Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program Essay Example for Free

Temporary Assistance to Needy Families Program Essay The Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) program was a direct response to overhaul the image of welfare programs. In 1996, it replaced such programs as Aid to Families with dependent Children (AFDC), the Job Opportunity and Basic Skills training program (JOBS) and the Emergency Assistance Program (EA). The objective of TANF was to implement useful policies from the previous three programs and present an effective welfare plan based not only on needs but presentation of policies that involved job preparation and improving conditions for work and a stable marriage (About TANF). The goals of this program are further summarized including assistance to needed families so that the children can be cared for at homes, promotion of social opportunities, prevention of out-of-wedlock pregnancies and encouraging the maintenance of two parent families. To achieve its objective, the US government adjusted the system to be administered through various State, territories and tribal agencies instead of a direct supervision by the Federal government. The primary reason for such a decision was to distribute the program funding in a more effective manner and hold each regulating body responsible for fulfilling the objectives of TANF. For this very purpose, the TANF Bureau was formed which comprises of five separate divisions including a Division of State TANF Policy dedicated to role out policies and guidance; Division of State and Territory TANF Management to provide technical assistance; Division of Data Collection Analysis that deals with the statistical analysis of the collected data; Division of Tribal TANF Management which deals with all aspects of tribal matters pertaining to the program and TANF Bureau Regional Program Units that provides technical and management links between the State and other administration blocks. Difference in Policies What differentiates this welfare program for its predecessors is the fact that TANF ends the open ended requirement of AFDC for automatic assistance but instead provides grants based on work requirements for a majority of recipients. It also initiates a time limit for the distribution of grant in order to stop the otherwise ineffective distribution and dependence on State’s funding. Under a unified umbrella of policies, TANF has implemented different policies to better answer the critics of welfare system by designing new rules for qualification and introducing time constraints to prevent future generation from such grants by helping them gain financial freedom. Almost every aspect of old system is challenged by proposing new policies for child care, legal immigrants, food stamp program and Supplementary Security Income. While TANF is not a perfect program but it will not be an oversimplification to state that the wide ranging implications of introducing new and useful policies are much better than the previous stand-alone program. Although, it should well be recognized that TANF is basically just another system of a perceived welfare State that is America but it definitely provides future policymakers a model for improvements in the existing TANF and related welfare programs. Benefits One of such benefits under TANF is eliminating homelessness for people who are in desperate need. It is important to note that most participants who used to get homelessness assistance in previous programs without restrictions are not eligible under TANF. For a person to take such assistance, TANF requires that the benefits allotted to a participant must be designed to deal with crisis situation and it must only be for four months. Such rules provide credence to the idea that the State funds will not be over utilized by mass and if work conditions improve for homeless people, they would be able to better equip themselves after four months. To critics, it must be evident that TANF do provides legislations where certain people are indeed eligible for long term ongoing assistance with the housing that can extend beyond five years but it too instructs participants to actively involve in work and assign their child support rights to the State. These provisions are in exclusion to the other basic requirements for TANF. There are numerous States and related agencies that have successfully implemented the homelessness program to allow their residents settle down. Almost half of the States are providing short term assistance to people needing short term rental assistance, support for a solution to eviction and utility shut off (Jennifer, 2001). These also include emergency housing shelters as well as temporary shelter. Looking objectively into such type of assistance we can draw conclusions that the State is supporting the idea of a true welfare State by not relying on using welfare money solely for homelessness but instead distribute grants to a variety of aspects that may not have a stigma of welfare related to them. Drawbacks On the contrary time limits and such constraints do provide sustenance to the cause of TANF but it is clear from several studies including the of Urban Institute that there is a constant need for regular upgrading of the program. According to the statistics, more than 50 percent of the participants who have received welfare in the past are now working in low income jobs without any benefits at all. Still more concerning are figures which indicates that most of the parents who received funding and were able to find work have now been laid of due to the economic recession and high unemployment rates. This act has resulted in their ineligibility to receive any more funding from the program for another five years (Temp Assistance). Therefore, the committee recommended that there should be a clean long term extension of the prevailing laws so that families in need of welfare should not only be depended on welfare but rather be able to support themselves in the long run. Official Public View of the success of TANF Some of the States such as District of Columbia are trying to establish a coherent program by involving public in its annual budget meetings. Such a meeting took place in March 2009, where members of the public provided their opinion on how to better administer the funds. From the public remarks, it seems that there is a wide held belief that any welfare should not just be a temporary relief but supplement the future of the participant. The director of Human Services which oversees the DC TANF program was of the view that their TANF program should bring the people in workforce and support them to be self sufficient before taking them off welfare (Greg). His remarks were coherent with the level of TANF assistance and funds didn’t rise with inflation which has made it difficult for the participants to support their children. The committee further states that the State budget didn’t take into account COLA which has resulted in less aid than actually perceived. Experts now believe