General accepted accounting principles free essay sample

This is a set of rules that guide accountants and auditors in preparation and audit of financial statements. GAAPs guide financial reporting in public organizations under SEC requirements as well as in private companies and government organizations. These rules are not rigid and therefore allow the accountants and auditors applying them some room to make own judgments. GAAPs ensure that financial statements prepared under its standards are comparable, consistent, reliable and relevant. Such financial statement aid users in decision-making on such issues as investing decisions, credit worthiness and tax computation. They help accountants make decisions when encountered by a difficult situation. Financial statements prepared under GAAPs also reflect a true picture of the entity’s financial position. (Stickney, C. and R. Weil, 2005) Historical cost It is a generally accepted accounting principle that applies to preparation of the balance sheet. This principle dictates that an item in the financial statement should be recorded at the amount that it was paid for rather than at market value. We will write a custom essay sample on General accepted accounting principles or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This is because the market value fluctuates a lot and those preparing financial statements may apply subjective measures of the market value. Recording assets at their actual cost does not affect a business entity much since assets are held to facilitate the entity’s operations and not for resale. It is criticized for ignoring the time value of money and market values of the various balance sheet items. However it is preferred as it leaves the management no room to manipulate the values as they would with market values. Financial statements prepared under this principles on therefore more reliable. (Stickney, C. and R. Weil, 2005) Accrual basis vs. cash basis accounting Accrual basis accounting recognizes revenue in the accounting period it is realized or earned and not necessarily when they are paid up. Revenue is considered realizable if the entity has enough ground to expect cash in future. It is considered earned when the entity has done enough to warrant compensation. The accrual basis also dictates that expenses be charged from revenue they were incurred to produce. Cash basis accounting on the other hand, requires that revenues is recognized in the accounting period that cash is received and expenses in the period they are paid for. Revenues and expenses involves in credit transactions are therefore not recognized until payment is done. It is usually applied in small organizations with a short credit periods. It is simple and inexpensive since one does not have to maintain several ledger accounts such as accounts payable accounts receivable, prepaid and accrued expenses. It also allows the entities to defer tax payments until it receives the cash. However accrual basis is more widely used since it gives a fairer view of the financial performance of an entity. It also complies with the accrual and matching concepts under US GAAP. The difference between the two methods is on timing of recording transactions. Cash basis traces all cash flows but fails to match revenues with expenses incurred. Accrual basis matches revenues with expenses incurred but fails to trace cash flows. (Stickney, C. and R. Weil, 2005) To overcome this deficiency, the entity has to prepare a cash flow statement. Current assets and liabilities vs. non-current items Current assets are cash and assets that can be converted in to cash within a short period probably within a year. They include accounts receivable, inventory and prepaid expenses. Non –current assets are not convertible to cash in a short period and if convertible, there are still non-current as they are used in the entity’s operation. Non-current assets are either tangible or intangible. Tangible assets include property and plant and machinery while intangibles include goodwill’s and patents. Current liabilities are those liabilities that fall due and are paid up within a year include accounts payable accruals, and tax liability. Non-current liabilities fall due in the long term and include such items long-term debt and deferred income tax. This classification is useful in determining the financial position of an entity. A business entity should pay its current liabilities with current assets and non-current liabilities with non-current assets and equity. A firm financing its current liabilities with non-current assets is not in a healthy financial position. Part 2 Wal-Mart stores Inc The consolidated balance sheet is arranged in the order of liquidity while the cash flow is prepared under the indirect methods.  Ã‚   All the statements are prepared in compliance with the US GAAP. Accrual basis accounting is applied and revenues are matched with the expenses incurred to generate them. Assets are recorded at the actual cost of acquisition and not at the market value. The balance sheet items are classified as current and non- current items. (Wal-Mart, 2008)   Wal-Mart Stores cash flow from operating activities is higher than the net income. The company is in a position to meet its financial obligations as they fall due. The cash flow from operating activities is more useful to Wal-Mart since it is harder to manipulate than net income. This is especially so for a retailer where the management can engage in sales boosting activities such as channel stuffing. (Williams J. and J. Carcello, 2006). Google Inc The corporation’s income statement is prepared under the common sized format is thus easier to analyze. The balance sheet and cash flow statement have been combined in to a single statement devoid of much detail. The corporation’s cash flow from operating activities is higher than the net income, which is an indication of enough liquidity to meet obligations as they become due. The net income for Google is however more useful than the net cash flow from operating as more details of its calculation is provided in the company’s annual report while the cash flow is given as a final figure. (Google, 2008) Honda worldwide The financial statements are prepared using the accrual basis accounting and historical cost concept. The revenues and expenses are matched and balance sheet items recorded at the actual cost rather than in fair market value. The balance sheet items are classified as current and non-current and are in order of liquidity. The statements are in compliance with the Japanese financial accounting standards, and are in conformity with the US GAAP. The positive net cash flow from operations indicates that company has enough liquidity to meet its financial obligations. The operating cash flow is more useful since net income does not reflect the firms true financial performance. The cash dividends are paid out cash from operating activities and it was therefore prudent to issue them. (Honda, 2006) Predictions Wal-Mart Stores The company is likely to be more profitable and have higher cash flows in 2007. This is because its investment budget both domestically and internationally has grown consistently over time. From the annual report it is clear that while the firm will expand its operations internationally, the growth in revenues and cash flow may be hampered by interest rate fluctuations and exchange rate fluctuations. The effect of these fluctuations is however mitigated through hedges. (Wal-Mart, 2008) Google The company future financial out look is healthy and income and cash flow from operating activities are likely to grow in 2007. Constant growth in both measures of performance has been also increased absolutely and also relative to reverse. It has also achieved greater efficiency as the proportion of net income in revenue has growth consistently. The trend is likely to continue in 2007. (Google, 2008) Honda worldwide While the net income has been growing over time the net cash flow from operating activities have declined in 2006. This is an indication that the company may experience cash flow problems in 2007. This company projects that revenues will grow in 2007 in spite of risks posed by interest rate and foreign exchange fluctuations. It however projects the growth to be moderate. (Honda, 2006)

Should Medical Marijuana be Le essays

Should Medical Marijuana be Le essays Marijuana is an illegal drug with many medical uses and should be made legal for those patients who need it. There are many valuable medical uses for marijuana not recognized by the Federal Government. Though some states have legalized its use for patients with the permission of their physician, it remains at large an illegal Schedule I drug. There are many medical uses of marijuana but while it is still an illegal drug the patients trying to reap its benefits must break federal laws. Marijuana is effective in lowering the internal eye pressure associated with glaucoma and slowing the onset of blindness in these patients. It can reduce the pain of AIDS patients and stimulate the appetites of those suffering from malnutrition because of AIDS wasting syndrome. Marijuana has many other uses such as alleviating muscle spasticity, anorexia, asthma, nausea, peptic ulcers, alcoholism, depression, migraine, anxiety, inflammation, hypertension, insomnia, and many other uses for cancer patients. "Marijuana has been found useful as an anticonvulsant, a muscle relaxant in spastic disorders, as an appetite stimulant in the wasting syndrome of human immunodeficiency virus infection and is also useful for relieving phantom limb pain and menstrual cramps. It has also been helpful in treating glaucoma, nausea from chemotherapy in c ancer patients, epilepsy, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and spinal fluid injuries."(5) Marijuana has many uses and should be legalized for use by patients who need it. California has legalized the use of marijuana for medical purposes under the consent of a physician which is called Proposition 215. Tom Morganthau is against this legalization under Proposition 215 and he says: "What we have here, thanks to the voters of California and Arizona, is a nightmare for drug warriors everywhere - and a small but potentially significant breach in the national resolve against drugs. Earnest appeals by McCaffre...

