Technology Essay Introduction Essay Example for Free

Technology Essay Introduction Essay A rapid development of scientific and technological progress, especially in recent decades, has changed thinking of a modern person. An advent of computers has made a real revolution. They altered our approach to work, study, entertainment and other aspects of life. In hospitals, our organism is scanned by complex tomography. Up-to-grade Internet access devices are located in schools while in institutions there are various tools for carrying out calculations and experiments. Being ordinary things, laptop, mobile communications, a global network, automated production lines – thats far from a complete list of useful information technologies. Probably, people did not possess such a sum of knowledge in different fields. Amazing phenomena surround us. Today, figuratively speaking, you can get news from your pocket, connect to a network, or send a message to an individual who is thousands of kilometers away from you. Thanks to technologies, we may get acquainted with people who live in other countries and cities. Science came up with a lot of interesting and useful stuff from biomaterials to artificial hands. From a factitious kidney to contact lenses that train eye muscles at night. From digital libraries, online universities, and courses to advanced deep earth drilling rigs. Present innovations are designed to serve humanity in its quest for high peaks. However, not all technologies benefit the human being. Frequently, we could observe some reverse. For instance, modern weapons are capable of destroying both nature and human lives in frightening proportions. An industry smokes and discharges toxic waste into the water, invades the earths interior in search of resources. In the Pacific Ocean, a new â€Å"continent† of floating debris has already settled down. On the one hand, electronic pages are good, less harm is done to the environment, and storing a large amount of data is easier and more convenient in such form. On the other hand, humanity is becoming increasingly dependent on technology. Most humans cannot even imagine what they will do if, for example, they forget a phone at home. Facebook, Twitter, and other analogs have a significant influence on the well-being and sense of human satisfaction. A lot of studies noted the more time a person spends in so-called â€Å"social relations†, the higher a risk of loneliness and depression. The question arises: does this mean that global networks mostly address single and unhappy people or they make them so? Live interaction is replaced by a set of letters on the computer as facial expressions are emoticons. People just stopped going to visit and see each other. Thus, technological progress has divided the world into two camps. Some people believe that creation of complex gadgets moves an evolution of our civilization forward. Others are convinced of the extremely negative impact of such devices on human health and psyche. First of all, it is worth noting that a lot of techniques are specially established for performing the most laborious and routine job. Similar developments allow you to economize both time and space. At the same time, opponents of technical innovations are sure that they make a person lazy, deprive him/her of the opportunity to act mentally and physically. Many of our contemporaries spend a significant part of their lives waiting for the moment when robots will do all the activity without their participation. Do not forget about a danger associated with an emission of gadgets and an emergence of psychological dependence. But any phenomenon conceals in itself both positive and negative sides. In the context of technology, it is necessary to observe moderation in their applying and to remember their subsidiary rather than a dominant role in our lives.

The Significance Of Mass Extinction Events Environmental Sciences Essay

The Significance Of Mass Extinction Events Environmental Sciences Essay There are two types of extinctions those that are at background levels and those that are characterised as mass extinctions. A mass extinction can be defined as a relatively rapid extinction of a geographically widespread and diverse group of organism. In the history of earth there have been about five major extinction events in the invertebrate record. These are known as the big five. They include the end Ordovician, late Devonian, end Permian, end Triassic and end Cretaceous. The end Permian was probably the most devastating extinctions, where 80-90% of marine species went extinct and on land there was major changes in plant assemblages (Futuyma 2009). A mass extinction is thought to occur due to the organisms failing to adapt to changes in the environment. Therefore a mass extinction can be seen as being selective. It can be trait selective where the cause of the mass extinction (extrinsic factor) is affecting a certain biological trait (intrinsic factors) of an organism or group of organisms, making it less or more prone to the mass extinction event. For example a plant will be more prone to a global warming event if it has narrow leaves preventing it from overheating. It can also be taxonomic selective, where a taxa is actively selected upon due to the cause of the mass extinction as maybe some taxonomic groups suffer more from the extinction then other groups, however taxonomic selectivity is minor with some exceptions such as the dinosaurs (Raup 1994). A mass extinction may also be geographical selective, acting on one or more parts of the world. Evolution significance A lot of study has been done on the causes of mass extinction events and less on the causes it may have in term of evolution (Erwin 2001). The extinction of a widespread species will require an environmental shock , either physical or biological, which the species has not previously encountered or is so rapid that adaption via natural selection or migration is prevented (Raup 1994). Survivors of the mass extinction are those that are maybe pre-adapted to the unexpected stress of the extinction. An example of one is described in (Raup 1986) where if there was ionising radiation, it would kill all mammals exposed but would have less of an effect on most insects and plants. This means that extinctions are highly selective but does not contribute to the general success a species has in terms of normal times. However if this was a reoccurring event caused by the same crisis each time, then the evolution of a mechanism to cope would form through natural selection (Raup 1986). Factors affecting survival The diversity we see today are the survivors of mass extinctions. There have been suggestions to what can cause one species to survive while others go extinct during a mass extinction event. One is the generalisation of the species. It is more likely that less specific species will cope better under the stress then more adapted, specific species. For example if a species is highly adapted and specific to a certain food type or restricted to a location due to having narrow environmental tolerances, it will be impacted on more harshly then an species that is maybe more geographically widespread (i.e. environmental generalists), being able to adapt or survive in different locations, or has a wide range of suitable food sources (Erwin 1998). However this also depends on how long the extinction goes on for. If it is prolonged then ecological specialists will be removed and generalists will most likely survive . Other factor to why a species might survive an event, could be due to its location at the time. Depending geographically where the species is located will determine it its survival , for example in the early Permian where max diversity at low latitudes, shifted to max diversity at middle to high latitudes by the late Triassic this is evidence of ice climate to a hot one (Rees 2002).This is because lower latitude taxa( in particular tropical ecosystems) might be under more pressure and at a higher risk of extinction then higher latitude taxa (Erwin 1998) during a global warming event. This is because a global warming event causes the tropical ever-wet biome to become narrower due to the expanding of precipitation globally. Body size may also play its role on survival. It was proposed that large body size (or long generation times) would suffer greater in extinctions(Erwin 2001). Large body size can be seen as a type of specialization by some(McKinney 1997) and has lead to the agreement that the effect body size on extinction is different between taxa. For example small body size of freshwater fish promotes extinctions because they are inefficient at dispersal. Large body size on the other hand has two patterns; one is between closely related species where large body size makes the species less likely to go extinct. This is because maybe larger body size will give that species greater competitive advantages and so become more abundant. The other patter is seen between distantly related taxa this time large body size increases the risk of extinction because of the liabilities of having such a large body. (McKinney 1997). In terms of evolution, the survivors body sizes are those that will propagate after the extinction, potentially affecting future species size diversity. Effect on Evolution It is evident that almost all of the species that have lived on Earth have died out (Newman et al 1994). The cause of this is extinction, and so it plays an important role in the evolution of life (Raup 