The doctrine of notice belongs to the history books and has little significance for purchasers of land today Essay Example

The doctrine of notice belongs to the history books and has little significance for purchasers of land today Essay This is a question about the doctrine of notice or, the purchaser known as equitys darling (as they are sometimes referred to). In order to critically evaluate the validity of the view expressed by the writer in the question, it is will be necessary to: a) understand the doctrine of notice and its historical development and, b) determine whether the current position of the law and the applicability of the doctrine of notice is pertinent for purchasers of land today. In addition to these elements, it will also be necessary to factor in some understanding of the way that land is registered in the United Kingdom, as well as the problems incurred through that land which remains unregistered and how various attempts (through statute) over the years have tried to tackle this problem. It is from these, that the doctrine of notice has its very origins. It is naturally of some considerable importance to apprise the different types of equitable interests in real property as it these which purchasers of land are interested in and, moreover, how to protect those interests. Determining exactly what ones interests in real property are however, is more difficult than at first it might seem, and therefore an understanding of precisely how equitable interests are formulated, listed, charged and notified is essential. We will write a custom essay sample on The doctrine of notice belongs to the history books and has little significance for purchasers of land today specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The doctrine of notice belongs to the history books and has little significance for purchasers of land today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The doctrine of notice belongs to the history books and has little significance for purchasers of land today specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Finally, a passing acquaintance with where the law is likely to go in the future with hints at bills and up-and-coming statutes will help in our overall understanding of the issue. Argument The German philosopher, George Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) once famously said: The only thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history1. This undoubtedly holds true for the natural course of human nature often so quick to condemn things to the past when they no longer seem applicable; such is the case with the doctrine of notice. A doctrine is a belief, a system of beliefs or a fundamental principle that is accepted as authoritative by a person or a group of people2. To have notice of something is to be aware that it exists3. In relation to property law in particular, the idea of giving notice is therefore usually associated with a burden on the title, i.e. generally, there will be equitable interest(s) associated with that title for which the owner (or future purchaser) of the title requires (or would at least like to have) notification of. An equitable interest is a right in personam [Latin: directed towards a particular person] which can enforced, if considered fair. On the surface, this would seem to be a sensible and indeed desirable set of circumstances from which both the owner of the title or any future purchaser of that title could benefit; after all, is it not the case that as much information as possible is a good thing when one is dealing with the purchase of land? Therefore, by definition, the doctrine of notice is an accepted authority whereby information is (or should be) given to the owner of a title in land (or the future owner of that title) of any equitable interest(s) that may be associated with that title. When we are talking about unregistered land, historically the purchaser was always bound by legal estates and interests in the land this comes from the Latin in rem, a term describing the power a court may exercise over property, either real or personal. However, when buying unregistered land, the title the purchaser obtains is essentially only ever as good as that which the vendor has: Nemo Dat Quad Non Habet One cannot give what one does not have! The problem in land law is to achieve a balance between the interests of a purchaser on the one hand (in the broad definition of the Law of Property Act 1925 [s.1(3)]4 including a lessee and a mortgagee), and those of the owner of an equitable interest in the land on the other hand5. The modern day perception of the doctrine of notice has its roots in the ancient idea of equitys darling, which has become known as the bone fide purchaser rule, or a bone fide purchaser for value without notice, actual, constructive or imputed. This is a term used in the law of real property to refer to an innocent party who purchases property without being given (any or all) notification of third party claims that may exist in relation to the title in that property. Such a person must acquire the title to that property bona fide [Latin: In good faith], and have purchased it for actual consideration in economic terms i.e. for money, rather than as a beneficiary of a gift or a trust (which would be nominal consideration). Indeed, James LJ stated6 that the plea of purchase for valuable consideration without notice was an absolute, unqualified, unanswerable defence7. Equitys darling may well have been originally designed to promote the ideas of substantive justice; but in reality, and to use an equally revered metaphor of Trust Law, she was very much moneys mistress'8. In other words, the doctrine of notice was developed to ensure that the owner of the legal title would be aware of all the equitable interests associated with that title, thereby not becoming encumbered by them, and that it was in the interests of both contracting parties (seller and buyer) that notification of such equitable interests be given. Such was the aim of the Land Charges Act 19259. This is a very important consideration in law because, if such a person purchased a property free of those interests, and, more importantly, can show that they were genuinely unaware of any third-party interests in the land, then those third party equitable interests are effectively extinguished. This leaves the erstwhile owners of such interests with only one course of action left open to them an action in court against whoever granted them the equitable rights in the first place (which in itself can often prove complicated, as equitable interests such as easements, rights, privileges, co-ownership interests10, lodgers and joint tenants11 etc., are often granted as part of a beneficiary e.g., such as in a will. The person(s) who granted these interests may in fact be deceased!). There are a couple of exceptions worthy of note: a) if the equitable interest(s) in question have been entered on the Land Charges Register12, then they will bind a future purchaser with or without notice having been given, and, b) if the purchaser has received constructive notice of the equitable interest(s) prior to the purchase then a court will usually deem that person to have received notice of all such equitable interest(s) (basically, they knew that third party(s) had equitable interest(s) in the land, but chose to ignore them, or, pretended not to have knowledge of them at all). This second exception however, can work in both directions of course if a potential purchaser of real property decides not to bother looking into the details of any equitable interest(s) (should they exist), and later discovers after having purchased the property that such interest(s) do in fact exist, then they have no recourse open to them13 caveat emptor (another property law doctrine from ancient times) let the buyer beware! One very valid criticism of the Land Charges Act system is that because registration is the sole criterion of whether an interest is binding or not [LCA1972 s.4]14, it may operate unfairly i.e. its provisions may be used to deliberately evade interests of which a purchaser has actual knowledge15 (Midland Bank Trust Co. v Green [1981] AC 583)16. The doctrine of notice applied therefore to the enforceability of all sales of real property until the introduction of the Land Registration Act 1925. This act defined a simple list (LRA1925 s.70(1)) of accepted liability of registered land to overriding interests [i.e. when a person buys a legal estate in land which has a registered title, that person would not be bound by any third-party interests in that land unless they were entered on the Land Register, or, were deemed to be overriding]17. The LRA1925 has now been repealed and replaced with the Land Registration Act 2002, which came into force on 13 October 200318. Intended to simplify and modernise the law of land registration, the LRA2002 still retains overriding interests (although they are now referred to as unregistered interests that override, but also removed the relatively simple definitions found in the old s.70(1) of LRA1925 and replaced it with two statutory Schedules19, one of which (Schedule 3) might well have been written in part by a monkey with a typewriter. Paragraph 3 of the new Schedule 3, on easements, is almost unintelligible unless one knows beforehand what it is supposed to mean20. One could be forgiven for being critical at this point in saying that this hardly looks like being a form of simplification, and yet, this is because some of the changes in LRA2002 are very subtle indeed: Firstly, the wording of Schedule 1(2) and Schedule 3(2) so far as relating to land of which he is in actual occupation has been inserted to remove the effects of Ferrishurst Ltd v Wallcite Ltd21. In that case the Court of Appeal was faced with the interpretation of LRA1925 s.70(1)(g) and questions raised concerning the exigibility22 or durability of property interests which allowed actual occupation to be enforced against the entire title, rather than the land actually occupied [Controversially, the Court of Appeal ruled that as the option to purchase was over the entire title, the claimant could exercise it over the entire title even though only in occupation of part of the land]. Secondly, there is now a duty on the transferee of a registered title to disclose third party interest(s) affecting the estate (when they apply to be the new registered proprietor) [LRA2002 s.71]; failure to do so does not however render the interest(s) invalid, and in such a case will continue to bind the new owner if the interest(s) qualify under LRA2002 Schedule 3 (although, even some of these so-called sunset interests will lose their overriding status 10 years after the Schedule entered force)23. Thirdly, it was the undoubted intention of the statute makers of LCA1972 and LRA2002 to work towards the implementation of a more coherent system of land registration one in which all the records of equitable interests, the various charges and other rights held in the land could be made readily available, easily and quickly, thereby aiding the sale and disposition of land. To that end, LRA2002 introduced the possibility of electronic conveyancing (LRA2002 s.91)24, and although the act does have the provision within it for DIY conveyancing through electronic means, we are still some way off e-register terminals at Tesco25. Perhaps my greatest criticism of LRA2002 however, is that it could have gone so much further towards enforcing the registration of unregistered land and did not do so. For that to happen, we must all wait for the next big thing in land law legislation. Conclusion So, where does all that leave us today? Well, in my opinion, the views of the author in the statement are at the very least, far too broad, and, at worst, completely incorrect. It is true to say that, were all the land in the United Kingdom safely entered as part of the Land Registry, then the doctrine of notice would serve little purpose. However, the stark fact of the matter is that as of 2007, only 85% of the land in the United Kingdom is registered which of course still leaves a staggering 15% of land unregistered (some 14,200 square miles!)26. Of course, all that unregistered land is not in one place. We are talking about small patches of land here and there, dotted all over the place (which, none the less, adds up to an area somewhat larger than the Kingdom of Belgium!). The question consequently, must hinge on whether there is any likelihood of this land ever becoming registered, thus rendering the said doctrine obsolete. This is harder to predict than at first it might seem. As I have already pointed out, the definitive aim of the statute-makers of 1925, 1936, 1969, 1972, 1986, 1988, 1997 and 2002, was to see all land in the United Kingdom entered on the Land Register; but efforts in earlier times27 to co-ordinate a system of land registration had proved just as ineffective as those of the 20th and 21st Century. Therefore, unless some extraordinarily sweeping piece of legislation is brought into law at some point in the future legislation which would enforces the registration of all the 14,200 square miles of currently unregistered land then the obvious conclusion must remain that the doctrine of notice cannot, and indeed should not [yet] be consigned to the history books. It may only serve a limited and rapidly diminishing purpose, but for those who still rely on equitys darling, it is a vital piece of British law.