Cheap or Modern Furniture Business in UAE Essay

Cheap or Modern Furniture Business in UAE - Essay Example This in a nutshell speaks about the fast pace of developments in the region. UAE is the third largest economy in the Middle East and Central Asia region (Datamonitor, 2007). Dubai in itself is famous all over the globe for things like a preferred shopping, luxurious multi-storey apartments, flourishing tourism industry etc. Dubai's Jebel Ali Complex has added another feather in the cap of UAE. This complex presents a modern way of healthy and peaceful living. The Downtown Jebel Ali (DJA)1 is divided into four zones featuring housing and offices along with civic amenities, restaurants, shops etc. A furniture business will flourish if there is demand from domestic sector as well the industrial sector. Infrastructure development and encouragement to real estate sector provides lots of opportunities to the modern furniture business. The Economist Intelligence Unit in its report of October 2008 predict that the political system led by the president Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan gives out potent signals of stability and the pro-reform policies of the government are expected to provide further strength to its social and economic policies (EIU, 2008). The fact that ruling families in the other six emirates provide a firm backing to the UAE president provides enough political stability in the country. UAE has been a close ally of western world and finds strong support from US and some of the EU nations. With an eye on furthering the business prospects, UAE has been doing everything possible to invite investments from foreign companies in the country. The Jebel Ali complex in itself houses over 200 factories with facilities like a power plant, a deep water port, a free trade zone and a steel fabrication unit having many waivers for the industries. But it seems UAE will have to work really hard to make itself more attractive destination for investments and more competitive as compared to other middle east countries like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Israel and Qatar. These five countries figure higher than UAE in the World Bank's 'Doing Business 2009 report'. The country has scored quite badly as far enforcing contracts, ease of closing a business and protecting investors is concerned. These factors in fact play a pivotal role in encouraging or discouraging the business prospects of the country or the city. Sultan Saeed Nasser Al Mansoori, the minister for economic affairs of UAE outlines the objectives of its ministry in the coming days. Some of the objectives outlined in the statement are2; Develop new legislation in the economic field. Promote national economy to world-class competitiveness. Partnership with local authorities and private sector. Active local participation in national economy. Such objectives from the political establishment are bound to provide enough strength to the industrial sector and make the investment climate more business friendly. With a number of export zones, economic zones, duty free zones, easing of domestic laws and adoption of an IT friendly stance by the government UAE is fast becoming an attractive destination for setting up business activities. The presence of all ministries on the internet and development of a combined e-commerce website by the government, the government appears e-commerce friendly and tech-savvy. The rise in consumerism levels in UAE is one of the prime factors which

Rock Report Listening Log Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Rock Report Listening Log - Essay Example Although the nature of the individual artists, though similar is still definable through the way in which the beats are counted and the use of syncopation which is more prominent in the music of Ted Nugent. The two individual styles do not express a difference in musical style, but rather in the way in which musical choices in composing the work is accomplished. The most prominent differences is seen in the chorus lyric and the way in which the repetition is similar, but has a different texture in the way that it is composed. Both songs competently represent the style of a hard rock song, however I prefer the work from Nugent over that from KISS, although that may not have been the choice I would have made when they were released. The lyrics in Nugent area bit more clever and the type of music does not seem quite as dated, although it is definitely identifiable from the 1970s. KISS has always been a band that was about theater over music, thus the music is not complicated and does not really represent music of the hard rock genre, despite being squarely positioned in that genre. Therefore, Nugent more than likely better represents the hard rock style than does

Emergency Response Plan Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Emergency Response Plan - Assignment Example The purpose of this program is to ensure that the emergency response is always efficient so as to manage the disasters. Conversely, the program aims at minimizing potential risks or danger to the individuals, staff, residents, visitors, and volunteers. Nonetheless, the purpose of this program is to ensure that all operations are in a state of continuity so as to effectively mitigate the risks. Moreover, an emergency response plan is never complete without clear objectives (Gandy et al., 2014). In this case, the response plan primarily aims at providing directions and outlining processes that are necessary for managing personnel, facilities, equipment and all resources during the emergency. Besides, the plan aims at minimizing the potential impacts of the disaster through maintenance of operational standards in readiness, preparedness, and awareness of the emergency situation. Though least important, the plan aims at laying the foundation for developing training programs relating to e mergency response management. The report in particular strives to develop an emergency response plan for severe storms or thunderstorms as one of the frequent disaster situations. Damages that tropical storms and tornadoes leave on the facilities they strike are enough to call for a detailed emergency response plan that can help in mitigating immediate and residual effects of such natural disasters.