1986). After any extinction event, be it mass or background, there will always be a loss of populations and species resulting in an overall decrease is diversity. However during recovery there is a repopulation event, after which species become available to new open niches for testing and adaption. This is different than usual gradual adaption, but none the less has contributed greatly to the diversity of life we have on earth today. The evolution of one species evolving to the new niche can cause not only the extinction of the ancestor but also cause a dominos effect, where a number of other species will evolve in conjunction as a result. This causes an avalanche effect thought the ecosystem (Newman et al 1994). Ecological significance Mass extinctions essentially reset the evolutionary clock, wiping the slate clean, they create new evolutionary opportunities and can even redirect the course of evolution (Erwin D 2001) (Futuyma 2009) but this consequentially affects the ecosystem, as both organisms and environment affect one another. Studies have shown that the mass extinction events are followed by a survival interval in which there is no diversification, followed by a recovery phase which has a rapid diversification phase- an interval of exponential growth (Erwin D 2001). When looking at the fossil record at the extinction horizon there is usually a gap in the sediments void of fossils, and above this a species poor assemblage of survivors (Erwin D1998). The survivors are often abundant and geographically widespread consisting of opportunistic taxa. Described below are two examples of such a case. Example 1: The Cretaceous-Tertiary( K-T) extinction which occurred 65mya was associated with an impact of a large bolide. In the sediments it was characterised by a layer consisting of iridium and shocked quarts succeeded by a bed rich in fern spores. From new-Zealand sediments there is evidence of fungal spores across the boundary. The fungal rich interval provides evidence for a survival period of opportunistic taxa. Post impact the humidity was most likely high while there was reduced solar luminosity caused by the increase in atmospheric sulphur aerosols and dust. This kind of environment would have favoured saprophytic life (along with the availability of dead plant matter) leading to the dominance for fungal species for a few years (Vajda et al 2004). The recovery phase usually ends with the reappearance of clades which would have appeared to have disappeared due to the mass extinction crisis (Erwin D 1998). Example 2: is during the end Permian mass extinction (caused by an environmental change due to flood basal volcanism as Pangaea was moving northward) , where there was an initial disappearance of conifers during the crisis with lycopsids and mosses becoming dominant in the survival phase. Lycopsids could survive the crisis because they were capable of surviving the harsh conditions and UV-B radiation caused by the increased release of volcanic substances (Visscher 2004). None the less, the dominance of lycopsids was not permanent and after the survival period conifers were dominating once again at the recovery phase. The plants in this time did not go extinct but rather, the gymnosperm died back while the lycopides became abundant but were able to make a comeback after the event. Interestingly is that mass extinction event at each of the boundaries is offset between fauna and flora(asynchronous), as they are both impacted differently both evolutionary and ecologically by mass extinction events. Plants It is clear that plants, unlike animals, rarely go extinct during a mass extinction but rather there is a change of dominance. Plants are unique to animals in that they are highly adapted to their environment, this is due to the fact that they are not mobile, and any movement for example through migration can take up to thousands of years. Owing to this they are linked and adapted supremely through their roots to the lithosphere and hydrosphere of the geosphere and via their aerial parts such as leaves, shoots and reproductive structures to the atmosphere. For this reason in all the mass extinction events we see hardly any extinction of plants and rather a turnover of dominance and this had two distinct effects on evolution and ecology. If the environmental change is slow plants can migrate however if the change is faster than the migration rate we see turnover, change in ecosystems and extinction. The Triassic -Jurassic mass extinction was the 3rd largest in the history of Earth and was caused most likely by flood basalt volcanism causing rises in CO 2 and consequently raising temperatures. There was a 30% extinction of marine generas, a massive disappearance of corals and reed organisms while on land we had 50% extinction of tetrapod species. However in contrast only one family of plants became extinct.- peltaspermaceae and instead we see a major turnover(95%) of fossil plants (McElwain et al 1999). By looking at presence absence data the full effect the crisis had on ecology would not be seen. For example in East Greenland, high diversity plants such as Podozamites and bennettites( Pterophyllum , Anomozamites) were replaced by the lower diversity Czekanowskia, Sphenobaiera and Todites in the Jurassic (McElwain et al 2007).The Triassic dominant plant here went from making up 75% of the relative abundance data of the plant community to less than 10% in the Jurassic (McElwain e t al 2007).This completely altered the ecology-the die back of dominant species can lead to available space and suitable conditions for other species. Animals Animals on the other hand are not as uniquely linked to their environment as plants are and so they are highly affected to environmental chance, even shift in the ecological change of plant can have detrimental exponential effects on the animals as plants are the bottom of the food chain effecting most higher taxa. Both marine and terrestrial extinction are however synchronic showing high levels of global extinction of higher taxonomic groups during the mass extinction event (McElwain et al 2007). Future events and conclusion How does the future or current extinction threatening us have an effect on the ecology and evolution of current species? So far human activity has been causing dramatic decreases in diversity and aiding in the change of climate and ultimately ecosystems. Proposed by (Myers et al 2001) is that this extinction will not only alter the biological diversity but also the evolutionary processes which diversity is generated. From the past mass extinctions we can understand that following it, there is re-diversification (or recovery) and ecological reorganization (approximately taking up to 5 million years (Erwin 2001)). The current crisis is estimated to have the following effects on evolution : 1) Due to fragmentation of species ranges, gene flow will be disturbed, 2) With population decline there will also be a decrease in gene pools 3) Addition of invasive species into new areas will cause founder effects ( as we are already seeing today) causing imbalanced ecological interactions, such as competition for space and predation ultimately disrupting food chains. This all contributed to the loss of biodiversity globally. Another concern is how this crisis will affect the recovery process. One concern is the depletion of the evolutionary powerhouse i.e. the tropics which is one of the key biomes on earth which is notorious for it explosions of evolutionary processes and life. This will be lost due to the increasing global warming and human activity. So far the tropics have become drier and an estimated 10-25% of rainforest species (5-10% of earth species diversity!) will be extinct in the next 30 years (Futuyma 2009). This decline could cause consequence to the re-diversification after the extinction crisis. It is clear that what will probably survive this extinction will most likely be species that are adapted to or can cope with human environments. More pressing is the effect of increasing of atmospheric CO2 and temperature levels. What kind of plants are likely to survive? How will this affect the food chain of other species, and indeed the final effect it will have on the human race? From the fossil record of the previous mass extinctions of global warming, leaves were shown to become more dissected to cope with the increasing temperatures. This is because an increased in atmospheric CO2 means less stomata required on the leafs surface but this also causes less transpiration leading to overheating of the leaves, a way to adapt to this is to have dissected leaves as those seen at the T-J boundary. Atmospheric CO2 levels on plants is thought to cause a secondary effects which include reduced water recycling in the environment such as precipitation and water runoff. Since the 1960s there has been an increase in global surface run off by about 30% and this can impact significantly on marine systems causing eutrophication (Gedney et al. 2006). In conclusion, it is evident the pass mass extinction cause dramatic changes in evolution, setting out new path and space for new forms of life and niches, but consequently this leads to ecological changes also. From the past mass extinctions, we can learn how the current crisis will take hold and maybe ways to prevent it. Currently it has been estimated that survivors of this extinction based on fossil records would be r-strategists and opportunist species leading to a pest-weed ecology (Myers et al 2001).