Evolutionary Explanations of Parental Investment Essays

Evolutionary Explanations of Parental Investment Essays Evolutionary Explanations of Parental Investment Paper Evolutionary Explanations of Parental Investment Paper The parental investment theory was put forward by Robert Trivers in 1972, and argues that differences between males and females have their origins in the different amount of time, energy and effort being put into having a child. We often hear that males seem to behave in a more aggressive manner, they care more about physical attractiveness in a partner than personality, and that women value financial capacity of potential partners the most (Buss, 1989). An explanation of this is that males and females have a different amount of parental investment, and the root of the behaviour is in Darwins natural selection theory which proposes that those who are reproductively successful and leave more offspring will have their characteristics passed on. Therefore, the aim for both males and females is to create as many living, healthy offspring as possible. A males investment is relatively small, as he has almost no limit to how many children he can make, and therefore the best way to maximise his reproductive success is to have many matings with multiple fertile partners. However, a females investment is very substantial. She has a limited supply of gamete and her reproductive life is short, she carries the growing foetus around for 9 months and after giving birth, she must continue to nourish the child by breastfeeding, or else the child will not survive. Therefore, her best chance of reproductive success is to ensure the survival of her few precious offspring, and therefore will need a partner who is able to provide for her and her child, showing commitment when she cannot get her own food because of being too busy looking after the child. This theory helps us to understand mate preferences. Buss (1989), having conducted a commendable 33-country cross-cultural study found that men valued physical attractiveness more than women did and also valued women younger than themselves. This supports the idea of men wanting fertile women with good genes, although as this study was a survey, we cannot for definite rule out dishonesty or indeed differences in the definition of preference or value between cultures or between sexes. Evidence for the theory was also found in Clark and Hatfields studies (1989 and 1990) where male and female students were approached by strangers asking for casual sex. Interestingly, none of the women agreed but 75% of men did, suggesting that they may want to spread out their genes between willing fertile volunteers. Trivers theory helps us to understand the observed differences in sexual jealousy (men became more distressed at the thought of their partners being sexually unfaithful whilst women were more concerned with their male partner being in love with another person Buss, 1993). It must be mentioned here that this type of experiment has several ethical problems, like the lack of informed consent at the beginning and distress. It may just have been that the females felt more vulnerable since they did not know the strangers and perhaps would have agreed under different circumstances. Also, the outcome of the study may have been down to biological differences in hormone levels and brain structure rather than evolutionary behaviour. The parental investment theory suggests that a male is more likely to want lots of partners for reproductive success, and evidence for this was given by Buss and Schmitt (1993) when they asked men and women their ideal number of sexual partners in a lifetime. The averages were, respectively, 18 (men) and between 4 and 5 (women). This clear difference shows that men tend to seek and desire a greater number of partners, and the theory can explain why this is.  A major flaw in the evolutionary explanation is that it is practically impossible to prove it because we cannot, as of yet, travel through time and witness the behaviour of our predecessors firsthand. Having said this, it is relatively reliable due to its links with Darwins widely-accepted theories of sexual selection and natural selection. Furthermore, the theory ignores the obvious evidence that not all mating is about long-term relationships and that women as well as men clearly engage in short-term relationships.  An extension or even improvement of the theory is the Sexual Strategies theory devised by Buss and Schmitt (1993). It argues that the parental investment theory is too reductionist and that men and women might look for both a short-term and long-term mate, and demonstrates behaviours for both; women as well as men might want to have a one-night stand for mate insurance, just in case her proper mate disappears. There has been evidence to support this (Norman and Kendrick, 2006), showing that women will look for physically attractive males especially in a one-night stand. It would seem that the parental investment theory may be rather accurate in that it explains a variety of behaviour differences between males and females, but it is almost impossible to prove and other theories such as the SS theory by Buss and Schmitt (1993) provides an answer to some of the limitations of the theory. It is likely that the two theories together provide a better explanation than the parental investment theory alone.

To what degree does trust affect the competition in E-commerce Essay

To what degree does trust affect the competition in E-commerce - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that e-commerce or electronic commerce is a type of commerce where buying and selling of products and services are virtual, in that it is conducted across electronic platforms like the internet and other computer-enabled networks. E-commerce is a recent development has cropped up after the introduction of the computer and the internet. In the virtual world of e-commerce, trade becomes a process of communicating via systems that connect the buyer and seller in a virtual marketplace. Like in the other common types of commerce, e-commerce involves a lot of communication between the buyer and the seller in such a way that, the interaction buffers the deficit created by the existence of a virtual trading platform, which deviates from the one-on-one contact in typical trading. E-commerce utilizes several technological developments in the world of commerce, communication, marketing, data exchange, payments and computers among other major developme nts that enhance execution of e-commerce. These developments include; internet marketing, electronic funds transfer, mobile commerce, electronic data exchange (EDI), online transaction systems and automated data collection among other technologies. E-commerce relies on a set of technologies to successfully execute transactions. A typical e-commerce transaction starts with a customer visiting a company’s website that acts as a virtual store for products and services that the company deals with. The customer shops for the products and places an order of one or several items in the store.

Internet Law - ODR or Litigation (the detailed question is below) Essay

Internet Law - ODR or Litigation (the detailed question is below) - Essay Example The essay discusses the advantages and disadvantages of ODR and explains why it is the most preferable method in the modern world. The essay also discusses the efforts put in place in the EU to increase the effectiveness of ODR, for example, the Regulation on Consumer ODR and the EC Directive on Consumer ADR of 2013. In addition, the essay considers the Brussels I Regulation is explaining why ODR is the best method of dispute resolution. The advanced communication and information technologies have enabled resolution of disputes through videoconferencing, email, or both. ODR can be used to resolve disputes that arises from the e-commerce transactions or other disputes that are not related to the internet. Online Dispute Resolution has provided an alternative to the traditional legal ways of solving cases that involve a judge who decides the cases at the court. The conflicting parties can, as well meet in person and negotiate their disputes and at the same time, combine with online-based resolutions to enter into agreements.1 Such combinations of â€Å"online† and â€Å"offline† interactions are also considered to be part of Online Dispute Resolution. There are increasing numbers of organisations that provide Online Dispute Resolution services around the world. These organizations are growing the modern trend of easing the courts with voluminous cases by providing a simpler and low-cost platform for peop le to resolve their cases.2 Online Dispute Resolution takes different forms, which may include mediation, arbitration and negotiation. Mediation involves resolution of disputes between two conflicting parties using a mediator. The parties present their arguments, issues and evidence to the mediator who a neutral third party in the private and voluntary process. Mediation can be done exclusively via email and/or videoconferencing, or by physically meeting in one room. In some

EMBA 550 MArketing initial post week 6 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

EMBA 550 MArketing initial post week 6 - Essay Example arious markets that current or traditional channels do not fully explore, supply chain strategy often necessitates the establishment of new and multiple channels. â€Å"The use of multiple channels may arise out of necessity in order to meet customer needs or by design. Multiple channels enable a manufacturer to offer two or more lines of the same merchandise through two or more means.† (Ferrel & Hartline, 2010, p. 283). The use of two or more distribution channels for essentially the same product is what constitutes dual distribution. There are some disadvantages that are attendant to dual or multiple distribution. One is that extra time, effort and money are required in running two or more distribution channels. Another is the risk of disintermediation, meaning that when the corporation deals directly with the customer, they compete against their traditional intermediaries who are members of its supply chain, thereby creating a potential source of conflict (Ferrel & Hartline, 2011). Sometimes, customers who go to brick-and-mortar distributors to view the products and ask questions, but end up purchasing the product online. This is unfair for the distributors. Dual distribution is not new. The U.S. Congress cited the New York Times (2/16/92, Section F, p. 5) which reported that 20% of McDonald’s stores are company operated, and for Taco Bell it is 60% (US Congress, 1992, p. 273). Hallmark uses dual distribution extensively. Hallmark cards primarily sell greeting cards through Hallmark stores, using selective distribution. At the same time, they also sell their Ambassador and Greetings card lines widely through supermarkets, drugstores, and discount retailers. Aside from these, Hallmark offers both cards and e-cards online, which constitutes a third channel (Ferrel & Hartline, 2011) Small businesses benefit immensely from dual distribution. Chagrin Shoe Leather & Luggage Repair, a family business located in Woodmere, Ohio, experienced a 20% increase in