that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act PWRORA that was introduced in 1996 is becoming a success but such a success can only be retained with constant evaluation and new policies (Turner J). In a testimony before congress in 2002, Jason Turner, responsible for domestic policy making at Heritage Foundation pointed out there was an urgent need to strengthen work requirements because the participants at that time were able to receive full funding without actively engaging in their quota of work. He insisted that the policies be made more stringent by requiring participants to come to work and cash be distributed based on the actual hours worked and not the perceived time. Furthermore, he provided evidence that the budget of TANF program can be reduced to 10 percent without disrupting all the useful funding. Such recommendations by public representatives is a clear indication of the theories as presented by social scientists who want to see a true Welfare State based on the principles of equality and opportunity. In a series of reports published by the Urban Institute, the authors proclaim that TANF’s emphasis on work has improved results for million of families but there is a need for a long term broader perspective on the issue. One such study extol the Program benefits only if Congress can reauthorize the implementation of the new policies that has made it difficult for some hard to serve groups to take full advantage of the program structure. It points out the fact that the most common employment barriers for individuals who stay on welfare or leave without work are poor health lack of recent work experience and access to higher education. The numbers provided were three years after PWRORA initiation but provided staggering figures constituting almost 35 to 50 percent of the program participants being affected (Loprest Zedelewski). Program Implementation It is a fact that various territories and tribes can not only participate in the program but are eligible to run it on their own management principles. While it is true, another report by Urban Institute submitted to the Department of Health and Human Service concluded that there were several factors which were feasible for the implementation of TANF in the tribal areas. Such factors included improvement of TANF objectives and outcomes, extension of tribal self determination, enhanced program coordination and improvement of reputation and image (Just Harvest Publications). On the other hand, it also concluded that costs, staffing problems, risk of new program and communication with State and Counties were barrier to the acceptance of such a program. The TANF is definitely a step towards realizing the goal of a true Welfare State where meaning of welfare is not imbedded in perceived images nor attributed to poor class. While it is true that there are shortcomings in the program but such limitations can adequately be addressed by constant debates, changes in policies and regular reauthorization of TANF. In his book, The Assault on Social Policy prominent social scientist William Roth describes a well balanced welfare program as the one that only provides a limited support thus promoting a desire to work (Roth, W: p. 64). In fact such a policy would have been appreciated by Michael Katz who was a fervent supporter of a welfare plan which doesn’t’ portray beneficiary as a recipient of welfare but instead someone who has the right to receive aid to support their families.

Tourism Theories And Practices Tourism Essay

Tourism Theories And Practices Tourism Essay Tourism Theories and Practices What do tourists do and why? Critically discuss Tourism industry has emerged as one of the fastest growing industry and largest employers in the modern world. This sheer vastness of the industry is understood from the fact that the numbers of tourists worldwide are anticipated to be doubled to one billion plus by the end of 2010.(Kamra, p 184) This essay will discuss in brief the different theories of tourism which define tourist behavior, their roles, activities and motivations which in turn influence the industry. Thesis statement: Tourists and their thought process, their behavior and motivations are centrifugal to the concept of tourism. Many scholars have tried to define the typology of the tourists, their classifications in order to understand the concept of tourism. The essay will outline some of the old theories and the modern day approach and why there is a need for more research based studies to exploit the potential of this industry. Meaning of tourism-What is tourism Michel Eyquem De Montaigne said, A man should ever be ready booted to take his journey. Man because of his gregarious nature is bound to travel from one place to another to fulfill his various needs be it social, emotional or physical. Traveling is thus characteristic to human society on the whole. Travel and tourism was traditionally considered as a luxury item. But with the turn of the century, definition of travel and tourism has evolved. Tourism no longer stands for simple traveling or temporary journeys and stays mainly for pleasure, leisure and or recreational purposes or a luxury element. Twentieth century ushered in the paradigm shift in the concept of tourism. In fact it will not be unjustified to say that there has been transition from the 19th and early 20th century concept of tourism as an exercise in leisure and pleasure domain to the concept of tourism as an exercise in business, economics. It is more of a consumer product; tourism industry is a vibrant market where tourism products can be sold now as any other consumer product, consumer here is the tourist. (Kamra, p 157) According to statistics brought out by the statistics of the World Tourism Organisation (WTO) in 1994, tourism contributed 12 per cent of the worlds Gross National Product. (Kamra, 12) Tourism industry is one of the fastest growing industry employing hundreds of millions of people worldwide, which explains the reason why the study of the tourism and tourism research has become so important in not only the academic field but also for the economy on the whole. Modern day tourism is much more than simple traveling; it is pure economics, which is determined by theories of demand, and supply, which brings in the question of sustainability. Tourism is no more synonymous to traveling. Today tourism is just like a normal consumer product, which is driven by market dynamics, demand supply, sold through retail outlets. It no longer remains a luxury of the upper class but has become a mass product for the growing consumer market, in this case the growing tourist community. (Swarbrooke and Horner p 4) In fact there has been a combination of factors which have resulted in the proliferation of tourism industry. The prime being increased leisure, higher incomes of burgeoning middle class. One of the main drivers to growth in the coming era would be the growing middle class. The study of tourism theories and practices therefore would mainly revolve around the needs, motivations, role, experiences