Power Blackout Preventing By Power Swing Detection

Power Blackout Preventing By Power Swing Detection Power Blackout Preventing By Power Swing Detection  and Out-Of-Step Protection   Power system disturbance, such as fault occurrence, automatic reclosing, and large loads disconnection. These conditions force the generating units to adapt with the new load condition but the generators cant do this instantaneous due to the inertia. This cause a power swing. It may be stable power swing or un stable power swing. In the stable power swing the generator can return to the new equilibrium state. On the other hand, in the un stable power swing the generator cant reach to the steady state operation and run out of step and may lead to the blackout. in the case of power swing the load impedance may enter into the operation characteristic of the distance relay and case unwanted tripping for the transmission lines. So, the distance relay isnt supposed to tripe under the power swing if stable or unstable to give the system the availability to return to its steady state. A power swing block PSB its a function inside the modern distance relays that prevent unwanted tripping by block the tripping signal in case of stable or unstable power swing. However, when the fault happens due to a Power swing it must be cleared very rapidly with high level of dependability and selectivity. Out-of-step trip (OST) in is a function that included in the modern relays to achieve the separation of the power system under the unstable power swing. The major aim of this function to differentiate between the stable and unstable power swing and separate the power system into predetermined zones to achieve the stability and continuity of the service. Key words:  Power Swing Detection; Out of Step Protection; Distance Protection. USA United states of America NERC North American Electric Reliability Corporation N-1criterion Most security rules therefore call for the system to be able to withstand the loss of any single component UCTE Union for the Coordination of the Transmission of Electricity PSB Power Swing Block OOS Out-of- Step OST Out-of-Step Trip TOSB Setting Time of out-of-step Blocking TOST Setting Time of out-of-step Tripping Figure 1 Causes due to different disturbances Figure 2 Two-Machine System model Figure 3 The Power Angle Curve Figure 4 The Equal-Area Criterion (Figure shows a fast fault clearance and a stable swing) Figure 5 Unstable System due to Slow Clearing Time Figure 6 Wrong operation of distance relay due to Power Swing Figure 7 Two-Blinder Power Swing Detection Scheme Figure 8 Automatically sized power swing area. Figure 9 Monotony criterion. Figure 10 Continuity criterion Figure 11 Smoothness criterion. Figure 12 Logic for power swing detection Figure 13 Impedance trajectory for 3-machine power swing Figure 14 Impedance trajectory during stable power swing. Figure 15 Internal fault B-G during a power swing. Figure 16 Internal fault B-G with single pole trip during a power swing. Figure 17 External fault in BC-G during a power swing. Figure 18 Example of a reverse busbar fault during power swing. Figure 19 Rotor angle and impedance trajectories for stable power swing. Figure 20 Rotor angle and impedance trajectories for unstable power swing. Figure 21 Basic signals for out of step detection. Figure 22 Logic for special out of step tripping. In the previous few years we have suffered from big disturbances in the power system which caused complete blackout and millions of users including the industry have suffered from big economical losses. These disturbances cause big fluctuations in active and reactive power, low voltage, voltage instability and angular instability between the generated power and consumed power which results in loss of generation and load which effected on both sides the power generation and the end customers. During the steady state operating condition, the power systems operates on the nominal frequency (50Hz or 60Hz) +/- 0.02 Hz and Voltage=Nominal voltage +/- 5% [1]. The complete synchronism of nominal frequency and voltage at the sending and receiving ends make complete balance of active and reactive power between generated and consumed active and reactive powers. Power system faults, line switching, generator disconnection, and the loss of large blocks of load result in sudden changes to electrical power, which is due to the causes shown in Fig 1. Disturbances Line Switching Generator Disconnecting Paralleling other Generator Addition of load Loss of load Causes Loss of Synchronism Between Voltages Loss of Synchronism Between phase sequence Loss of Synchronism Between phase angles Loss of Synchronism Between frequencies 1.1. Blackout History 1.1.1 Some blackouts became in 2003 (during six weeks). in the northeastern USA and central Canada and in Europe, which affected more than 100 million people. On 14 August the northeastern USA and central Canada: †¢ 62 GW power outage, affected 50 million people. †¢ power supply restoring took some days. On 14 August London †¢ 724 MW power outage, affected 410 thousand people. †¢ power supply restoring took 40 minutes. On 2 September the southern Malaysia †¢ affected 5 states (out of 13) in Malaysia, including the capital Kuala Lumpur. †¢ power supply restoring took 5 hours. On 5 September Birmingham †¢ 250 MW power outage, affected 220 thousand people. †¢ power supply restoring took 11 minutes. On 19 September nine US states and parts of Ontario, Canada †¢ affected 4.3 million people. †¢ cause hurricane Isabel. On 23 September Denmark and Sweden †¢ affected 5 million people. †¢ power supply restoring took 4 hours. On 28 September Italy †¢ affected 57 million people. †¢ power supply restoring took 4 hours. [1], [2], [3] Blackout in the Northeastern USA and Central Canada 14 August 2003 Initially the event was the tripping of the power line that caused by the short circuit to ground due to tree contacts. Blackout in the northeastern USA and central Canada was studied by The North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) and some contravention of safety and reliability standards was identified: †¢ following the outage of the first 345-kV line, dispatcher of the power system did not make the necessary actions to return the system to a safe operating state within 30 minutes to fulfillment of N-1criterion which mean Most security rules therefore call for the system to be able to withstand the loss of any single component. When a power system satisfies this criterion, it is said to be N-1 secure †¢ dispatchers of neighboring transmission system were not informed about this situation. †¢ insufficient training of dispatchers. †¢ functionless monitor system in part of the power system. Reliable and safety operation of the power system The North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) have developed the operating of the system and planning standards to confirm the reliability and the stability of a transmission network that are depend on seven key concepts: Balance power generation and demand continuously. Balance the reactive power supply and the demand to keep scheduled voltages. Monitor the power flow over the transmission lines and other facilities to ensure that thermal (heating) limits are not exceeded. Keep the system in a stable condition. Operate the system so that it remains in a reliable condition even if a contingency occurs, such as the loss of a key generator or transmission facility (the N-1criterion). Plan, design, and maintain the system to operate reliably. Prepare for emergencies Blackout in Italy on September 28, 2003 The situation in the Italian power system before blackout wasnt exception. †¢ total load of Italy was 27 444 MW. †¢ 3 487 MW pump load. †¢ 6 951 MW physical import to the Italian power system. †¢ some transmission lines in neighboring power systems were out of service by reason of scheduled maintenance. †¢ the Italian power system was connected to neighboring power systems via 15 transmission lines. Sequence of events of the blackout in Italy The initial event was the 380 kV line tripping in Switzerland. Fewer than 25 minutes after this event the Italian power system ceased to operate synchronized to the UCTE system. Union for the Coordination of the Transmission of Electricity 03:01:42 the 380-kV line tripping in Switzerland (Lavorno Metlen) line was heavy loaded at 86%. †¢ The cause of tripping a wire contacted to a tree. †¢ The attempts of single-phase auto-reclosing and also the attempt of the operators to put this line back into operation were not successful and the line was disconnected by its protection device, due to high phase angle (42 °). †¢ After the Lavorno Metlen line tripping, the other 380 kV line in Switzerland (Sils Soaza) became overloaded. 03:11 the Swiss dispatch asked the Italian dispatch to reduce the import of Italy by 300 MW (on scheduled value). 03:25:21 the second overloaded 380 kV line tripping in Switzerland (Sils Soaza). 03:25:25 the third overloaded 380 kV line tripping in Switzerland. 03:25:26 the interconnection line Austria Italy (Lienz Soverenze) tripping. 