Unity3d Game On Android Platform Computer Science Essay

Unity3d Game On Android Platform Computer Science Essay Unity3D is a popular 3D game engine in recent years, which is particularly suitable for independent game developers and small teams. It is a cross-platform game development software which mainly comprises eight products such as the Unity, Unity Pro, Asset Server, iOS, iOS Pro, Android and Android Pro. Without writing complex codes, programmers can quickly develop a scene by using the visual integrated development environment of Unity3D. Unity3D has special tools in easily programming a game. For example, platform-related operations are encapsulated in its internal, the complex game object-relations are managed by different visual views, and JavaScript, C # or Boo scripting languages are applied to program a game. A script program will be automatically compiled into a .NET DLL file, so the three scripting languages, in essence, have the same performance, their execution speed is 20 times faster than traditional JavaScript. These script languages have good cross platform ability as well. That means developers can deploy games on different platforms such as Windows, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, iPad, iPhone and Android. In addition, games can run on the Web by installing a plug-in. That means developers can deploy games on different platforms such as Windows, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Wii, iPad, iPhone and Android. In addition, games can run on the Web by installing a plug-in. There are many techniques for de veloping Unity3D game. These methods have some of the drawbacks. Analysis: This part summarizes existing method related to my research work on Unity3D game on Android platform. 1. Augmented Reality and Image Recognition Based Framework for Treasure Hunt Games (2012) Zsolt Balint, Botond Kiss, Beata Magyari and Karoly Simon introduced the new possibilities in game creation and customization [1]. They proposed the framework that supports the development of these types of games, and provides exciting new possibilities offered by virtually. The framework is based on client-server architecture and its complexity is relatively high, being composed by several subsystems. Client applications have been developed for the iOS and the Android mobile platforms. While playing, the checkpoints provided by the server are displayed on a map, and a proposed route is marked to help the user finding and reaching them. The Android client also uses the Mina framework for establishing the connection with the server. The communication between the server and the mobile client applications is based on the TCP/IP protocol .The main advantage of Mina is efficient concurrency handling. Thousands of client requests can be served at the same time, using a single execution thr ead on server-side. It is not necessary to perform expensive thread creation operations when new clients are connected. They proposed new software that consists of three subsystems: server, Android client and iOS client. The development of a new game requires the customization of some framework elements. A framework for the development of augmented reality- based adventure games for Android and iOS platforms has been proposed. Due to the software architecture, a high number of simultaneously connected clients can be served; the system can be easily maintained and upgraded. By customizing specific elements from the framework online treasure and scavenger hunt games can be easily created and published. The searched treasures are part of the augmented reality, in this way the cost of game creation is significantly reduced in contrast to games with real objects. Furthermore, augmented reality can serve with many other interesting solutions, allowing the transformation of scenes. For treasure localization image recognition methods are used. In this way objects can be localized more precisely, and the application can be used inside buildings. 2. A Study and Implementation of Graphics Engine on Android Platform (2012) Cuixia Ni, Guang Jin and Xianliang Jiang developed a new graphics engine [2]. They used testing environment is the Android and the testing tool is Android Virtual Device. This study can be divided into three modules. It includes text spirit module, animation module and auxiliary module. The text spirit is the text content that is displayed on the scene. Due to the improvement of games and high expectations from players, games scenes have transformed from static to dynamic. The players hope that the games scenes are dynamic and variable. In this paper, they used the timer, tiled textures and some basic transformation to realize those functions. Timer Handler Class sets a series of time for the events and triggers them at the given time. Physics Handler Class is the base of the movement effect. The functions are to make an animation according to the simple physical rules and the interaction effect more verisimilitude, which can give players a better experience. 3. An Innovative ICT Service Creation Approach based on IMS and Android Collaboration ( 2011) Chung-Shih Tang, Yi-Kai Chiang, Chin-Yuen Twu, Ying-Dian Tsou, and Gong-Da Fan proposed a typical network architecture including the IMS core network for voice communication and Android Apps network for application download and execution [3]. This paper describes the SIP Clients in Android CPEs register to the IMS Core, which is mainly composed of Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and S-CSCF, and communicates to each other through the IMS session control. The Android CPEs, at the same time, can download applications from any Android Apps market. Some applications are stand-alone and fully executed on local Android CPEs. Some others may need the Android CPEs to cooperate with their corresponding 3rd party AP Servers. An integrated ICT service creation platform is proposed and implemented by them to support the development of IMS-initiated collaborative Android applications. Based on the proposed approach, telecom operators not only operate and manage their own Android markets, but also mak e best use of the telecom services and thus increase their competitiveness. Introducing such an ICT service creation platform into IMS-based NGN is expected of great advantage. They described, significant effects at least include: (a) revenue gained from Android apps download and execution; (b) enhanced utilization of existing telecom resources; (c) adhesion degree improvement of telcos subscribers; (d) a new-style use case of integrated ICT Android apps; and finally (e) without large investment on an IMS based NGN. 4. Design and Implementation of the Game Engine based on Android Platform (2011) Wu Yan-hui Yao Xia-xia He-Jin proposed the game engine design which is need to analysis the operating mechanism of the game [8]. They took Android for example and analyzed the design principle that is behind the game engine on Android and executed the game engine whats going on it. From their programming understanding, they said that the game on Android platform has an activity class, a process control class, a game thread class and some others game objects. Activity is the basic execute unit of one game and it is responsible for control the life cycle of the game, such as, start the game, pause and exit from the game and so on. In this part of the paper the authors mentioned that a process control class provides switch way between multiple interfaces (such as the start screen, main menu, game scene, help information and so on), besides that the users can control the running of the game. Game thread class continuously cycle between events that may occur, calculates the game state and refresh the screen. The event that the game program deal with can be divided into two types: one is generated from hardware device (such as the keyboard is pressed), and the other type is produced by internal objects in game program (such as the collision between game objects). Game objects are the actual movement entity of the game. The authors also mentioned that the game objects need to define the corresponding pictures and actions to perform in the game. When special event occurs, game objects will execute corresponding action according to running logic of the game. In order to enhance the running effect of the game, the player, timer, labels and other components are often used in games. More complex games also can be divided into a number of units according to the game plot and each unit is regarded as a game scene. In order to improve the running efficiency of the game, they introduced JNI into the development of game engine. 5. Adaptive Classification and Strategy Making System for Android Soccer Games (2012) Ming-Yuan Shieh, Juing-Shian Chiou, Chun-I Ko proposed the signal processing procedures in an android robot soccer game [5]. While the game starts, the top view image sequences of the field captured by the global CCD camera firstly, then the objective features of the robots, the ball and the environmental objects such as the door will be determined after digital image processing procedures. These objective features will offer the strategy making subsystem decision making data for path planning, game strategy decision and movement control command determination. There are two necessary steps before the proposed image processing procedures. The one is to execute a global image indexing scan; it intends to determine the center locations of objects such as ball and robots. Another step is to perform another scan for local recognition of objects. It aims to distinguish what the object is the ball, or a mated robot, or an opponent. The visual subsystem in the proposed system mainly consists of a CCD camera, a frame grabber card, attached modules and digital image processing programs. The key goal is to determine objective parameters of every object in the game field such as the locations of the ball, the robots, the door and the sidelines. He describes the sequences of image processing procedures are used in the proposed visual subsystem. He implemented a vision based android robot soccer system in actual FIRA AndroSot game. A visual subsystem is designed for recognition of objective features based on an omni-directional vision system. The host computer accomplishes image processing, strategy making, control command decision, and offer appropriate commands to every android robot to kick ball, trace, or defense. Based on SOMNN scheme, the object segmentation is insensitive of variant illumination. The adaptive algorithm of background generation provides proper salient motion detections. 6. Research on Key Technologies Base Unity3D Game Engine (2012) Jingming XIE developed the component model which is applied in the Unity3D game and provides a scalable programming architecture [6].Unity3D has many predefined components. Programmers can combine some of them to create a featurerichGameObject. In game development, besides directly using GameObjects predefined in Unity3D, programmers can create an empty GameObject with the information about position, rotation and scale of an object, and then add scripts or other components into it. In order to facilitate the same type of game object management, Unity3D affords the Prefab that is a technology like a template. A Prefab can contain both objects and game resources such as 3D models. There are a number of scripts in a game. A script is a class controlling the behavior of a game, which should inherit a base class called MonoBehaviour. MonoBehaviour defines common event triggering methods. When a predefined event occurs, an appropriate method will be automatically executed. They used distri bution of four android classes in Unity3D are AndroidInput, AndroidJNIHelper, AndroidJNI, AndroidJavaObject. They had generated the Random NPCs using Dynamic Algorithm. NPC is the abbreviation of non-player character. That the number and location of NPCs are dynamically changed can keep players strong interesting on a game and extend the vitality of the game. NPCs can be designed by the difficulty and logic of a game, this algorithm can be called when some NPCs need to be created in a game. There are mainly two ways of firing bullets in game development. One is that a true 3D object is modeled by decorating a bullet with texture and color. This approach needs to control the flight path of a bullet and destroy the bullet when it is out of bounds. Another method is to use ray tracing technology. That the light collides with an object means a bullet hits the object. In order to get more realistic effects, cartridge cases are pop-upped or sparks are twinkled at the gunpoint when bullets are fired. Moreover, drawing light between the launch point and target point can more realistically simulate the firing of bullets. In a 3D shooting game, a sight is usually provided to players. Players can move a mouse to control it for firing. The principle of this technique is to place a graphic sight in the center of the screen. Moving the mouse is equal to move the camera, which will cause the illusion of the sight moving in the screen. In fact, the coordinates of the camera are real target coordinates in game codes. 7. Mobile Technology for Games and Augmented Reality (2011) Jon A Preston, Jeff Chastine proposed the object-oriented approach which is utilize more advanced game engines such as the Unity Pro engine [7]. The main objective of this paper is Students are quickly able to utilize these in their games to realize advanced games, and this drives a deeper understanding of the concepts. They utilized the Unity engine, which was also free but can be upgraded to a pro edition to deploy to mobile devices. Beyond traditional games as many would imagine, these technologies can be utilized in interesting ways that appeal to a broad audience. They described one such example in a mobile augmented reality smart book where the user can interact with virtual objects which show atop the real world via the phones camera. When the user flips a page of the book, the characters on the phone can change, move around, and also interact with objects on the page of the book. Such experiences can be useful to bring creativity to students as they design not only the comput ational aspect on the phone but also the artistic aspect within the book. The virtual character within the phone standing on top of a picture in the real world, and this captures the type of experience and knowledge. Given the ubiquity of mobile computing devices and their appeal to students and given the accessibility of modern game engines, students can benefit from working with Unity and the Qualcomm Augmented Reality Toolkit. 8. Implementing Gymkhanas with Android Smartphones, a Multimedia M-Learning Game (2011) Gregorio Robles, Jesus M. Gonzalez-Barahona presented a design of a generic game (gymkhanas) using Android mobile phone technology [4]. The main advantage of their work is participants, web-based infrastructure for the organizers and web services that allows interaction between them. The main objective of their work is to simplify and increase the experience of the participants. They have presented this, a game where users, usually in teams, have to surpass one challenge after the other. These type of games can be used with learning purposes by focusing questions on the content to be learned, and also consider other type of learning such as cooperative working and geographic (or local, in the case of a city) knowledge. They have shown how this implementation of system using smartphones outperforms traditional system both in technical terms as well as in the human resources devoted to organizing and controlling such an event. Once the system has been installed, no complex technical kn owledge is required for organizers and participants: organizers may set-up and run a gymkhana using a simple web interface, while participants face a typical smartphone application environment to surpass challenges. Depending on the type of challenge, participants will make use of the technologies commonly found in smartphones, such as geopositioning and pictures. Additional features include instant messaging between participants and organizers and the possibility of using augmented reality. 9. A New Method of Virtual Reality Based on Unity3D (2010) Sa Wang, Zhengli Mao, Changhai Zeng, Huili Gong, Shanshan Li, Beibei Chen. Used Unity3D as the development platform for virtual reality [9]. They designed Browser-Server three-tier architecture VR-based framework which is including 3 layers: presentation layer, logic layer and data layer. They adopted the hierarchical approach of geographic information system and they divided the study area into four layers: Terrain layer, Building layer, Transport layer and Vegetation layer. Unity3D has a highly optimized graphics pipeline for both DirectX and OpenGL. During the process of creating a scene, works in Unity3D are as follows: Shading, Programming, Collision Detection, and Showing Information by GUI Control, Publishing and Integrating. Unity3D comes with 40 shaders ranging from the simple to advance. All the built-in shaders integrate perfectly with any type of light, with cookies or without. They described, in order to publish online; the virtual reality system is generated by the first kind: Web Player. The project generates the system by build settings in File. We can also generate other kinds of systems, such as Windows Standalone, if we choose this kind of build settings, there will be an executable file and can set up in users computers. So, the virtual reality system could be run in different purpose even different operation system. 10. PicoLife: A Computer Vision-based Gesture Recognition and 3D Gaming System for Android Mobile Devices (2011) Mahesh Babu Mariappan, Xiaohu Guo, Balakrishnan Prabhakaran developed PicoLife which is powered by two engines [10]. First one is a mobile optimized computer vision engine based on OpenCV that tracks the users hand in realtime. Second one is a 3D engine that runs their motion-capture guided 3D models, which make up the game characters. They described the object tracking and the 3D modeling processes involved in PicoLife. This paper describes three main implementations: a) the training procedures for Cascaded Haar Classifiers later for performing real-time object tracking efficiently on the mobile platforms. b) the procedure for real-time object tracking using Cascaded Haar Classifiers. For the purpose of tracking, they used the Haar training XML file that they obtained after training the Haar classifiers. Firstly, get the image from the live video sequence. Secondly, convert the image to grayscale using a call to the cvtcolor function. Thirdly, they improve the contrast of the image that is getting processed. c) the 3D modeling process that they used to create the game characters. To obtain realistic animation effects, they used motion capture equipment to accurately capture human motions in a 3D space. They gave the specific focus on (1) advanced mobile-optimized real-time object tracking engine for recognizing hand gestures for a novel vision-based gaming interface and (2) advanced motioncapture guided 3D modeling pipeline for creating the game characters. They benchmarked three different mobile platforms, namely, Texas Instruments OMAP3630 (Motorola Droid X running Android Gingerbread), Qualcomms MSM8660 Snapdragon (HTC Evo 3D running Android Gingerbread) and the Texas Instruments OMAP4430 (Blaze Development platform running Android Gingerbread) using four computer vision algorithms used in PicoLife (FAST, STAR, SURF, Cascaded Haar Classifiers) and our 3D models(static and dynamic). Conclusion: Unity3D is not only applicable for game development, but it can also be used to develop applications in real world. If we want to develop some special functions of the scenes in a simple way, we can use the script or editor of unity3d. The most powerful editor is Visual Studio; the scenes in Untiy3D can also be compiled with Visual Studio by adding UnityEngine.dll. C. The affinity of the development language makes the existing mobile applications easily transplanted to Android platform. At the same time, Android is a Linux-based system, the large number of open source application library included in Linux can be used to develop abundant applications. Based on the Linux kernel, Android provides a variety of available library and a complete application framework. Android owns Apache copyright, and also provides Google-made Dalvik virtual machine to run applications. The Platform of Android with Unity3D Game can shorten the development cycle significantly. The combination of Unity3D and Android is efficient, user-friendly interface, and provide more parameters to be customized, so that new users can use this game better to play and quickly.