Force Measurment System Based On Strain Gauges Engineering Essay

Force Measurment System Based On Strain Gauges Engineering Essay In this part there will be a use of a strain gauge device which experiences a change of electric resistance when it is strained. Design, build and test a force sensor using strain gauges are provided, as well as development of the appropriate combination of strain gauges with other electrical components to obtain an electric voltage or current representing tensile, compressive or bending strain, together with means of displaying and/or recording its value, is a strain gauge system. Tasks Design and build a strain gauge based force sensor based on a cantilever design or otherwise. Build an appropriate VI that can be used to carry out all tests on the sensor. Experimentally evaluation of the output/force transfer functions of the sensor. Include linearity, hysteresis, sensitivity, accuracy and repeatability in the evaluation. Calculation the expected theoretical output values of the sensor and compression them with the experimental results obtained above. Investigate the effect of temperature on the accuracy of the sensor. Based on this investigation suggest a temperature compensation scheme to improve the performance of the sensor. Build an appropriate VI that takes the output of the sensor and display the result in appropriate units. Part I Explain how the AC Power (wattmeter) measurement is carried out at NPL. Draw a block diagram of the measurement system used. You should include the sources of uncertainties in your discussion. Volts, Amps, Watts, VARs and Power Factor are essential fundamental quantities which must be measured accurately in order to optimize the control and delivery of electric power. Definition of electrical power At a given moment, when a current i travels from generator G to receiver Rin the direction defined by the voltage v delivered by the generator (figure 1), the instantaneous power supplied to the receiver R is equal to product v.i. Figure Generator Receiver If the voltage and current are DC, the mean power V.I is equal to the instantaneous power V.I. If the voltage and current are sinusoidal AC, there is generally a phase shift à Ã¢â‚¬   between the voltage and the current (figure 2). The instantaneous values of voltage v and current (I) have the form: v = Vmax cos à Ã¢â‚¬ °t i = Imax cos (à Ã¢â‚¬ °t à Ã¢â‚¬  ) Where à Ã¢â‚¬ °, the pulse, is proportional to the frequency F (à Ã¢â‚¬ ° = 2à Ã¢â€š ¬F). Figure phase shift between the voltage and the current The instantaneous power has a value of: Vmax . Imax . cos à Ã¢â‚¬ ° . cos (à Ã¢â‚¬ °t à Ã¢â‚¬  ). You must take the average value of this product during a period to obtain the expression of the power provided by generator G to receiver R. This power is called the active power and is expressed by the formula: The wattmeter provide the expression of this product, either by causing a deviation of the pointer in the case of a device with an electrodynamics moving coil, or by supplying a DC current or a voltage proportional to the product in the case of electronic wattcmeters; this current or this voltage is then applied to an analogue or digital display. The existence of a phase shift à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ between the current and the voltage leads, for AC currents, to the introduction of 3 additional quantities: à ¢-   The apparent power S = Veff . Ieff, in VA (volt-amperes), defining the voltage Veff not to be exceeded (insulator breakdown, increase in core loss) and the intensity Ieff circulating in the receivers. à ¢-   The power factor: When the current and voltage are sinusoidal quantities: à ¢-   The reactive power Q = Veff . Ieff . sin à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢, in rva (reactive volt-amperes). The latter may be directly measured by a wattmeter if for voltage Vmax . cos à Ã¢â‚¬ °t we substitute a phase-shifted voltage of à Ã¢â€š ¬/2, i.e. Vmax x cos (à Ã¢â‚¬ °t à Ã¢â€š ¬/2). The mean product measured will be Vmax . Imax . cos (à Ã¢â‚¬ °t à Ã¢â€š ¬/2) x cos (à Ã¢â‚¬ °t à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢) which is expressed by: Vmax. Imax Q = cos (à Ã¢â€š ¬/2 à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢) = Veff . Ieff . à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡ sin à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ 2 Knowing P and Q, we can calculate the apparent power and the power factor: Apparent power: S = à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡P2+Q2 Power factor: PF = P/S = P/à ¢Ã‹â€ Ã… ¡P2+Q2 Knowing the parameters defined above: active power, reactive power, apparent power, power factor, is fundamental in electrical engineering and enables accurate calculation of the characteristics of the equipment used: yield, load, cos à Ã¢â‚¬ ¢, utilization limits. The wattcmeters used for these measurements are classified in three major families: electrodynamics and electronic. Digital Sampling Watt Meter In NPL the digital sampling AC wattcmeters, which are used for calibration work, each require the generation of sample timing pulses suitably locked to the frequency of the AC which is to be measured. Repetitive waveforms representing the instantaneous test voltage and test current are digitised at equal intervals of time harmonically related to the period of the waveforms. A new NPL standard wattmeter calibrator incorporates improved sample timing generation. It uses a crystal digital oscillator to govern both the sample timing and the AC source frequency. This avoids reliance on timing interpolation uniformity within an input period; only digital frequency dividers are needed. Alternatively, commercial frequency synthesizers can be used, with a common master frequency, to give sampling and signal frequencies. Either alternative allows digital phase control, and reduces the use of special-purpose precision analogue electronics. AC power wattmeter and voltmeters: Figure AC Power Measurement by sampling Power measuring at NPL is based on a digital sampling technique. This works by using a pair of analogue to digital converter (ADC) to take instantaneous samples of the respective voltage and current waveforms involved in measuring by multiplying the specimen pairs, the instantaneous power can be established and by averaging instantaneous over a defined interval the average power of that interval can be arranged. Figure Sampling Wattmeter This technique relies on the execution of the ADC in terms of its exactness and its ability to take samples at well-defined instant in time. To meet these requirements NPL has developed an ADC system based on the fastest shape of ADC, known as a blaze converter. Unfortunately, these devices are of circumscribed resolution and to overcome this limitation they are included in configuration that uses a Digital to Analogue Converter (ADC). This organized whole makes employ the repetitive properties of the waveforms of attention where single round is extremely like to the following round. Figure Phantom Power The computer takes a conjecture at the signal level at a stated moment on the waveform. This digital guess is accurately converted to voltage using the DAC. The guess can then be compared to the incoming signal at the required dot in time and the mistake voltage is converted using the blaze converter and passed back to the computer. Because the waveforms are assumed to be repetitive the computer can improve its conjecture for the next round of the waveform using the mistake knowledge from the former round. In this manner the computers conjecture converges on digital reproduction of the input waveform. This reproduction can then be used for AC voltage, current measuring. Figure NPL ADC Schematic Two of these ADC systems are used for single-phase measuring. They are used in conjecture with transducers that change unlike levels of voltage and current to the working signal levels of the ADCs. In organization to present traceability all of these components require single calibration and characterisation. Uncertainty