03:25:33 the Italian power system started to disconnect from the UCTE system After disconnection Italy from the UCTE system the frequency in the Italian power system dropped suddenly, caused by the negative imbalance between power injection to the system and system load. The blackout in the Italian power system became within fewer than 3 minutes. 21:40 official announcement about emergency cancellation in whole power system of Italy. Main causes of the blackout in Italy The initial event was the 380-kV line tripping in Switzerland in consequence of the wire the tree contact. The attempts of single-phase auto-reclosing and also attempt of the operators to put this line back into operation were not successful and the line was disconnected by its protection device, because phase angle was too high. We can see two causes: †¢ insufficient protective zone under the transmission lines. †¢ overloaded lines. After the first 380 kV line tripping in the Swiss power system other power lines became overloaded. That means that the safety N-1criterion was non fulfillment in the Swiss power system. We can see other causes: †¢ Violation of basic safety N-1criterion. †¢ high import to Italy. †¢ incomplete information about neighboring power system. †¢ pump load was stopped too late, by automatics. 1.1.2. System disturbance in the UCTE system on 4 November , 2006 The system disturbance in the UCTE system on 4 November, 2006 was the most serious incident in the UCTE system within an interconnected Europe history. The system disturbance started in the German transmission system on 4 November 2006, around 10 p.m. This disturbance split the UCTE system into three separate parts (West, North-East and South-East). More than 15 million households were affected by an interruption of the electricity. The UCTE system resynchronization was completed 38 minutes after the splitting. [4] What happened? On 18 Sept. 2006, the shipyard (Meyerwerft) sent a request to E.ON Netz to disconnect two 380 kV line Conneforde-Diele for the transport of the ship through the Ems River to the North Sea on 5 November at 01:00. As a switching in the last several times. The E.ON Netz operator did a power flow calculation and verified fulfillment of safety N-1criterion using numerical computation. Analysis did not show any problem and so the operator provisionally approved the request of the shipyard and informed neighbouring transmission system operators (RWE Germany and TenneT Niederland). On 3 November (around 12.00) came a new request to E.ON Netz for a time change of two power lines Conneforde- Diele switching on 4 November at 22:00. A provisional agreement was given by E.ON Netz after a new analysis. But RWE and TenneT operators were not informed about this change at the same time. Only at 19:00 on 4 November E.ON Netz informed TenneT and RWE TSO about the new time for switching off the Diele -Coneforde line. At 21:29 according to the load flow calculation made by E.ON Netz did not indicate any violation of limit values. But N-1criterion was checked without numerical computation, was checked based on an empirical evaluation of the grid situation only. Sequence of events †¢ At 21:38 a 21:39. power lines Conneforde-Diele were disconnected. †¢ At 21:39. after the switching operation, two 380 kV lines was overloaded. †¢ At 21:41. RWE dispatcher informed E.ON Netz about the safety limit value on the line Landesbergen-Wehrendorf (an interconnection line between E.ON Netz and RWE TSO). Later investigation uncovered different protections setting on this line. †¢ Between 22:05 and 22:07, the load on the 380 kV line Landesbergen-Wehrendorf increased and the RWE operator called E.ON Netz at 22:08 with the request for urgent intervention due to return to the stable grid condition. †¢ E.ON Netz made an empirical assessment of corrective switching measures without making load flow estimation for checking the N-1criterion. E.ON Netz expected that coupling of the bus-bars in the substation of Landesbergen would reduce of load on the 380 kV line Landesbergen- Wehrendorf. But this line was overload more than 100% and so was tripped and the other lines became overloaded. †¢ At 22:10:28 the UCTE system splitted to three areas after the power lines switching in E.ON Netz, RWE, the Austrian power system and after disconnection of interconnection lines: Croatia Hungary and Marocco -Spain. The initial event of the system disturbance in the UCTE system was scheduled switching off two power lines. Main causes The investigation identified two main causes of the disturbance as well as some critical factors which had significant influence on its course: non fulfillment of the N-1criterion or verified its fulfillment without numerical computation. †¢ insufficient co-ordination between the transmission system operators. †¢ dissatisfied power plant operation in emergency: tripping of generation units (particularly wind power plants) during disturbance and uncontrolled reconnection of generation units. †¢ limited range of action available to dispatchers. †¢ insufficient training of dispatchers. 1.2. Blackout Causes and Risks A blackout is a power outage. This state means the loss of the electricity supply for a part of the power system or the whole power system. A. Blackout Causes Natural causes Lightening. Rain. Snow. wind storm. Technical Failures Transformer faults. Short circuits. Human error Error of judgment. Insufficient co-ordination between the transmission system operators. Insufficient training of dispatchers. Terrorism Bombing. cyber-attacks. B. Blackout Risks power system equipment damage. heavy economical losses. jeopardy of economy functioning. life paralysis in stricken parts of country. Several blackouts cases became in the world of last years. Causes of these disturbances were various technical, bad weather conditions, human failing. C. Some impacts of Northeastern Blackout Ford Motor Company The stoppage of factorys furnace cause to convert the molten metal to solid metal. The company reported that it need a week to clean the furnace. Marathon Oil Corporations The blackout was responsible for making suddenly shutdown procedures at Marathon refinery. in those procedures, a carbon monoxide boiler failed to shut down correctly, causing a small explosion. As a precautionary measure, the police vacate one-mile sector around the complex. Daimler Chrysler Daimler Chrysler lost production at 14 of its 31 factories. 6 of those were assembly factories with paint shops. The company reported that, in total, 10,000 vehicles were moving through the paint shops during the blackout had to be scrapped. New York City New York Citys mayor estimated that the city would pay almost USD 10 m in overtime related to the outage. Airports Airports were closed in Toronto, Newark, New York, Montreal, Islip, Cleveland, Erie and Hamilton. Together they cancelled over 1,000 flights 2.1. Introduction Under steady state conditions the power generation and the load are balanced and the power systems operate in nominal frequency 50 Hz or 60Hz with some deviations 0.02Hz for the large system and 0.05 for the small system. Taking into consideration the two-machines shown in Fig. 2, the power transmitting can be denoted by the following equation: Where: ES is the voltage of machine S ER is the voltage of machine R ÃŽÂ ´ is the angle by which ES leads ER = QS-QR QS is the rotor angle of machine S QR is the rotor angle of machine R ZT is the total impedance between the two machines consisting of ZS, ZR, and ZL ZS + ZL + ZR ZS is the impedance of source S ZR is the impedance of source R ZL is the impedance of the transmission line The Power angle curve in Figure 3 clears the relation between the power transmit and the angle ÃŽÂ ´ (the angle between the two ends). The relation clear that the power transmit increase with nonlinear direct proportion with the angle ÃŽÂ ´ when ÃŽÂ ´ lie between 0 ° : 90 ° . After ÃŽÂ ´ equal 90 ° the power decrease with nonlinear inverse proportion with the angle ÃŽÂ ´. The power system are worked well at the point of maximum power at ÃŽÂ ´ = 90 ° so The maximum power is presented as the following equation: Power Swing definition It is a changing in the Electrical power due to the changing of the rotor angle (ÃŽÂ ´) either Increasing or decreasing response to : line switching, Load disturbances , loss of generation, short circuit faults and other power system disturbances. During the large disturbance in the power system the transmit electric output power suddenly decreased from P0 to Pf as shown in Fig.4 but the mechanical torque (that connected to the generator and equivalent to the output electrical power P0 at the moment before reducing the electrical power) cant reduce suddenly to equivalent Pf so this unbalance cases accelerating in the rotor of the machine and increasing in the angle (ÃŽÂ ´). The assume of this analysis is neglects the operation of the voltage regulator that control on the excitation and change the machine voltage, and the governors that change the mechanical input power If