Ships Main Engine Lube Oil System :: essays research papers

Ship's Main Engine Lube Oil System Cleanliness of the lube oil is very vital in the Main Diesel Engine Lube Oil System. A strainer is a device that is usually made up of a single layer of course gauze, and a very course wire mesh. This setup is used to filter out large objects that could cause blockage or damage to the lube oil system. A filter is used to filter out much smaller particals. The filtering elements in a lube oil filter has a more complex make-up. Aboard our ship, we have self cleaning lube oil filters along with the standard lube oil filters. The size of the cartridges in these filters usually range from 3-12 mm. Our ship has two full flow filters per engine. The plates inside of a strainer corrode and erode very easily. Special attention must be given to these plates when cleaning them. Make sure that a gap has not formed at the end of the plate. If there is a gap, rags and other particles may pass right by. If in doubt of the condition of the plate, it should be renewed. The cost of a single plate is much cheaper than the cost of cleaning out an entire clogged system. All gasket surfaces must be checked closely to ensure a proper seal. Our ship has a high pressure lube oil system. Because of this, basket type strainers are used. Lube oil systems are equipped with a wide variety of strainers. It is important to operate these strainers at all times to prevent clogging. Aboard our ship, we have Hayward Plug-type Duplex Basket Strainers. All of these types of strainers are one way. The liquid to be strained enters to the top and filters through the bottom. Both strainers and filters clean lube oil using a similar process.