Contribution Any estimation of uncertainties must start by identifying all significant contributions. There may be several sources of error in a measurement where the magnitude of the error could be quantified. Where these can be identified, they should be corrected such that only the residual unknown component contributes to the uncertainty of the measurement. Using the importation of DC voltage from a higher level laboratory as an example, there will be the following uncertainty components: Calibration Uncertainty Transportation Stability with Time Stability with Temperature Noise Usually the measurement techniques used will ensure well defined conditions and minimize loading effects such that the main contributions listed above will be the only significant ones. Calibration Uncertainty Calibration uncertainty is a significant contribution and is usually reported on the certificate of calibration issued by another organization i.e. the national laboratory. Quite reasonably, the national laboratory is beyond the control of other commercial organizations and there is little that can be done by the customer to evaluate the uncertainty reported as a single  ± value on the certificate. For this reason the calibration uncertainty is usually treated as a type B contribution. The reported uncertainty may vary slightly for each calibration and will usually be at a 95% minimum confidence level. Part II Force measurement system based on strain gauges Introduction A small product based of strain gauge is designed in this part of the assignment, force measurement based on strain gauge. Two strain gauges connected properly on each side of a steel cantilever; these two strain gauges are a part of a resistance combination called Wheatstone bridge supplied by 5V. The output of this circuit connected to data acquisition card through an amplification circuit. A Low pass filter circuit provided. The circuit has been designed and calculated then built on a PCB supplied by power supply device. Moreover the circuit has been tested and practically operated using suitable weights (UK 1 penny to 10 pence); ten coins have been used. Data acquisition card used to pass the results to the computer. LabVIEW software was the tool used for monitoring the results. Strain gauge: As an external forces applied to an object, this will produce a stress and strain. That means the metal object will be compressed and the resistance of the metal will increase, while the resistance will decrease if the metal stretched. By using this feature of a specific metal; force measurement sensor bas been built. This called strain gauge. The design of a force measurement system was based on strain gauges because as the name implies they are used for measurement of strain. The strain gauge is attached to the object by a suitable adhesive, such as superglue as shown below: Strain gauge mounted on component under test Figure strain gauge glued on cantilever  [1]   Strain gauge operation: Generally electrical resistance (R) of a metal wire is proportional to the length (L) and inversely proportional to the area (A) as given by (where à Ã‚  is the resistivity). The change in resistance in a strain gauge of resistance R is nearly proportional to the applied strain. [ref9] Hence: K is constant known as the gauge factor which is the sensitivity to strain. Strain; . The gauges used in this report have K=210 ±0.02 Figure (2) shows loaded cantilever Beam SG 1 SG 2 L F X Figure stain gauge block diagram  [2]   The gauges are glued at a distance (L-X) from the load, a load of mass m and weight mg is suspended from the cantilever beam. The beam has thickness t and width w and is made from stainless steel with a young modulus. The calculated strain due to the suspended mass is. Therefore the relative change in the resistance of the strain gauge is given by: . Wheatstone Bridge The change of the resistance of the strain gauges is very small; so the strain gauges have to be connected in a Wheatstone bridge shown in figure (6). The gauge glued on top of the beam is in tension, the gauge glued underneath the beam is in compression, hence strain causes equal and opposite resistance changes in the gauges. By using two gauges the effects of temperature variations on the gauge resistance are cancelled. The bottom end of the bridge circuit is connected to the ground, the circuit is powered by the bridge excitation voltage VEX applied to the top side of the bridge. Figure Wheatstone bridge  [3]   If the strain increases the resistance of Gauge One from R to R + then the resistance of Gauge Two is decreased from R to R . Hence the voltage VG is given by: To balance the Wheatstone bridge the Zero Adjust resistor is adjusted to produce a voltage of VADJ . [ref11] Therefore the output voltage V0 of the Wheatstone bridge is given by: Substituting Then: Circuit design details: Figure Circuit design This circuit is designed and built by a team of three students; and its a number of stages as shown in the block diagram below: Two strain gauges connected on a Wheatstone bridge. Amplification circuit Low pass filter circuit (RC circuit). Data acquisition LabVIEW software based on Computer Strain Gauges Wheatstone bridge Amplification Circuit Filter (RC) D.AQ Computer Screen Figure circuit block diagram Stage one Pre-circuit has been designed and built; which is consists of two strain gauges of resistance of 120à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ of each glued on the cantilever. Wheatstone bridge provided with R1,R2 of 1k à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ of each and powered by 5v. The figure below show the circuit diagram of first stage. Figure First stage circuit connection The circuit above is a half bridge; while the output voltage will be as: and the object that are used to be measured by the strain gauge sensor is the UK pennies as shown in figure and the mass for it is 3.5 gram. Calculations bridge output voltage L = 140mm, x = 50mm w = 8mm t = 0.5mm E = 210Gpa G = 2 The maximum loading force that the Cantilever can handle is: Where is the Fatigue strength for steel? Since, Then, Kg m = 204 gram So the maximum mass that courses the max force is 204gram Since: G=2 Vs=5V So: Then: 0.219485 mV 0.43897 mV 0.658455 mV 0.87794 mV 1.097425 mV 1.31691 mV 1.536395 mV 1.75588 mV 1.975365 mV 2.19485 mV The following table shows the calculated values: Calculated values No of coins Mass (gram) 0 0 1 3.5 2 7 3 10.5 4 14 5 17.5 6 21 7 24.5 8 28 9 31.5 10 35 The figure shows the relation between the mass of the coins and the calculated output voltage of the bridge circuit. Chart 1. The relation between the mass and O/p voltages Second Stage: In this stage an amplification circuit is needed in order to increase the output voltage to a range of 0 10 v as an input to the data acquisition, INA126 OP AMP has been used with a gain resistance of around 80 ohms to get a 1000 amplification ratio, the following figure show the op amp circuit diagram: Figure Op amp circuit diagram According to the data sheet, and from the table shown above the gain of the circuit can be adjusted by varying the Gain Resistor RG. The gain 1000 needed could be done by using or adjusting the gain resistance RG to be 80.4 à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¦ (variable resistor has been used). And the following calculations proves the value of the Gain Resistor RG Since; So; Third stage: Figure Low pass filter circuitAs show in circuit diagram, an RC filter with a components of C= 22uF and R = 10 k ohms. The calculation below shows that this filter values is above the maximum frequency of the expected values from the dc components and to guarantee to get rid of the voltage spikes. The frequency value is about 1 Hz. Measuring the Bridge output voltage As the circuit has been connected, start measuring the output of the Bridge circuit for each number of coins. Measurement values No of coins Mass (gram) 0 0 1 3.5 2 7 3 10.5 4 14 5 17.5 6 21 7 24.5 8 28 9 31.5 10 35 And the chart bellow shows the relation between the mass of the pennies and the