of the the tourists. What do tourists do and why? The most general classification of tourists is on the basis of the needs of the tourist. This would mainly classify the entire tourist community into two groups-the traveler and the tourist. While the former is mainly conceived as one who would basically travel to understand the place and thus would rather prefer longer trips and would plan it individually. The latter classified, as a tourist in laymans version would be characterized as one with superficial interest. One who would indulge in shorter trips and group tours or charters and would mainly depend on tour agents. But this classification is very vague. Motivations Most of the tourists travel for change of environment because of which new concepts of tourism like eco-tourism, rural tourism have come into existence. Cultural attractions, education, gaining knowledge about new cultures might be other important motivations. For example attraction towards Buddhist culture has made Myanmar and some parts of North East India a major hub for Buddhist tourists from all around the world. People from all around the world travel to these places to get experience the Buddhist spirit. There can be other motivations also like quest for new experience, personal visits etc. Some of the most prevalent theories of destination development and classification of tourists Some scholars have tried to classify the tourist on the basis of their needs, which explains the reason for their travel. For example a tourist can be classified as explorer, elite, offbeat, unusual, mass or charter on the basis of his/her demand. While an explorer tourist group will want discovery, adventure, exploration, a elite tourist might have a special personally customized tailored trip to any exotic places. Or for example an offbeat tourist might travel to get away from the crowds. The classification according to demand describes the main purpose of travel. There can be a pure mass group also under the demand-based classification where the tourist might prefer normal tour packages and holiday trips to conventional places. Thus classification on the basis of demand to a large extent determines the needs and the activities of the tourists. There can also be classification on the basis of the meaning and requirement, where tourists might travel for the sake of simple recreation, diversion, experiential, experimental reasons. There can be also motivational based classification. Understanding the motive behind traveling might help to predict consumer psyche. An American researcher named Plog (Mason 26) put forth his theory based on the psychology of tourists and these were published in 1973. Plogs theory was based on a case study conducted on New York residents and their attitudes to travel. Plogs discussed the tourist behavior and motivations based on the psychology of the tourists. Thus there are two types of tourists, the allo-centric and psycho-centric types of tourist. He argued that there are particular psychological types who do not like unfamiliar environments or cultures, so when they select a holiday they will seek the familiar regions than unfamiliar remote regions (these he termed psycho-centric). Plog further added that there are still some groups in society who will be prepared to risk a far more uncertain holiday destination. These tourists will search for strange or unfamiliar and these he termed allo-centric. While the psycho-centric would not travel far from the local environment the allo-centric would travel long distances to unfamiliar locations. He concluded that the majority of the tourists were neither fully psycho- centric nor fully allo-centric. Rather most of the tourists were located in the center point between the two extremes of psycho-centric and allo-centric.And that majority of the tourists would seek the familiar and prefer not to travel great distances to get there. An important point that emerged from the destination development of Plogs theory is that different tourists destinations are attractive to different types of tourists based on the kind of traveler they are, psycho or allo-centric and that majority of the tourists will prefer to travel for short distances than longer ones to go for holidays. Thus it suggests that the tourist destinations in most of the developed countries which are in close proximity to major population areas, busy areas, markets, residential areas are likely to be developed and grow more quickly than those in the distant remote areas. However, in actual practice, sometimes this theory may also prove wrong. On the contrary many of the remote areas are now getting faster developed than those near the major population areas. While Plogs theory was based more on the psychological part of tourists, Erik Cohens theory relate to the behavior of the tourists. Erik Cohen who developed a classification of tourists where there was a four chief classification. First was the organized mass tourists who travel in groups, who prefer packaged holiday (travel, accommodation, food etc.) usually arranged by a travel agent. The second type was the individual mass tourists who use the same facilities as the organized mass tourists, but the difference lies only in decision making. This group makes more individual based decisions about their activity and trip. There are also the explorers and the drifters. While explorers would most often arrange their own trips, meet and interact with the locals drifters avoid all contact with other tourists and leave with the locals. This classification of tourists lives longer than the other groups. If both the above mentioned tourist theories which basically delve into the characteristics of human behavioral aspects are combined then we would see that majority of Cohens mass tourist and independent mass tourists would converge with Plogs psycho-centric tourists. Later in the mid 1970s, Doxey proposed the Irritation Index or the Irridex. The Irridex was based on the relationship between the tourists and the locals. The fundamental idea as it is evident from the name of the index itself is that over a time period as the number of tourist increase in a particular area, a greater irritation and hatred would build up amongst the locals towards the tourists. So, over the time as the locals gets more irritant with the visitors and become hostile, the number of visitors might actually decline or might not continue to grow at the same rate as previously. But the problem with most of these theories was that most of them were not based on proper field research but on discussions. Butlers Tourist Area Life Cycle (TALC) (Mason, 33) model on tourism which is still the most widely accepted and important theory deals with a particular destination, his theory explains how a destination emerge as a tourist destination after several stages. Butler suggested a model where a tourism destination develops over time as a result of several factors. Destination is a very important element in tourism. A destination is defined most widely as a product is marketed