Friday, June 7, 2019
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause Essay Example for Free
The Silver Kiss by Annette Curtis Klause EssayPoint of spatial relationThere are two points of view. One view is from the Simon (the vampire), and the other is from Zo, the girl whose sire is dying of cancer. Zoe is having a really hard sequence dealing with her mothers sickness, especially since her father has become more and more distant as his wife gets sicker and sicker. Zoe is feeling like she has nowhere to turn, especially when she finds out her ruff friend is moving far away. Then she meets a very mysterious pale boy, and she feels like she can trust him. Perhaps he even demand someone like she needs someone.Simon, on the other hand, has been a vampire for hundreds of years. He is on the search for his brother, Christopher, who make him a vampire. Christopher was horrifyingly brutal and he killed their mother, which has made him Simons sworn enemy. Simon has been trying for most of his afterlife to find and kill Christopher for good, and he has finally tracked his brother to the town where Zoe lives. Once there, though, he finds himself cadaverous to Zoes loneliness. Before long, he is confiding in her and feeling compassion for the first time in a very long time.Setting in time and placeThe setting was more on a contemporary period, most usually at Zos house and the hospital, at time when her mother is dying of cancer. However, flashbacks of past centuries bring back Simons memories of his mother. The setting blooms more about the understanding of love and how it blends no matted how different two beings might be. joust all main characters and a brief description of eachZo The 16-year-old girl whose mother is dying of cancer.Simon has been a vampire for hundreds of years. He is on the search for his brother, Christopher, who made him a vampire.Zos mother terminally ill, she is dying because of cancer.A brief plot summary16-year-old Zo is faced with the reality that her mother is dying of cancer. When she meets the mysterious and beauti ful Simon, she feel he can understand her pain better than anyone else has. As Zos life goes from bad to worse, Simon becomes her one true support.ConflictThere is something very creepy about the pale young man. The question and conflict is will that creepy something (that is, the fact that Simon is a vampire) force the two apart?ThemeHow unusual or incomparable two hearts may seem, love will always make them perfect for each other.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
Melbourne Airport Runway Essay Example for Free
Melbourne aerodrome Runway EssayRules and regulations serve as guide the aviation industry to promote the sole standards in the provision of the serve and standards for office select which ar essential for the displaceers. The service that is being offered should be valued in the same way as the physical locale for operation. Runways for the send off vessel, more than right a strip of land solely functioning for the launch of air vehicle, is a subject for continuous purposening, development and safety aliment to respond with the growing demand for aerial transportation. Aside from the fact that dromes represent a huge investment for capital that send packing range to the actual make of facilities, it can overly support many employments outside its function such as the industry for taxi and delivery companies. It remained tough for commercial or make up private airports and for the whole Aviation System of any flight to make sure that transferring from domestic to international sections was a breeze.Most people who are victimization the services of airport do not have any actual idea how complex the functions are being carried out and how important the impacts of airports as a community service provider can have in a society. Moreover, airports are part of transportation systems, thus, aviation activity defines portion of the economy as it acts to be vital in distri hardlyion process especially when it serves as a link between the producers and consumers.Melbourne Airport, sometimes called Tullamarine Airport, serves the second busiest city of Australia therefore we can expect heightened standard to be sufficient for the service demand. Melbournes Central Business District is the home of Melbourne airport which complements with its closest neighbor Avalon since they are astir(predicate) 40 km. apart. Their distance makes competition not necessary. Airports are vital assets making them look ship to the goal of having direct flights instead o f passing through Sydney.The organization (national and local) is pushing for maximizing profits by promoting economic actions among the airports. Across Australia, it is apparent that the objectives of these companies are partly relative with the economic activity of their region. The ways their community responds to the quality of their service more often than not affect the standard being applied on their planning and strategies (Winston and de Rus 2008 75-77). Background Initiatives for developmentAs shown in Melbourne Airports headwaiter Plan (2008), they were preparing their aviation system to respond for the anticipated growth in the following 20 years therefore, they fortified agreements and legal relationship with the State departments. They wished to overstate their service coverage as they were able to secure development pace with geographic control. Available lands, equipped with expansion and commercial potentials, surround the operational stain and they were subje ct for acquisition.Melbourne Airport, dubbed as a city inside a city for its dynamic location, handles its vast land area which has portions highly available for commercial purposes. With the locations accessibility from the metropolitan primary locations, their property promised a wide range of opportunity for business partners. As per Melbourne Airport (2009), they also look forward to possible expansions and strategies for its further development for their long term goals as a commercial institution servicing over 22 million passengers and travelers per year in average.The business park, occupying the area for per, are became the home of initiatives for this development. How relevant is this expansion and development plan by Melbourne Airport? This move shows a particular necessity for the airport to adapt to the changing demand in the capacity of passengers. For example, according to Orlando Business Journal (2010) with the return of US Airways to them, the volume of passengers went up 75% compared to the volume survive year. The strategy and hard work of the airports marketing department shows positive results.Materials and Methods Melbourne Airports Master Plan 2008 In accordance to realm 5, Division 1, Section 67 of Airports Act of 1996, Melbourne Airport proposed their most recent Master plan last 2008 after the 2003 version which showcase the next development and strategic direction for commercial and aircraft operations of the airport and in the same year, The Minister for Infra structure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government approved the proposal tackling the future capacity.Runways design seems to be one of the key considerations in making the master plan. The plan is set to work in the following decades thus, it is important to see how the runways are to be set in the future in compliance to the goal of its expansion, and development. The actual situation of the runway system, the pace of increasing volume of demand for it, and the structure framed in the plan should be analyzed to see its complementarities with the operational goal of the airport.Discussion the Master plan for Runways and Facilities The master plan is not just a way to maximize the capability and function of the airport site in the present or to respond with the present requirement of the aviation systems, instead, it is a set of expulsioned ideas for their long term goal of ultimate development. The Melbourne Airport currently has two runways, the North-South (16/34) and East-West (09/27), which are intersecting in directions and have taxiways and apron areas associated with each.In response to the volume of demand, apparent to their recent master plan, Melbourne Airport aimed to accommodate transportation functions faster. Runways (16/34 and 09/27) are intend to maximize runway capacity succession waiting for the completion of the third runway by having taxiways for rapid exit and make 09/27 runway extended to the western side(Melbou rne Airport 2008 51-52). In totality, the plan included adding gates for passenger aircraft