Bloodlines Chapter One

I couldn't breathe. There was a hand covering my mouth and another shaking my shoulder, startling me out of a heavy sleep. A thousand frantic thoughts dashed through my mind in the space of a single heartbeat. It was happening. My worst nightmare was coming true. They're here! They've come for me! My eyes blinked, staring wildly around the dark room until my father's face came into focus. I stilled my thrashing, thoroughly confused. He let go and stepped back to regard me coldly. I sat up in the bed, my heart still pounding. ‘Dad?' ‘Sydney. You wouldn't wake up.' Naturally, that was his only apology for scaring me to death. ‘You need to get dressed and make yourself presentable,' he continued. ‘Quickly and quietly. Meet me downstairs in the study.' I felt my eyes widen but didn't hesitate with a response. There was only one acceptable answer. ‘Yes, sir. Of course.' ‘I'll go wake your sister.' He turned for the door, and I leapt out of bed. ‘Zoe?' I exclaimed. ‘What do you need her for?' ‘Shh,' he chastised. ‘Hurry up and get ready. And remember – be quiet. Don't wake your mother.' He shut the door without another word, leaving me staring. The panic that had only just subsided began to surge within me again. What did he need Zoe for? A late-night wake-up meant Alchemist business, and she had nothing to do with that. Technically, neither did I anymore, not since I'd been put on indefinite suspension for bad behavior this summer. What if that's what this was about? What if I was finally being taken to a re-education center and Zoe was replacing me? For a moment, the world swam around me, and I caught hold of my bed to steady myself. Re-education centers. They were the stuff of nightmares for young Alchemists like me, mysterious places where those who grew too close to vampires were dragged off to learn the errors of their ways. What exactly went on there was a secret, one I never wanted to find out. I was pretty sure ‘re-education' was a nice way of saying ‘brainwashing.' I'd only ever seen one person who had come back, and honestly, he'd seemed like half a person after that. There'd been an almost zombielike quality to him, and I didn't even want to think about what they might have done to make him that way. My father's urging to hurry up echoed back through my mind, and I tried to shake off my fears. Remembering his other warning, I also made sure I moved silently. My mother was a light sleeper. Normally, it wouldn't matter if she caught us going off on Alchemist errands, but lately, she hadn't been feeling so kindly toward her husband's (and daughter's) employers. Ever since angry Alchemists had deposited me on my parents' doorstep last month, this household had held all the warmth of a prison camp. Terrible arguments had gone down between my parents, and my sister Zoe and I often found ourselves tiptoeing around. Zoe. Why does he need Zoe? The question burned through me as I scurried to get ready. I knew what ‘presentable' meant. Throwing on jeans and a T-shirt was out of the question. Instead, I tugged on gray slacks and a crisp, white button-down shirt. A darker, charcoal gray cardigan went over it, which I cinched neatly at my waist with a black belt. A small gold cross – the one I always wore around my neck – was the only ornamentation I ever bothered with. My hair was a slightly bigger problem. Even after only two hours of sleep, it was already going in every direction. I smoothed it down as best I could and then coated it with a thick layer of hair spray in the hopes that it would get me through whatever was to come. A light dusting of powder was the only makeup I put on. I had no time for anything more. The entire process took me all of six minutes, which might have been a new record for me. I sprinted down the stairs in perfect silence, careful, again, to avoid waking my mother. The living room was dark, but light spilled out past the not-quite-shut door of my father's study. Taking that as an invitation, I pushed the door open and slipped inside. A hushed conversation stopped at my entrance. My father eyed me from head to toe and showed his approval at my appearance in the way he knew best: by simply withholding criticism. ‘Sydney,' he said brusquely. ‘I believe you know Donna Stanton.' The formidable Alchemist stood near the window, arms crossed, looking as tough and lean as I remembered. I'd spent a lot of time with Stanton recently, though I would hardly say we were friends – especially since certain actions of mine had ended up putting the two of us under a sort of ‘vampire house arrest.' If she harbored any resentment toward me, she didn't show it, though. She nodded to me in polite greeting, her face all business. Three other Alchemists were there as well, all men. They were introduced to me as Barnes, Michaelson, and Horowitz. Barnes and Michaelson were my father and Stanton's age. Horowitz was younger, mid-twenties, and was setting up a tattooist's tools. All of them were dressed like me, wearing business casual clothing in nondescript colors. Our goal was always to look nice but not attract notice. The Alchemists had been playing Men in Black for centuries, long before humans dreamed of life on other worlds. When the light hit their faces the right way, each Alchemist