Overview of Telecommunications Sector in Kuwait Article

Overview of Telecommunications Sector in Kuwait - Article Example This has worked against Wataniya Telecom, for example, the company had to drop charges on incoming calls. In early 2009, there was a shift from mobile-to-mobile calls because charges for calling from fixed lines to mobile were abolished. This has resulted in the APRU levels declining and tighter competition prompting consumer price reduction. Telecoms revenues dropped to KD475.5m ($1.66bn) in 2009 from KD476m ($1.66bn) in 2008 though there was a 31.4% increase in net profits from KD82.4m ($288m) in 2008 to KD108.3m ($378.5m), 2009 (Business Management International 2010) Even as prices go down, the Telecommunications sector in the country is experiencing elasticity and is expecting further growth in subscriptions. There has also been an increased use of cell phones due to lower tariffs. This puts the sector in position to make up for the reduced revenue through increased utilisation of value-added services. The main focus in this sector now is the increase of broadband and mobile int ernet services. One telecommunications company in this sector, Wataniya’s recently acquired revenues of about 43%, and is a very important revenue generator for the country. At the end of 2009, some other companies in the sector were also very profitable. Telecom held 39% of the Kuwait market as compared to 15% for Viva and 46% for Zain, which are all companies in Kuwait telecommunications sector. Telecom also took about 30% of the new telecommunications subscriptions, as compared to 61% for Viva. The Telecommunications sector in Kuwait bundles its services, unlike other telecommunication companies. However, they sell handsets separately except for Blackberry and iPhone which are under promotion. Customers are given Blackberry and iPhone handsets for free after acquiring a pre-paid subscription and operating on pay-as-you-go basis. This has led to increased usage of mobile internet, therefore, a source for revenue from non-voice services.  

Landslide and Debris Flow Essay Example for Free

Landslide and Debris Flow Essay A. A landslide is when a mass of soil, rocks and other debris moves down a slope, powered by the force of gravity. Sometimes, this movement is so sudden and rapid that it causes devastating loss of life and structural damage. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) B. A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to failure, whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before being released. (http://www.americansnetworkingtosurvive.org/Landslide.html) C. Landslides occur in all U.S. states and territories. In a landslide, masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope. Landslides may be small or large, slow or rapid. They are activated by storms, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, fires, and human modification of land. Landslide problems can be caused by land mismanagement, particularly in mountain, canyon, and coastal regions. Land-use zoning, professional inspections, and proper design can minimize many landslide, mudflow, and debris flow problems. (http://www.wilderness-survival.net/natural-hazards/landslides-mudslides/) D. Landslides are a serious geologic hazard that occurs in almost all 50 states. Every year in the United States, they cause significant damages and 25 to 50 deaths. Globally, landslides cause billions of dollars in damages and thousands of deaths and injuries each year. The term â€Å"landslide† describes many types of downhill earth movements ranging from rapidly moving catastrophic rock avalanches and debris flows in mountainous regions to more slowly moving earth slides. Some landslides move slowly and cause damage gradually, whereas others move so rapidly that they can destroy property and take lives suddenly and unexpectedly. Gravity is generally the force driving landslide movement. Landslides cause property damage, injury, and death and adversely affect a variety of resources. For example, water supplies, fisheries, sewage disposal systems, forests, dams, and roadways can be affected for years after a slide event. Landslides generally happen where they have occurred in the past, and in identifiable hazard locations. Areas that are prone to landslides include existing old landslides, the bases of steep slopes, the bases of drainage channels, and developed hillsides where leach-field septic systems are used. (http://www.survivalkitsonline.com/landslidepreparedness.html) E. Landslides occur when masses of rock, earth, or debris move down a slope. (http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/landslides.asp) Risks or Dangers from landslides A. The immediate risk to human life from a landslide or mudslide is being caught in its path: sand, and thick mud especially, can cause suffocation, and people can be trapped or crushed by boulders or other debris, or by buildings collapsing under the weight of the flow. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) B. Landslides can also disrupt power lines and water and sewerage pipes, potentially leading to electric shock and contaminated drinking-water. Roads and other transportation arteries may be blocked by debris, raising the risk for accidents and hampering access by rescue and medical services. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) C. Landslides, mudflows and debris avalanches frequently accompany other natural hazards such as floods and earthquakes. The October 17, 1989 earthquake resulted in many areas of unstable land throughout the County which will be further impacted by winter storm conditions . (http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/oes/landslide%20and%20mudflow.htm) D. Areas are at Risk: 1. Areas where wildfires or human modification of the land have destroyed vegetation; 2. Areas where landslides have occurred before; 3. Steep slopes and areas at the bottom of slopes or canyons; 4. Slopes that have been altered for construction of buildings and roads; 5. Channels along a stream or river; and 6. Areas where surface runoff is directed. (http://www.americansnetworkingtosurvive.org/Landslide.html) Tips on Surviving landslides A. How to avoid them:1. Be in tune with your surroundings. If you’re travelling to a new area, swot up on it and find out about the potential risks (landslides or otherwise). Check out the topography: are there dodgy-looking slopes (steep or eroded) in the area? And especially: what is the weather doing? Intense rainstorms can be dangerous, especially if there’s been a preceding period of wet weather. 2. If you decide not to leave the area, then at least stay awake if you think there’s a chance of a landslide: many such disasters have occurred while their victims were asleep. Keep a portable, battery-powered radio with you to stay in touch with any safety announcements. Move up to a second story if possible, which might help to keep you above the level of the debris. 3. Listen for unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as tree branches breaking, boulders knocking, or a faint rumbling that increases in volume. 4. A trickle of mud or soil may precede the main landslide. If you are near a stream or channel, beware of a sudden increase or decrease in water flow, or a change from clear to muddy water: this could mean landslide activity upstream. If you’re driving, remember that road embankments are prone to landslides. Also watch out for fallen rocks and mud. 5. Any of the above signs mean you may have only a few minutes (or even seconds) to get out of the path of the landslide. 