the fault is cleared at the point of ÃŽÂ ´c the output electric power will increase and become greater than the input mechanical power so the machine will start to decelerate but because of the inertia the machine rotor cant decrease suddenly and reached to ÃŽÂ ´e. Assume area 1 refer to the accelerating energy, and area 2 refer to decelerating energy, so when the fault cleared quickly the two areas can be equal before the angle reach to the limiting angle ÃŽÂ ´L and the system will return after some oscillation to the last operating point at ÃŽÂ ´0 and that call Stable power swing. On the other side if the fault didnt clear quickly and spend more time, the angle ÃŽÂ ´ will move far away enough to make the two areas (accelerating area de accelerating area) not equal before the angle reaches to ÃŽÂ ´L as shown in Fig. 5 and due to the inertia the the angle will reach to the limiting angle and after this point the electrical output power will decrease again to be less than the mechanical input power so the machine rotor will accelerate and the rotor angle will increase above 180 and the pole slipping will happen . this case called out of step condition or unstable power swing condition Power Swing Effect on the Distance Relay Under Steady State Operation the impedance of the load not enter into the operation characteristic of the distance relay but in the case of power swing the load impedance may enter into the operation characteristic of the distance relay and case unwanted tripping for the transmission lines, and may be cause cascading tripping and stoppage of major sections of the power system. The distance relay isnt supposed to tripe under the power swing if stable or unstable to give the system the availability to return to its steady state. A power swing block PSB its a function inside the modern distance relays that prevent unwanted tripping by block the tripping signal in case of stable or unstable power swing thus, The Power Swing Block function is used to differentiate between the power swing and the fault. However, when the fault happens due to a Power swing it must be cleared very rapidly with high level of dependability and selectivity. The zones must be separated hoping to avoid causing large deference of the rotor angle between groups of the generators and loss the synchronism between them, equipment damage and the blackouts. Perfectly, the power system should be separated into predetermined zones to achieve a balance of load-generation in each of the separated zones. In some cases, load shedding is essential to avoid a whole blackout of the area where the load of the separated area is more than the local generation Controlled tripping of the power system relays in the case of an Out-of-Step condition is very essential to prevent extensive outages, equipment damage and shutdown of large areas in the power system. Out-of-step trip (OST) in is a function that included in the modern relays to achieve the separation of the power system under the unstable power swing. The major aim of this function to differentiate between the stable and unstable power swing and separate the power system into predetermined zones to achieve the stability and continuity of the service. Power Swing Detection Methods. Following is a brief discussion of the methods that have been used for detecting power swings and schemes used for OSB and OST functions. Traditional method based on rate-of change of impedance and the recently method is Power-Swing-Detection Algorithm Based on Continuous Impedance Calculation. 2.2.1 Traditional Rate of change of Impedance Schemes for Detecting Power Swings. In the conventional method, the relay measure and calculate the positive sequence impedance and the change rate of the impedance. During the steady sat operation the measured impedance depends on the load impedance and the distance between the protection zone of the distance relay and the point of measurement. The impedance move in trajectory depends on the operation case. In the case of the fault if the impedance moved rapidly to the fault zone. On the other case during the power swing the impedance moved slowly at some trajectory with a rate depend on the slip frequency between the generators. Thus, the variation of the impedance movement speed used to distinguish between the power swing and the faults. The concept of this method that using of two measuring impedance and separated them by ΆZ and used a calculated timer. When the measured impedance moved through the first one the timer will start running. If the measured impedance cross the second impedance before the time r expire, that indicated to a fault case. If the timer expired and the impedance didnt reach to the second impedance that indicated to a power swing case. Two-Blinder Scheme for PSB and OST Functions The two blinder scheme of the rate-of-change of impedance method is used in many relays, separated by ΆZ, and a calculated timer TOSB. The two-blinder scheme is shown in Fig. 7. This figure shows Two parallel blinders are on the right side of the X-line impedance and another two parallel blinders are on the left side. The timer TOSB is start running when the impedance move through the outer blinder During the fault condition the impedance moved rapidly through the outer blinder to the fault zone and cross the inner blinder before the TOSB expire. On the other case during the power swing the impedance moved slowly through the outer blinder and stay between the two blinders even TOSB will expire. This scheme can be used for a power swing blocking function to block the distance relay to prevent unwanted tripping. During Power Swing Blocking declared a reset timer should be used in order to force the relay to delay the assert when TOSB expired. The Out-Of-Step tripping (OST) can use the previous scheme expect that the calculated timer for out of step (TOST) is shorter than TOSB. In the case of power swing the impedance locus cross the outer blinder and at this point the timer will start running. If the timer TOST expires before the impedance locus cross the inner blinder, the power swing condition will declare, and if the impedance locus cross the inner blinder before timer TOST expires, the out of step condition will declare. The Out-Of-Step tripping function can be set to tripe instantly or wait for a time. The Instantly tripping referred to as predictive tripping or early tripping. The other case is referred to as delayed tripping. In some applications, the tripping is required only when the out of step condition occurs a determined number of times. It is essential for some application to use both OSB and OST functions, and it available to use them in the Same relays using the two blinder scheme technique. According to difference in speed of impedance trajectory in the case of stable power swing and unstable power swing, two timers are required TOSB and TOST whereas TOST is shorter than TOSB to be fit with the rapidly speed of the impedance trajectory in case of unstable power swing 2.2.2. Power Swing Detection Algorithm Based on Continuous Impedance Calculation The traditional methods of power swing detection are depend on a complex study for the power system to reach to the correct settings, but the setting are fixed and not adapt to any change in the system condition because of it is not possible to study the system under unstable power swing. therefore, the power system study doesnt deem the worst cases and the bad conditions, so in the case of power swing or out of step condition it may lead to unwanted tripping. The following method described below solves these problems. It is based on a continuous impedance calculation [5]. This method has the following features: It is not required for settings or complex calculation detect the power swing with frequencies range from 0.1: 10 Hz. Detect the power swing in the case of single-pole open condition or fault condition. Unblocking of distance protection relay if there both faults and power swing. Out-of-step tripping during unstable power swing. The Continuous Impedance Calculation method depend on taking four sample of the impedance per one cycle of the power system frequency the three phase each phase separately. During the power swing the impedance trajectory moved on an oval path, and when it enters the power swing area, as shown in Figure 8, the algorithm of power swing start its analysis for each phase and calculate the power swing area automatically. In the case of power swing, the power swing detection will detect it, and stay active even if the trajectory of the impedance leave the power swing zone. The algorithm computes the new values of R X, and compares them with the previous values that placed in the memory. The main criterias of the power swing detection methods are monotony, continuity and smoothness. The thresholds are calculated dynamically. This automatic adaptability to the trajectory speed change, enables the algorithm to detect the low frequency and the high frequency power swing. Monotony: The algorithm will check the direction of the derivat