displayed a lily tattoo identical to mine. Again, my unease grew. Was this some kind of interrogation? An assessment to see if my decision to help a renegade half-vampire girl meant my loyalties had changed? I crossed my arms over my chest and schooled my face to neutrality, hoping I looked cool and confident. If I still had a chance to plead my case, I intended to present a solid one. Before anyone could utter another word, Zoe entered. She shut the door behind her and peered around in terror, her eyes wide. Our father's study was huge – he'd built an addition on to our house for it – and it easily held all the occupants. But as I watched my sister take in the scene, I knew she felt stifled and trapped. I met her eyes and tried to send a silent message of sympathy. It must have worked because she scurried to my side, looking only fractionally less afraid. ‘Zoe,' said my father. He let her name hang in the air in this way he had, making it clear to both of us that he was disappointed. I could immediately guess why. She wore jeans and an old sweatshirt and had her brown hair in two cute but sloppy braids. By any other person's standards, she would have been ‘presentable' – but not by his. I felt her cower against me, and I tried to make myself taller and more protective. After making sure his condemnation was felt, our father introduced Zoe to the others. Stanton gave her the same polite nod she'd given me and then turned toward my father. ‘I don't understand, Jared,' said Stanton. ‘Which one of them are you going to use?' ‘Well, that's the problem,' my father said. ‘Zoe was requested . . . but I'm not sure she's ready. In fact, I know she isn't. She's only had the most basic of training. But in light of Sydney's recent . . . experiences . . .' My mind immediately began to pull the pieces together. First, and most importantly, it seemed I wasn't going to be sent to a re-education center. Not yet, at least. This was about something else. My earlier suspicion was correct. There was some mission or task afoot, and someone wanted to sub in Zoe because she, unlike certain other members of her family, had no history of betraying the Alchemists. My father was right that she'd only received basic instruction. Our jobs were hereditary, and I had been chosen years ago as the next Alchemist in the Sage family. My older sister, Carly, had been passed over and was now away at college and too old. He'd taught Zoe as backup instead, in the event something happened to me, like a car accident or vampire mauling. I stepped forward, not knowing what I was going to say until I spoke. The only thing I knew for sure was that I could not let Zoe get sucked into the Alchemists' schemes. I feared for her safety more than I did going to a re-education center – and I was pretty afraid of that. ‘I spoke to a committee about my actions after they happened,' I said. ‘I was under the impression that they understood why I did the things I did. I'm fully qualified to serve in whatever way you need – much more so than my sister. I have real-world experience. I know this job inside and out.' ‘A little too much real-world experience, if memory serves,' said Stanton dryly. ‘I for one would like to hear these ‘reasons' again,' said Barnes, using his fingers to make air quotes. ‘I'm not thrilled about tossing a half-trained girl out there, but I also find it hard to believe someone who aided a vampire criminal is ‘fully qualified to serve.† More pretentious air quotes. I smiled back pleasantly, masking my anger. If I showed my true emotions, it wouldn't help my case. ‘I understand, sir. But Rose Hathaway was eventually proven innocent of the crime she'd been accused of. So, I wasn't technically aiding a criminal. My actions eventually helped find the real murderer.' ‘Be that as it may, we – and you – didn't know she was ‘innocent' at the time,' he said. ‘I know,' I said. ‘But I believed she was.' Barnes snorted. ‘And there's the problem. You should've believed what the Alchemists told you, not run off with your own far-fetched theories. At the very least, you should've taken what evidence you'd gathered to your superiors.' Evidence? How could I explain that it wasn't evidence that had driven me to help Rose so much as a feeling in my gut that she was telling the truth? But that was something I knew they'd never understand. All of us were trained to believe the worst of her kind. Telling them that I had seen truth and honesty in her wouldn't help my cause here. Telling them that I'd been blackmailed into helping her by another vampire was an even worse explanation. There was only one argument that the Alchemists might possibly be able to comprehend. ‘I . . . I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to get all the credit for it. I was hoping that if I uncovered it, I could get a promotion and a better assignment.' It took every ounce of self-control I had to say that lie straight-faced. I felt humiliated at making such an admission. As though ambition would really drive me to such extreme behaviors! It made me feel slimy and shallow. But, as I'd suspected, this was something the other Alchemists could understand. Michaelson snorted. ‘Misguided, but not entirely unexpected for her age.' The other men shared equally condescending looks, even my