6. Also, beware if the following occur for the first time: a. Cracks in walls or the ground. b. Doors or windows stick. c. Outside walls or stairs lean away from the main building. d. Underground utility lines break. e. The ground bulges at the base of a slope. f. Water breaks through the ground surface. g. Fences, walls, utility poles or trees tilt. (http://www.health24.com/medical/Condition_centres/777-792-1461-2097,34702.asp) B. Preparedness 1. Reinforce the foundation and walls of your home. Identify vulnerable areas of your home and add temporary shoring, bracing or shear wall supports where necessary. 2. Install flexible rather than stiff pipe fitting to avoid gas or water leaks in the event of a landslide or mudflow. 3. Mudflow is covered by flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). You can buy flood insurance even if you do not live in the flood plain. Keep your insurance coverage up to date. 4. Stockpile emergency building supplies such as ropes, buckets, large plastic bags, plywood, sandbags, plastic sheeting and lumber. 5. Maintain emergency supplies such as water, foods that require little cooking, a first aid kit, portable radio and flashlights. 6. In high risk areas, construct channels to direct the mudflows around your home or buildings. 7. If you are inside during a landslide and the building is not in peril of sliding down a hill, stay inside and get under a desk, table or other sturdy furniture. 8. If you are outside and cannot get into a sturdy building while rocks and debris tumble toward you, curl into a tight ball and protect your head. 9. Usually, you can survive a mudflow or debris avalanche only by avoiding it. If you are in a valley, get out as soon as possible once you hear rumbling from upstream or feel the ground tremble. These are signs that a mudflow may be coming your way. 10. If caught in a mudflow, try grabbing onto a large rock, tree or anything being carried along. (http://sccounty01.co.santa-cruz.ca.us/oes/landslide%20and%20mudflow.htm) What you should do? A. Before the landslide 1. Contact your local fire, police, or public works department. Local officials are the people best able to assess the potential danger. 2. Inform affected neighbors. Your neighbors may not be aware of the potential hazard. Advising them of a threat may help save lives. Help neighbors who may need assistance to evacuate. 3. Leave. Getting out of the path of a landslide or debris flow is your best protection. Take your pets with you when you leave, provided you can do so without endangering yourself. (http://www.survivalkitsonline.com/landslidepreparedness.html) 4. Assume that steep slopes and areas burned by wildfires are vulnerable to landslides and debris flows. 5. Learn whether landslides or debris flows have occurred previously in your area by contacting local authorities, a county geologist or the county planning department, state geological surveys or departments of natural resources, or university departments of geology. 6. Contact local authorities about emergency and evacuation plans. 7. Develop emergency and evacuation plans for your family and business. 8. Develop an emergency communication plan in case family members are separated. 9. If you live in an area vulnerable to landslides, consider leaving it. (http://emergency.cdc.gov/disasters/landslides.asp) 10. Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter for information on local landslide and debris flow hazards. 11. Get a ground assessment of your property. 12. County or state geological experts, local planning department or departments of natural resources may have specific information on areas vulnerable to landslides. Consult an appropriate professional expert for advice on corrective measures you can take. 13. Minimize home hazards. 14. Plant ground cover on slopes and build retaining walls. 15. In mudflow areas, build channels or deflection walls to direct the flow around buildings. 16. Remember: If you build walls to divert debris flows and the flow lands on a neighbors property, you may be liable for damages. Explore a neighborhood or special district project. 17. Install flexible pipe fittings to avoid gas or water leaks. Flexible fittings are more resistant to breakage. 18. Familiarize yourself with your surrounding area. 19. Small changes in your local landscape could alert you to the potential of greater future threat. 20. Observe the patterns of storm-water drainage on slopes and especially the places where runoff water converge 21. Watch for any sign of land movement, such as small slides, flows, or progressively leaning trees, on the hillsides near your home. 22. Be particularly observant of your surrounding area before and during intense storms that could heighten the possibility of landslide or debris flow from heavy rains. Many debris flow fatalities occur when people are sleeping. 23. Talk to your insurance agent. Debris flow may be covered by flood insurance policies from the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). 24. Learn to recognize landslide warning signs.

Generation of Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation

Generation of Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation Generation of Extreme Ultraviolet Radiation from Intense Laser-Plasma Interactions using Two-Colour Harmonics BRIEF HISTORY Over the past few decades breakthroughs in the production of intense laser fields have meant that multi-terawatt and even petawatt systems are now standard in laboratories**. This has been achieved through reduction of the pulse duration, originally from nanosecond pulses down to femtosecond and recently reaching attosecond levels (1as =10-18s)**. This coupled with important improvements to systems, such as the chirped pulse amplification technique (CPA)**, has allowed laser pulses to be amplified to higher peak powers than ever before and used in laser-matter interactions. The resulting scientific drive from developments such as these pushed achievable laser intensities from 109W/cm2 to the 1014W/cm2, at which the interaction between these high intensity lasers and dense electron-free gas was studied**. Only recently thanks to advances in both laser performance and computer simulation tools has study on laser-plasma interactions in the generation of HHG made progress, providing the possibility to generate sources of incoherent electromagnetic radiation of short wavelength and pulse durations**. As further study was carried out on the interaction of light with relativistic free electrons in plasma, it has reached a point now in which generation of high-harmonics of the fundamental laser, soft and hard x-rays, and shorter pulse duration (1as) lasers of intensities reaching 1018W/cm2 are now possible**. Due to this the generation of high-order-harmonics from high-intensity laser interactions has been a major area of attoscience research within the last decade. HHG PRODUCTION High harmonic generation (HHG) refers to the process in which a high intensity laser pulse is focused onto a target, classically a noble gas, in which strong nonlinear interactions result in the generation of very high harmonics of the optical frequency of the pulse**. This will occur for intensities of 1014W/cm2 and above, where typically only a small amount of this energy is converted into the higher harmonics. From these high-harmonics, spatially and temporally coherent attosecond pulses of extreme ultraviolet light can be generated, which can then be used as a reliable source of highly tuneable short wavelength radiation in many different applications e.g. x-ray spectroscopy**. In the case of high intensity laser-gas interactions this is achieved by tailoring the intensity of the laser pulse so that its electric field amplitude is similar to the electric field in the target atoms**. From