measured output voltage of the bridge circuit. Chart 2. The relation between the mass and O/p voltages The chart above shows the relation between the mass of the coin with the output voltage values, it can be clearly seen that there is a non-linearity with the chart and this caused by the non accurate measures. The red line is the trend-line which used to simulate the real linearity for the chart. The following table shows the results of the output of the amplification circuit Measurement No of coins Mass (gram) Output of the Bridge in (mV) 0 0 0 1 3.5 0.20 2 7 0.41 3 10.5 0.62 4 14 0.83 5 17.5 1.12 6 21 1.42 7 24.5 1.57 8 28 1.78 9 31.5 1.93 10 35 2.21 Experimental procedures Procedures: Connecting and implementing the circuit as shown in the circuit connection Testing the circuit if its working Make sure of the output of the bridge is set to 0V. Put the coins (penny) on the beam and observe the output of the circuit, if the circuit it works, go to next step. The bellow picture shows the penny which has been used as the weights to be measured in the experiments. The weight of this penny is 3.5. That should be taken into account in the calculations. Figure UK Penny Data acquisition: Lab View has been used to simulate the operation of the circuit. Lab view is a measurement application which uses a variety of data acquisition hardware. The following Figure shows the block diagram consisting of the DAQ assistant and some numerical representation of the number of coins and weight in grams with the ability to adjust the offset. The bellow pictures showing how the practical work had been carried and what stage we did carry to finish this piece of work: Integrating all the circuits had been justified and connecting the output to the LabVIEW by the data acquisition. LabVIEW screen shots below show the real practical results of the circuit: Figure LabVIEW simulation Output values with no load on cantilever Figure output value with on load Screen shots for some values: When taken the results another test has been done by exchange the cantilever upside down and negative results found. And the following LabVIEW screen shot result show the output voltage with 10 coins on, with both negative and positive results: Figure output of 10 coins (negative and positive) Results and Analysis No of coins Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 Test 4 Test 5 Test 6 Test 7 Test 8 Test 9 Test 10 Mean (Average) Standard Deviation 1 0.20 0.24 0.23 0.21 0.22 0.23 0.24 0.25 0.26 0.20 0.228 0.02044 2 0.41 0.47 0.43 0.42 0.39 0.38 0.41 0.44 0.49 0.42 0.426 0.03373 3 0.62 0.71 0.69 0.64 0.63 0.62 0.65 0.64 0.63 0.61 0.644 0.03204 4 0.83 0.78 0.81 0.83 0.83 0.82 0.79 0.72 0.75 0.82 0.798 0.03795 5 1.12 1.21 1.18 1.19 1.09 1.05 1.17 1.16 1.15 1.11 1.143 0.04968 6 1.42 1.37 1.34 1.25 1.23 1.22 1.28 1.18 1.21 1.41 1.291 0.08749 7 1.57 1.81 1.79 1.71 1.64 1.62 1.67 1.66 1.61 1.56 1.664 0.08462 8 1.80 1.79 1.81 1.77 1.69 1.67 1.69 1.63 1.67 1.81 1.733 0.06929 9 1.93 1.99 2.01 2.05 1.99 1.99 1.89 1.93 1.97 1.92 1.967 0.04855 10 2.21 2.29 2.32 2.28 2.20 2.26 2.16 2.26 2.10 2.21 2.229 0.06624 Maximum Experimental Error The maximum experimental error in the expected value of Vo using the formula The error in our application was acceptable and its expected, many factors may affect the results especially temperature affect as the strain gauge based on resistance variation of the metal which affected by temperature. Self evaluation During working on this mini project I have learn a lot according to sensors application specially strain gauges application, and how we could make use of the sensors and how to design a circuit by choose the suitable components as well as improving the output results of the circuit. With the help from the tutor Dr Ahmed we succeed to design and built the circuit. The team which I was involved to do the work with was very good as very accomplish to finish the work as soon as possible. Working on teams has so many advantages as the work would be split to save the time. The designing and the building for the circuit didnt take much time, by the time we finished the design we started to take the measuring and the readings for the outputs. Working on new software like the LABVIEW was very challenge because its the first time for me to get use to this software and a very hard work has been taken to carry some tutorials and know how the software is work. As this software is very wide in use and has everything that the engineer can have the benefit from the use of such amazing software. Conclusion A mini project has been designed and built based on strain gauge trying to perform what it is regarded as basic function like measuring the weight. Stain gauges are quite simple in design. The circuit diagram of the design was designed in the MULTISIM electronic workbench software. All components were calculated to get suitable values as well as a typical calculation has been done for the results. The measurement values compared with the calculated values and a very small different was provided as this is expected and acceptable. Lapview tool was the best software to simulate the output of the circuit where the output can be clearly achieved as well as we could multiply, divide and/or add factors to the output results value.

Coping Mechanisms in Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five Essay

People react differently to tragedies: some mourn, some speak up, and some avoid the sorrow. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Kurt Vonnegut suggests the danger and inhumanity of turning away from the discomfort by introducing Billy Pilgrim as someone who is badly affected by the aftermath of the Dresden bombing, and the Tralfamadorians as the aliens who provide an easy solution to Billy. It is simpler to avoid something as tragic as death, but Vonnegut stresses the importance of confronting it. Vonnegut, like many artists, expresses his ideas through his creations. The significance of art is not confined to helping and inspiring the general public; the process of creating art also becomes another form of coping mechanism for artists. In Slaughterhouse-Five, Vonnegut expresses one of his ideas by focusing on the emotional impact of wars, instead of historical details. Because of this, Slaughterhouse-Five has received criticism for not being an accurate account of the Dresden bombing. There is no cause and effect in the book, not even a climax that is common to making it a good work of fiction. Vonnegut puts together the novel with small episodes and scatters them throughout the book without an actual timeline – the readers are traveling with Billy being spastic in time, living in the past, the present, and the future. It is, after all, not a history book but a science fiction novel. Vonnegut clarifies the logic of the novel’s style through the Tralfamadorians, who explain to Billy the layout of their books: â€Å"There is no beginning, no middle, no end, no suspense, no moral, no causes, no effects. What we love in our books are the depths of many marvelous moments seen all at one time† (Vonne gut 112). It is clear that the Tralfamadorians... ... Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five. New York: Dial. 2009. Print. Vees-Gulani, Suzanne. â€Å"Diagnosing Billy Pilgrim: A Psychiatric Approach to Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five.† Critique 44.2 (2003): 175-84. Print. Rackstraw, Loree. â€Å"The Vonnegut Cosmos.† The North American Review 267.4 (Dec. 1982): 63-67. JSTOR. Web. 25 Sept. 2011. Simpson, Josh. â€Å"‘This Promising of Great Secrets’: Literature, Ideas, and the (Re)Invention of Reality in Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, Slaughterhouse-Five, and Breakfast of Champions Or ‘Fantasies of an Impossibly Hospitable World’: Science Fiction and Madness in Vonnegut’s Troutean Trilogy.† Critique 45.3 (2004): 261-71. Print. Grace, Gillian. â€Å"Music for a broken city: The Cellist of Sarajevo is a novel-length lament of war.† Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. CBC, 22 April. 2008. Web. 28 Sept. 2011.