The Suffering of the Proud Essay -- English Literature Essays

The Suffering of the Proud Pride is a key to self-respect; however, when it goes to far, people forget that humility is a virtue too. In the play Antigone, pride plays a major role throughout, appearing as fatal flaws in both Antigone and Kreon, the main characters of Sophocles’s tragedy. For Antigone and Kreon, as soon as the stepped past the line of humility, they were doomed to fail. For example, Kreon became so proud of himself he refused to listen to others warnings and assumes the gods are on his side. â€Å"But didn’t that girl do wrong?’ ‘The whole nation denies it.’ ‘Will the nation tell me what orders I can give?† (Kreon, Haimon, Kreon 881-3) this is a perfect example, because he refuses to listen to his son, and then, when presented with the fact that the whole nation thinks he is wrong, decides that he doesn’t care what the nation thinks. Throughout the play, his advisor, Koryphaios, repeatedly gives him gentle warnings, and Kreon claims he is getting old, ignores him, or refutes him with points that only emphasize his out-of-control pride, such as, â€Å"Men our age, learn from [Haimon] (Kreon 876). He also assumes that the gods will go along with whatever he says, â€Å"can you see the gods honoring criminals? Impossible† (Kreon 364-5). This kind of attitude is something that appears in almost ever y Greek myth, the thought that the gods will side with them no matter what, and it always ends up biting them in the rear. Furthermore, Kreon holds his subjects in contempt...