this the lasers electric field is able to remove electrons from the atoms through tunnel ionisation, at which point the electrons are accelerated in the field and, with certain conditions controlled, are made to collide with the newly created ion upon recombination. The resulting collision generates the emission of high energy photons**, as shown in fig 1. Fig. 1: HHG three step model. This is known as the three step model; electron is detached from atom through tunnel ionisation, then accelerated within the field away from atom, then accelerated back towards atom where it collides and recombines, from this collision all the energy lost appears as emitted HHG ultraviolet photons. HHG from laser-gas interactions have been used extensively to generate attosecond pulses but is limited in flux and photon energy by low conversion efficiencies between the driving laser energy and the attosecond pulses, this can be attributed to two key factors; loss of phase matching between the driving laser to the generated extreme ultraviolet (XUV) radiation as its propagated through the gas over a relatively large distance, and a restriction on the intensity of the driving laser due to the ionisation threshold of the target gas, this saturation intensity is roughly 1016W/cm2**. Meaning laser intensities above this threshold limit will over-ionise the gas leaving no neutral atoms left to generate the XUV harmonics. The use of laser-solid interaction offers the opportunity of reaching much higher attosecond pulse intensities and generation efficiencies beyond the capabilities of gas based HHG**. The method of generating high-harmonics in laser-solid interactions is fundamentally different than that of laser-gas interactions. Interaction of intense ultrashort laser pulses (of pulse duration around a few femtoseconds) on an optically polished solid surface results in the target surface being completely ionised, generating a dense plasma which will act as a mirror, called a plasma mirror**. The reflection of these high intensity laser pulses will be affected by a wave motion set-up in the electrons within the plasma surface causing it to distort the reflected laser field, resulting in the production of upshifted light pulses and the generation of high-order harmonics**. Due to the coherent nature of this process, these generated harmonics are phase-locked and emerge as attosecond pulse. Fig. 2 Laser pulse moving towards overdense plasma. A key property of this plasma is its electron density, this determines whether the laser is reflected, absorbed or not allowed to pass through. This is known as the density gradient scale length, as the laser pulse interacts with the target and forms a plasma it creates a profile that extends out into the vacuum, forming a plasma density profile. This is a critical factor in HHG and consists of two regions: Overdense scale length, Lod If the electron density is equal to the critical density of the target or above, extending up to the maximum target density, the laser pulse is unable to penetrate through the target and is so reflected or absorbed. Underdense scale length, Lud If the electron density is below this critical density the laser will penetrate through, with some absorption. Fig. 3 Plasma density profile, Lud is underdense region, Lod is overdense region. The critical density is determined from: Where is the angular frequency of the laser. As stated before the target surface is highly ionised by the leading edge of the laser pulse, known as the pre-pulse, therefore becoming rapidly over-dense and creating a plasma mirror of sufficient electron density, ne>nc**. HHG within plasma requires laser intensities >1015W/cm2 for 800nm field**, which is usually stated in terms of a normalised vector potential of a ­0, where: In which; e and m are electron charge and electron mass respectively. c is speed of light in vacuum. E is the amplitude of the lasers electric field. I is the lasers intensity. à Ã¢â‚¬ °l is the laser frequency and ÃŽÂ »l is the laser wavelength. Therefore HHG in plasma requires at least an a0à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¥0.03. Recently is was discovered** that there are two mechanisms that lead to HHG from solid density plasma surfaces; Relativistic oscillating mirror (ROM) Coherent wake emission (CWE) These two process result in different distortions to the reflected laser field and therefore a completely different harmonic spectra produced. CWE Coherent wake emission is a process of three steps; Electrons on the surface of the plasma are drawn into the vacuum by the laser field and accelerated back into the dense plasma once they have gained energy from the driving laser field. When propagating within the dense plasma these fast electrons form ultrashort bunches, creating plasma oscillations in their wake. Within the non-uniform region of the plasma (produced from the density gradient between the plasma-vacuum boundary) the electron oscillations will radiate energy in the form of light of various local plasma frequencies found within this gradient. This process will occur once for every laser cycle therefore the spectrum of the emitted light will consist of harmonics of the laser frequency, in which CWE harmonic spectra have a cutoff at the maximum plasma frequency à Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­pmax **. This mechanism is predominant at moderately relativistic intensities of a0à ¢Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ¤1, and short but finite plasma gradient lengths of **. Coherent wake emission has only recently been identified as a factor in HHG in laser-solid interactions but it is known that it along with ROM contributes to the generation of high-harmonic orders below à Ã¢â‚¬ °Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­pmax and the strength of their respective influence below this threshold is determined by laser intensity**. ROM The other mechanism involved in the generation of high-harmonics from laser-plasma interactions is the relativistic oscillating mirror process, this dominates for relativistic normalised vector potentials of a0>>1, although recent studies have shown that ROM harmonics can be observed even at lower intensities when the plasma gradient length is about **. ROM process occurs when surface electrons in the plasma are oscillated collectively by the high intensity incident laser field to relativistic speeds, the plasma will reflect what it observes as a laser pulse of frequency à Ã¢â‚¬ °+. This à Ã¢â‚¬ °+ frequency is a higher upshifted frequency of the fundamental pulse due to a Doppler effect produced from the relative motion of the laser field to the moving reflection point on the oscillating plasma surface. The actual reflected laser pulse will have a frequency of à Ã¢â‚¬ °++ due to a second Doppler upshift effect as it moves towards an observer/target. This is known as Einsteins relativistic Doppler effect, in which the reflected pulse frequency is upshifted by a factor of 4ÃŽÂ ³2**. Fig 4. Schematic of a relativistic oscillating critical density plasma interaction. From past research it has been found that from this mechanism a power-law decay scaling of I(n)ROMn-8/3 is dominant (where n is the harmonic order) in the harmonic spectrum for harmonic orders above the CWE cut-off point, nCWE,** this is the harmonic order related to the maximum plasma frequency of the target, à Ã¢â‚¬ °pmax, mentioned previously. Where: nCWE = nà Ã¢â‚¬ °max = à Ã¢â‚¬ °pmax/à Ã¢â‚¬ °l = In which; à Ã¢â‚¬ °l is the frequency of the laser, is the maximum electron density of the target, Nc is the critical density shown previously. From this process initial femtosecond pulses can be used to create attosecond