Nursing Ethics: Patient Abandonment Essay -- Nursing Case Study

This case study examines a case of an LPN who became ill while about halfway through her shift and chose to go home. This LPN was assigned to care for five patients in an obstetrical ward, four of which were considered stable. The fifth patient was awaiting an obstetrical consultation when the LPN became ill and vomited. At this time, she notified the other nurses and, subsequently, the charge nurse that she needed to leave due to illness. The charge nurse instructed her to notify her supervisor prior to leaving the facility; however, the LPN chose not to do so and went home. Her reasoning in not notifying her supervisor as she was instructed was that she feared that the supervisor would ask her to go to the emergency room for care. The LPN testified that she did not want to pay for an emergency visit and that she intended to make an appointment with her family doctor early that same day. The facility terminated the LPN’s contract and also reported her to the state boa rd of nursing for patient abandonment. As a judgment, the board of nursing suspended here nursing license pending a psychological examination and fined her $1000 for abandoning her patients. In this paper, we will examine the viewpoints of the LPN, the charge nurse, and the nursing supervisor as they relate to the Nurse Practice Act and the board of nursing. While the art of nursing has been around for centuries, the United States enacted the first nursing laws in 1903. The first nursing acts where developed as a response to conflict between nursing roles and physician roles. Nursing Practice Acts are enacted by each state’s legislature. Texas enacted the Nurse Practice Act in 1909. These acts are broad in regards to the practice of nursing, so the reg... ...ent’s needs and rights ahead of her own and ultimately do the right thing by her clients. Works Cited McDonald, Mackay & Weitz, llp,(2009). The texas board of nursing. Retrieved from http://www.healthlicensedefense.com/nurseshtml The Texas Board of Nursing,(2009). Nursing practice act. Nursing peer review, nurse licensure compact, & advanced practice registered nurse compact. Austin, TX Texas Board of Nursing, . (2004, February 1). Rules and regulations. Retrieved from http://www.bne.state.tx.us/nursinglaw/rr.html Wilson, N.R. (2011). Legal issues and the school nurse. Retrieved from http://staffweb.esc12.net/~mbooth/school_nurses/New_Nurse_Orientation_Manual/Willson_Nancy_Roper_%20Legal%20Issues%20and%20the%20School_Nurse_7-14-091.pdf Wright, L.D. (2011, February 8). Nursing jurisprudence. Retrieved from http://www.nursing-jurisprudence.com/

History and Politics of the Mexican Revolution Essay

The Mexican revolution was one of the most significant catastrophe in the twentieth century, which involved four momentous leader by the name of Madero , Diaz , Zapata and Obrengo. According to Alan Knight, author of the article â€Å"The Mexican Revolution†, â€Å"the Mexican revolution started as a protest of the middle class against the dictatorship of Porfrio Diaz†. A small minority of people were control of most of the country’s power and wealth, while the major of the population worked in poverty. According to Dan la Botz, author of article â€Å"The Mexican revolution part1, 1910-1920, â€Å"Tens of thousand of men and women fought in battles in many region of the country to end the dictatorship and overthrow the leader†. The attempt to mold a new generation that would continue the revolution’s efforts for the people into the future. Their campaign included programs for land reform, work protection, widespread literacy, and mandatory schools. The nation fund a mental economic, institution were transformed as a basic Agriculture production unit and the foreign own oil industry nationalized. In the 1910s a politician and military struggle arrived among various rival politicians, economic and social groups, the working class and the peasantry were defeated and subordinated to new master. The revolution began as an attempt to overthrow Porfrio Diaz who was a dictator of Mexico. According to Dan La Batz , author of â€Å"Mexican Revolution part 1 ,1910-1920† , â€Å"Mexico’s liberal who wanted a free market capitalist county like England and United States, battle consecutive who wanted a count more like Spain with its monarchy, powerful catholic church and feudal hierarchy (Botz 26). Diaz revived and expanded the nation economy, generally raising the levels of prosperity in the nation. The administration introduce changes that commercialized agriculture, modernized mining, financed industries, initiated railroads and enticed consumer. During the Porfrio ratio, as railroad construction dominated popular attention, city resident also witnesses the introduction of additional technology such as gas lighting, tramlines and other advances. Railroad transported raw material to the United States and Europe. Ordinary people who supplied the labor and raw materials were tricked to increase the country’s economy and Diaz later exploited domestic workers. Diaz fought alongside Mexican president benito Juarez and then against intervention. Diaz then emerged as a leading general and became president in 1876. Diaz served 34 years as the president of Mexico. Diaz took land from villages until most peasants had been reducing from small proprietors to day laborers. Diaz existence caused destruction upon the economy and social lives of Mexicans. He fought against his opponents and wag war. Diaz promised a free election against Francisco Madero another leader of Mexico who ran for election, after it became obvious he might not win. According to Beezley Williams H author of â€Å"Mexicans in Revolution 1910-1946: An introduction† â€Å"Francisco Madero became a revolutionary by accident, his entire life, his family, his education, his marriage and his early business efforts-marked him as a member of the elite (Williams 36). Madero’s family believed that his campaign was foolhardy if not suicidal. He campaign across the nation of Mexico with the aim of no presidential election. Madero’s movement was soon swelled with people who saw his campaign not only a chance for the politicial democracy but also the opportunity to struggle for more fundamental social change. Madero campaign threatened Diaz which forced him to get Madero arrested on felony charges and jailed in San Luis Potosi under house arrest in the summer 1910. In July 1910 with the help of his wealthy and politically connected family,Madero fled from San Luis Potosi to San Antonio, Texas and transformed the Anti reelection political organization for revolution to begin November 20. Madero issued his manifesto, the plan of San Luis, The plan laid out his vision of polotican democracy emphasizing the no presidential reelection. Madero slogans was â€Å"Effective Suffrage (that is honest voting) No reelection (prevent Diaz pattern of holding office) and Municipoo Libre( local control of issue such as taxes). Madero was elected president and assumed power in November 1911. By November 911 Zapata, another Mexican leader and his troops were at war with Madero’s Government. Zapata movement focuses on four main issues which was lands; which should be given to those who work for it, secondly labor unions; which had been suspended under Diaz, fought for their rights to organize and to strike and demand protective legislation for workers, thirdly education; for the country last battle with Catholic Church, the demand for free public education and finally ownership of oil nd mineral; all natural resources of Mexico should belong to is people. Zapata army was driven out of Mexico in the early 1916 by Carranza’s troop who was a Mexican leader that fought against Zapata. After this shift by Carranza’s troops, Zapata had no hope of fighting back Carranza because he didn’t have as much army as Zapata. According to Micheal Mathes author of article â€Å"Frontier Settlement in Mexican California† , with the help of chief advisor , Gildardo Magana he started an alliance for anyone who will want to fight Carranza (Mathes 503). Venustiano Carranza was the son of a middle class and who had been educated in Mexico to become part of the political elite. Carranza joined Madero’s rebellion and became president after the death of Madero. Carranza and his followers attempted to remodel cities, not by pulling down statues, wrecking monuments, or destroying the house of the old regime, but by creating a new society. The Mexican revolution was then divided into two rival bourgeois and plebian. According to WM. O.  OWEN, author of â€Å"The Mexican Revolution, Its progress , cause , purpose and probable result† Carranza’s constructional forces aimed to create a new nationalist state which could provide stability for Mexican born and foreign investors, while Connectionist led by Pancho Villa and Emiliano Zapata, desire to carry out the democratic and social reforms demanded by the country peasants and workers. The Constitutionalist would win the civil war because they understand the significant of the labor movement. Carranza’s armies had been successful in defeating the forces of Villa and Zapata. Carranza and his advisors produce a new constitution which settled in law and the principle issue of the revolution. These laws were divided into four articles. Article 27 provided the break up of the haciendas and distribution of land to peasant and indigenous community. Article 123 gave workers the right to organize unions and strike and create legislation. Article 3 ended the Catholic Church’s control of education, creating the free, lay public schools and finally, Article 130 banned the church from Mexican politics and society. Carranza’s forces continue to fight opposition leaders which he eventually assassinating Emiliano Zapata. On may 21 1920 the rebel forces captured and killed Carranza and the general Obrengon took power. Obrengon became president holding office from 1920-1924and Huerta revolt against President Obrengo in 1923. In conclusion lands were given to the working class and peasant, housing and farming territory and also ranching was easier to get. During the decades from 1917 to 1946 revolutionaries initiated a variety of campaign to bring revolution to people. At the same time the revolutionaries initiate campaign that proved to be only partially successful, to remake the symbols of Profrio rian regime in the image of the revolution.