to its consumers. And like all other products, tourist destinations also have a life cycle. Butler proposed a model for tourism area life cycle in which he showed how a destination begins as a relatively unknown place and visitors first come in small fractions because of lack of access, facilities and local knowledge (Miller and Galluci, 2004) The key point in Butlers model was that planning and proper remedial action by the tourists can help arrest the decline in resorts and tourism infrastructure. One of the major challenges that the World Tourism Organization made in its Global Forecasts for the year 2000 and beyond is the issue of sustainability, which relates to the absorptive capacity of an economy with respect to tourism. This does not refer to the physical capacity alone but also to the capacity of a particular area to provide tourism infrastructure, pool in investments, manpower, and natural resources. While manpower would not be a constraint, other natural resources might be. The theory of sustainable tourism thus off late has emerged of greater relevance, which is necessary to promote environmental awareness and boost tourism industry on the whole. Sustainable tourism in a nutshell can be explained as a means by which tourist growth is achieved as well as environment and earths scarce resources are preserved. Apart from the environment issue another burning issue, which might emerge as an impediment is lack of trained skilled workforce to deliver value additions. In conclusion it can be said that although several tourism theories have been put forth by several scholars to determine the roles and activities, the characteristics of tourists to boost the industry. There is a general lack of awareness about these theories amidst the policy makers. Tourism industry is still one of those industries, which is regulated by government administration. There are wide varieties of conceptual and theoretical approaches to tourism, which have to be tested in reality. This apart there is a further need for more field studies and employment of professionals in conducting the research, which will help achieve greater theoretical orientation and practical application. The tourism industry has been growing at a phenomenal rate for the last fifty year especially, after the Second World War. The recession has had an effect on the industry, but the numbers of tourists worldwide are anticipated to be doubled to one billion plus by the end of 2010. Keeping in tune with the changing times consumer demands will also change, more classifications based on growing needs of tourists might emerge. What can be the cultural and social impact of tourism development Researchers have identified a whole gamut of positive impacts of tourism development on societies. For example the direct outcomes of tourism development would be the modification of the internal structure of the community, increasing employment opportunities of the local residents, social change, economic affluence, improvement of the quality of life through infrastructure development. Similarly the interaction between the host and tourist increases tolerance and communication skills etc. On the cultural side the arts, crafts and culture of the local area might be revived. Researchers have also identified several cons like deployment of natural resources, increased pressure on existing infrastructure, commodification of culture and its negative effects etc (Beeton 18) Thus it can be seen in the essay how tourist behavioral needs, motivations, actions directly and indirectly affect tourism development in a place. Only right kind of practices would be able to give the necessary boost to this industry, which alone will contribute the largest chunk in global trade. Understanding the needs and motivations of the tourists will help boost tourism industry manifolds. What is required is the right approach. Tourists behavior research in tourism has to be based on motivations, typologies, destination choices and the decision process. While this is good some scholars criticize it as stereotypical and generalized which might not be the same in reality. The gap between the theories and the reality can be bridged through research and constant study of tourist behavior. References K Kamra 1997, Tourism: Theory, Planning and Practice, Second Edition-2008 Peter Mason, Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management Online book version), Second edition- 2008,   Mason, P. Cheyne, J. (2000). Residents Attitudes to Proposed Tourism Development, Annals of Tourism Research. Peter Mason, Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management Second Edition Abraham Pizam, Yoel Mansfeld, Consumer behaviour in travel and tourism Softcover edition published 2000 John Swarbrooke, Susan Horner, 2007, Consumer behaviour in tourism, Edition: 2, p 4, 428 pages Sue Beeton 2006,   Community Development through Tourism., p 18.  

Newton Raphson Method Example

Newton Raphson Method Example INTEGRATED AC/DC POWER SYSTEM USING MODIFIED NEWTON-RAPHSON LOAD FLOW ANALYSIS ABSTRACT The Newton-Raphson method or the other name called Newton Method, is a powerful technique for solving equations numerically. Like so much of the differential calculus, it is based on the simple idea of linear approximation. The Newton Method, properly used, usually homes in on a root with devastating efficiency. In this research, the Newton-Raphson method load flow analysis will be modified. It is modified to attain compatibility for the AC/DC systems with unified DC links in the ac network. The modified Jacobian equation includes the DC real and reactive power at the AC/DC buses and their dependency on the AC system variables. The AC/DC test system with a load flow computation in MATLAB will be evaluated by using modified Newton-Raphson method. INTRODUCTION Electric power transmission was primitively developed with direct current. The availability of transformers and the development and of induction motors at the beginning of the 20th Century, led to greater appeal and use of AC transmission. The research and development on multi-electrode grid controlled mercury arc valve for high powers and voltages was carried out in 1929. There use in conversion processes for transmission and frequency changing was carried out in 1930’s. DC transmission now became practical when long distances were to be covered or where cables were required. After the Second World War, the research on HVDC got stimulated, particularly in Sweden and in Russia. In 1950, a 116 km experimental transmission line was commissioned from Moscow to Kasira at 200 kV [1]. HVDC transmission is now an integral part of the delivery of electricity in many countries throughout the world. In view of rapid growth in demand and supply of electricity, electric power system is becoming increasingly large and more complex. Moreover, regular electric supply is the sheer necessity for growing industry and other fields of life. The power industry planners are demanding stronger trend towards supplying electric power of higher