and apron areas, construction of a new runway with corresponding taxiways and upgrading both domestic and international terminals.The new runway is planned to be put west of the 16/34 runway in the early part to middle part of 2020s as projected. They also project that it will not be completed and it is not yet necessary to have that added runway prior to 2020 at least, around 2017. The plan required computerized abbreviation of physical elements such as weather (particularly, the direction of the wind current), vessel type, length required for the runway and separations of aircraft, relative to the runway operations to end up having the closest to accurate design for its efficiency (Melbourne Airport 2008 52-53).International Air Transport Association (IATA) has the standard that is followed by Melbourne Airport with the design of their terminal facilities. The level of Standard (LOS) range s from A being excellent to F being the unacceptable quality (de Neufville 2010). Planning requires designs as designing the roads and terminals required well-defined standards and criteria to follow. In the Master Plan, Melbourne Airport (2008) specified the LOS to Level C which indicates the standard minimum of service with acceptable comfort and service or flight delay but guaranteed a stable flow.While the terminals are based in IATA criteria, Melbourne Airport designed their roads using the Austroads Guide to road design which deals largely on its geometric elements and roadside considerations. Economic impact and Projected Effects The efficiency of Melbourne Airport relies on its interdependent functional elements which includes the function of facilities and the rest of the airport site. The measure of its effects can be seen in its contribution to the economic development.With the periodical study of the pace of passenger volume growth from 2007, the increase is fuddled amo ng their passengers. As cited from Melbourne Airport Data, the international passenger Transfers, as varied every 3 to 4 years, is increasing by 0. 2 million, thus it project that by 2017, the international traveler movement will be 7. 1 million. This is where the Master plan is intended for. This amount of people will contribute to the billion dollars tourism industry of Victoria which is believed to have an indirect relative to the quality of air transportation access (Sinclair Knight Merz 2008 12-13).Aside from movement of people, air transportations are also undecomposed for trades and commerce particularly with the function of importations and exportations of goods and raw materials. Melbourne Airs goal to increase their capacity by maximizing runways complements with the purpose of trade. Airfreights volume is firm directly by the chip of vessels capable of carrying them. Geographic elements remained to be the prime and competitive advantage of Melbourne Airport. It also h as the initial advantage of established high number of locations for their services worldwide (Sinclair Knight Merz 2008 18).Conclusion The initiative of Melbourne Airport in designing a plan to serve for its long term goals manifests a tight potential for future development in their vital service functions in which the travelers can look forward to. The runway, being the starting point of any travel defines the quality of the engineering, logistics and designing capability of the airport institution so it contributes to promoting the impression of the public. Any initiative done with careful and strategic planning should result to beneficial and continuous flow of economic elements.The trend in making train runway can be partially contributed by the evolutionary changes in sophisticated aircraft but far from that, it is important to value the projects implemented for the improvement of the runway facilities for the evolutionary changes in the way of the people in dealing with tra des, commerce and tourism. disputation of References Winston, C. and de Rus, G. (2008). Aviation Infrastructure Performance. The Brookings Institution. 17 May 2010 Melbourne Airport. (2008). Master Plan. Melbourne Airport. 17 May 2010 Melbourne Airport. (2009). Property. Australia Pacific Airports (Melbourne) Pty Ltd.online available from http//www. melbourneairport. com. au/For -Business/Property/Overview. html17 May 2010 Orlando Business Journal. (2010). Melbourne Airports Passenger Traffic Up. American city Business Journals, Inc. online available fromhttp//www. bizjournals. com/orlando/stories/2010/04/19/daily42. html 17 May 2010 de Neufville, R. (2010). Defining Capacity of Airport Passenger Buildings. online available from ardent. mit. edu/airports/ASP_current /Defining_Capacity04. pdf17 May 2010 Sinclair Knight Merz. (2008). the Economic Impact of Melbourne Airport. Sinclair Knight Merz Pty. Ltd. 17 May 2
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
Challenges to Kingstons Tourism Industry
Challenges to capital of Jamaicas Tourism Industrycapital of Jamaica has many natural, heritage and infrastructural assets that lend themselves to the development of urban tourism and, at iodin time, was viewed as a viable tourist destination. The citys history, however, indicates a level of creeping neglect and social turmoil which has led to what is today, an almost non-existent tourist presence.However, it is the social capers that are faced by Kingston, in the form of poverty, aversion, and violence, that form the strongest arguments in favour of the development of tourism infrastructure in Kingston. It argued that these are merely symptoms of the greater problem of social exclusion and the lack of economic opportunities for the comm angiotensin converting enzyme at large. therefore infrastructural development that leads to the creation of sustainable employment opportunities is required.The citys current dependency on manufacturing and tie in industries has failed to prov ide the growth or economic benefits required, particularly since the liberalization of the Jamaican economy and the remotion of trade protection. Jamaica has not been competitive, n any as a pitiable cost producer of manufactured goods nor as centre of excellence in any particular manufacturing process, not even when compared with its Caribbean neighbours, much(prenominal) as Trinidad and Tobago. It is therefore unlikely that this welkin will be the engine of future growth required to provide the people of Kingston with the economic and social benefits required. Conversely, Jamaica has gained pregnant comparative usefulness in tourism, even though its capital city has not been central to this thus far.Many cities in the US and around the globe, facing decline in their manufacturing or primary industries, have embarked on a similar development path and like these cities, Kingston has few available development options. However, research suggests a positive relationship between i nvestment in infrastructure and between performance as well as between tourism and welfare. The writer suggests that mighty managed tourism infrastructure in Kingston has the authorization to provide significant benefits to its citizens.There is, however very little indication that tourism development in Kingston is high on the agenda of tourism policymakers. The Tourism Master platform, slice acknowledging Kingstons assets, does not make it a priority and merely passes the responsibility to the UDC. Additionally, while a number of papers, studies and plans exist that relates to various sections of Kingston, and some of these do acknowledge the tourism potential, there appears to be very little co-ordination of these initiatives and no central tree trunk that is responsible for guiding the achievement of the various plans.It is recognized that the successful development of tourism in Kingston requires the involvement of the central government, local government, the private sect or and active participation of the community. It is suggested that while the government will have some role to play in the provision of basic infrastructure, the major investment in tourism infrastructure should come from the private sector. Beyond this however, the government contends to create the surround to encourage this private sector investment and act as facilitator to the development by addressing such hacks asCreation of the tax regime that would facilitate the developmentDevelopment and encouragement of the capital marketsLegislation to facilitate removal of derelict buildings and facilitate city cleanupInner city housing solutions that provide good living conditions for the communityAssessment and address of social and environment issuesProvision for