, 224.

Observing Animals And Documenting Specific Animal Behavior Patterns

Introduction: The broader context of this lab was aimed at observing animals and documenting specific animal behavior patterns. Specifically, we were trying to determine if squirrels applied snakeskin randomly to certain areas of their body or if there was a specific technique to it in relation to escaping their predators. After an animal has determined that a predator is nearby, it must then take action to avoid encountering this threat.Encounters are most easily avoided by preventing predators from detecting prey in the first instance (Rosier & Langklide, 2011), for squirrels this type of behavior is known as SSA, â€Å"snake scent application†. In this lab we wanted to study two different species of squirrels, S. beecheyi and S. variegatus, in order to evaluate if SSA can be deemed as a species specific type of behavior. My hypothesis was that squirrels applied the snake skin scent to specific parts of their body in an organized manner. The null hypothesis is that squirrels apply the snake skin scent randomly to parts of their body.My prediction of my hypothesis was that squirrels apply the snake skin scent to body parts that they find prove to be advantageous when trying to escape their predators. Methods: We watched videos of both species S. beecheyi and S. variegatus applying the SSA to their bodies. We were allowed to choose four videos from each species. Each video showed a squirrel applying the snake skin to their body within their own natural habitat. Some videos had more squirrels while others showed just one individual squirrel.In this lab we were given a table where we had to record how many times SSA was applied to a specific part (flank, head, front leg, hind leg, tail) of the squirrel’s body. My partner and I chose to assign one person to tally the frequencies to each part of the body while the other watched the video and observed the application. I chose to do the observing, while my partner recorded. Every time a squirrel appeare d to be licking or touching a certain body part was considered a tallied frequency, however, the squirrel had to be doing so for at least three seconds in order to be recorded.Results: The table below (Table 1) shows the recording of the total frequencies that were tallied after seeing the squirrels apply the SSA to the respective specific body part. I included the total data in order to clearly show what I used for my calculations. In order to interpret our results we had to use the chi-squared test. This test compares the observed behaviors to the expected behavior if it was randomly distributed, also considered to be the null hypothesis where SSA is applied randomly on the squirrel’s body.From using the chi-squared equation (shown to the right), I calculated the expected frequency for each species, 12. 6 per area for the S. beecheyi and 10 per area for the S. Variegatus. The chi-squared values for both the S. beecheyi and S. variegatus were 70. 13 and 65, respectively. For this lab experiment there were 5 independent pieces of data, therefore 4 degrees of freedom. Given that piece of information we were able to look up the critical values at a confidence of 0. 05 and 0. 01, which were 9. 488 and 13. 277, respectively.The chi-squared value for both species exceeds these values and therefore we can reject our null hypothesis that states SSA is applied randomly. Discussion: Although we were able to accept our hypothesis, there is always room for improvement. The process of observing the squirrels and recording the amount of times SSA was applied may have greatly affected the results if not done properly. It was important to determine if the squirrels were in fact applying the SSA, this proved to be difficult during the experiment.In addition, determining whether it was flank or hind leg also proved to be difficult. Since we were able to reject our null hypothesis, we were able to accept our hypothesis that SSA is applied non randomly. The values that we derived from the chi-squared test helped support our hypothesis; we can then conclude that squirrels have a specific technique and process when applying snakeskin to their body. As I predicted these areas that they are constantly applying the snake skin scent proves to have a certain preference to them.We can imply that their preference is based on the idea that certain body parts are more vulnerable or do a great job at masking their scent, therefore hiding well from their snake predators. This is something that has evolved over time, snake-scent application is likely a product of natural selection. Squirrels that had the genetic instinct to use the ploy might have had increased survival and reproductive success, thus passing the trait to following generations (Goudarzi, 2007). I think it would be really interesting to look at different age groups within the squirrel population and their application process.This can help us find out whether squirrels at different stages in their l ife (young and old) find themselves to be more or less vulnerable and hence apply a lot or little of the SSA to specific areas of their body. It is also important to study different species of the squirrel population. I believe that different environments lend to different processes and techniques. If given the opportunity, I would do research on at least 8 more species that are completely different in their geographical regions and environment (dry vs moist areas) to each other.