pulses. When coupled to a relativistic oscillating mirror it adds an oscillatory extension to Einsteins relativistic Doppler effect, so due to the periodic motion of the mirror to the laser field and the double Doppler upshifts this results in the production of extreme ultraviolet (XUV) harmonics**. These ultra-short pulses have been the focus of much scientific research recently as they offer a promising way to resolve in the time domain the ultrafast dynamics of electrons within materials**. Although the relativistic oscillating mirror process is more suited as a macroscopic model for the effective reflection point of the laser field. It assumes that the surface electrons bunch together as the target is ionised and move out into the vacuum to form the plasma where they remain in the overdense region ensuring that the laser field is completely reflected. More recently studies have discovered there is another mechanism in the relativistic regime that can contribute to the harmonic spectrum via a different process entirely. CSE This other process is known as Coherent synchrotron emission (CSE)** and is needed to explain observations that do not fit the previous two models, in which dense electron nanobunches are created at the plasma-vacuum boundary where they produce coherent XUV radiation through coherent synchrotron emission. This is a microscopic model of HHG in laser-solid interactions. It models the electrons in the plasma moving, in dense bunches, under the influence of the incident laser field and subsequent fields produced from the movement of charges within the plasma. These nanobunches are periodically formed and coherently accelerated through an instantaneously synchrotron-like orbit during each laser cycle, for oblique laser incidences. As certain conditions, such as ultrashort plasma density scale length, are met these bunches emit bursts of sub-femtosecond intense high-frequency radiation. This radiation has properties dependent on the electron trajectories and it has been shown that it can b e modelled as synchrotron radiation**, therefore the coherent XUV emissions are distinctly different from that produced in ROM from relativistic Doppler upshifts. In reality actual electron dynamics may be a mix of CSE and ROM, but due to the complex nature of the changing fields within a plasma it makes it impossible to analytically model with accuracy. Therefore requiring the use of computer simulations to deal with the electron trajectories and their respective radiation emissions. PREVIOUS EXPERIMENTS Based on the work of Edwards et al, 2014, in which the study of attosecond XUV pulse generation from relativistic driven overdense plasma targets with two-colour incident light was performed they used 1D, three velocity, particle-in-cell (PIC) code simulations, which treat oblique incidence with boosted frames, to show how pulse intensity can be improved. They converted a small amount (~5%) of the fundamental laser field energy to an additional laser operating at the second harmonic of the fundamental frequency, to significantly enhance the intensity of the generated attosecond pulses by multiple orders of magnitude. This was based on previous work in which mixing of the fundamental driving laser frequency with the second harmonic was performed on laser-gas interactions to increase the attosecond pulse intensity and isolation (K. J. Schafer et al, 1992). Edwards demonstrated that a significant improvement was also possible through this mixing method in laser-solid interactions following the Similarity theory (proposed by Gordienko and Pukhov,**), that suggests the behaviour of laser-plasma interactions follow a similarity parameter of: 1/S = a0/N à Ã¢â‚¬ °l Where S = ne/a0nc, is a similarity parameter and N = ne/nc which is the ratio of electron density of the plasma to its critical density. Therefore from this it would appear that by doubling à Ã¢â‚¬ °l while using the same laser field amplitude the reflected attosecond pulse intensity would also be increase by a factor of two. One of the main limiting parameters in these experiments is the achievable value of a0, while the largest solid material value of N (lithium at ÃŽÂ »=800nm) is 75, so this type of frequency doubling appears to be a promising pathway to optimising attosecond pulse intensity, although a drawback of this is the negative effect it has on the isolation of the reflected pulses. Therefore they stated that a two-colour method, of partially converting a portion of the fundamental laser field energy to the second harmonic, would be a more attractive alternative. Through this process the advantages of using a higher incident frequency, by increasing the gradient of the electric field at certain points within the pulse generation cycle, without the related decrease in pulse isolation and loss of energy associated to simple frequency doubling can be exploited. In their study they used a normal-incidence beam on a step-like plasma density profile using a mix of the first and second harmonic with a phase difference of to produce harmonics with a higher intensity than either incident field individually. They demonstrate substantial gains after the addition of a small amount of the second harmonic to achieve attosecond pulse enhancement of factors >10. As well as a 10-fold enhancement when using density gradients of 0.05ÃŽÂ » and 0.15ÃŽÂ » with conversions of the fundamental to the second harmonic of 5%-10% at an angle of incidence of à Ã‚ ´=30o. Therefore Edwards was able to go on and state that the relative phase of the two incident harmonics were a critical factor in the improvement in attosecond pulse intensity. This is due to the difference in the driving electric field waveform and corresponding resultant electron motion as is varied. Where they linked the strongest attosecond pulse intensities with sharp transitions in the driving electric field that are aided by the addition of the second harmonic at optimum phases, while phases that break the driving field transition reduce the attosecond intensities to levels sometimes substantially below what could be achieved pre-mixing of the harmonics. Therefore when harmonics are combined without thought to their phases they do not always improve the attosecond strength. Further detail into the trajectories of dense electron bunches, which emit synchrotron like radiation (CSE) was given to help explain this effect, where supressed pulse electrons were shown to follow a longer and slower motion before being accelerated and subsequently emitting, resulting in longer elongated trajectories. Whereas electrons that contribute to the improvement of the attosecond pulse strength are shown to experience a larger field before and during emission. This meant their velocity and acceleration components were larger than the suppressed electrons, giving them more energy as it is driven back into the plasma. Overall they state that the larger the electric field experienced by the electrons increases the intensity of the reflected attosecond pulse, due to the number of electrons travelling in a dense bunch increasing as this larger field that the electrons near the surface experience compresses them into higher density bunches. Another study performed by Yeung et al, 2016, focused on controlling the attosecond motion of strongly driven electrons at the boundary between the pre-formed plasma and the vacuum. They demonstrated experimentally that by precisely adding an additional laser field, at the second harmonic of the fundamental driving frequency, attosecond control over the trajectories of the dense electron bunches involved in intense laser-plasma interactions can be achieved. From this considerable improvements in the