quality by improving the system security and its impact on environment in parallel with pursuit of economy. In real life situation, the criterion of perfection is never met, because there are deviations between the model and reality. Load flow and state estimation analysis are important tools for deciding the stable operation and control of power system as well as future planning of power systems [2, 3]. The first commercial HVDC line built in 1954 was a 98 km submarine cable with ground return between the island of Gotland and the Swedish mainland [4]. Thyristors were applied to DC. Transmission in the late 1960’s and solid state valves became a reality. In 1969, a contract for the Eel River DC. Link in Canada was awarded as the first application of sold state valves for HVDC transmission [4]. PROBLEM STATEMENT Why use DC transmission in the transmission system? This question often asked by the people. Some of people are response that the losses will are lower. Unfortunately, the answer given not correct. Therefore, the level of losses is planed into a transmission system and modulate by the selected conductor size. Either as overhead transmission lines or submarine cables can have lower losses but at higher expense since the larger cross-sectional area will generally result in lower losses but cost more for the DC and AC conductors. It is mostly by economic choice, when converters are used for DC transmission in preference to AC transmission driven by one of the following reasons: An overhead DC transmission line with its towers can be designed to be less costly per unit of length than an equivalent AC line designed to transmit the same level of electric power. However it is more costly at each end of the DC converter stations than the terminating stations of an AC line. Therefore, there is a breakeven distance above which the total cost of DC transmission is less than its AC transmission alternative. Lower visual profile can have by the DC transmission line than an equivalent AC line. Indeed, it lead to a lower environmental impact. There are other environmental advantages to a DC transmission line through the electric and magnetic fields being DC instead of ac. The breakeven distance is lesser than overhead transmission, if transmission is by submarine or underground cable. It is not practicable to consider AC cable systems exceeding 50 km but DC cable transmission systems are in service with length which is in hundreds of kilometers and even distances greater than or equal 600 km have been considered executable. Neighboring networks are not synchronized with some AC electric power systems even though their physical distances between them are quite small. This situation occurs in Japan. It is 60 Hz network for half the country and the 50 Hz system for the other side. It is physically impossible to connect the both of them together by direct AC methods in order to exchange electric power between them. Nevertheless, it is likely to transfer the needed power flow even though the AC systems, if a DC converter station is located in each system with an interconnecting DC link between them indeed connected remain asynchronous [1]. OBJECTIVES The main objectives of this research are: To study the Newton-Raphson method for the load flow analysis. To modified the Newton-Raphson method to attain compatibility for AC/DC systems with integrated DC links in the AC network. SIGNIFICANT OF STUDY Load flow study is a crucial tool that involve with the numerical analysis applied to a power system. A power flow study usually uses simplified notation such as a one-line diagram and per-unit system and focuses on various forms of AC power (i.e. voltages, voltage angles, real power and reactive power) [5]. Normal steady-state operation is how the power system is analyze. Exist a few number of software implementations of power flow studies. Load flow analysis is probably the most important of all network calculations since it concerns the network performance in its normal operating conditions. It is performed to enquire the magnitude and phase angle of the voltage at each bus and the real and reactive power flows in the system components. The important of this study is to attain compatibility for AC/DC systems with integrated DC links in the AC network by using the modification of the Newton-Raphson power flow analysis method. SCOPE OF WORK The scope of this research is to analyze IEEE test system with the modified Newton-Raphson algorithm that will be develop and to solve the HVDC link power system load flow. This algorithm will be develop from the Newton-Raphson equation and some other equation from the DC link equations. The Jacobian equation for the AC power flow is altered to attain compatibility for systems with integrated DC link(s) in the AC network. Treated as voltage dependent PQ-buses are the converters. This grant the DC variables to be included in the power flow equations. Both the AC network and the DC link will be comprise by the new residual vector and Jacobian matrix [6]. LITERATURE REVIEW The studies of integrated ac/dc power system, their advantages and analysis of load flow in integrated ac/dc power system and their implementation is much developed here the literature review on these aspects is briefly summarized as: K. Ayan, U. Arifoglu, U. Kilic represent the Load Flow (LF) analysis of pure AC power systems is solved saperately. It is by numerical analysis methods and the heuristic methods. The load flow of integrated ac/dc power systems only has been implementing by numerical methods so far. A lot of methods to implement load flow analysis of integrated ac/dc power systems in literature. Examples of these methods are Newton-Raphson, Fast Decoupled and Broyden. By using Genetic Algorithm the consecutive load flow analysis of AC/DC system is implemented. The suggest method is examine on IEEE 9-bus test system. Heuristic method is apply for load flow analysis of the integrated AC/DC power systems for the first time [7]. Panosyan and Oswald presented the model of a two-terminal HVDC link and its integration into the Newton-Raphson method for the load flow analysis taking into consideration the control strategies of the HVDC converter stations. It is suggested that the simplest way of integrating a dc link into the ac load flow is by representing it by constant active and reactive power injections at the two terminal buses in the ac systems. Thus the two terminal ac/dc buses are delineate as a PQ-bus with a constant voltage independent active and reactive power [8]. Sanghavi and Banerjee suggested a sequential approach for performing the load flow analysis of an integrated ac/dc power system. In this approach a simplified model of the dc link has been developed and the means of integrating the link equation with a standard ac load flow program has been explained. in this model minimum amount of modifications have been made with a standard ac load flow program [3]. Mobarak presented the well-known Newton-Raphson method for the load flow analysis of system consisting of