Hindenburg Disaster

On May 6th, 1937, a Zeppelin airship of Germany called the Hindenburg set off for its first North Atlantic crossing. It was to land on Naval Air Station base in Lakehurst, New Jersey but fate had a different plan for the Hindenburg and its passengers. At 7:20, reporters and crowds gathered around to see the sky-beauty land in her appointed spot, but at 7:23 screams were heard and the sound of a firework shooting up. To the crowd’s amazement, they saw a small, orange flame forming at the tail end of the airship. The fire started at the top tail fin or so it has been reported by eye witnesses of this horrific disaster.The designer of the Hindenburg had law enforcements give the witnesses a blueprint of the airship so they could illustrate where they seen the small flame and how they saw the fire spread across the dirigible. When everything was said and done and they reviewed the blueprints that were collected not one was identical to the one before or after it. Some saw a flash, some saw a spark, and some saw an explosion. The cause, to this day, has been unknown. There are theories floating around such as: static electricity from the on coming thunderstorm, a small lighting bolt, a leak of hydrogen, conspiracy, and many others that have no backing agents.In the following sections I will have hoped to help you make you decision on what the real cause of this tragic event was and in detail explained what I think happened and why with a scientific explanation. First, what was the structure of the Hindenburg made of? The skeleton was made of an aluminum structure. The blimps design was 15 main rings made of aluminum making the central frame. Then the remaining frame was welted to those 15 rings then covered with non flame-retardant cotton. Then the cotton itself was painted. It was painted with cellulose acetate butyrate and aluminum powder, both of which can be combustible alone.Aluminum powder can be explosive or flammable if mixed with air, it is used in l iquid and solid rocket fuels, and used in thermite, which is an incendiary. It also burns and orange-red depending on other elements being present at point of ignition. The cellulose acetate butyrate is combustible and used in everyday items such as hairbrushes. Thought it was painted with the same substance throughout it was not painted with the same amount of coats throughout. The top had more layers of â€Å"dope† paint to sustain from lighting strikes and the bottom was painted with a top coat of reflection â€Å"dope† paint to fool the people below.Inside the Hindenburg, there were 16 gas filled pockets. These pockets were filled with hydrogen instead of helium because it is less dense than Helium. (Side note: The fact that hydrogen is less dense than helium is proven because of Avogadro. He stated that if you have two different gases at the same pressure and the same temperature then they would have the same amount of particles. But then that would lead to say th at one mol of helium has a mass of 4 grams and one mol of hydrogen has a mass of 2 grams. The pockets or gasbags were lined with goldbeater’s skin, a thin membrane taken from cattle intestines. The Hindenburg as a whole was almost the size of the Titanic. There are many theories to what caused the Hindenburg fire. Suggestions such as: the pain caught fire from a spark that came off the rope being deployed at the landing destination, or the hydrogen being released had caught a spark or a lightning bolt, a Nazi soldier set the airship on fire, or a witness from below shot the tail end of the dirigible causing it to catch fire.Though these theories have been backed by countless number of reasoning’s and facts no one scientist can fully prove the cause of the fire. There is one theory that could have been but more than likely it did not. The theory of conspiracy. Though it is true that a handgun was found in the remains of the Hindenburg, it is not a plausible answer to th e massive disaster. It is said that a Nazi purposefully shot one of the hydrogen bags while walking the axis of the airship. Considering the Hindenburg was an anti-Nazi dirigible and even its creator did not support Hitler and his rampage, it is not a creditable theory.Though it is a food for thought, the conspiracy theory has no backing or relative cause of purpose. Addison Bain, for example, tried to show that the thermite paint caused a reaction. In his paper he went on to say that a spark from the engine had landed on the paint and contained enough energy to set fire to the paint and cause the fire. Though he is not completely wrong, personally it is not a well-enough explanation to what happened and how it happened. Bain had preformed television demonstrations on his theory, but he had flaws in his experiments.For instance, he showed a continuous flame one the skin on the Hindenburg model and his research shows that he concluded it to be an instant spark. On another count, he u sed a small piece of the actual skin cover in the â€Å"dope† and he set it on fire and showed its burn time, if these were correct tests he should have allowed reaction time, set fire in relative area of the original fire, the tail area not its mid section, and did not consider the dampness of the â€Å"dope† paint at the altitude it was at. These were also factors going against whether or not the Mythbusters had correctly called their test on Bain’s theory a bust.In the television series Mythbusters, Adam and Jamie gather myths that have been sent in by their viewers, myths that are not able to be determined busted on a day-to-day basis, and they safely determine if the myth is true and factual or is it a rumor and a hoax. Mythbusters determined that the theory proposed by Addison Bain was a bust. They built three models of the Hindenburg on a 1/50th scale and conducted three different experiments. One Hindenburg was painted with the â€Å"dope† and fil led with air. The second was just the hydrogen within with a regular skin without the â€Å"dope† compound.The third consisted of both the â€Å"dope† skin and the hydrogen filling. They determined that the hydrogen was the real cal prate of the Hindenburg fire. Considering the way they tested the experiments, it is very arguable to say that they did not correctly perform their experiments. For instance they did not set fire at the tail end of the dirigible. They also set a direct flame and not an initial spark to the paint. In addition, when they set fire to a small portion of the skin covered in â€Å"dope† they did not allow a reaction time. Reminder that witnesses said they saw an orange-red flame at the tail end of the dirigible. ) While examining the mystery of the Hindenburg, you will notice that at 7:20 the crowd has noticed a slight spark at the tail end; and at 7:23 the airship has started to come down in flames. It took approximately 24 seconds for th e Hindenburg to burn from tail to nose. The Mythbuster gang’s Hindenburg models took times that consist of 1 minute and 37 seconds, 57 second, and 52 seconds. In order to declare this busted, one must allow for every possible variable that could have been presented on May 6th in New Jersey.Other factors that could pose a problem against the Mythbusters are considerations that any man can conjure up and present. For example, the experiment was conducted inside and on the day on the disaster there was a high wind issue. In order for fire to burn rapidly it has to have a large supply of oxygen. The atmosphere consists of nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, oxygen is most of that. Another problem could have been that the Hindenburg had gasbags filled with hydrogen and the Mythbusters â€Å"generally† filled the down-scale model with hydrogen, not separating the â€Å"dope† paint skin and the hydrogen contact.If the skin would have been directly lying on the hydrogen in the Hindenburg, it would have taken far less time to burn or might have actually â€Å"exploded†. Another myth that has spread widely is that the Hindenburg was painted with pure rocket fuel. As stated previously, the â€Å"dope† consisted of aluminum powder and cellulose acetate butyrate. Though it contains rocket fuel ingredients it is not painted fully and only rocket fuel. It is also and ingredient in thermite incendiary, which explains why scientist concluded the Hindenburg fire to be a thermite reaction. Fe2O3+2Al ? Al2O3+2Fe) is the chemical equation for a thermite reaction. A thermite reaction is an exothermic reaction. Meaning when its compounds react with one another they put off heat instead of absorbing energy, or an endothermic reaction. Also, when you burn metals together they tend to have a orange or red flame†¦ the Hindenburg burnt orange-red) Aluminum powder was in bedded in the â€Å"dope† compound. This byproduct is mostly found in the co ntents of rocket fuel or rocket propellants.It is often mistakenly said that the Hindenburg was painted with rocket fuel but this conclusion is only partially correct. The aluminum powder itself, if extremely fine, can form flammable and explosive mixtures in the air. Basically, the Hindenburg was not painted with rocket fuel. The next suggestion is that the Mythbusters did not allow for weather conditions to be taken into consideration. On May 6th, 1937, it was told to be raining which is a reason the Hindenburg did not land at it designated time. It was delayed over the Atlantic for several hours.Some scientist have asked, if it had been a spark that ignited the paint then it would have had to generate enough energy to first evaporate dew off of skin and then still possess enough energy to ignite the â€Å"dope† on the skin. Once again, the skin was made of aluminum powder and cellulose acetate butyrate. CAB contains low moisture absorption. It effectively resists weatherin g and ultra-violet radiation. Though it is not effective against alcohol, alkalis, paint removers, and acetones. Since the compound contained aluminum powder, an alkaline metal, could this have over powered it so the â€Å"dope† paint absorbed a small amount of water?It could have, but only if the aluminum powder was in a ration of 50 to 1. It might have been wiser for the German makers to obtain helium rather that hydrogen. Helium does not burn. It is a monatomic gas, or having replaced one atom. Since helium already contains 8 electrons it is a noble gas. This property makes it highly un-reactive because it is already considered to be happy with its eight electrons in its outer most shell. The problem with using hydrogen in the Hindenburg is that it only contains one valence electron which can cause it to highly reactive to almost any element it comes into contact with.The wiser decision for the makers of the Hindenburg would have been to use the less reactive helium instea d of the highly reactive hydrogen. In conclusion, I believe the hydrogen is not the cause of the Hindenburg disaster. Though it is a major factor with its rapid fire spread it is not the main cause. In my opinion, the cause is that a small lighting bolt had hit where the body and the tail fin connected. Where the covering of the body tries to match that of the tail fin. This makes sense because the tail fins were coated with a lighter coating of the â€Å"dope† paint. This is the location the hydrogen is being released.A spark hit the paint at this specific spot causing the paint to ignite and causing a chain reaction with the paint and the hydrogen. If hydrogen was being released at a specific temperature and a specific pressure around the area of ignition, it may have caused the â€Å"explosion† on the Hindenburg. When hydrogen comes in contact with a flame the hydrogen extinguishes the flame, but when a combination of hydrogen along with air (oxygen) are presented w ith a flame, the hydrogen will persist to terminate the flame but then the air with reignite it. This is because a fire cannot burn without the presence of oxygen.Additionally, a hydrogen reaction (2H+O2? 2H2O) is an exothermic reaction, the same as the thermite within the â€Å"dope† paint. With the hydrogen putting of heat when it reacted and the thermite releasing heat as it reacted it caused the temperature of the skin to increase to an immeasurable heat. This most likely caused the aluminum powder within the â€Å"dope† to become a lose particle in the air. Another point that may have added to the release of the aluminum powder could be the Hindenburg had been hit before by lightning bolts and caused small burn holes on the top half of the Hindenburg and caused no fire.Analyzing that the statement before is true, there may have been a chance that the aluminum powder from the â€Å"dope† paint could have escaped where the lightning bolt had struck. Therefore it caused a reaction between the oxygen in the air and the aluminum powder. Furthermore my conclusion is the hydrogen is not the initial cause of the fire but the â€Å"dope† paint itself. Again this is my opinion and you, as the reader, are free to interoperate the data and conclude to your own opinion because to interoperate the true cause of the Hindenburg is a personal preference one must do on one’s own.

Down With the Five Paragraph Essay!