security of citizens and assetsTourism planners need to have a clear understanding of the key drivers that affect the demand for tourism products and extensive research may be required into the key factors affecting the m ajor sources of tourists that would gain value from visiting Kingston. Markets include the, dsts VFR, CariEuropean markets, which are not heavily penetrated by the present offerings of rectify towns, would make ideal initial candidates markets to be studied, applications of Butlers Area Life circle Model to the destinations in Jamaica may be useful as it is possible that the creation of Kingston as an alternative location could strengthen Jamaicas strategic offerings. This is especially important as the resort towns approach the later stage of the life cycle and over-capacity becomes a more significant limiting factor for tourism growth an issue.At present, the governments ownership of the national airline Air Jamaica arTe Jamaica UTban Transit Company hold (JUTC) and the ownership and operation of the Norman Manley International Airport make it an active player in the provision of tourism transportation in Kingston. In add-on to its ro as policy setter and regulator the governme nt will and therefore require fulg of the factors affecting the tourism demand and s tourism transportation. It is anticipated that Kingston will become a major cruise shipping destination and this will potentially raise issues and conflicts with the container shipping industry.There is little doubt that crime and of the major issues facing the markets acceptance of Kingston as a viable destination. However, , it is important that this is not used we do not use this as of investment. It is mention that in Jamaicas crime against tourists is relatively low and it is also noted that other countries that have high crime levels, are considered as viable tourist destinations. bandage the hosting by Jamaica of the semifinal of the Cricket World Cup in 2007 will may not be judge a shining success either financially or as a catalyst for tourism, the hosting does provide a number of lessons which need to be utilized in the future. It cannot be denied that the use of such events to Kick Start tourism in Kingston, if properly planned and managed could be an important part of the tourism planners strategic tool kit.A Strategic Plan is requiredIn the writers opinion there is a clear need for a Strategic Plan for the development of Kingston a component of which should be the development of tourism. This plan must have as one of its deliverables the formulation of a clear vision for tourism in Kingston. This vision must be shared among the stakeholders including, national and city Government, the relevant Public Sector bodies, the private sector and the community.A clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of Kingston as a potential destination for tourists is required and in this regard it is important that the discourse on crime and violence and the impact on tourism is clearly understood.A significant output of the strategic plan should be a full inventory and assessment of the existing attributes, tourism assets such as attractions, potential attractions and in frastructural assets in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA). This will need to be compared with the desired assets and infrastructure to determine the required investments.This investment is likely to be very significant and, presumptuousness Jamaicas current fiscal constraints, is not likely to be accommodated in the present budgetary environment. The discussion of PPII does touch on infrastructure financing, though it is recognized that imaginative and innovative ways need to be developed to finance the development.A key issue, which must be fully considered, discussed and evaluated in the strategic plan is the issue of Leadership and Politics. While this has not been discussed in detail in this paper, it cannot be ignored as it represented a common theme in a number of the case studies that were reviewed, including St Louis, Baltimore and especially Montreal.Additional Research RequiredIt is recognized that it is beyond the scope of this paper to consider all the applicable ar eas that require consideration. There is, for example, significant scope for new research to be carried out in order to understand the attitudes of the community, in Kingston and Jamaica generally, towards the active development of tourism in Kingston. It is important to determine whether the community will view such developments as being positive, viable and beneficial to them. and therefore we wish to , the the benefits that will the stakeholders in the unity will expect tain from delivering that value to the tourists and, the positive and negative social and environmental impacts that re expected to result from increased tourism and the related development need to be answered?There is also a need to carry out research into the potential markets mentioned earlier before embarking on significant infrastructural or market expenditure. Additional data on what type of tourist may be targeted, where they will come from and what value will they get they will get from would be beneficia l to future developers.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
Thermal Solutions to Reduce Electricity Costs
Thermal Solutions to Reduce Electricity CostsExecutive summaryThis proclaim investigates and analyses the caloric solutions to reduce the electricity cost for of age(p) school at St Aidans Anglican Girls School. Approaches of analysis include calculating energy loss, thermic accepted and compargon current costs and rewrite costs, as well as the long-term (each term and annual) prediction for power spending. The annual electricity cost is predicted to be $23064.56. all(prenominal) calculations can be found in the cecal appendage. Results from calculated data show that 29.09% of the power consumption can be reduced by replacing 36 W lights from 18 W tube light bulbs ($4.90 for two tubes, $44.10 overall) and installing the Hampton thermal curtains ($276 in total) with pelmet boxes ($183) of five years life expectancy. Hence, they be suggested to hearten every five years to maintain the efficiency of thermal curtains. Although these installations will need $503.10 initially, t he payback will begin from the 7th month.This embrace evaluates that the current backcloth of the classroom in senior school can be altered to protect the env exhortment and minimise electricity costs. Therefore, there are some recommendations set up the Hampton thermal curtains with pelmet boxesThermal curtains should be shut all the time in order to achieve the revised costSmall technology devices (e.g. projector, printer, iron and hot glue guns) usage should be minimised to reduce power usage (e.g. turn them off instead of stand-by when not using)There are some weaknesses of the reportThermal current of furniture in the room is not considered.Monthly temperature data are not exact results, they are based on ultimo average temperature data.Number of classrooms are an approximation instead of counting imputable to variation in classroom setting (e.g. one air-conditioner, more or slight lights, fridge)Key assumptionsThe power is simulated to be used that on schooldays.The ener gy loss from the recorded data (the energy required to cool down) is assumed to be the same(p) every day.The room is assumed to be a closed system, so the thermal current of windows is equivalent to the power usage of two air-conditionings.Power Usage AnalysisIntroductionThermal (heat) energy always tends to transfer from one hot space spreading to colder surroundings space by conduction, convection and radiation (Cambridge University Press, 2014) and its flow is affected by the temperature difference. Thermal current () is the rate at which heat energy passes through a material, which is calculated as . The thermal conductivity (k) is a measure of how well the material transfers heat lower values of conductivity indicate better insulating material. Thermal insulators such as thermal curtains and double glazing windows are commonly used in homes or buildings to maintain constant room temperature by prevention of convection current and minimise energy usage. This report will investi gate, analyse and recommend thermal solutions for the school to reduce electricity usage and environmental benefits.Investigation and discussionNote All data refers to Appendix CalculationThe data was collected by using Sparkvue temperature sensors connected to a computer. The first 30 minutes of the data was disregarded out-of-pocket to the sensor