father. Only Stanton looked doubtful, but then, she'd witnessed more of the fiasco than they had. My father glanced among the others, waiting for further comment. When none came, he shrugged. ‘If no one has any objections, then, I'd rather we use Sydney. Not that I even entirely understand what you need her for.' There was a slightly accusing tone in his voice over not having been filled in yet. Jared Sage didn't like to be left out of the loop. ‘I have no problem with using the older girl,' said Barnes. ‘But keep the younger one around until the others get here, in case they have any objections.' I wondered how many ‘others' would be joining us. My father's study was no stadium. Also, the more people who came, the more important this case probably was. My skin grew cold as I wondered what the assignment could possibly be. I'd seen the Alchemists cover up major disasters with only one or two people. How colossal would something have to be to require this much help? Horowitz spoke up for the first time. ‘What do you want me to do?' ‘Re-ink Sydney,' said Stanton decisively. ‘Even if she doesn't go, it won't hurt to have the spells reinforced. No point in inking Zoe until we know what we're doing with her.' My eyes flicked to my sister's noticeably bare – and pale – cheeks. Yes. As long as there was no lily there, she was free. Once the tattoo was emblazoned on your skin, there was no going back. You belonged to the Alchemists. The reality of that had only hit me in the last year or so. I'd certainly never realized it while growing up. My father had dazzled me from a very young age about the rightness of our duty. I still believed in that rightness but wished he'd also mentioned just how much of my life it would consume. Horowitz had set up a folding table on the far side of my father's study. He patted it and gave me a friendly smile. ‘Step right up,' he told me. ‘Get your ticket.' Barnes shot him a disapproving look. ‘Please. You could show a little respect for this ritual, David.' Horowitz merely shrugged. He helped me lie down, and though I was too afraid of the others to openly smile back, I hoped my gratitude showed in my eyes. Another smile from him told me he understood. Turning my head, I watched as Barnes reverently set a black briefcase on a side table. The other Alchemists gathered around and clasped their hands together in front of them. He must be the hierophant, I realized. Most of what the Alchemists did was rooted in science, but a few tasks required divine assistance. After all, our core mission to protect humanity was rooted in the belief that vampires were unnatural and went against God's plan. That's why hierophants – our priests – worked side by side with our scientists. ‘Oh Lord,' he intoned, closing his eyes. ‘Bless these elixirs. Remove the taint of the evil they carry so that their life-giving power shines through purely to us, your servants.' He opened the briefcase and removed four small vials, each filled with dark red liquid. Labels that I couldn't read marked each one. With a steady hand and practiced eye, Barnes poured precise amounts from each vial into a larger bottle. When he'd used all four, he produced a tiny packet of powder that he emptied into the rest of the mix. I felt a tingle in the air, and the bottle's contents turned to gold. He handed the bottle to Horowitz, who stood ready with a needle. Everyone relaxed, the ceremonial part complete. I obediently turned away, exposing my cheek. A moment later, Horowitz's shadow fell over me. ‘This will sting a little, but nothing like when you originally got it. It's just a touch-up,' he explained kindly. ‘I know,' I said. I'd been re-inked before. ‘Thanks.' The needle pricked my skin, and I tried not to wince. It did sting, but like he'd said, Horowitz wasn't creating a new tattoo. He was simply injecting small amounts of the ink into my existing tattoo, recharging its power. I took this as a good sign. Zoe might not be out of danger yet, but surely they wouldn't go to the trouble of re-inking me if they were just going to send me to a re-education center. ‘Can you brief us on what's happening while we're waiting?' asked my father. ‘All I was told was that you needed a teen girl.' The way he said ‘teen girl' made it sound like a disposable role. I fought back a wave of anger at my father. That's all we were to him. ‘We have a situation,' I heard Stanton say. Finally, I'd get some answers. ‘With the Moroi.' I breathed a small sigh of relief. Better them than the Strigoi. Any ‘situation' the Alchemists faced always involved one of the vampire races, and I'd take the living, non-killing ones any day. They almost seemed human at times (though I'd never tell anyone here that) and lived and died like we did. Strigoi, however, were twisted freaks of nature. They were undead, murderous vampires created either when a Strigoi forcibly made a victim drink its blood or when a Moroi purposely took the life of another through blood drinking. A situation with the Strigoi usually ended with someone dead. All sorts of possible scenarios played through my mind as I considered what issue had prompted action from the Alchemists tonight: a human who had noticed someone with fangs, a feeder who had escaped and gone public, a Moroi treated by human