Down With the Five Paragraph Essay! Writing essays is a skill that will serve kids well throughout their lives. Knowing how to present facts and opinions in an interesting, understandable way is valuable regardless of whether they attend college or go directly into the workforce.   Unfortunately, the current trend  is to focus on a type of writing called the Five Paragraph Essay. This fill-in-the-blank style of writing has one main goal - training students to write essays that are easy to grade in the classroom and on standardized tests. As a homeschooling parent, you can help your children learn to produce informational writing that is meaningful and alive.   The Problem with the Five Paragraph Essay In the real world, people write essays to inform, persuade, and entertain. The Five Paragraph Essay allows writers to  do that but only in a limited way. The structure of the Five Paragraph Essay consists of: An introductory paragraph that states the point to be made.Three paragraphs of exposition that each lay out one point of the argument.A conclusion that sums up the essays content. For beginning writers, this formula can be a good starting place. The Five Paragraph Essay can help young students get beyond the one-paragraph page, and encourage them to come up with multiple facts or arguments. But beyond fifth grade or so, the Five Paragraph Essay becomes an obstacle to quality writing. Instead of learning to develop and vary their arguments, students remain stuck in the same old formula. According to Chicago Public School English teacher Ray Salazar, The five-paragraph essay is rudimentary, unengaging, and useless. SAT Prep Trains Students to Write Poorly The SAT essay format is even worse. It values speed over accuracy and depth of thought. Students are conditioned to turn out a large number of words quickly, rather than to take the time to present their arguments well. Ironically, the Five Paragraph Essay works against the SAT essay format. In 2005, Les Perelman of MIT found that he could predict the score on an SAT essay solely on the basis of how many paragraphs it contained. So to get a top score of six, a test taker would have to write six paragraphs, not five. Teaching Informational Writing Dont feel you need to assign your children school-type writing projects. Real-life writing is often more valuable and more meaningful to them. Suggestions include: Keep a journal. Many kids enjoy keeping a journal or notebook to capture their thoughts. It can be something to share with you (some teachers use journals to communicate with their students; you can do the same) or a private record. Either way provides useful writing practice.Start a blog. Even reluctant writers can become enthusiastic when writing has a purpose. Writing for an audience provides purpose. There are many options for starting a free blog and privacy features offer parents and students control over who reads the content.Write a review. Ask your kids to review their favorite books, video games, movies, restaurants -  the list is endless. Unlike most school-type reports, reviews have to be written with the audience in mind, and they have to be entertaining. They also help kids learn to express opinions and present valid arguments to the reader.Do a research paper. Give your kids essay-writing a purpose by integrating it into a history project or science topic. Let them c hoose an area that interests them and explore it in depth. Writing research papers also gives students practice in critical thinking and evaluating and crediting source material. Essay Writing Resources If you need some guidance, there are some fantastic online resources for writing essays.   How to Write an Essay: 10 Easy Steps. This hyperlinked guide by writer Tom Johnson is a particularly easy-to-follow explanation of essay-writing techniques for tweens and teens. Purdue OWL. Purdue Universitys Online Writing Lab contains sections on the writing process, how to understand an assignment, grammar, language mechanics, visual presentation and more. About.coms Grammar and Composition site has an entire section on Developing Effective Essays. Research Paper Handbook. A handy textbook by James D. Lester Sr. and Jim D. Lester Jr. The Five Paragraph Essay has its place, but students need to using it as a stepping stone, not the final result of their writing instruction. Updated Kris Bales.

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome essays

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome essays Imagine the thought of a mother going in to her childs room and kissing her baby good night. Expecting to hear the gentle breath of her baby all that she hears is silence. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is the sudden death of an infant under one year of age which remains unexplained after a thorough case investigation, including performance of a complete autopsy, examination of the death scene, and review of the clinical history (Willinger, et al., 1991). More children die of SIDS in a year that all who die of cancer, heart disease, pneumonia, child abuse, AIDS, cystic fibrosis and muscular dystrophy combined. Many researchers now believe that babies who die of SIDS are born with one or more conditions that make them especially vulnerable to stresses that occur in the normal life of an infant, including both internal and external influences. SIDS occurs in all types of families and is largely indifferent to race or socioeconomic level. SIDS is unexpected, usually occurring in otherwise apparently healthy infants from 1 month to 1 year of age. Most deaths from SIDS occur by the end of the sixth month, with the greatest number taking place between 2 and 4 months of age. A SIDS death occurs quickly and is often associated with sleep, with no signs of suffering. More deaths are reported in the fall and winter and there is a 60-to-40-percent male-to-female ratio. A death is diagnoses as SIDS only after all other alternatives have b een eliminated: SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion (Willinger, et al., 1991). Risk factors are those environmental and behavioral influences that can provoke ill health. Any risk factor may be a clue to finding the cause of a disease, but risk factors in and of themselves are not causes. Researchers now know that the mothers health and behavior during her pregnancy and the babys health before birth seem to influence the occurrence of SIDS, but these variables a...

Emergency response Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Emergency response - Research Paper Example The decisions taken during the response phase in disaster management should help restore order and re-establish a state of normality mainly through rehabilitation and reconstruction. In the United States, the Department of Homeland Security is responsible for planning for and conducting emergency response services (Perry and Lindell, 2003). During the emergency response phase, first responders are posted in the disaster area, while the necessary emergency services are mobilized. Some of the core services during this phase include policing, ambulance and firefighting services. Recent research information shows that although the federal government has put measures in place to aid in efficient response during emergencies, there is much more that needs to be done to ensure that further loss of life and damage to property and the environment does not occur (Waugh and Streib, 2006). During recent times, the government’s response to disasters such as the Florida floods in 2004 and Hurricane Katrina a year later has drawn a lot of criticism from what is seen as lackluster efforts from government to respond to the disasters in time (Sene, 2008). For homeland security, scholars argue that since the country is at risk of domestic and internationals terrorist attacks, more should be done to enable quick response in case a S eptember 11 disaster occurs again (Radvanovsky, and McDougall, 2010). There is general concurrence that a lack of a strong response strategy for terrorism attacks in the country’s emergency management plans can lead to massive loss of lives and property. The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA is the federal organization charged with the responsibility of dealing with emergencies. The agency coordinates government’s efforts in the preparation for, prevention and mitigation of the effects of disasters that occur on American soil (Sene, 2008). The body is also responsible for response and recovery measures from domestic disasters. The

Classroom Management and Student Discipline Research Paper - 1

Classroom Management and Student Discipline - Research Paper Example 1). Thus, classroom management is instrumental to both effective learning and teacher retention. Classroom management strategies are highly defined by theoretical assumptions borrowed from various disciplines such as developmental psychology and biology. Borrowing from these disciplines is logical since classroom management is highly contingent to the specific age group. The goal of this essay is to examine the theoretical models behind the practices in classroom management. Towards this end, I will be comparing and contrasting three theoretical strands in classroom management practices. These are reinforcement theory, classroom ecology and group process, and child-centered traditions. The succeeding section of the essay highlights the theories I have chosen and provide examples of strategies that are hinged on the specific theory discussed. The third section will engage in a critical analysis of these theories. In conclusion, I will argue that the major theories though diverging at some points, do not necessarily contradict each other. I will emphasize the need for more empiri cal data on the classroom management strategies and the need for teachers to continuously engage in research to develop effective practices that have sound theoretical foundations. Strategies and practices in classroom management are hardly created from air. â€Å"There is no evidence to support the assumption that new teachers will just â€Å"pick up† classroom management skills given the experience and time (Ingersoll & Smith, 2003, p. 3). Like any discipline, effective techniques evolve through philosophical discussions and sound theoretical background. The following section discusses three of these major theories. Behaviorism became a popular concept in the early twentieth century, from which the reinforcement theory developed. â€Å"Reinforcement theory emphasizes the centrality of