world exposed to direct sunlight, leading to the extremely high temperature (especially the peak at 319pm at 47.4C) at the beginning of the data (Graph 1). Through analysis and calculations of the data, the inborn temperature change had a positive gradient (between 504pm and 604pm) which indicated the room was gaining energy as the air-conditioning turned off (347.08 W).Current power usageDuring schooldays, 18 lights were used 1 hour 43 minutes per day and two air-conditionings were used 10 hours daily on average. The lights were found to consume a comparatively low amount of energy of 1.11 kWh daily. Since the room was assumed to be a closed system, theoretically, the thermal current of the windows (137.14 kWh) should be equivalent to the power usage of air-conditioners. However, due to the information written on the air-conditioning was its upper most power usage, they would not be equal. In fact, the calculated consumption (Table 2) was less than the given data, which indicated the difference in power usage could be attributed to dissipation through the walls, floors and doors openings. Moreover, the total consumption (139.52 kWh) included the power consumption of lights and technology devices in the room to achieve high accuracy.Thermal solutionsThermal solutions are reasonable and beneficial to diminish power consumption. The 36 W light bulbs can be replaced by 18 W lights, which each consume 0.56 kWh daily. Furthermore, thermal curtains are the most common thermal products, because more internal thermal convection current will be blocked, especially when the curtains are extended so that it reaches the fl oor. This would prevent the convection current and reduce energy flow into the room (Figure 9). Double and triple glazing of windows are commonly used as well, due to vacuum between glass panes eliminating losses by conduction and convection however, installation is expensive, so thermal curtains are the most economic thermodynamic barriers to use in order to reduce the energy usage. Figure 9 No gap (Rogers A, 2011)From researching thermal curtains, the Hampton thermal curtain is thermal coated which reduces a maximum of 25% energy loss (Energy.GOV, 2012). Only the front windows have contact with direct sunlight others are all under shelter, so thermal curtains will only cover these. Hence, the Hampton thermal curtain is suggested to be installed for energy reduction, costing $276 in total. Pelmet boxes cost $183 overall, because the side of the front windows have a length of 6.02 m each, it would be reasonable to get two 6.10 m pelmet box on each side(some space for the curtain ro d). The life expectancy of thermal curtains is usually five years it is reasonable for the school to renovate new curtains every five years. It can be seen from Graph 2 that the costs maintain the same and increases by another full cost of $503.1 after renovating at the end of each five year cycle. Furthermore, the power usage with thermal solutions is calculated to be 97.25 kWh, having a 29.09% difference compared with the current settings.CBA Cost Benefit AnalysisThe CBA graph (Graph 3) shows the current cost model and revised cost model accumulating over time. The break-even billet occurs in the 7th month and when the current cost is approximately equivalent to the revised cost at $1661.8 and $1654.3, the current cost will exceed the revised cost. According to the CPI in Queensland has been fluctuating from 2007 to 2012 (Figure 10), which may continue changing in the next few years. By considering a long-term situation, Graph 4 illustrates an example of revised cost will incre ase every five years due to renovation of curtains, whilst maintaining a smaller rate of power consumption than the current cost. The power consumption for each term is calculated (Table 3-6) and used to investigate the annual revised cost of $23064.56 and 28.98% of electricity cost will be reduced from current cost in the senior school. If the electricity price increases 5% for both peak and off-peak hours, the trend would stay the same as the current cost has a higher gradient than the revised cost (Graph 4) and the fluctuation has an impact on the overall costs. (Australian Government, 2015)Figure 10 CPI Annual swap BrisbaneRecommendationsThe ultimate goal of diminishing the energy usage is to protect our environment and minimise energy consumption.ThereforeThermal curtains with pelmet boxes and light bulbs should be installed.Curtains should be shut all the time in order to achieve the revised cost.It would be the most economical way if all small technology devices are not use d at all (e.g. projector, printer, iron and hot glue guns).In conclusion, after installing the thermal solutions it is predicted to spend $23064.56 annually in the senior school, and results in saving approximately $13072 on power usage when all assumptions are valid, which will therefore reduce environment impact.
Monday, June 3, 2019
Impact Of Recession On Business Of British Airways Commerce Essay
Impact Of Recession On Business Of British Air ways mer puketilism EssayThe b completely-shaped economy is experiencing problems ever since. There be in possession of been nonable frugal recessions in international vocation history. These recessions were bring offd in a kind of ways depending on the strategies which were implemented on a argumentation-to-business basis. Each international comp whatsoever realize intensified their efforts in tack to come up with a variety of strategies which are geared towards the implementation of business policies and practices aimed towards the reduction of the fix of scotch problems in the proceeding of their business. Depending on the extent of damage that the recession has caused the pecuniary functioning of a particular keep guild, they start out differing efforts in term of redirecting their strategies and goals just to be able to combat the adverse set up of this frugal downturn. Some efforts spend a penny proven to b e effective. Unfortunately, some turn up to be not effective which even forged some businesses to shut down or to merge with other businesses in order to battle the survival of the fittest in the environment of the worlds toughest businesses.In the field of economics, the term economic recession is described to an incident in the website of a country wherein the gross domestic product reflects a negative growth in a period of at least two conse mowive accommodate1. Given the position that the joined States is the planetary leader when it comes to the consumption of goods and operate, once this country experiences the phenomena of the recession, such leave behind send shockwaves to the global economy and depart ineluctably affect the other countries in the world. When the United States experienced the phenomenon of the economic recession, m whatever countries work been affected and their economy excessively experienced a downturn as the pecuniary crisis hit their respecti ve areas and shows do which are negative to the business.Furthermore, in a scholastic work published by Leamer (2008), he stated that it is not enough that we only take a look at the two consecutive quarter negative growth of the gross domestic product in order to define recession. In his work, he menti aned that recession according to the National Bureau of Economic Research refers to that situation wherein there is a significant defy in activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, visible in industrial production, employment, real income, and wholesale-retail trade. much(prenominal) definition of the fantasy of economic recession takes a broader look on the phenomenon rather than paying dedicated attention on the decline of the nations gross domestic product. There are other academic works which contest the inclusion of only the gross domestic product in understanding economic recession.The point of recession is not primarily con centrated only on angi otensin converting enzyme sector of the economy that is why there is a need to take a look at economy-wide measures in order to fully understand the theory which lies beneath such economic activity. The committee as well as holds that there are four indicators which wil be utile in understanding economic recession including employment, personal income less transfer payments, and volume of sales of the manufacturing and trade sectors, and industrial production.2This concept strengthens the assumption that understanding the occurrence of economic recession cannot be full by only looking at the gross domestic product, rather it as well entails an understanding of other economic variables