Succubus Revealed Chapter 16

The next week was one of the longest in my life. Every moment that passed was a moment without Seth and another reminder that I'd lost my one great love. Even if I hadn't quit as Santa's helper, that job would've been done now anyway, so my days were made even longer by their emptiness. Hugh was over a lot that week, and sometimes he and Roman tried to cheer me up or at least distract me. Mostly, they were holed up together, working on my appeal to Hell. They occasionally consulted me on it, but Hugh had most of the info he needed and simply had to put it all together in the appropriate manner. The two of them discussed other things too, mostly having to do with Hell's legal system in general. I didn't entirely understand why, but Roman was very adamant about learning every detail of it. It was like he was trying to pass the bar exam or something. I tried to preoccupy myself with packing for Las Vegas. Even with my appeal, I couldn't count on anything changing with my current Hellish status. So, I had to go forward with life as though Vegas were definitely in my future. Packing was mindless enough, however, that it didn't distract me so much as just provide more time for me to ruminate and agonize over being apart from Seth. Packing also had its own pitfalls because I kept running into things that reminded me of him. The worst was when I unearthed a box of keepsakes collected from over the centuries. The most recent addition was a ring Seth had given me last Christmas, just before we broke up. It was a modern twist on a Byzantine wedding ring, decorated with dolphins and sapphires. Even when we'd gotten back together, I'd left it in the box. Little did he know that I also had – in the same box – my actual wedding ring from the fifth century. It was worn with age but hadn't entirely lost its gleam. Looking at them both gave me a weird moment of disorientation as I tried to grasp the idea that they'd technically been given to me by the same person. During that week, I also received a fair amount of e-mail from the Las Vegas crew. Phoebe, Bastien, Luis, and even Matthias had stayed in touch since my visit, and all seemed to have increased their excitement over my pending move. Messages I would have found so witty and touching a week ago now left a bad taste in my mouth, now that I knew the truth about the transfer. Luis was simply helping to orchestrate Hell's grand plan to keep me and Seth apart, and I didn't trust a single word he said. Still, he was a demon, and one could expect a certain amount of insincerity from him. Phoebe and especially Bastien hurt more because they were operating under the pretense of friendship. I didn't doubt Bastien was still my friend, but everything he sent me seemed forced, since it was coming from the orders of those above him. Matthias was kind of a mystery. I didn't know what role he played here, if he was just a convenient mortal they'd found to take me on or if he was in league with Hell. Many humans knowingly were, in the hopes of grandiose rewards someday. For all I knew, he could be an innocent in all this, just an ordinary guy who thought he'd lucked out in finding a dancer. Without being able to say for sure, I took no joy in his e-mails either. Notably missing from the Las Vegas gang's correspondence was Jamie. I'd received no friendly â€Å"Can't wait to see you!† messages at all from him, something I suspected was also a direct result of Hell's orders. They wouldn't want to risk the topic of Milton again. When I mentioned this to Roman and Hugh, they told me it would be surprising if Jamie was even still in Las Vegas. If Hell saw him as a liability that might inadvertently expose the double-contract snafu, Hugh felt the odds were good they'd simply removed him to prevent me from finding him. If so, I hoped it was simply a matter of a transfer and that the imp hadn't been punished for drunkenly revealing information he didn't realize was dangerous. On New Year's Eve, Hugh and Roman told me my petition was finished. They presented it to me, a staggeringly huge stack of paper filled with legalese, and showed me where to sign. There was an air of both gravity and pride around them, like they'd just created a painstakingly crafted work of art. Considering how rare this type of event was, perhaps that wasn't such a bad assessment. I gave the ream back to Hugh, once I'd signed it about fifteen times. â€Å"Now what?† I asked. â€Å"Now I take it to Mei and say you gave it to me to submit to Hell. I also claim ignorance about what this is in regard to, but the fact that it went through me tips her off that there's a witness to it all. Not that she'd probably ‘lose it' or anything, but . . . well, with demons, it's best to be cautious.† â€Å"Are they really going to believe you're a hapless messenger ?† I asked. Hugh crooked me a smile and gestured to the paperwork. â€Å"Well, they certainly aren't going to believe you did this on your own. But there's no real way to prove my involvement, and anyway, I haven't technically done anything wrong. I'm an imp. I conduct business for Hell. That's what this is.† Too many days of pent-up emotion took hold of me, and I flung my arms around Hugh. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. â€Å"Thank you so much.† It was all kind of awkward since he was trying to juggle the papers, but he still managed to pat me on the back. â€Å"It's nothing, sweetie,† he said, seeming a bit flustered. â€Å"I just hope it actually accomplishes something.† I stepped back and attempted to get myself under control. â€Å"How will we know if it does?† â€Å"When you're summoned to Hell,† he said. â€Å"Oh.† My heart lurched with fear. â€Å"I actually . . . actually have to go there?† Roman leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. â€Å"How else do you think this is going to get resolved?† â€Å"I'd kind of just hoped they'd send me a letter,† I said. â€Å"You know, like a college acceptance.† Hugh snorted. â€Å"Afraid not. If they respond to it, they'll summon you to Hell and hold a hearing to examine the contract, your complaints, and whatever evidence either side can muster.† I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to picture what that hearing would be like. â€Å"I've never been to Hell. Have either of you?† They shook their heads, which wasn't a surprise. Lesser immortals were recruited on Earth, where they then served. We had no reason to visit the realm of our employers, not even an imp like Hugh. Roman, as a nephilim, was on Heaven and Hell's hit list. Walking into Hell would be like showing up in a lion's den and presenting yourself on a platter. â€Å"I always kind of pictured Hell as a cross between waiting in line at the DMV and watching a marathon of Perfect Strangers,† remarked Hugh. Roman shot him a sharp look. â€Å"What's wrong with that show?† Overcome, I hugged Hugh again and then Roman. â€Å"Thanks, you guys. I mean it. I owe you . . . more than I can ever pay back.† â€Å"Just win,† said Roman fiercely. â€Å"That's all the payback I need.† Hugh put the papers into his briefcase and slipped on his coat. â€Å"I'm going to get these over to Mei now, then head off to a party and drink away the memories of wading through all that legalese.† â€Å"You're going to Peter's?† I asked. Unsurprisingly, our vampire friend was holding a shindig to ring in the New Year. â€Å"Nah,† said Hugh. â€Å"Not much chance of getting laid there. I'm going to a party one of my nurses is hosting.† We wished him a happy new year and bid him farewell. As soon as he was gone, Roman turned to me. â€Å"What about you?† he asked. â€Å"Are you going to Peter's?† I knew Peter was counting on it, but it was hard to make myself feel like celebrating. â€Å"No. I'm not in the mood. Besides, I'm not sure I want to risk running into Jerome since I'm sure Mei's going to tell him about the appeal. I'll just keep packing.† â€Å"Come on,† Roman said. â€Å"You can't just sit around tonight. It's a new year . . . new opportunities. Maybe even the chance to break free of Hell.† I nodded, though it was still hard for me to imagine what â€Å"breaking free† would even look like. It was something we kept talking about, but I really couldn't feel it yet. And even though I'd talked a good talk to Seth about how the integrity of the soul and eternity were so much more important than any earthly concerns, it all seemed lackluster without him in my life. â€Å"I know,† I told Roman. â€Å"But any celebrating I do is going to be forced. If I'm going to be unhappy, I'd rather do it in a place where I feel comfortable.† He glanced at the clock. â€Å"Let's at least go out to dinner. Dress up and get a good meal. Then we'll come back and watch all the New Year's shows.† I didn't have much of an appetite but suspected if I said no, Roman would consign himself to the same self-imprisonment as me. I didn't want his night ruined because of me, especially after everything he'd done this week. One problem presented itself. â€Å"It's almost five,† I said. â€Å"We'll never get in anywhere on such short notice. Unless we want to dress up for Taco Bell. Which I'm actually not averse to.† Roman was already reaching for his cell phone. â€Å"I know someone who's a chef at this Italian place in Green Lake. We'll get a table.† Sure enough. One mysterious phone call, and we were on our way an hour later. I hadn't been up for elaborate styling and simply shape-shifted myself into New Year's finery, with an off-the-shoulder satin dress and my hair cascading in perfect waves. Roman had warned me â€Å"no black,† so the dress was dark purple, which still seemed appropriate for my mood. I paired it with a glittering necklace of white gold and amethysts that had been my Secret Santa gift to myself. I had great taste. â€Å"Have you made any moves to put your condo on the market?† asked Roman as he drove us through the city. â€Å"Contacted a real estate agent?† I gazed out at the bright lights of the downtown skyline. This time of year, darkness came early. â€Å"No. I need to. Unless . . .† I glanced over at him. â€Å"Do you want to keep staying there? I'll keep it and rent if you want.† He shook his head, a wry smile playing over his lips. â€Å"No. It wouldn't be the same without you and those furballs. I'll get another place. Sell it or rent it to someone else.† â€Å"Easier to sell,† I mused. â€Å"Well, in theory. But I'm not concerned with profit, and it saves the hassle of screening and dealing with – † I stopped as a startling thought suddenly came to me. â€Å"Hey. Do we have time for a, oh, fifteen-minute stop? Will your friend get rid of our table?† â€Å"Not if I call. Where do you need to go?† â€Å"The U District. Seth's place. Don't worry,† I added, seeing his look of alarm. â€Å"I'm not going to do anything crazy or lovestruck. I'm not even going to see Seth. Please? Just a quick stop?† Roman concurred, though his expression said this was against his better judgment. I almost told him his fears were unfounded because I was only going to actually stop if Margaret was home and Seth wasn't. The odds against that possibility seemed slim, particularly with the way my luck tended to run. The universe apparently owed me a favor because when we reached Seth's condo, I saw her car there but not his. A light inside gave me hope that they hadn't just all carpooled off together. â€Å"Do you need me to come in?† asked Roman, as he pulled into my parking spot. â€Å"No, but thanks. I'll be right back.† I left the car and walked up to the door, hoping some wacky happenstance wouldn't actually put me face to face with Seth. Not that I wouldn't have loved to see him. God, I missed him so, so much. But I knew no good could come of an encounter between us. I rang the bell and waited anxiously. A few moments later, Margaret answered. â€Å"Georgina,† she said, clearly surprised. â€Å"What are you doing here?† She took in my appearance. â€Å"Are you supposed to meet Seth?