HVDC link. The original NR method is modified to attain compatibility for AC/DC systems with integrated DC links in the AC network. The altered Jacobian equation includes the DC real and reactive power at the AC/DC buses and the dependency on the AC system variables [9]. Marsafawy and Mathur proposed a new method for the load-flow calculations of, integrated AC/DC systems. They proposed use of fast decoupled load flow method, which handles all AC/DC equations simultaneously, and fully exploits the sparsity techniques. They have shown application of the technique on two systems. The systems are one with a point to-point DC transmission and the other with a 3-terminal mesh HVDC sub-system. It was a fast technique for load-flow studies of an integrated AC/DC system [10]. Â   METHODOLOGY Definition of Terms/Concepts MATLAB: MATLABÂ ®is a high-level language and interactive environment for numerical computation, visualization, and programming. Using MATLAB, data can be analyze, develop algorithms, and create models and applications. The language, tools, and built-in math functions enable us to explore multiple approaches and reach a solution faster than with spreadsheets or traditional programming languages. Newton-Raphson Equation: Power flow equations formulated in polar form. Expressing in polar form; Separating the real and imaginary parts; Expanding equation above in Taylors series The Jacobian matrix; DC Link Equation: Suppose the rectifier maintains constant current (CC), the inverter operates with constant extinction angle (CEA), maintaining adequate commutation margin under normal operation. That is: If we assume the rectifier maintains constant current (CC), the inverter operates with constant voltage (CV), maintaining adequate commutation margin under normal operation. That is: CONCLUSION In a nutshell, the objective of this study will be achieved after all the research have been done. The Newton-Raphson method will be study and will be applied in the load flow analysis. Then, the Newton-Raphson method will be modified and applied in the AC/DC systems with the integrated DC links in the AC network to achieve it compatibility. The research will able to make the calculation for the AC/DC systems with integrated DC links in the AC network become easy. A new method to include dc systems in power flow calculations will be proposed. The method is more efficient than previous methods and more importantly, the method is easy to implement and developments of ac power flow solution techniques can be combined with the other method. REFERENCES [1]D. A. Woodford, HVDC transmission, Manitoba HVDC Research Centre, pp. 400-1619, 1998. [2]J. Arrillaga and P. Bodger, Integration of h.v.d.c. links with fast-decoupled load-flow solutions, Electrical Engineers, Proceedings of the Institution of, vol. 124, pp. 463-468, 1977. [3]H. A. Sanghavi and S. K. Banerjee, Load flow analysis of integrated AC-DC power systems, in TENCON 89. Fourth IEEE Region 10 International Conference, 1989, pp. 746-751. [4]H. Sato and J. Arrillaga, Improved load-flow techniques for integrated a.c.-d.c. systems, Electrical Engineers, Proceedings of the Institution of, vol. 116, pp. 525-532, 1969. [5]S. Gupta and S. K. Jain, Power flow analysis of system with HVDC link, 2012. [6]O. Osaloni and G. Radman, Integrated AC/DC systems power flow solution using Newton-Raphson and Broyden approaches, in System Theory, 2005. SSST05. Proceedings of the Thirty-Seventh Southeastern Symposium on, 2005, pp. 225-229. [7]K. Ayan, U. Arifoglu, and U. Kilic, Integrated AC/DC systems Load Flow using Genetic Algorithm, in Power Engineering and Optimization Conference (PEOCO), 2011 5th International, 2011, pp. 404-409. [8]A. Panosyan and B. Oswald, Modified Newton-Raphson load flow analysis for integrated AC/DC power systems, in Universities Power Engineering Conference, 2004. UPEC 2004. 39th International, 2004, pp. 1223-1227. [9]Y. A. Mobarak, Notice of Violation of IEEE Publication PrinciplesModified load flow analysis for integrated AC/DC power systems, in Power System Conference, 2008. MEPCON 2008. 12th International Middle-East, 2008, pp. 402-405. [10]M. M. El-Marsafawy and R. M. Mathur, A New, Fast Technique for Load-Flow Solution of Integrated Multi-Terminal DC/AC Systems, Power Apparatus and Systems, IEEE Transactions on, vol. PAS-99, pp. 246-255, 1980.

The Signalman, An Arrest and Napoleon and The Spectre. In this essay

The Signalman, An Arrest and Napoleon and The Spectre. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast them. All three of these stories use gothic techniques; however they have a variety Compare and Contrast Three 19th Century Short Stories The first gothic novel was written in 1764 by Horace Walpole. The novel was called ‘The Castle of Ortranto’. He created the criteria that all gothic writers use today. Gothic literature uses an atmosphere of mystery, shock and suspense to intrigue the reader or audience. The gothic vocabulary consists of words that create an atmosphere of; mystery, hate, tension, fear, sorrow and terror. Gothic novels usually are set in a house or place with a large amount of gothic architecture. Gothic literature has a common involvement with the supernatural. In most gothic stories there is a spectre, ghost or vision that is out of the ordinary. Gothic stories also often contain a mysterious ending. During the gothic phase many authors took to writing in this style. Authors such as Charlotte Bronte, Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe all adopted the gothic style and wrote their own stories. Gothic architecture is also included many times to provoke an atmosphere of terror. The gothic style buildings had large arches and gargoyles that looked down from the ceiling, these things gave the image of darkness. The three stories that I have read are; The Signalman, An Arrest and Napoleon and The Spectre. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast them. All three of these stories use gothic techniques; however they have a variety of differences as well as similarities. ‘Napoleon and The Spectre,’ written by Bronte and ‘The Signalman’ written by Dic... ... his wife which acts as a deterrent to them developing their matrimonial relationship. The background information about the ‘ancestral halls’ at which they are staying gives the reader the sense that there is something strange about the house. The woman feels inexplicable draughts and John dismisses it and shuts, ‘the window.’ This implies a ghostliness and again call upon the theme of the supernatural. This contrasts with ‘the signalman’ and ‘napoleon and the spectre’ because the ghosts in those two stories are physically described, whereas here it is only suggested. As days go on the woman becomes obsessed with ‘the yellow wallpaper’ in the corner of her room. The wallpaper was; ‘repellent, almost revolting: a smouldering†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦sulphur tint in others.’ The wallpaper seems to have a power of its own drawing the woman into an unhealthy hobby of following it.