Strategic Review of Australian Department Store David Jones

David Jones Limited (DJS) is an Australian retailer tracing its origins back to 1838 when it first opened in Sydney to sell â€Å"the best and most exclusive goods† (DJS, 31 Oct. 2009). It has since expanded to become a national retail chain comprising of nearly 40 premium department stores. The subject of this analysis is a strategic business unit (SBU) that is playing an increasingly important role in the company’s future growth strategy; namely the provision of financial services. As the result of a strategic alliance with American Express (AMEX), DJS launched the David Jones American Express (DJA) card in 2008 (ASX Media Release, 20 February 2008). To effectively analyse the value proposition of this SBU and product it is important to first examine the overall value proposition of the company. As defined by Kotler, a company’s value proposition is the set of benefits which it promises to deliver to consumers in order to satisfy their needs (Kotler et al. 009). In the case of DJS these core benefits are the provision of an â€Å"empowering level of customer service†, a distinctive store ambiance, a unique and high quality product range and international brand portfolio offered at competitive prices, and a mission statement to â€Å"be the best full line, differentiated department store† (DJS Enterprise Agreement 2006). Key aspects of this proposition include the company’s focus on quality, luxury and aspiration. In terms of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs it demonstrates a desire to deliver an experience and array of products which satisfy needs of belongingness and self-esteem in a potential buyer (Maslow 1954). It also forms the basis for the company’s positioning strategy and its marketing orientation towards customer satisfaction (AFR Boss Magazine, October 2009, p. 22). The company strives to deliver these key benefits to a primary target market consisting of â€Å"three generations of women (daughter, mother, grandmother) from households with above average disposable incomes† (DJS JP Morgan Conf. October 2009). In other words DJS has a segmenting, targeting and positioning (STP) strategy that is female skewed and aimed at the affluent ‘AB demographic’ which constitutes the top 20% of the socio-economic quintile based on education, income and occupation (Roy Morgan, 2009). The value proposition of the DJA card dovetails into this broad set of company values , offering an array of additional benefits and functionality for DJS customers that compliment the company’s market position as an aspirational brand (ASX Media Release, 20 Feb. 2008). Whereas historically the company’s branded store card was only accepted in DJS stores, the DJA card offers customers credit facilities at any merchant who accepts AMEX. It therefore leverages the AMEX brand as a leading global payments, network and travel company with its corresponding level of acceptance to offer DJS customers additional credit purchasing power and functionality (AMEX, 31 Oct. 2009). The DJA card also offers unique reward benefits and gift points to loyal customers, professing to â€Å"turn everyday spending into dream brands and dream destinations† (DJS, 31 Oct. 009). The value propositions of DJS and DJA can be considered effective for a number of key reasons. Firstly the core beliefs which underpin these value propositions have remained largely consistent over time, with only small changes in response to evolving markets. This is important given they act as the foundation of a company’s brand building process (MM 2009, p. 2-34). Secondly they are unique, leveraging DJS focus on luxury and aspiration to help differentiate product offerings like the DJA card from that of competitors. Thirdly these values augment the company’s segmenting and positioning strategy by providing clear benefits targeted to their core customer base. Lastly the value proposition is well communicated, permeating all aspects of their marketing mix and integrated marketing communications strategy through mediums such as in-store branding, direct mail, print media, publicity, and online marketing. An overall analysis of the five C’s was conducted for the DJA business unit: Company| Strengths: Joining of two strong brands, reduction of risk for DJS, wealthy customer base, strong growth of financial services, distinctive ‘house of brands’. Weaknesses: Potential damage to DJS brand by alliance partner’s actions, fee structure, lack of acceptance of AMEX cards generally, higher merchant fees associated with AMEX. Opportunities: Store expansion increasing reach of customer base for DJA card, expansion of DJA alliance, supplementary card, status program. Threats: Cardholder resentment at annual fee, alliance partner motivations, Myer IPO, supermarket co-branded cards, AMEX debt recovery procedures. | Customers| DJS retail: â€Å"DJ’s core customer comprises of 3 generations of women; daughter, mother, grandmother, with a household income of >$75,000 p. . † (Macquarie Australia Confere nce, 2009, Mark McInnes). As the DJA credit card is a product development strategy, of supplying new products to existing markets, the customers of DJA are essentially the same as the current DJS customers. | Collaborators| Strategic alliance with AMEX in the provision of the DJA credit card. International alliances with other retail stores when the DJA card is used within their stores (eg. Harrods, Harvey Nichols, etc. ). Other local ‘bonus partners’ in the DJA reward program (eg. Vintage Cellars). Competitors| DJs competitive environment is summarised using the following adaptation of Porter’s Five Forces (Porter, 1908, in MKMT, 2009, 1-26). Industry Competitors: Mastercard, Visa, and other smaller credit card providers. Along with other AMEX co-branded credit cards and store cards. New Entrants: Barriers to entry in the credit card market are high including capital for lending and the setup of infrastructure. Although these issues can be mainly overcome by forming a strategic alliance with one of the major credit card providers, as has been done in the case of the DJA credit card. Substitutes: There are a number of substitutes to the DJA credit card including EFTPOS direct from bank accounts DJS store cards, Visa Debit and cash. Power of Suppliers: Threat of forward integration by alliance partner AMEX. | Context| DJA’s operating context is defined using the following adaptation of PESTLE model (MKMT, 2009, 1-29). Political: Operating within each Australian State requires understanding of a multitude of separate state governments’ regulators, government policy and the impact on consumer confidence in the provision of credit cards. Proposed changes to the National Consumer Credit Regime currently being considered by the Federal Treasury. Economic: Performance of the credit card sector is closely linked to consumer confidence within the market, key indicators affecting consumer confidence include; GDP growth, unemployment rates, interest rates, banking sector health, public sector debt. Increasing levels of private sector credit card debt. Socio-Cultural: Current trends in fashion affecting ‘house of brands’ and indirectly the DJA card. Societal downward trend away from carrying and transacting with cash towards the use of alternative point of sales payments. Technological: New competitors in the form of online shopping experience. Legal: Operating within numerous legal jurisdictions requiring understanding of each unique jurisdiction in relation to providing financial services. Environmental: Current push towards credit card companies to introduce paperless billing. Demographic: Increasing standard of living in Australia leading to greater take up of credit cards and other lending avenues. Ageing population in Australia which is aligned with the DJS brand and the DJS core customer base. | SWOT Analysis (MM 2009, 1-25) Strengths: (S1) Brand strengths: David Jones is a strong iconic Australian brand with 170 year history (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009) and David Jones has offered branded credit cards to its customers for 48 years (McInnes, National Consumer Credit Regime, 12 June 2009). American Express formed in 1850 and in the 1950s, issued its first credit card (AMEX, 31 Oct. 2009). The DJA card capitalises on the strength of both brand heritages and service cultures, both locally and internationally (ASX Media Release, 20 Feb. 2008). S2) Strong financial structure with reduced risk to DJS: Alliance partner is responsible for the credit policy and owns the receivables of the Financial Services business with the transfer of $374. 