which may prove to be just as useful in understanding recession.The occurrence of e very(prenominal) recession in the global economy can be characterized by the painful affix in the rate of unemployment and a decline in the personal income of the citizens of the nation3. Such aspects should not be forgotten in order to understand the realizable signs to outcry that the economy is in trouble and it is in fact experiencing the occurrence of recession. In 2001, when economists claim that the United States is experiencing economic recession, such signs have been visible in their business performance. Although the occurrence of such has been ponderous to accept, there is no way but to do so to preempt on with global business. As mentioned earlier, to fully combat recession, various strategies have been formulated in order to ameliorate business performance with the objective of manner of speaking in additional improvement for the company to provide a give out living on its employees. eyepatch some efforts have proved to be useful, it is very unhappy that some caused more trouble and resulted with a number of companies shutting down, especi whollyy the small ones and those which were hardly hit, causing a big number of employees to have lost their jobs.In the course of th is paper, the investigator entrust acquire the concept of recession, including the variety in its definition and the signs which will be indicative of the economic trouble. While studying the concepts which underlie recession, the look intoer will study the case to the situation faced by the British Airways, one of the worlds providers for air travel. Just like any other businesses, it cannot be denied that British Airways also experienced recession. The paper will examine how the company faced these problems, including the strategy which it has formulated to combat recession and also the long term effect which were brought active by the recession. look PURPOSEAs what has been mentioned, economic recession is a global phenomenon. The United States is a global leader in business, any economic downturn in the country will send shockwaves all over the world, affecting every local market. The briny purpose of this research is to take a impendent look on the impacts of global reces sion in the economy of United landed estate, specifically in the business performance of British Airways. In the course of the research process, adhering to its main purpose, various economic indicators will be studied to know how it leads to the occurrence of economic recession. Furthermore, the snapper of the study will be focused on the business of British Airways and will look at how recession affects its global business in terms of sales, profitability, and sustainability of the business in the global market.RESEARCH QUESTIONTo fully understand the study, the researcher will be guided with several indecisions which will shape the infantry and book binding of this paper. The research questions will guide the researcher to be able to achieve desired results of this study. angiotensin-converting enzyme of the questions which the research will try to consequence will be those associated with recession itself including how it occurs, historical background, what are the signs and indications that the economy is indeed experiencing recession, and its variety of effects on different businesses globally. Moreover, with much more intensive focus, the research intends to resolve question regarding the business performance and status of British Airways in the global market. The study will answer questions including those associated with the indications that the business of British Airways is indeed affected by economic recession and what are the efforts including business strategies and re path of business practices done by the company to combat the inevitable effects brought about by recession. The main question which the research will consider will include main focus on the significant effects of recession with British Airways in terms of sales, profit, and sustainability.RESEARCH STRATEGY AND DESIGNThe design of research which will be utilized in the conduct of this study will be a conclusive research. The researcher opted for this research design because of the belief that such design will be the close to useful and most appropriate in the process of gathering applicable information and in provision of the effects which the occurrence of economic recession has brought in the business of British Airways. The conclusive research is a formal and structure research in which entropy will be subjected to quantitative depth psychology4. By quantitative analysis, the research will develop use of paradeation of germane(predicate) figures especially those related to sales and profit in order to fully grasp the effect of recession in the business. Moreover, the type of conclusive research which will be utilized in the study is descriptive research. Descriptive research is one of the two types of conclusive research wherein the major objective is the interpretation of something, which unremarkably refers to market functions or characteristics. In the case of this study, the researcher will describe the characteristics of the market of British Airways as reflected by the obvious results of economic recession. This will be made possible by providing a picture of the current situation of the company in the global landscape. The major assumption in which the research will operate is that these characteristics are brought about by the inevitable effects of global economic recession in every international business. It will include the description of various groups related to the critical operation of the business such as the consumers, salespeople, organizations, and the market areas. Through a description of these relevant groups, the researcher will chance upon it easier to provide a look at the effects of recession as shown by the people who were affected the mostly by the occurrence of such situation. Such research design is also expected to provide an association of to until what degree is marketing variables associated with such economic situation.The research strategy will attempt to answer the 6 Ws which are associated with the conduct of a descriptive, conclusive research. The first is concerned as to who were considered the market of the business, which pertains to the bulk of passengers flying through British Airways. Another one will be what information are relevant and can be obtained on these passengers such as on why, if ever, they no longer fly the utter airline. The research strategy will also attempt to delve into when such incident began to happen, where, and why it leads to such situation. Lastly, the chosen research design will also provide information as to the ways in which the company combats the recession.RESEARCH METHODOLOGYThe research methodology will include data collection and analysis which will provide a better understanding of the issue at hand. Because of the difficulty of obtaining first hand information from the groups which are directly concerned with British Airways including its market of passengers and the authorities or business divisions which are asso ciated in the performance of business, the data will mainly come from secondary sources which will provide the backbone of the study. The primary sources of information will be useful in this study because they can provide first hand information on the problem because they have a direct connection to the business. Nonetheless, such will be hard to obtain and will entail dedicated time to be extracted. With that, the researcher opted to make use of secondary data sources which will also provide the same quality of information as primary data.The secondary data which will be collected in the purpose of this study will include those information extracted from secondary sources such as books, academic journal, scholastic articles, and information which will be derived from the website. It will include sources such as annual company reports and financial statements which will show relevant quantitative information which will prove the claim that the occurrence of economic recession has i ndeed affected the business operation of the company. This information were previously collected and used for other problems, other than the topic of the researcher. Nonetheless, to be discoverd that the use of such data is valid, the researcher will see to it that those data were used on studies which are of the same context as to that of this research. These data will be carefully analyzed, including methods to verify