† â€Å"No . . . can I come in for a minute? I'll be fast, I promise.† She had on a coat, making me think she'd been about to leave. Either that or she was trying to save Seth money on his heating bills. She gestured me inside and shut the door. â€Å"I was about to go to Terry's. Seth's already there.† I didn't bother asking where Ian was. He probably celebrated New Year's on January third or something, just to be contrary. â€Å"You haven't been around in a while.† I wondered what Seth had told his family about us, if he'd even told them anything at all. Maybe he was just going to say nothing until one of them noticed my absence. â€Å"Ah, well,† I said. â€Å"Seth and I are having a disagreement.† She clucked her tongue disapprovingly. â€Å"You two need to sit down and fix it then.† How I wished it was that easy. I forced a neutral smile. â€Å"We'll see,† I said. â€Å"But the thing is . . . I may be moving. No, I am moving. I have a new job . . . and I was wondering if you'd like to stay in my condo when I leave. I remember you saying you didn't want to impose on Seth's space but that you wished you could stick around more to help. Well, now you can. You can have your own place. Mine.† â€Å"I can't afford to keep my place in Chicago and pay rent somewhere here, though,† she said sadly. â€Å"That's been the problem.† â€Å"You don't have to pay rent,† I said. â€Å"You can stay there for free.† She eyed me curiously. â€Å"How will you afford your mortgage?† Yes, how indeed would a poor retail-bound girl like me be able to swing that? â€Å"The condo's paid off,† I explained. Let her think it was passed down through the family or something. â€Å"And my new job pays well. Look, I really don't mind you staying. It'd be worth it to me to know that the girls have you close by to help. I mean, they're going to need a strong woman around, right?† Margaret took a few moments to answer. â€Å"Right. I just thought you'd be that woman.† â€Å"Fate has other plans,† I said. Wasn't that the damned truth. â€Å"Is that why you and Seth aren't getting along? Because you're moving? I'm surprised he doesn't just go with you. . . .† â€Å"No, no, it's not that at all,† I assured her. â€Å"It's . . . complicated. If it was as simple as moving, he would when he was able to . . . you know, when Andrea's better.† I hesitated, afraid of the answer to the next question, but it was one I had to know. With no contact from Seth, the status of the Mortensens had been a mystery. â€Å"How is Andrea? Is she still doing well?† â€Å"Yes, she's doing great. We won't know the details for sure until she sees the doctor in a couple weeks, but on the outside, things look wonderful. We're all praying.† I found myself smiling, unable to help my joy and relief. Andrea had looked good at Christmas, but I'd worried ever since then that whatever demon had made her sick before would return one of these days. Again, a doctor would have the ultimate answer, but I took Margaret's own observation as a good sign. â€Å"Thank you,† I said. â€Å"You have no idea how much that makes my night. I've needed some good news.† â€Å"Well, thank you for the housing offer. Can I let you know my answer later?† â€Å"Of course,† I said. I wished her a happy new year and told her good night. Then, I hurried off before I cracked and asked her to deliver some sentimental message to Seth. I liked Roman's company, but I still couldn't shake the wrongness of being out with him instead of Seth tonight. After last year's miserable New Year's Eve, I'd hoped this one would be better. â€Å"That was nice of you,† Roman said, when I explained what I discussed with Margaret. â€Å"It's an easy thing for me to do that can help a lot of people,† I said. â€Å"No reason not to.† He shook his head, incredulous. â€Å"You shouldn't even need a technicality to escape Hell's reach. They should fire you out of principle.† The restaurant was tiny but elegant – and packed. I seriously doubted any connections Roman had would get us in, but through some magic, the hostess beckoned us through the crowd and led us back to a cozy candlelit corner. In it was a table covered with an old-fashioned lace cloth, as well as crystal and china place settings – for three. I looked at her in surprise. â€Å"But there's only – â€Å" â€Å"Hey, hope I'm not late.† Carter suddenly emerged from the crowd, wearing his usual grunge wear. The hostess didn't even blink an eye. Seeing us about to sit down, he smiled. â€Å"I guess not.† â€Å"What are you doing here?† I asked. I looked to Roman, who appeared just as perplexed as I was. â€Å"I didn't tell him any details. He called while you were inside Seth's to see if we were going to Peter's, and I told him we were going to dinner instead. That's it.† Carter waved it off. â€Å"That's as good as a homing beacon. I love this place. You're getting wine, right?† It wasn't that I was unhappy to see Carter. It was just that when Carter appeared, there was usually a reason. â€Å"So you heard?† I said, once we'd placed our orders and dispensed with small talk. Carter swirled the wine in his glass. We'd ordered a nice vintage that would probably be wasted on him at the rate he drank. â€Å"That you're skipping Peter's party? Yeah, I did. Man, he's going to be pissed.† I rolled my eyes. â€Å"That's not what I mean. Are you here about the appeal we filed?† â€Å"I'm here to have dinner with friends,† said Carter demurely. â€Å"But now that you mention it . . .† â€Å"Word gets around fast, huh?† I asked. It had been a couple hours since we'd seen Hugh, more than enough time for him to deliver the paperwork to Mei and enough for her to have told Jerome. â€Å"Oh, I found out from him,† said Carter, nodding toward Roman. â€Å"He asked when he called me earlier,† explained Roman. â€Å"He knew we'd been working on it.† â€Å"How?† I asked, startled. â€Å"Hugh and I have had to consult him on a couple of things this week,† said Roman. â€Å"Nothing that breaks any rules, of course.† Carter gave him a mock toast to that. â€Å"But enough to clarify a couple points about Hell's fucked-up legal system.† I wondered what they had needed to consult Carter on but doubted they'd tell me. I was also kind of amazed that I'd been so out of it this week that I hadn't even known my legal team had been in touch with the angel. No, on second thought, I wasn't that surprised. My misery had been pretty all-consuming. â€Å"So what do you think our odds are?† I asked. Carter shook his head. â€Å"I can't answer that.† â€Å"Because it breaks a rule?† â€Å"Because it's too tempting for me to answer with a joke about a snowball's chance in Hell.† I sighed. â€Å"That's not very comforting.† â€Å"You're awfully grim about this,† said Carter. â€Å"I figured there'd be a little more excitement from someone trying to win back their soul.† â€Å"It doesn't mean much without Seth,† I said. â€Å"Oh, for God's sake,† said Roman. He reached for the wine bottle. â€Å"You're on the verge of getting your soul and your life back . . . and he's still what determines your happiness ? You don't need a relationship to be happy, Georgina.† â€Å"No,† I agreed. â€Å"But Seth's not just any relationship. He's tied to my soul. He found me in the world of dreams. We've come together, life after life. I'm not just some girl who needs a guy around. Seth and I are connected. We both have done terrible things to each other . . . but also made great sacrifices for each other. It just seems like only half a victory to get my soul back but not be with the person who's affected it so much.† Roman surprised me by acknowledging the point. â€Å"Okay. I can see where you're coming from there.† â€Å"And,† added Carter gently, â€Å"you need to replay your own words there. You and Seth have come back together, life after life. What makes you think you won't again?† â€Å"Well, his recent actions for one,† I remarked bitterly. â€Å"That and . . . I don't know. Just the look in his eyes.† â€Å"Seth had a lot thrown at him all at once. Whose idea was the hypnosis anyway?† â€Å"Mine,† said Roman. â€Å"And get that accusing tone out of your voice. It was the fastest and easiest way we had to get the information we needed.† â€Å"Perhaps,† said Carter. â€Å"But there's a reason reborn mortals forget their past lives. It's a lot to process, and that kind of regression brings on too much, too fast.† â€Å"Hugh kind of said something like that too,† I said. Carter nodded, gray eyes kind. â€Å"Don't give up on Seth yet. I think he might surprise you once he's settled down. He loved you enough to always come back to you. He loved you enough to remember you, even when Hell tried to erase you from his mind. That's powerful stuff, Daughter of Lilith.† It was, and I suddenly questioned how fairly I'd been approaching this situation. My old fears had held me back from truly fighting for Seth. I also hadn't really tried to imagine what it must be like for him to have ten people in one mind. â€Å"It could take a while,† I said, unable to meet Carter's eyes. â€Å"For him to come around, I mean. And it could take a while for Hell to respond to my appeal too, right?† Both men nodded. â€Å"What do I do then? What do I do with all that time?† â€Å"You live,† said Carter. â€Å"You go on with the life you have, with the opportunities you have. You want your soul. You want Seth. If it's within your power to achieve those things, do it. If it's not, accept it and figure out what else you want.† I muddled over his words. â€Å"Part of my immediate life is dictated for me. I have to go to Las Vegas.† â€Å"What do you want to do there?† prompted Carter. â€Å"Be happy . . . if it's possible.† I knew I was being melodramatic but couldn't help it. â€Å"If I have to be there, I'd like some sort of chance at a happy life that I created. Not a fake one Hell fashioned for me.† I thought about it some more. â€Å"I'd like to find out if Bastien is my friend first and Hell's servant second.† â€Å"There you go,† said Carter. â€Å"Start there. Focus on what you can control.† â€Å"I'd like to help Seth's family too,† I added, kind of on a roll now. â€Å"I'm already trying to do something for his mom, but before I leave them, I want to do whatever I can. Even if Hell leaves Andrea alone, we don't know how things will turn out. Even if Seth decides he never wants to see me again, I still care about them. And there are still things they need.† â€Å"Indeed. That pony collection isn't nearly complete,† Carter mused. When I dared a look back at him, I saw that the angel was smiling at me. â€Å"You see? You aren't lost. No matter what happens to you, you have a plan. There's still hope.† â€Å"You told me that once . . . that no matter what happens, there's always hope. Do you really still believe that?† I asked. Carter topped off all of our wineglasses. â€Å"I'm an angel, Georgina. I wouldn't have said it if I didn't.† â€Å"And even though you're counseling contingency plans, you still think I can pull it all off, don't you?† I pushed. â€Å"What do you know that I don't?† â€Å"At this point?† he admitted. â€Å"Nothing more than you do. The only difference is that I think I have more faith in you than you do.† â€Å"You're an angel,† I pointed out, throwing his words back at him. â€Å"Don't you have to have faith in everyone?† â€Å"You'd be surprised.† He chuckled. â€Å"I have faith in some more than others. And you? I've always been one of your biggest fans. If you believe nothing else, believe that.† â€Å"Here, here,† said Roman, raising his glass. â€Å"To faith and a new year.† I clinked glasses with them and caught Carter's eye. He winked. Was it enough? His faith? I'd noted before that having him pull for the Mortensens was a powerful thing. Having an angel say he believed in you was equally monumental. But I wasn't fighting an ordinary adversary. I was fighting Hell, the only force that could stand against Heaven. I've always been one of your biggest fans. I would find out soon if it was enough. For now, I drank up and tried to have hope.