3m of largely debt funded receivables to American Express (DJS FY09, 24 Sept. 2009) and so the risk associated with the portfolio sits with AMEX not DJS. (S3) Wealthy customers: Core customers have above average disposable income with a hous ehold income of greater than $75,000 (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009). (S4) Strong growth of financial services: 7. % growth in past year and same projected over next four years and large growth in core customer base (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009). (S5) Distinctive House of Brands: positioning with the best product range, great service and the reinvigoration of high-value stores (David Jones FY 09, 24 Sept. 2009). Each DJS offering needs to be distinctly branded in a way which creates an individual brand relationship with the customer whist also aligning with the overall position of the master brand of DJS itself (Aaker and  Joachimsthaler 2000). (S6) Growth of brands: Strong range of national and international brands (DJS JP Morgan Conf. Oct 2009). The growth of these brands via ‘the introduction of 50 new department store exclusive brands to its portfolio across all categories’ at DJS stores is more attractive to buyers (Samador, 28 Nov. 2008). (S7) Fee structure: High membership fees, merchant fees, and credit fees generate more cash for generous rewards program. Weaknesses: (W1) Risk of DJS brand being linked to AMEX: DJS brand linked to AMEX credit policy and debt recovery. AMEX are perceived to be a pushy credit provider, with one shareholder describing AMEX as a â€Å"low grade† card that diminishes David Jones' â€Å"prestigious reputation†, (Samador, 28 Nov. 2008). (W2) Fee structure: Internal shareholders resistance to the $99 annual membership fee and 20. 49% per annum interest rate (the DJS Store card was free to join). (W3) High merchant fees and low merchant acceptance: AMEX merchant fees are the highest of all mainstream credit cards on offer in Australia (RBA, 6 Nov. 2009). This has led to lower acceptance of AMEX compared to MasterCard and Visa Australia wide. Overall AMEX and DJS have complimentary and mutual strengths that compensate for their individual weaknesses, giving them greater combined strength. Opportunities: (O-1) DJA credit card usage outside DJS stores: The strong history of the store-card (McInnes, National Consumer Credit Regime, 12 June 2009) and the high proportion of store-card holders in the DJA card program (Samador, 28 Nov. 2008) imply that card usage is likely to continue to be concentrated in-store. Given national expenditure in Department Stores accounts for less than 9% of total retail spending (ABS Retail Trade, Sept 2009); there is large opportunity for DJA to grow revenue through usage in the wider retail market. O-2) DJA credit card usage inside DJS stores: The DJS store-card is held by many cardholders as a status symbol (Hanson, 2009, pers. Comm, 30 Oct. ). DJA may build on this perception to encourage greater spending in-store and greater in-store usage of the DJA card. (O-3) DJA cardholder expansion: The DJA card program inherited 400,000 active accounts from DJS (McInnes, National Consumer Credit Regime, 12 June 2009). However this is a small percent age of the market, given there are over 14. 3 million credit card accounts in Australia (RBA, 6 Nov 2009). Increasing the number of DJA cardholders, within the target segment, is a significant opportunity for DJA. Leveraging the increased market coverage, to be achieved by the DJS store expansion program (DJS JP Morgan Conf. , Oct 2009), is one such means of increasing cardholder numbers. (O-4) Expansion of the DJA alliance: In addition to credit cards, AMEX offers a range of insurance products, travel and financial services (AMEX, 31 Oct. 2009). DJA currently offers insurance products and travel services to their cardholders through their Gift Points program (DJS, 31 Oct. 009). DJA may offer a wider range of AMEX insurance products, travel and financial services, under the DJS brand, to their existing DJA cardholders and DJS customers. Threats (T): (T-1) Resentment of the annual fee: Many DJA cardholders, whom had migrated from the DJS store-card, resented the newly imposed $99 annual fee (DJS, 31 Oct. 2009). The resentment of the fee is re-ignited annually when the fee is levied, such t hat cardholders will continue to re-evaluate the on-going benefits of the DJA credit card. T-2) Alliance partner AMEX: Under the DJA alliance, the merchant fee is waived on purchases made within DJS stores on DJA credit cards (Hanson, 2009, pers. Comm, 30 Oct. ). Given the DJA credit card history as a DJS store-card, a high proportion of spending is conducted within DJS stores, thereby limiting the merchant fees collectable by DJA. AMEX would benefit significantly by luring DJA credit cardholders to alternate AMEX products, so AMEX would receive merchant fees on card purchases within DJS stores. (T-3) The Myer IPO: Preferential share allocations were offered to Myer One cardholders in the Myer IPO (Business Day, 23 Sept. 2009). Current and potential DJA credit card customers may have been swayed away to the Myer One card program to benefit in the Myer IPO. (T-4) Supermarket linked credit cards: The co-branded credit card market is keenly contested by department stores, supermarkets and petrol companies to name a few. Monthly retail expenditure on food is over five times greater than department store expenditure (ABS Retail Trade, Sept 2009). Customers may elect to align their credit card with the retail store where they spend the most money, the most frequently. (T-5) AMEX Debt recovery procedures: Under the DJA alliance, debt recovery is handled by AMEX. Strong debt recovery procedures and activity from AMEX may reflect poorly on the DJA card and the DJS stores as customer may not differentiate between the two. References Ansoff, I. Strategies for Diversification, Harvard Business Review, Vol. 35, Issue 5, Sep-Oct 1957, pp. 113-124. Maslow, A. 1954, Motivation and personality, Harper and Row. Aaker, D. A. , ; Joachimsthaler, E. 2000, Brand leadership: Building assets in the information society, Journal of Consumer Marketing. Kotler, P. , Adam, S. , Denize, S. ; Armstrong, G. 2009, Principles of marketing, 4th edn, Pearson Prentice Hall. Marketing Management, 2009, AGSM MBA Programs Graduate Diploma in Management. ASX Media Release, David Jones selects American Express as its strategic alliance partner for its general purpose card, 20 February 2008. Mitchell, S. , AFR Boss Magazine, October 2009, p. 22 McInnes, M. , ; Goddard, S. , David Jones – JP Morgan Conference Oct 2009. David Jones, Full Year (FY09) Results: August 2008 – July 2009, http://www. davidjones. com. au/images/corp/pdf/2009/FY09_Results_24Sep09. pdf, 24 September 2009. McInnes, M. , National Consumer Credit Regime, http://www. treasury. gov. u/consumercredit/content/consultation/submissions/downloads/national_consumer_credit_regime/David_Jones. pdf , 12 June 2009) Reserve Bank of Australia, Credit and Charge Card Statistics, http://www. rba. gov. au/statistics/bulletin. html , September 2009 @ 5pm. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Retail Trade, http://www. ausstats. abs. gov. au/ausstats/meisubs. nsf/0/0C3F2426BB831DF3CA257662000E0A71/$ File/85010_sep%202009. pdf , September 2009, p6 ASX Media Release, David Jones Selects American Express as its Strategic Alliance Partner for its General Purpose card, http://www. asx. com. au/asxpdf/20080220/pdf/317jmwgpqdm2qr. df , 20 February 2008. Samador, L. , Investors Turn on David Jones Amex card, http://news. theage. com. au/business/investors-turn-on-david-jones-amex-card-20081128-6mtb. html, 28 November 2008. Business Day, Premier results add weight to timing of Myer float, http://www. businessday. com. au/business/premier-results-add-weight-to-timing-of-myer-float-20090922-g0ly. html, 23 September 2009. David Jones, David Jones Enterprise Agreement 2006, http://www. sda. org. au/images/awards/award13. pdf, Accessed 2 Nov. 2009. www. americanexpress. com, Accessed 31 October 2009 @ 5pm www. davidjones. com. au, Accessed 31 October 2009, @ 5pm