the veracity of the sources and steps to assure that the data are genuine and indeed reflective of the situation of the company. There is a need to careful select the sources so as to be assured of relevant information usage. A thorough analysis of these data will assure the researcher of a more crystalline study with findings which are true. The data will be analyzed to derive information relevant to the economic situation and to in get actual variables in business operation. If these data are not carefully analyzed, a weak research will result. With that, the res earcher will put an utmost importance to data analysis to be assured of reaching the purpose and objectives of this study as these data try to answer the relevant research questions.VALIDITY AND COHERENCEAside from a careful analysis and presentation of information relevant in the completion of this research, the researcher also puts an unwavering accent on the validity and coherence of the information. This means that the data which will be presented must reflect only what is relevant or essential in the study that is, economic recession and will omit information which are invalid, or those which are related to variables other than recession. The data must be also coherent with the purpose of the study to avoid deviance from the topic at hand.REVIEW OF RELATED CONCEPTS AND THEORIESCurrently, British Airways is celebrating 90 years of flying with pride, providing its wide array of clients with keen services on their flights resulting to ultimate customer satisfaction. To fully u nderstand the current business of British Airways, it is also of utmost importance that we take a closer look at its extensive history. The very generator of the rich history of this airline can be traced back as early as the beginning of the history of civil aviation pioneering on the days after thee First World War. After a period of 90 years since the worlds first register air service which happened on August 25, 1919, there have been a lot of changes in terms of air travel. Each decade was marked by new innovation and developments which brought British Airways into its current position in the global market. The first decade of the operation of the company was marked by launching the worlds very first international scheduled air service which flew between London and Paris. The second decade, however, was characterized by the merging of Britains four major fledging airlines to provide a better service to the flying public. On the other hand, the third decade was marked by the me rging of small air transport companies in the United Kingdom to form the British Airways Limited which became the primary competitor of the merger formed by the four companies during the second century. Furthermore, on the fourth, fifth, and sixth decade up to the present of the companys operation, more and more innovations had been on the rise to make the airlines known in the global market in terms of provision of excellent air services5.It is give tongue to that British Airways is United Kingdoms largest international scheduled airline with flights to 148 key destinations globally at best located airports. It is also said to be one of the leading scheduled premium international airline in the world. The principal business of the company is in the airport in Heathrow, which is one of the premiere airports in the world and serving a relatively large geographical area. During the end of the year 2009, it is said according to company statistics that they have already flown a jibe o f 33 one million million million passengers in different key destinations globally. During the same year, the company said that they have earned nearly a total of 9 billion in revenue which was more or less 2.7% higher than the revenue which they have generated in the previous year. The traffic of passenger is said to have accounted to 87.1 per cent of the total revenue, 7.5 per cent is attributed to airline cargo and 5.4 pr cent is constituted from other business activities of the airline6.The main activities which were carried out by British Airways in the course of its business operation include undertakings on both local and international scheduled air services involving carriage of the traveling public, and freight and mail and provision of adjuvant services. The fleet of the company operates in different places in the global landscape with 38 networks in the America, 9 in the United Kingdom, 67 in Europe,12 in Middle East and South Asia,15 in Africa and 7 in Asia Pacific. These networks of operation of British Airways only go to show that the company has intensified operations all over the globe. Such also connotes that once economic trouble comes along the way of their operation, it is indeed inevitable that the global operation on these locations will also be dramatically affected7.The occurrence of global recession has affected global markets and brought about bad performance for every global business. One of the most significant years in which the recession was felt in the global market was during the year 2001. When the World Trade Center bombing happened, the economy of the United States suffered and it sent shockwaves to different local economies which affected the global market as well. The effects brought about by recession did not only last during that year. Until the present, the effects of the said recession can still be felt by some while others have already recovered from the economic downturn in terms of realizable increase on their sa les and profit. During the first month of 2009, it was holdd that Britain was experiencing recession8. While some are actually trying hard to escape the adverse effects of recession, unfortunately for Britain its effects were highly realized and very visible in their economy. This was said to be one of the most unfortunate events in the history of the countrys economy since the 1990s where it experienced the adverse effects of the episode of economic recession.When the British economy was declared to be officially in recession during January 2009, the Office for National Statistics announced that the gross domestic product of the countrys economy showed a decline of 1.5 per cent during the last quarter of the year 2008 and a .6 per cent drop-off during the previous quarter. Following the definition of recession, which connotes two quarters of consecutive drop in the gross domestic product of the country, such statistics would have been enough to show that indeed the British econom y is slimy from a recession, just like most economies in the global landscape. Prior to this occurrence of recession, the biggest drop in the gross domestic product of Britain is said to be during the 1980s. The recession brought about in Britain is said to be because of the direct result of the credit noise in the global market in which manifestations were seen and felt as early as August 2007 and seen to be worsening during the autumn of 2008. The central problem is said to be the banks operating in Britain which is said to have invested their reserves into assets which were assumed to be illiquid, unsafe, and worthless. This uncertainty in the economic situation is said to be detrimental into different businesses in Britain for reasons including lack of credit opportunities which resulted into the companies weakened abilities to hire workers, make new investments, and start innovative projects. This prompted various economic activities to slow down and cut back on the two main drivers of growth which include investment and employment9.Although recession was just declared in Britain during the year 2009, the early effects of such economic occurrence have been already felt by British Airways during the year 2001 in which the economic downturn in the United States have sent shockwaves towards other economies in the globe. During the 2001-2002 Annual identify which was released by British Airways, it acknowledges the fact that they have been on a bad year of operation as shown by their sales and profit margins. In the statement of the chairman of the company during that year, it showed that the company incurred a pre-tax loss of 200 million pounds compared to the previous year in which they registered a profit amounting to 150 million pounds. To add to the consequences of the economic downturn, no interim dividend has been paid and the Board also recommended not paying any net dividend because they have been operating on a loss. The disappointing financial report in their annual operation that year did not at all affect the shareholders for it was somewhat expected because of the obvious