Reflective Essay: The Writing Process -- Reflective Essay

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you." - - - Maya Angelou, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the semester I have had to write a number of essays using a variety of techniques. Before college, I would write assuming that the only reader, or audience, would be my teacher. Composition helped me realize the many steps that are involved in the writing process from free writing to making a final copy. In order to create a good paper you need organize your ideas. Also, I realize what needs to be in a essay and what doesn’t.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have improved in my writing but organization has been my problem, and even though I’ve made a progress. I still believe I have not fully succeed on this area but I’m going to improve on it. The process of using multiple drafts has improved me to over look on my mistakes. Before I would never go back and have someone else to revise on my papers. The most valuable lesson I have learned about the writing process this semester is mostly editing and revising drafts to lead to a perfect final paper. Able to write on college level, I am going let other people revise my papers. Then I can improve myself as a writer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My favorite assignments was the rhetoric and advertising because it was something I have never done before. I found that describing the same scene in different circumstances was difficult because they all had a similar scene. I be...

Eric Clapton

ERIC CLAPTON Have you ever heard of Eric Clapton's song â€Å"Layla†? Well it's a really good song. When you think of an artist such as Eric you would think how did he came up with that sound in his music and there is an answer. His music is influenced by the old catchy blues genre. Eric Clapton is an English guitarist and song writer who was mainly influenced by blues, who is referred to as one of the most influential guitarist of all time. ITS ALL ABOUT THE BLUES ROCK When we think about blues a thing that comes to our mind is African Americans playing that catchy sound that characterizes blues.But as time advanced several genres of music deviated from blues and one of them is the famous blues rock. Blues rock is a music genre that has the sound of the twelve bar blues combined with a rock and roll style. This sub genre began to develop in the mid 1960s with bands from the UK and the US experimenting with the music from older American bluesmen. As time progressed by the earl y 70s you couldn't really tell the difference between blues rock and hard rock. (academic. scranton. edu) HOW DID IT ALL START? Eric Clapton was born in Ripley, Surrey , England. He was raised in a musical household.At the age of thirteenth he asked for a guitar and got it , but Eric thought it wasn't a really good one so he lost interest. Two years later was when really started to play and practice. As a young teenager he grew up listening to blues music in the radio. He became passionate for the music with time and in 1963 was when he joined his first band; one that was influenced the blues and rock and roll sound. He remained in this band until 1965. Eric got into more bands as time passed. It was until the early 70s that he started his solo career. (ericclapton. com) WHERE DID HIS SOUND CAME FROM?Eric Clapton grew up listening to blues music. In his early years he listened to Big ball brazy and Muddy Waters. Other guitar influences are: Freddie King, BB King, Albert King, Buddy Guy, and Hubert Sumlin. (http://altmine. mie. uc. edu/bob/) But his most important influence is Robert Johnson a blues men. Johnson was that important to him that Eric Clapton has a CD called â€Å"Me and Mr Johnson. † â€Å"I kind of got hooked on it because it was so much more powerful than anything else I had heard or was listening to. Amongst all of his peers I felt he was the one that was talking from his soul without really compromising for anybody. â€Å"In one way or another, he's been in my life since I was a kid,† Clapton says. He says the project â€Å"has been in the back of my head to do for so long. It was about time that I took my hat off to him. † (Edward) The thing that gets my attention is that all of his influences were related to the blues genre and that says a lot about what sound he was trying to achieve with his music. ACHIEVEMENTS Eric Clapton is referred to as one of the most important guitarist of all time. He has been inducted three t imes to Rock and Roll Hall of fame; 2 times as part of a group and 1 in his solo career.His career not only has been successful but he has inspired many musicians that grew up listening to him. (rockhall. com) The world of music has recognized Eric Clapton as one of the most influential guitarist of all time and that he was mainly influenced by blues music. Such a good guitarist that he has influenced many other musicians. CONCLUSION Eric Clapton is recognized as one of the most influential guitarist of all time. He grew up listening to blues music and that was what made his music be what it is now. His music is so good that people are still listening to his songs. WORKS CITED . â€Å"Eric Clapton Biography. ERIC CLAPTON. Where's Eric! , n. d. Web. 21 Mar 2013. McAllen Memorial High School. . â€Å"Eric Clapton Takes on Robert Johnson's Blues Guitarist Records the ‘Powerful' Music that Influenced Him . † npr music. npr music, McAllen Memorial High School. 30 Mar 2004. Web. 21 Mar 2013. . â€Å"Influences of Eric Clapton. † ROBERT W. ROST, Ph. D.. N. p. , McAllen Memorial High School. 17 Feb 2006. Web. 21 Mar 2013. . â€Å"Eric Clapton: Inducted in 2000. † Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. N. p. , n. d. McAllen Memorial High School . Web. 27 Mar 2013. . â€Å"History of Blues. † Blues Music Rocks. N. p. , n. d. McAllen Memorial High School . Web. 27 Mar 2013.