high-harmonic generation intensity was observed, which confirms the theoretical work by Edwards in two-colour fields reviewed previously while developing upon this to further factors. Experimentally they showed that attosecond control over the phase relationship of the two driving fields is necessary to optimise the reflected attosecond pulse intensity. While also using PIC simulations to determine the optimal and worst phase relationships, in which a phase of was found to optimise the emission. Microscopic focus determined that during each cycle the emission of the attosecond pulse begins as a primary electron bunch which is compressed and then quickly accelerated away from the surface up to relativistic velocities, from here it emits before it disperses and returns back to the plasma. Secondary bunches are also present but these were found not to have a significant effect harmonic spectrum for orders >20. These bunches were found to emit when their velocities where at their max, which confirmed that the two-colour field phase matched the emitted XUV to the acceleration produced from the fundamental laser field. While at the poorest phase relationship, which Yeung found to be , a plateau in the driving laser field is created which impedes the acceleration of the electrons from the surface, therefore reducing the density of the electron bunch produced that can emit. They concluded from the data provided by the simulations that control of the relative phase of the two colour driving fields has a significant effect the electron bunch dynamics. While from the experimental data their collected it was demonstrated that the HHG produced from the two-colour field was increased substantially when no laser pre-pulse was involved, or equivalently when the plasma has shorter density scale length. Confirming the work of Edwards et al, 2014, that two-colour fields generate significantly more higher-harmonic orders than that of a fundamental field alone, even when only a small percentage (5%-10%) of the fundamental laser energy is converted to the second harmonic. INTRODUCTION TO TWO-COLOUR HARMONICS - ABSTRACT BRIEF SUMMARY OF EXPERIMENT, RESULTS AND CONCLUSION 1x INTRODUCTION BRIEF HISTORY .5x HHG PRODUCTION .5x CWE 1x ROM 2x (inc. plasma theory e.g. scale length) CSE 1x COMPARISON WITH GAS EXPERIMENTS 1x PAST EXPERIMENTS LEADING UP TO THIS ONE 2x INTRODUCTION INTO SPECIFICS OF THIS EXPERIMENT 1x METHOD PIC CODES EXPLAINED 2x EPOCH DETAILS 1x LASER DETAILS 1x PROCESS OF ANALYSIS .5x CREATION OF GRAPHS .5x RESULTS GRAPHS COMPARE CONTRAST IMPLICATIONS CONCLUSION FURUTRE RESEARCH 1x IMPROVEMENTS 1x         

Run With The Horsemen Essay -- essays research papers

Little Porter Osborne, Jr. grew up on a farm in Georgia where the people own the land and the land, in turn, owns the people. In the novel, Run with the Horsemen, Porter fights his way through adolescence and the depression, learning more about life every day from the big boys under the tree at lunch. Ferrol Sams is able to portray a realistic account of life on a farm during the depression by using humor, dialect, and vivid imagery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Humor is used throughout the book to keep the reader interested in what would otherwise be a boring story of hard work and hard times. The boring and tedious act of plowing is turned into a dangerous, yet humorous, occurrence when a release of methane gas from the mule was met by a match that Porter happened to be holding in cl...

Flooring Company Business Plan Essay

JD Epoxy has established a website that gives general information about products and services. The website will be developed with more detailed functions so it can offer customer services like consultation, Q&A, and reservations. Also, JD Epoxy plans to use the website for links to other social media like Facebook, Youtube and Blogger to connect with customers more closely, and there will be video materials introducing the JD Epoxy team that will deliver a friendly and trustworthy image to customers. Presently Daniel minimizes costs by managing the business from his home. He rents grinders, vacuums, and application tools from Gestion Anny-Picard, and Simplex. He purchases supplies on a per-project basis from CTM adhesives. He plans to open a warehouse in the West Island area as his client base increases, in order to keep an inventory of supplies and purchase equipment. As business continues to grow, he will add an office space to the warehouse. Presently all of the installation work is done by Daniel and Yannick. As contracts increase, they will need to hire additional labor, which will enable them to concentrate on other tasks. The usual installation process takes a couple of days, so having multiple teams will boost the productivity of the business. For the time being Daniel will continue to deal with customers directly by phone and by visiting them in person for estimations. Once financing is ready, JD Epoxy will set up a customer service department to deal with clients. The customer service department will answer the phone, respond to questions and take reservations from customers, as well as attending to the website services. The team will be composed of at least two people in the beginning, so that they can rotate break times, since there should be constant service during business hours. Once website traffic and call volume increases, the customer service team will be expanded to limit wait times. When a customer calls for a consultation, Daniel visits in person to give a more detailed quote and provide explanations about the service procedures. This is a very important role in this business since customers can change their minds during this step, so it requires someone with professional knowledge and great communication skills to interact with the customer. That is why Daniel prefers to visit customers himself at this point rather than sending an employee. However, JD Epoxy will start to prepare a sales consultation department for the future. There will be intense training for customer visitation and quoting. The sales consultation department will be necessary when appointments increase and will allow a more flexible schedule to customers, since overlapping appointments will be possible once the department is in place. The sales consultation department is very important in the JD Epoxy organization since they will represent the company on the front line and speak on behalf of the company, bringing in actual contracts that lead to profits. The accounting department will deal with financing, taxes, and payroll. This department should be organized from the beginning, since JD Epoxy is a partnership, and delegating the accounting work to a third party will give a more objective overview of the company’s financial state and preserves a fair relationship between the partners. The accounting department will start with one inside book keeper working in liaison with an external accounting firm, until JD Epoxy can select a CFO. JD Epoxy will establish a marketing team which will support the sales department by providing target regions and information for sales pitches. This department will work closely with the sales and accounting departments to coordinate the marketing budget and set sales objectives. JD Epoxy will have a general administration department that organizes documents and handles day-to-day office tasks such as routing calls and dealing with suppliers. This department has an important role because they act as the glue that binds all the other departments together, tracking procedures from beginning to end. This department will start with one employee, and expand as needed. These five departments should fit together like