Smed (Single Minute Exchange of Die), Continuous Improvement Activity for Crank Changeover Process. Essay Example

Smed (Single Minute Exchange of Die), Continuous Improvement Activity for Crank Changeover Process. Essay Example Smed (Single Minute Exchange of Die), Continuous Improvement Activity for Crank Changeover Process. Essay Smed (Single Minute Exchange of Die), Continuous Improvement Activity for Crank Changeover Process. Essay GM INDIA POWERTRAIN PROJECT TRAINEE TOPIC SUMMARY Name of Trainee: SYAMLAL. A. R Qualification: Mechanical Engineering Institute: National Institute of Technology, Calicut Project Guide: Vinayak Angane Title of the project: SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die), continuous improvement activity for crank changeover process. Brief Description of the project: Use SMED techniques to reduce changeover time through system for crank machining to throughput simulation approved levels. Activities to be performed by trainee: * Update crank changeover board to reflect the current. Create and manage tracking sheet of changeover issues and countermeasures. * Measure changeover times by operation. * Get changeover within ‘OEM’ specified timing by end of project. Learning/Expectation of the trainee at the end of term: * Understand process of manufacturing crankshaft. * Understand how to implement continuous improvement process on shop floor. * SMED research and implementation. ACKNOWLED GEMENT I would like to express my gratitude to all the people in the General Motors Power Train department for helping me with my project. I would like to thank the Human resources managers who gave me an opportunity to undertake such a project in a world renowned company as General Motors. I would also like to thank all the operators who passed on all the knowledge that they could in two months to help me understand all the processes. They also helped me in various situations where it seemed that my project would come to a standstill, giving me exactly what I needed to go on. Next I would like to thank the each and every single person in the crank line who helped me and guided me in every step. They provided me with the resources and made suggestions that helped me improve and build a base for my ideas. I would also like to thank my fellow project trainee who had much more experience than me. He helped me to take off on my own path to completing the project with his valuable suggestion and ideas. Above all I would like to thank him for being a very good friend at the hour of need. I cannot fail to mention the undying support of Mr Kisan Kapse, Mr Prashant Kurde and Mr Bharat Sawant who helped me in every stage of the project. They were of great help in difficult times. I am deeply in debt to them whose stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped me in times. Last but not the least I would like to thank my project guide Mr Vinayak Angane who looked closely throughout the project, correcting and offering suggestions for improvement. He took time off his busy schedule to explore me with alternate approaches to my problem and with ideas that could never have occurred to me on my own. INTRODUCTION The General Motors powertrain in Pune machines cam carrier, cylinder Head, cylinder block and crankshaft. GMI powertrain in Pune is a level IV flex plant. This power train plant is the one and only Level IV Flex plant in India. A level IV flex plant means that the plant can machine different types of the same component in the same machine. This is done by changing the die holding the component and also changing the program mentioning where to machine. My project revolves around the SMED of crankshaft. Some different parts constitute of the Cylinder block, Cylinder head the Crankshaft. The crankshaft is the part of an engine which translates reciprocatinglinearpiston motion into rotation. Basically the crankshaft powers the engine. Crankshafts can be monolithic (made in a single piece) or assembled from several pieces. Monolithic crankshafts are most common, but some smaller and larger engines use assembled crankshafts. The different types of crank made in GM Powertrain Talegeon plant are 1. 0 xSDE, 1. 2 BDOHC, 1. 3 xSDE and 1. 4 BDOHC. SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) is a method for rapidly and efficiently converting a process from running the current product to running the next product. SMED is also often referred to a Quick Changeover. The SMED method can, and often is, used in starting up a process and rapidly getting it to running condition with minimum waste of time. SETUP CHANGE / CHANGEOVER Setup change/ Changeover is preparation, execution of activities in work station which includes hardware changes, sometimes software changes e. g. : locator centres, chuck jaws, steady program calling etc. to produce good to good parts. Change over time is defined as the time difference of the last product produced and the next new product produced with the right quality and at the right speed. The production capacity of a plant is determined by the changeover time. Unless the changeover time is reduced to the bottleneck the production can’t meet the target Production sites with long setup times are characterised by * Low flexibility of the component * Large batch sizes * High levels of stock If we decrease the setup change time then we could use the extra capacity either to increase productivity or to decrease the batch sizes. There are many benefits likereduction in lead time and therefore increased, improved and faster delivery, higher productivity and therefore satisfying customer needs faster, Reduction in working capital, less disturbances etc. SINGLE MINUITE EXCHANGE OF DIE (SMED) The process of changing die is called Single Minute Die Exchange (SMED). Single-Minute Exchange of Die  (SMED) is one of the many  lean production  methods for reducing waste in a manufacturing process. It provides a rapid and efficient way of converting a manufacturing process from running the current product to running the next product. This rapid changeover is the key to reducing production lot sizes and thereby improving flow. The phrase single minute does not mean that all changeovers and start-ups should take only one minute, but that they should take less than 10 minutes. In short it should be a single digit number. The different features of SMED are: * It is a systematic approach that decreases disturbances and problems * The main factor that can lead to its success are team work creativity * SMED methods are used for exchange of dies, but it can also be used for cleaning and for maintenance purposes. IMPORTANCE OF REDUCING CHANGEOVER TIME Reducing changeover time is like adding capacity, increasing profitability and can help most manufacturers gain a competitive edge. Image a pit crew changing the tires on a race car. Team members pride themselves on reducing changeover by even tenths of a second because it means that their driver is on the road faster and in a better position to win. The same philosophy applies to manufacturing – the quicker you are producing the next scheduled product, the more competitive you are. Reducing changeover times is a fundamental requirement of any company to take lead over the other in production and maintaining top position. By understanding the principles and practices of the SMED system organisations will be able to cut changeovers by over 50% with very little expenditure, and to single minutes with the modification of tooling and fastening systems. Single Minute Exchange of Dies can be applied to any changeover operation and aims to reduce the overall downtime for a complete changeover to less than nine minutes. An understanding of the operational benefits to be gained from the fast exchange of tooling. The interaction of a multi-disciplined workforce constructively looking to eliminate waste from the changeover process. How unstable setups can adversely affect subsequent operations and how standard operating procedure can eliminate these concerns. A team approach in understanding the methodology used in applying SMED through theoretical explanation and practical involvement in actual changeovers. SMED IMPLEMENTATION To successfully implement SMED in a system is a difficult task. Therefore to successfully guarantee the implementation of the process, the following steps should be followed closely. STEP 1 – FOCUS * Start by choosing the right equipment to start with. . This is normally a bottle-neck with long set-up times STEP 2 BUILD THE RIGHT TEAM Work cross-functional. Operators, Technicians, Engineers and Managers should worktogether STEP 3 – MEASURE AND SET GOALS * Visualize the present situation and agree on a common goal STEP 4 – 5S * To succeed you will need a clean and well organized work-place. A 5S implementation is recommended. This process will be explained in detail as we move ahead. STEP 5 – ANALYSIS * Keenly observe the operations and processes. Analyze the present situation video-technique. The different moments are classified as being external or internal and waste or not waste. All known disturbances are listed as well. STEP 6 – SEPARATION BETWEEN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL MOMENTS * The purpose is to secure that all external set-ups are performed when the machine is running. Use checklists, function controls and improved transports. For example collect necessary tools and consumables before the next operation starts up or sharp the tools before activity starts. STEP 7 ELIMINATION OF WASTE * Measures are carried out to reduce all types of waste. This includes: * Elimination of all need for adjustments. * Exchange of bolts for quick-fasteners. * Standardized parts, tools, dimensions Need for quality control STEP 8 FOLLOW UP AND IMPROVE * Each changeover should be so planned that it is better and faster than the previous one. Each changeover should be analysed and properly documented which includes suggestion that could make it faster THE 5S SYSTEM â€Å"5S† is a method to create a safer, cleaner, and better-organized workplace. The five S in the process stand for: * SET IN ORDER The princi ple here is to keep things in their proper places. One guide to proper placement is to keep frequently-used items handy, and store other things where they can be found. In reference to a workplace, it means: At present the tools required for the changeover process are stored in red tool carts and the carts are kept in a specific location for easy access. The tool carts are rolled to the machine where changeover is taking place at the required time. SORT Every tool which is used for a changeover process must be tagged and identified properly. All the operators involved in the changeover must be aware of the location and purpose of the tool. SHINY CLEAN This is the exception – the only one-time activity in the 5S method. This stage has two goals: Determine and gain agreement on the desired level of cleanliness * Learn how to make new routines so this will become standardized STANDARDIZED CLEANUP In this phase consider the sources of dirt: air-borne dust; sawdust or other dry powder from cutting operations; splatter from wet processes; or simple trash because there is no proper container. A practical target is to have all workers take five minut es every day to tidy up after themselves – including the time to complete and sign the checklists. Supervisors should monitor compliance with the clean-up. The checklists make this both important and achievable. SUSTAIN This phase is perhaps the most important concept that includes instilled