situation in the global economy. That year was also regarded as the worst in their operations, although it has not been the most difficult by far for the management. On that same year, the people working behind the company were also affected. There has been a significant 20 per cent reduction in the workforce of the company brought about by thee economic crisis. Nonetheless, this reduction was done on a voluntary basis such as through elect severance and early retirement10. Moreover, also on the annual report for the year 2002, the Chief Executive Officer of British Airways strengthen the assumption that the company is experiencing financial crisis as brought about by the global recession. They considered that year to be the toughest in the history of their business and they also considered it as an impact of the terrorist attack in the United Stat es affecting the general of the global economies. In their efforts to bring back the company in the landscape of profitability, they have formulated various strategies and policies which are all geared towards a better business performance in the upcoming years. They have formulated various activities in order to practice cost efficiency and used technology in order to develop a more convenient way for the public to be bale to book their flights11.When the economy of Britain was declare to be experiencing recession during January 2009, in the Annual Report released by the British Airlines the occurrence of such has also been acknowledged as shown by their business performance on that given operating year. The company also recognized that the global airline industry is highly and fiercely competitive subject into heavy global regulations, and highly exposed to the changes which were evident in the behavior and confidence of the consuming public. They are even more challenged with th e current economic situation that is an economy which was suffering highly from the consequences of the occurrence of recession. The sharp declines in growth can also be highly associated with record prices in oil and commodity and the unprecedented financial crisis bringing about global recession. One of the most significant effects of recession in British Airways is seen on the market to which it caters. The most significant impact of recession in the airline company is reflected by its premium passengers who cut back sharply their travel spending in order to save money. Statistics shows a significant 2.8 per cent decrease in the traffic of premium passengers in British Airways. This is said to last longer because a recent survey showed that almost 47 per cent of businesses will incur fewer travels abroad in order to save. In addition to this, more passengers are opting to spend the holidays in the powderpuff of their own homes to cut back on costs12.Furthermore, in a statement which was released by the Chief Financial Officer of British Airways, he acknowledges the fact that during the previous year that their record profitability has put them into a condition in which they can combat economic slowdown. However, with the recession greeting the year 2009, it proved otherwise as they have suffered from dramatic losses in terms of sales and profit making them face the sharpest downturn in the course of the history of their business. When they have incurred profit in the previous year, they said that they are in a good position to combat economic downturn and the perpetual increase in the price of fuel. Unfortunately such did not come true and they instead suffer from the consequences of the poor condition of the economy in the global landscape. In order to control the effects of recession, measures to be able to combat market, credit, capital, and liquidity risks have also been implemented. The over-all management of these risks is focused on the unpredictab ility of the financial markets as it seeks to minimize the adverse effects brought about by the occurrence of recession. More efforts have been extended by the management to be bale to combat the asperity of recession and to bring back profit in the operation of the business of Britush Airways13.The business of British Airways during the turbulent time of economic recession can be better understood by taking a closer look at the key performance indicators of the business. Because of the unprecedented downturn in economic conditions, the company was not able to meet their financial target. In terms of their financial operating margin, a loss has been incurred attributed to soaring fuel prices and the economic recession14.In December of 2008, the International Air Transport Association a 2.5 billion dollars in terms of loss for the airline travel industry to be brought about by decrease in traffic because more people or travelers are cutting down on their costs because of the economi c crisis. These were brought about by current economic conditions. After the economic downturn brought about in 2001, the airline industry recovered during the year 206 but that does not seem to be for long because eon January of 2009, recognizable losses in terms of profit have been incurred. Many of the worlds leading airlines, including British Airways, have been in poor financial health and are not well-equipped to combat the global recession.15The financial loss for the year 2008-2009 has been very drastic for the companys management and made them formulate strategies in order to combat the downturn. However, even though they are experiencing losses, they have not formulated any policy related to increase in air fare. The management believes that doing so will not help increase sales, rather it will just lower demand16.In the balance sheet which was released by the Annual Report of the British Airways, the total assets for the year 2008 totaled to 11,229,000 million pounds whic h was relatively lower compared to 11,938,000 million pounds during the year 2008. Moreover, their cash and cash equivalents for the year 2009 only totaled to 219 million pounds as against in 2008 where it was 433 million pounds17. These significant declines as reflected in the companys annual financial statements are enough testimonies to the fact that British Airways, just like any other company in Britain is indeed in the turmoil of economic recession.The management of British Airways acknowledges the fact that it has been a very difficult year for the financially but they are doing well financially. For the operating year 2008-2009, the company was able to incur a loss before tax amounting to 401 million pounds as compared to its profit before tax of 922 million pounds in the previous yea18r.In order to manage sustainability of business performance, the company is also geared towards various measures. One of which is to strengthen their name through their brand reputation. Their brand, being of significant commercial value, is taken well care so that it can be prevented from erosion and death from the publics perspective. Competition is also highly managed in order to achieve sustainability. The management ahs acknowledged the fact that indeed competition is very fierce in their industry. With that, they have formulated conscious efforts in order to get ahead of the competition and find their edge in the market. Moreover, other issues which were addressed in order to manage sustainability include employee relation, debt funding, management of environmental conditions, fuel prices and currency fluctuation, and deregulation among others19. In order to potentially manage sustainability despite an economy suffering from recession, the future direction of British Airways is also geared towards environmental related strategies which they hope will also increase their performance. The efforts of the company are focused towards adding value and enhancing their re putation in the global landscape while getting the trust of the shareholders and stakeholders in achieving a sustainable business20.Furthermore, to be able to combat the effects of such economic downturn, it is just but normal for British Airways and other businesses to invest on their intensive and conscious efforts to bring back profitability to the business. In the undeniably fabulously tough environment in which the airline operates, a dedicated focus is given towards pulling the business through the straightaway crisis as it embarks on immediate preparations for better economic times. They have developed strategies which were mostly based on an upgraded customer service, competitive cost base, corporate responsibility, perpetual plans for growth, and other strategies which aim to improve the way they do business21.