nuts and bolts. Each department needs the others’ support at all times. They should be able to share their opinions and information openly. There will be regular meetings and events with all departments present to encourage teamwork and motivation. The glue of the business will center around a management software that Daniel will program. This software will follow clients throughout the whole workflow of the business. All departments will work on the same software and they will update the customer information as it passes through the business: marketing to sales, to production, and finally to clientele satisfaction. This software will track all information of the client and respective projects. At the end of the year, we will know exactly the sales ratio per marketing tool and per period, the gallons bought and used, the hourly estimates and charges, etc. We will then precisely analyze the business and be able to correct faults rapidly. Work Flow: Organizational Structure Goal: JD Epoxy Based on the sales projection JD Epoxy sales revenue will be around $75,000 in 2013 and grow to $150,000, $300,000, and $500,000 in the following years. The SME report (NAICS code # 23833), shows how much members of this industry are spending for wages and labor. For instance, companies with revenue around $70,000 spend $11,000 for wages and labor, while those with revenue around $300,000 spend $77,000 for wages and labor. Since we should include the CEO’s salary in this cost, from 2013 to 2016, JD Epoxy cannot pay for full time employees; they can only afford part time employees when needed. In 2017, JD Epoxy can start to offer full time positions to part time employees and begin hiring full time employees thereafter.

Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary Essay

Perceptual maps help to improve a company’s current product on the market by mapping consumer expectation of the product. The motorcycle company Thorr Motors perceptual maps were used to create a marketing plan to aid in maintaining a high brand image of their motorcycles. The Marketing Dictionary defines perceptual maps as a â€Å"process by which consumers’ perceptions of an existing product are charted† (n.d., para. 1). In this paper the three phases of the simulation, the situation, recommended solution, and results will be discussed. In addition there will be a discussion on relationship between differentiation and positioning of products or services and the impact of the product life cycle on marketing. Phase I (2Ãâ€"01)Sales of the Cruiser Thorr are decreasing. This is so because the Cruiser Thorr’s target consumers are aging and their tastes have begun to outgrow the lifestyle that Cruiser Thorr symbolizes. In addition to this issue, younger consumers are more interested in lower priced motorcycles due to their lower personal disposable incomes and they do not indentify with Cruiser Thorr’s lifestyle image. This scenario wanted to determine the Cruiser Thor’s position in the market by choosing four relevant parameters that will reflect the highest potential. For phase I the parameters that were chosen were lifestyle image, services offered, price, and quality engineering. Lifestyle image was chosen since the image for the Cruiser Thorr was being outgrown by the aging target audience and was not identifiable with younger consumers. Since the Cruiser Thorr’s lifestyle image is set very high any vital information gathered will be highly useful to maintain that level of image so that it satisfies both an older and younger audience. Services offered was another parameter chosen because compared to their competitors the services offered by the Cruiser Thorr are limited. The more frills a product comes with, the more it may heighten the desire for it. The third parameter that was chosen was price. Price was chosen because for many consumers price is one of the most important factors in making a buying decision. Furthermore, it was stated earlier that younger consumers were more interested in lower priced motorcycles. Finding out how much is too much as well as how low can you go without diluting brand image will be important in determining the  appropriate price tag to spark consumer interest. The last parameter chosen was quality engineering. This was chosen because of the fact that the Cruiser Thorr will not be able to maintain a high brand image without this feature (University of Phoenix, 2004). The decision to use lifestyle image, services offered, price, and quality engineering were the appropriate parameters to use. The parameters that were chosen were fundamental to the perceptual map and gave the best perspective as opposed to the other options. Phase II The position of the Cruiser Thorr is determined by the perceptual map and this position has not helped sales. This scenario calls for the marketing manager to create a marketing plan that will either reposition the Cruiser Thorr or launch a new motorcycle. Upon researching threats and weaknesses of Thorr Motorcycles, the decision was made to launch a new motorcycle, the RRoth, which will grab the attention of younger consumers. With the new launch the marketing mix needed to be determined. The price for the new RRoth was set between $13,000 and $15,000. This price range was chosen because earlier surveys conducted showed that the younger consumers were more interested in lower priced motorcycles. The types of promotions chosen were sponsored events at Daytona, offering insurance and protection plans, free test rides, publicize through Hollywood films, and providing giveaway merchandise. These were all chosen because of the high amount of appeal these types of promotional methods would have on younger consumers. The places chosen to promote the RRoth were the internet (Manufacturer’s Web site), Dealers, and Distributors. These options were chosen because of the accessibility to younger consumers, especially the internet. The services chosen were training to dealers, customization options, and financial services. Training to dealers was chosen so that the dealers can provide detailed and accurate information about the products sold. Customization options were chosen because this would add to the cool and youthful image of the RRoth. Financial services were chosen because the younger consumers indicated an interest in financing options. Choosing to launch a new motorcycle turned out to be a good decision. The marketing mix options chosen were the most optimal for the formulation of a differentiation strategy. Phase III It has been a year since the marketing plan was implemented and it is now time to determine if the plans have or have not been a success. Consumer perceptions of the Cruiser Thorr and the RRoth have been surveyed and a perceptual map will show whether or not the marketing activities have been a success. The marketing manager has to interpret market research to plot brand attributes of Cruiser Thorr. In addition, attributes relevant to the RRoth need to be chosen and interpreted to create RRoth’s perceptual map. The Cruiser Thorr was rated in lifestyle image at 9 because initially this was rated very high. A nine would be most appropriate. For price a rate of 4 was chosen because consumers saw this particular motorcycle as pricey compared to other brands. A rating of 4 or 5 would be appropriate. Services offered are rated at a 7 because services for the Cruiser Thorr is limited compared to competitors but were revamped because of consumer response. A rating of 7 is most appropriate. Quality engineering was rated at 8 because consumers think that Cruiser Thorr’s engine is the best. A rating of 8 is very appropriate. The RRoth was rated at a 7 for lifestyle image because like other Thorr