discipline, self-discipline, common cultural values, and self-motivated practice to improve. This step requires continued management support and communication. It brings out the leadership qualities of the employees and also improves their human values too. All these activities should be followed up on a regular basis with full commitment and hard work from all operators as well as managers for SMED to be a success. ACTIVITIES PERFORMED * Understood process of manufacturing crankshaft Understood the process of manufacturing crankshaft with the process flow of current status and different machines involved. * Understood activities performed by different machines OP 10:Machine: HELLER * Mill the lengths * Centring * Orbital and hollow milling OP 20:Machine: HELLER * Rough milling of mains/pins incl. * Counter weights and incl. * Rough diameter of mains and pins OP 25:Machine: HELLER * Broaching of mains and journals OP 30:Machine: HELLER * Outer Diameter milling of pins OP 40 (A B):Machine: NTC * Drill and camphor oil holes OP 50:Machine: ELOTHERM * Washing Hardening (only for xSDE) * Tempering (only for xSDE) OP 60:Machine: HEGENSCHIEDL * Deep rolling * Strengthening OP 70:Machine: NTC * Recenter both ends OP 80:Machine: NILES-SIMMONS * Finish turning * Thrust face and hub outer diameter and post end shoulder * Post process measuring OP 100 (A B):Machine: LANDIS * Grinding mains and pins OP 110 (A B):Machine: NTC * Ream index holes * Milling keyway * Machine rel uctor ring holes and flange holes OP 120:Machine: ROBOTIC * Brush * Check oil holes OP 140:Machine: LANDIS * Grinding Flange and post ends OP 160:Machine: SCHENK BALANCE Balancing OP 170:Machine: SUP FINA * Polish mains and pins * Thrust face and flange outer diameter (2 stations) OP 180:Machine: FINE TEC * Wash and dry OP 190:Machine: HOMMEL * Final inspection (2 stations) OP 200:Machine: MANUAL * Manual assembly of dowel pin SMED FOR CRANKSHAFT CHANGEOVER My project revolves around the changeover process in the crankshaft line. My project activities can be divided into the following: * Documentation of the changeover process for the entire crankshaft line. * Identified and separated internal and external activities for the changeover process. To define separate activities for different operators. My activity here consists of reducing changeover time. TO REDUCE CHANGEOVER TIME USING SMED TECHNIQUES The steps involved in reducing the changeover tie using this method are: 1. Observe the current methodology 2. Document it appropriately 3. Separate the INTERNAL and EXTERNAL activities. Internal activities are those that can only be performed when the process is stopped, while External activities can be done while the last batch is being produced, or once the next batch has started. Make sure it is properly documented. 4. Do most of the activities to be done during the changeover to be done when the previous batch is being done or while the buffer is running. 5. Try to simplify each and every process. 6. The procedure as well as the measures taken to simplify the timings should be well documented and easily accessible. 7. Keep a standard improvement percentage for each new changeover. Teamwork, meaning several operators sharing changeover operations in order to minimize the stop time is also scarce. As changeovers take time, cause productivity loss and carry costs, the temptation is to dilute them in changing less often by launching bigger batches. This policy ends up with higher inventories and lower agility for the production. Documented the current changeover process The machine is usually stopped and all changeover operations happen in sequence, while the machine is stopped. The machine will start again only after completion of adjustments and trials. Most often all these operations are done without any standard method nor procedures or checklists. This means the changeover sequence, and hence its duration is related to individual know-how, skills and habits. During this stage: * Agreed on the start and end of the changeover * Observed the changeover * Recorded ALL observations * Organized it and created changeover table * Record times for each element The time required for each individual steps were measured and added to the table for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30 and OP 40. Recorded and organized all observations for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30, OP 40, OP 60, OP 70, OP 80, OP 100 and OP 160 and created a table as follows: Separated INTERNAL and EXTERNAL activities Another important process is separating the internal and external activities performed during changeover. This is a serious procedure which must be done with a lot of care, which will help in the reduction of changeover time. During this stage: * Identified whether each step in the changeover is ‘internal’ or ‘external’ * INTERNAL activities are those which can be performed only when the machine is stopped (e. g. : removing or clamping jaws) * EXTERNAL activities are those which can occur while the machine is running (e. g. returning tools to storage after use and bringing new tools to the machine) * Separated each step involved in changeover to internal and external Separated activities for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30, OP 40, OP 60, OP 70, OP 80, OP 100 and OP 160 and added in the same table. Different external activities consist of: * Having everything prepared before stopping the machine (checklists) * Any preheating, pr e-cleaning, presetting that could be completed * Standardizing changeover parts with attachments/improvements to help speed up centering and securing * Cleaning and keeping new changeover parts to be changed Defined activities for both team members During the next phase of the project, I defined activities for both the team members involved in the changeover, i. e. the steps that must be performed by first operator and second operator were classified. The thought of parallel operations leads mainly to the following features: * Two or more people doing different jobs at the same time (e. g. : while first operator removing tool, second one bringing tool trolley in position in case of OP 20) Two people working together on one operation (e. g. : Both the operators changing over OP 40 A and OP 40 B simultaneously Others * Recorded the different tools and the auxillary equipments required to complete the changeeover * The different tools used in every step of changeover were noted down. * Bolt size of different allen screws were recorded * Auxillary equipments needed such as torque wrench, ratchet etc. were added in the same tabe * Organized changeover parts in the part trolley As part of the implementation of 5S system, inorder to reduce the part searching time, each and every part involved in the changeover process were photographed. These photos were stick inside the machine tool trolley and hence the part searching time was reduced. * Improving location labeling to make items easier to find * Organized changeover parts in part trolley with photos having part number and part name on them * Hence reducing the time required for accessing the correct part * Deskilling and avoiding confusion SAMPLE PICTURE * The photographs were stick inside the tool trolley For different models, differents racks were provided so as to avoid confusion * In one rack, the space wasseparated inorder to fit to all the parts to be changed over All the above processes helped in reducing the part searching time and also worked as an alternate checklist. Also created a chelist of different parts to be changed for different operations. * Measured changeover time by station * Plotted graph with comparison of actual time taken by station for changeover to simulation * Plotted graph for total time taken for changeover for OP 20 to OP 180 Plotted graph for time taken to changeover from model 1. 0 to 1. 2 for OP 20 to OP 180 * Plotted graph for time taken to changeover from model 1. 0 to 1. 2 for OP 20 to OP 180 Suggestions * Providing power tool for all loosening and tightening processes instead of Allen key * Power tool will reduce about: 15 min for OP 20 3 min for OP 25 9 min for OP 30 * OP 40 * Changeover both OP 40 A and OP 40 B simultaneously * Reduce machine lockout time by making bed flush valve in action which was not noticed earlier * Hence solved problem of chips getting stuck in burr OP 60 * Get power tool * Change the tool tray (boxes) in which rollers are placed * Arrange rollers in boxes in same order that they are to be used * Stick colour codes on box also * Make arrangement loosen minimum number of bolts and adjust measuring probe * Provide power t ool for OP 80 will reduce approximately 4 min * OP 160 * Provide a plastic kit (box) with separations which can be taken and placed inside the machine through the side door which makes the operator not to lean in and out of machine each and every time * Bearing seal on the extreme is not used for 1. xSDE which is not required to be mounted * OP 10, OP 50, OP 70, OP 100, OP 110, OP 120 and OP 180 are already changed over in time or about time CONCLUSION At the end of the project, I was able to understand process of manufacturing crankshaft, different machines used in crank line and their uses, what is changeover and its use in the plant, advantages and disadvantages of changeover and importance of reducing changeover time. As a preliminary step to the project, I studied the basic idea of SMED (Single Minute Exchange of Die) and 5S techniques. Found out how SMED techniques can be used to reduce changeover time. During the project, I documented the whole process step by step for changeover for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30, OP 40, OP 60, OP 70, OP 80, OP 100 and OP 160. Organized these steps and created a changeover procedure table. Defined activities for both the team members involved in the changeover in the same table. Separated internal and external activities occurring during changeover and marked it in the changeover procedure table. Time taken for each step in the same table was also recorded (for OP 20, OP 25, OP 30 and OP 40). Reduced machine lockout time for OP 40 by making bed flush valve in action which was not noticed earlier and hence solved the problem of chips getting stuck in the burr and making the cleaning process long and difficult. The changeover parts in the part trolley were organized with the help of photos having part number and part name. Measured changeover time by station and plotted graphs: * Comparison of actual time taken by station for changeover with simulation time (For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 7 changeovers) * Total time taken for changeover by stations For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 7 changeovers) * Time taken for changing over from 1. 0 xSDE to 1. 2 BDOHC (For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 4 changeovers) * Time taken for changing over from 1. 2 BDOHC to 1. 0 xSDE (For OP 20 to OP 180 for last 5 changeovers) Updated crank changeover board to reflect current by updating different graphs required and action plan. The process to implement continuous improvement on shop floor was understood and perfected. Different steps to decrease the time taken for changeover process and to bring it under OEM specified timing was suggested.

April Morning Book Review (A) essays

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INTERNATIONAL STUDIES IN BUSINESS Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

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