doctors. . . . Those were the kinds of problems we Alchemists faced the most, ones I had been trained to handle and cover up with ease. Why they would need ‘a teenage girl' for any of those, however, was a mystery. ‘You know that they elected their girl queen last month,' said Barnes. I could practically see him rolling his eyes. Everyone in the room murmured affirmatively. Of course they knew about that. The Alchemists paid careful attention to the political goings-on of the Moroi. Knowing what vampires were doing was crucial to keeping them secret from the rest of humanity – and keeping the rest of humanity safe from them. That was our purpose, to protect our brethren. Know thy enemy was taken very seriously with us. The girl the Moroi had elected queen, Vasilisa Dragomir, was eighteen, just like me. ‘Don't tense,' said Horowitz gently. I hadn't realized I had been. I tried to relax, but thinking of Vasilisa Dragomir made me think of Rose Hathaway. Uneasily, I wondered if maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to assume I was out of trouble here. Mercifully, Barnes simply kept going with the story, not mentioning my indirect connection to the girl queen and her associates. ‘Well, as shocking as that is to us, it's been just as shocking to some of their own people. There's been a lot of protests and dissidence. No one's tried to attack the Dragomir girl, but that's probably because she's so well guarded. Her enemies, it seems, have therefore found a work-around: her sister.' ‘Jill,' I said, speaking before I could stop myself. Horowitz tsked me for moving, and I immediately regretted drawing attention to myself and my knowledge of the Moroi. Nevertheless, an image of Jillian Mastrano flashed into my mind, tall and annoyingly slim like all Moroi, with big, pale green eyes that always seemed nervous. And she had good reason to be. At fifteen, Jill had discovered she was Vasilisa's illegitimate sister, making her the only other member of their royal family's line. She too was tied to the mess I'd gotten myself into this summer. ‘You know their laws,' continued Stanton, after a moment of awkward silence. Her tone conveyed what we all thought of Moroi laws. An elected monarch? It made no sense, but what else could one expect from unnatural beings like vampires? ‘And Vasilisa must have one family member in order to hold her throne. Therefore, her enemies have decided if they can't directly remove her, they'll remove her family.' A chill ran down my spine at the unspoken meaning, and I again commented without thinking. ‘Did something happen to Jill?' This time, I'd at least chosen a moment when Horowitz was refilling his needle, so there was no danger of messing up the tattoo. I bit my lip to prevent myself from saying anything else, imagining the chastisement in my father's eyes. Showing concern for a Moroi was the last thing I wanted to do, considering my uncertain status. I didn't have any strong attachment to Jill, but the thought of someone trying to kill a fifteen-year-old girl – the same age as Zoe – was appalling, no matter what race she belonged to. ‘That's what's unclear,' Stanton mused. ‘She was attacked, we know that much, but we can't tell if she received any real injury. Regardless, she's fine now, but the attempt happened at their own Court, indicating they have traitors at high levels.' Barnes snorted in disgust. ‘What can you expect? How their ridiculous race has managed to survive as long as they have without turning on each other is beyond me.' There were mutters of agreement. ‘Ridiculous or not, though, we cannot have them in civil war,' said Stanton. ‘Some Moroi have acted out in protest, enough that they've caught the attention of human media. We can't allow that. We need their government stable, and that means ensuring this girl's safety. Maybe they can't trust themselves, but they can trust us.' There was no use in my pointing out that the Moroi didn't really trust the Alchemists. But, since we had no interest in killing off the Moroi monarch or her family, I supposed that made us more trustworthy than some. ‘We need to make the girl disappear,' said Michaelson. ‘At least until the Moroi can undo the law that makes Vasilisa's throne so precarious. Hiding Mastrano with her own people isn't safe at the moment, so we need to conceal her among humans.' Disdain dripped from his words. ‘But it's imperative she also remains concealed from humans. Our race cannot know theirs exists.' ‘After consultation with the guardians, we've chosen a location we all believe will be safe for her – both from Moroi and Strigoi,' said Stanton. ‘However, to make sure she – and those with her – remain undetected, we're going to need Alchemists on hand, dedicated solely to her needs in case any complications come up.' My father scoffed. ‘That's a waste of our resources. Not to mention unbearable for whoever has to stay with her.' I had a bad feeling about what was coming. ‘This is where Sydney comes in,' said Stanton. ‘We'd like her to be one of the Alchemists that accompanies Jillian into hiding.' ‘What?' exclaimed my father. ‘You can't be serious.' ‘Why not?' Stanton's tone was calm and level. ‘They're close in age, so being together won't raise suspicion. And Sydney already knows the girl. Surely spending time