motorcycles consumers are already considering it a status symbol. The rating chosen was the appropriate choice. Price was rated at 8 because the RRoth is cheaper than the Cruiser Thorr in order to target a younger consumer. An 8 rating is appropriate. Cool was chosen for the RRoth because of the younger audience and a rating of 8 was chosen. A rating of 8 was most appropriate. Relationship between differentiation and positioning of products or servicesDifferentiation of product is according to Investopedia â€Å"a marketing process that showcases the differences between products† (Investopedia, .n.d., para. 1). Positioning of products is â€Å"the consumer perception of a product or service as compared to its competition† (Lake, n.d., para. 1). The relationship is that in order for a company to be a leader in that particular industry not only do they have to differentiate themselves from  the competition, but they must also secure a position in the market that when consumers needs need to be met, that company will be number one on the list in consumer’s minds. The repositioning of the product in the simulation is what I had expected. It was expected because one of the main issues was the changing perceptions of the consumers and there was nothing wrong with the physical product. Tastes were changing but the product was still of high quality. Like many companies they offered a fresh new product and for Thorr Motorcycles this attracted younger consumers. But they did not totally scrap efforts on the Cruiser Thorr and worked on revamping the image. Product Life Cycle The impact the product life cycle has on marketing is that business need to plan their products around the product life cycle. Knowing where the product is on the cycle, marketing strategies can be adjusted to maintain profitability. â€Å"A particular firm’s marketing mix usually must change during the product life cycle† (Perreault et al, 2004, pg. 270). In the simulation the Cruiser Thorr was in the decline stage of the life cycle as their sales were declining rapidly. The declining sales were because the older audience’s tastes were outgrowing the Cruiser Thorr and younger consumers were put off by the high price. Because Cruiser Thorr was in decline stage, a new motorcycle, the RRoth was introduced to the life cycle and aimed at a different target group to revamp sales and consumer perception. ConclusionThe perceptual map helped to determine consumer expectations for Thorr Motorcycles. Precise parameters were determined to hone in on exactly what they wanted and expected from the company. This ultimately is what enabled Thorr Motorcycles to reposition consumer perceptions back to where Thorr motors wanted. In this paper the three phases of the simulation, the situation, recommended solution, and results were discussed. In addition there was a discussion on relationship between differentiation and positioning of products or services and the impact of the product life cycle on marketing. References: Differentiation. (n.d.). Definition. Retrieved on February 16, 2008  from,http://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/product_differentiation.aspLake, L. (n.d.). Product Positioning Definition. Retrieved on February 16, 2008 from,http://marketing.about.com/od/marketingglossary/g/prodpostdef.htmPerceptual mapping. (n.d.). Dictionary of Marketing Terms. Retrieved February 16,2008, from Answers.com Web site:http://www.answers.com/topic/perceptual-mappingPerreault, W.D., & McCarthy, E.J. (2004). Basic Marketing: A Global-ManagerialApproach. McGraw-Hill CompaniesUniversity of Phoenix. (2006). General Marketing. Retrieved February 16, 2008, fromUniversity of Phoenix, Resource, Simulation, MKT421-Marketing Web site:https://mycampus.phoenix.edu/secure/resource/vendors/tata/UBAMsims/general_marketing/general_marketing_perceptual_maps_simulation.html

Customer Service Plan Essay

The National Institutes of Health (NIH), founded in 1887, is one of the world’s foremost medical research centers, and the Federal focal point for medical research in the United States. 26 Institutes and Centers comprise the NIH, which has the primary research goal of acquiring new knowledge to help prevent, detect, diagnose, and treat disease and disability from the rarest genetic disorder to the common cold. The NIH mission is to uncover new knowledge that will lead to better health for everyone. In 1993, President William J. Clinton issued Executive Order 12862 challenging Federal agencies to improve customer service. Further, Executive Order 12862 tasked agencies to survey their customers to identify what kinds of services they really want and to gather ideas from front-line employees on how to better deliver those services. The goal of this Customer Service Plan is to convey to you, the customer, a realistic, achievable approach for improving customer service at the National Institutes of Health. NIH is committed to improving the way it offers high quality services that are easily accessible to every American citizen. With this in mind, this Customer Service Plan is organized for your convenience. Customers may look at Attachment 1 to find some examples of activities going on at NIH that are organized by customer groups, consumers, health professionals, other governmental agencies, and grantee organizations. We want the plan to be as user-friendly as possible, and we welcome your comments and suggestions. Read more: Essay on  Present Proposals for Improvements to Customer Service ________________________________________ EXECUTIVE ORDER Executive Order 12862, â€Å"Setting Customer Service Standards† requires Federal agencies to: †¢Identify customers who are, or should be, served by the agency; †¢Survey customers to determine the kind and quality of services they want and their level of satisfaction with existing services; †¢Post service standards and measure results against them; †¢Benchmark customer service performance against the best in business; †¢Survey front-line employees on barriers to, and ideas for, matching the best in business; †¢Provide customers with choices in both the sources of service and the means of delivery; †¢Make information, services, and feedback systems  easily accessible; †¢Provide means to address customer feedback; and, †¢Provide feedback to our customers on what improvements we have made. [ Return to Menu ] ________________________________________ PRINCIPLES This Customer Service Plan is based on ideas, suggestions, and feedback received from our customers as well as an extensive best practices search. It defines our customer service standards and processes for building and maintaining high quality services to meet those standards throughout the country. The following principles drove the process for developing the plan: Customers Know What They Want – Rather than sitting back and assuming that we know what customers wanted and needed, our agency is going out and asking. Through formal surveys, focus groups, and conversations, we are listening to what our customers think about the types and quality of services and products we offer. What we learn is helping to shape the ways in which we strive to redirect our services to ensure that we continuously improve our ability to meet your needs. Customer’s Needs Are Paramount – Based on feedback from our customers, NIH must respond to comments and suggestions about improving the way we deliver products and services. Communication Is Key to Our Success – Developing effective tools to maintain lines of communication with our customers will help us do our jobs better. By developing more effective ways to direct information to our customers and by providing clearer paths to receive feedback, our agency will better