Sunday, June 2, 2019
A level :: Design and Technology
A level ObjectiveThe challenging task that I have finalised and undertaken for thiscoursework is to build and tally a sensor. I decided to build a sensor,which would automatically change the speed of a fan by using athermistor. The main documental of the experiment was to monitor andrecord the voltage change as the temperature changes. Specifically, aspredicting that when the temperature increases the voltage wouldincrease and thus the fan speed would increase too, thus causing acooling effect to the environment.Data InformationThermistors argon thermally sensitive resistors and have, according to graphic symbol, a negative (NTC), or positive (PTC) resistance/temperaturecoefficient. A thermistor is a type of resistor whose resistancechanges significantly when its temperature changes.A negative temperature coefficient thermistor has a resistance thatdecreases with increase of temperature. This is the most common type.This is the type of resistor that I shall be evaluating and will b eusing in my experiment.A positive temperature coefficient thermistor has a resistance thatincreases with increase of temperature. The resistance of a semiconductor device generally decreases with increase of temperature.Semiconductors are therefore use to manufacture NTC thermistors.When the temperature of a semiconductor is increased, the keep down ofcharge carriers increases as more valence electrons promote sufficientenergy to break free from atoms to become conduction electrons. Thenumber of charge carriers increases as the temperature is increased sothe resistance of the semiconductor falls. Semiconductors are used tomake a wide range of electronic devices including electronic chips,light emitting diodes and solid-state lasers. Communications, commerceand entertainment have been revolutionised as a result ofsemiconductor devices. In galvanizingal terms, materials are classed aseither conductors or insulators or semiconductors.Semiconductors are solid materials with conducti vities in between thein truth high conductivity of metals and the very low conductivities ofinsulators. There are a variety of types of semiconductor, includingmetal oxides as well as elements like silicon and germanium. Ininsulators, essentially all the electrons are tightly bound to atomsor ions, and none are free to move under an external electric field.In effect, these materials do not conduct electrical energy at all. Inmetallic conductors, essentially all the atoms are ionised, providingfree electrons, which move freely through the ions and can move underan external electric field. These conduction electrons glue the ionstogether, and provide non-directional bonding which holds the materialtogether. They become shared amongst all the atoms in the materialinstead of remaining attached to one atom.Semiconductors differ from two insulators and metallic conductors.Only a small proportion of atoms are ionised, so that although thereare conduction electrons they are relatively smal l in number and the
Saturday, June 1, 2019
A Character Analysis of Sir Lancelot Essay -- Sir Lancelot Essays
A Character Analysis of Sir Lancelot Sir Lancelot, from the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, has become by far the closely democratic and well-remembered cavalry. Through Malorys rendition of traditional materials, we have inherited a character that has become the image of the quintessential sawhorse. How is it that the outsider, the foreigner, the upstart who wins Arthurs heart and Guineveres personate and soul (Walters xiv) has taken the localize that, prior to Malory, was reserved for Sir Gawain? Malory has made this character larger than life. Of the grandeur of Lancelot, Derek Brewer says, In the portrayal of Lancelot we gener aloney recognize a vein of extravagance. He is the closely obsessive of lovers, as he is the most beloved of ladies, and the greatest of fighters (8). To achieve this feat, Malory has molded Lancelot to fit the idea of the perfect knight and the perfect lover. The perfect knight is defined by the Chivalric Code set out in Le Morte DArthur as only to fight in just causes, at all times to be merciful, and at all times to put the service of ladies foremost (Malory 69). In this code, Lancelot is to be found exemplary. To render himself worthy as a knight of the Round Table, Lancelot must embark on a quest, and it is while on this quest that A seemingly constant series of victories wins him the title of the beat out knight in the world dedicated to defending the rights of the weak and the oppressed (Walters xxi). The perfect lover is a bit easier for the modern ref to understand, as it is much the aforesaid(prenominal) as today. To prove himself the perfect lover, Lancelot defends the honor of his Lady above all, denies himself the pleasure of all other ladies, and accepts whatever might... ... of all Christian knights none could match you You were the most formidable in battle and the most courteous in manners in the fraternity of warriors the most courageous, and in the company of ladies the gent lest of men, and in a immaculate cause implacable. And of great lovers surely you were the truest. So it is you shall be remembered (Malory 507). Works Cited App, August J.. Lancelot in English Literature, His Role and Character. newfound York Haskell House, 1965 Brewer, Derek. The launching of the Character of Lancelot. Lancelot and Guinevere, A Casebook. Ed. Lori J. Walters. New York Garland, 1996. 3-27 Malory, Thomas. Le Morte DArthur. Trans. Keith Malory. New York Mentor, 1962 Walters, Lori J.. Introduction. Lancelot and Guinevere, A Casebook. Ed. Lori J. Walters. New York Garland, 1996. xiii-lxxx A Character Analysis of Sir Lancelot Essay -- Sir Lancelot EssaysA Character Analysis of Sir Lancelot Sir Lancelot, from the stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, has become by far the most popular and well-remembered knight. Through Malorys rendition of traditional materials, we have inherited a character that has become the image of the qu intessential knight. How is it that the outsider, the foreigner, the upstart who wins Arthurs heart and Guineveres body and soul (Walters xiv) has taken the place that, prior to Malory, was reserved for Sir Gawain? Malory has made this character larger than life. Of the grandeur of Lancelot, Derek Brewer says, In the portrayal of Lancelot we generally recognize a vein of extravagance. He is the most obsessive of lovers, as he is the most beloved of ladies, and the greatest of fighters (8). To achieve this feat, Malory has molded Lancelot to fit the idea of the perfect knight and the perfect lover. The perfect knight is defined by the Chivalric Code set out in Le Morte DArthur as only to fight in just causes, at all times to be merciful, and at all times to put the service of ladies foremost (Malory 69). In this code, Lancelot is to be found exemplary. To prove himself worthy as a knight of the Round Table, Lancelot must embark on a quest, and it is while on this quest that A seeming ly never-ending series of victories wins him the title of the best knight in the world dedicated to defending the rights of the weak and the oppressed (Walters xxi). The perfect lover is a bit easier for the modern reader to understand, as it is much the same as today. To prove himself the perfect lover, Lancelot defends the honor of his Lady above all, denies himself the pleasure of all other ladies, and accepts whatever might... ... of all Christian knights none could match you You were the most formidable in battle and the most courteous in manners in the company of warriors the most courageous, and in the company of ladies the gentlest of men, and in a righteous cause implacable. And of great lovers surely you were the truest. So it is you shall be remembered (Malory 507). Works Cited App, August J.. Lancelot in English Literature, His Role and Character. New York Haskell House, 1965 Brewer, Derek. The Presentation of the Character of Lancelot. Lancelot and Guinevere, A Caseboo k. Ed. Lori J. Walters. New York Garland, 1996. 3-27 Malory, Thomas. Le Morte DArthur. Trans. Keith Malory. New York Mentor, 1962 Walters, Lori J.. Introduction. Lancelot and Guinevere, A Casebook. Ed. Lori J. Walters. New York Garland, 1996. xiii-lxxx
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