Olive Garden Service Blueprint Essay

We chose Olive Garden restaurant to do our service blueprint on. There were various factors that helped us make our decision. The first factor was that it was a restaurant and we believe that restaurants have more key â€Å"wow points† than hotels. Also, the mood and emotions of the guest can be more easily influenced at restaurants. By constructing a service blueprint, we are able to understand exactly what the customer wants and how every point in their visit can be influenced by the staff, management, and restaurant operation. Another big factor in making our decision about choosing Olive Garden was the amount of evidence and information available to us regarding the restaurant. A larger operation, such as McDonalds or Denny’s would have an enormous amount of information available. But, by choosing a restaurant with larger amounts of information, the information would become lost in translation. There would so much information available, which would most likely not be consistent with what we wanted. There is an Olive Garden close to all of our houses, so we found it beneficial to pay a visit to the establishment to draw up other information. A third factor for choosing Olive Garden was its reputation. It is known for its food and its service, and we thought that we could conclude evidence that would show us why this restaurant is so popular. Everybody knows Olive Garden and the majority of people, who know it, love it. The three key factors about the Physical Evidence are: Host/Hostess stand, menu, and food/food appearance. The host stand is the first thing that the guest sees when coming to the restaurant. You must make sure that the host stand is properly organized and ready to take reservations and names. The guest wants to be sat in a timely manner and if they are quoted a 20-minute wait-time, they don’t want to have to wait thirty minutes. You must also hire very friendly people for the host stand. They are the biggest impact on starting the guest experience. If you have a very negative host, it could lead to the customer having a negative experience. The host has the ability to sway the emotions of the guest. The menu is the second biggest key to physical evidence. Customers who dine at Olive Garden want variety. The customers also want consistency. Some of your guest always wants to try  something new and the others get the same thing every time they dine at the restaurant. The menu must be consistent with all Olive Gardens and it also must have an evolving factor about it. The third factor is the food and the food appearance. The food appearance must be good enough to the corporate standards of the company. Most of their guests have been to a different Olive Garden before. If they are the guests that always gets the same menu item every time, they want to make sure that the food tastes and looks the same as before. The food must also be quality food. This means that the food must be able to please all members at the table. Since it is a chain, every lost guest is worth more than as if it was a single standing establishment. The food coming out cold could be a huge factor relating to a negative experience. There can be potential problem areas that must be identified in a service blueprint. One of the first slow points that may occur would be when the customer is greeted and put on a wait list. If a customer is not given a correct wait list time, this could result in slow delivery and a potentially upset customer. One of the most obvious potential problem areas of Olive Garden’s service blueprint is taking the food order. It is important that the correct food order is received, that the food is cooked as ordered, and is delivered to the customer in a reasonable amount of time. Since this area goes through at least three different channels, it is a key point where slow delivery can occur or the possibility that an incorrect order could get put through to the kitchen. One of the last fail points could be processing the bill. This can be a huge fail area due to the possibility of ringing up a wrong order, or splitting the check with different debit cards and cash. While there may be certain areas that can be prone to slow delivery or problems for the customer, there are solutions to address these areas and create a flawless experience based on the service blueprint. For example, wait times must be calculated correctly in order to assure a customer is given a correct time. It will cause a backup in the amount of people waiting and stir problems if someone is told that the wait is about 15 minutes, and they are waiting 25. It is better to give a little bit longer of a wait time just to give a little bit of flexibility. In regards to the food order process, the best possible alternative to these problem areas is to have the  server write down the correct order, repeat it with the guests, and ensure the order is cooked correctly before bringing it out to the customers. This is an important area to be precise in because the product of Olive Garden is their food, and service will lack credibility if the food is not brought out correctly. Finally, the last fail point that must be addressed very seriously is the processing of the check for the customers. This area is so important because it is the last interaction with customer and the last piece of physical evidence they have to take with from the experience. If this experience is not seamless and quick, it may ruin the whole experience. Because of this, the solution for the Olive Garden server is to be quick, efficient, and to double check with the customers on how they want the bill split (if they do). All these areas have simple solutions that can be easily overlooked and it is important to keep them in mind every day. Service blueprints can be used in an organization for marketing, human resource management, and operations. When designing a blueprint for marketing you should take into account what the customer actually sees or handles. If you are marketing free food to attract customers, you should also see how many steps are involved in providing that free food. Marketing is a tricky area in the industry. Many different items can fall under marketing and when designing a bluepr int you should mange all those items and areas. When designing the blueprint for human resources, you should focus on all personnel. You should include factors involving hiring new employees and maintaining current employees. Also, some human resource departments may also want to create another list of items relating to their relationship and personnel involving the unions. The managers should decipher what needs to go into the blueprint by creating a chart that lists all responsibilities and duties of the human resource department. The Operations blueprint will be bigger than other department’s blueprints. This is where the guest has the most contact with the employees and staff. There is also more physical evidence in this department than all other areas. The support process will be smaller in comparison with the contact person category. Making the blueprint has taught me a lot about the restaurant industry. I have noticed there are many factors of physical evidence that can affect the experience of a guest. I didn’t realize that parking could cause some guests  to get irritated. While at Olive Garden, I notice one of the employees was outside cleaning up the parking lot and making sure that there was no trash anywhere. I also noticed there are several points where a guest can be delighted. Something as easy as making sure the drinks are delivered as quickly as possible can lead to a guest getting that â€Å"wow† factor. Making sure that you have a proper support process is also something that affects the restaurant as a whole. In the process of the host stand, they should make sure that there is a proper reservations and seating system being used. While in the business world, I will make sure that all items on a blueprint will have a proper and effective support system. The only way you can effective ly mange people is by being able to manage them when you’re not around. This is an example of properly staffing, training, and creating systems for the employees to follow.