address customer needs and concerns. [ Return to Menu ] ________________________________________ APPROACH/SCOPE NIH is diligently working to address the spirit of Executive Order 12862. A dedicated group of representatives from across the agency is convening to form an on-going Customer Service Management group to implement the customer service program and to ensure that the agency enhances its customer focus as it improves current services and develops new initiatives. The agency has gathered information from customer service surveys, focus groups with  front-line staff, and conversations with key external partners, to ensure that initiatives address issues important to our customers. This plan presents an opportunity to share with our customers our commitment to providing quality service. NIH is committed to protecting, promoting, and enhancing the health of the American people and to improving its processes to offer high quality services that are easily accessible to the public. The Customer Service Plan establishes a broad framework to address customer issues. The customer service standards address issues our customers have told us are important to them. The primary focus of this document is to ensure that we are continuously listening to our customers and making certain that their needs are being met or exceeded. While the focus is on our outside customers, it does not diminish the need to ensure that our internal NIH customer needs are also being met. It is imperative that an integrated view of all our customers’ needs be pursued in order to ensure that the needs of our entire customer population are met. If we do not provide outstanding service to our internal customers, we will be unable to provide outstanding support to our external customers. [ Return to Menu ] ________________________________________ OUR CUSTOMERS The NIH serves four primary external customer groups–the general public, health professionals, other governmental agencies, and grantee/contractor organizations. These four broad categories encompass the populations that we serve and work with most often. When the agency embarked on this process, we felt it was necessary to define and limit our primary groups. As we continue with our customer service initiatives, we may include additional customer groups. [ Return to Menu ] ________________________________________ STANDARDS The standards described in this report represent the NIH effort to identify the needs and concerns of our customers and to establish measurable processes to address these needs and concerns. The standards have been  developed from information gathered from surveys/focus groups, and benchmarking with other outstanding organizations and are based on measured performance attributes – a set of criteria that expresses customer requirements and expectations. Performance attributes are organized into two categories. 1.Process attributes — transaction-related characteristics represented by internal operations, such as procedures, policies, and functions – the primary focus is continuously improving our internal operations so we can deliver our products and services quicker, better and cheaper; and 2.Quality attributes — image-related characteristics that describe the contact between the customer and the organization. The overall standard of quality we seek is customer service for the American people that is equal to or better than the best in business. The following attributes were used to develop the standards: Process Attributes †¢Consistency in policies and procedures – holding to the same principles across the organization †¢Convenient feedback mechanisms – feedback that are easy to use and access †¢Frequent communication – including follow-up – any form of communication on a regular basis, where taking action following that communication enhances the effectiveness of that communication †¢Managing resources well – careful control and use of resources, human as well as fiscal, to maximize their impact and effectiveness †¢Problem solving and attempts to remove barriers – proposed solutions or considerations to resolve something that is an obstruction or prevents progress †¢Prompt handling of customer feedback – immediate or quick management of customer dissatisfaction by empowering employees to fix problems †¢Flexible options – sending and receiving information using a variety of methods, including greater use of e-commerce solutions †¢Continuous Improvement – striving to do everything quicker, better and cheaper Quality Attributes †¢Accessible – ability or freedom to approach, communicate with, or make use of †¢Courteous – respect or consideration  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Flexible – capability to adapt to or change requirements †¢Knowledgeable – familiarity with or understanding of facts and/or conditions †¢Listens well  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ gives attention and/or careful consideration to what is said †¢Reliable and Trustworthy – dependable, confidence in character, abilities, and truth †¢Timely – information and/or responses are provided early or on time [ Return to Menu ] ________________________________________ AGENCY-WIDE STANDARDS The following standards apply to all customer groups. All NIH Customers are entitled to: †¢fair, courteous and professional treatment †¢information that is accurate and current †¢timely responses to requests †¢reasonable access to appropriate staff †¢two-way communication †¢opportunities for collaboration and partnerships, as appropriate and †¢consideration of their opinions and concerns by the agency in the decision making process †¢use of plain language for all communication with the public (Attachment 2) In addition: †¢The General Public is entitled to accurate and timely health information about research being conducted. †¢Health Professionals are entitled to timely information that will assist them in advancing and protecting the public health. †¢Other Government Agencies are entitled to: ocooperation from the NIH in maximizing efficient use of resources, eliminating duplication of efforts and carrying out collaborative efforts; otechnical assistance, training and guidance †¢Grantee/Contractor Organizations are entitled to: otimely review of applications and awards; oprofessional treatment in resolving disputes; ofair application of laws, regulations and policies; ofair and consistent application reviews; orespect in the performance of duties and responsibilities; and otimely payment. [ Return to Menu ] ________________________________________ FUTURE EFFORTS NIH will continue to embark on a variety of initiatives to ensure that it continues to address customer needs. The on-going Customer Service Management group will coordinate these activities. Ensuring that quality service is provided is an on-going process that requires changes in the way we do business by increasing emphasis on listening to our customers and by learning from the best in private industry. The agency will strive to reinvent itself — to become more efficient and effective–and to provide the types of services the public expects. Over the coming months, the agency will: †¢develop programs and initiatives that address customer needs. The agency, as a whole, and the individual centers and institutes will use the information gathered from the survey and focus groups to develop and enhance services. †¢benchmark against the best-in-the-business. The agency will determine what internal processes need to be improved, benchmark with leading industries, and establish performance standards. †¢establish processes to improve customer feedback. Systems will be established to receive and address customer suggestions and feedback.