with her won't be as ‘unbearable' as it might be for other Alchemists.' The subtext was loud and clear. I wasn't free of my past, not yet. Horowitz paused and lifted the needle, allowing me the chance to speak. My mind raced. Some response was expected. I didn't want to sound too upset by the plan. I needed to restore my good name among the Alchemists and show my willingness to follow orders. That being said, I also didn't want to sound as though I were too comfortable with vampires or their half-human counterparts, the dhampirs. ‘Spending time with any of them is never fun,' I said carefully, keeping my voice cool and haughty. ‘Doesn't matter how much you do it. But I'll do whatever's necessary to keep us – and everyone else – safe.' I didn't need to explain that ‘everyone' meant humans. ‘There, you see, Jared?' Barnes sounded pleased with the answer. ‘The girl knows her duty. We've made a number of arrangements already that should make things run smoothly, and we certainly wouldn't send her there alone – especially since the Moroi girl won't be alone either.' ‘What do you mean?' My father still didn't sound happy about any of this, and I wondered what was upsetting him the most. Did he truly think I might be in danger? Or was he simply worried that spending more time with the Moroi would turn my loyalties even more? ‘How many of them are coming?' ‘They're sending a dhampir,' said Michaelson. ‘One of their guardians, which I really don't have a problem with. The location we've chosen should be Strigoi free, but if it's not, better they fight those monsters than us.' The guardians were specially trained dhampirs who served as bodyguards. ‘There you are,' Horowitz told me, stepping back. ‘You can sit up.' I obeyed and resisted the urge to touch my cheek. The only thing I felt from his work was the needle's sting, but I knew powerful magic was working its way through me, magic that would give me a superhuman immune system and prevent me from speaking about vampire affairs to ordinary humans. I tried not to think about the other part, about where that magic came from. The tattoos were a necessary evil. The others were still standing, not paying attention to me – well, except for Zoe. She still looked confused and afraid and kept glancing anxiously my way. ‘There also may be another Moroi coming along,' continued Stanton. ‘Honestly, I'm not sure why, but they were very insistent he be with Mastrano. We told them the fewer of them we had to hide, the better, but . . . well, they seemed to think it was necessary and said they'd make arrangements for him there. I think he's some Ivashkov. Irrelevant.' ‘Where is there?' asked my father. ‘Where do you want to send her?' Excellent question. I'd been wondering the same thing. My first full-time job with the Alchemists had sent me halfway around the world, to Russia. If the Alchemists were intent on hiding Jill, there was no telling what remote location they'd send her to. For a moment, I dared to hope we might end up in my dream city: Rome. Legendary works of art and Italian food seemed like a good way to offset paperwork and vampires. ‘Palm Springs,' said Barnes. ‘Palm Springs?' I echoed. That was not what I'd been expecting. When I thought of Palm Springs, I thought of movie stars and golf courses. Not exactly a Roman holiday, but not the Arctic either. A small, wry smile tugged at Stanton's lips. ‘It's in the desert and receives a lot of sunlight. Completely undesirable for Strigoi.' ‘Wouldn't it be undesirable for Moroi too?' I asked, thinking ahead. Moroi didn't incinerate in the sun like Strigoi, but excessive exposure to it still made Moroi weak and sick. ‘Well, yes,' admitted Stanton. ‘But a little discomfort is worth the safety it provides. So long as the Moroi spend most of their time inside, it won't be a problem. Plus, it'll discourage other Moroi from coming and – ‘ The sound of a car door opening and slamming outside the window caught everyone's attention. ‘Ah,' said Michaelson. ‘There are the others. I'll let them in.' He slipped out of the study and presumably headed toward the front door to admit whoever had arrived. Moments later, I heard a new voice speaking as Michaelson returned to us. ‘Well, Dad couldn't make it, so he just sent me,' the new voice was saying. The study door opened, and my heart stopped. No, I thought. Anyone but him. ‘Jared,' said the newcomer, catching sight of my father. ‘Great to see you again.' My father, who had barely spared me a glance all night, actually smiled. ‘Keith! I'd been wondering how you've been.' The two of them shook hands, and a wave of disgust rolled through me. ‘This is Keith Darnell,' said Michaelson, introducing him to the others. ‘Tom Darnell's son?' asked Barnes, impressed. Tom Darnell was a legendary leader among the Alchemists. ‘The same,' said Keith cheerfully. He was about five years older than me, with blond hair a shade lighter than mine. I knew a lot of girls thought he was attractive. Me? I found him vile. He was pretty much the last person I'd expected to see here. ‘And I believe you know the Sage sisters,' added Michaelson. Keith turned his blue eyes first to Zoe, eyes that were just fractionally different from each other in color. One eye, made of glass, stared blankly ahead and didn't move at all. The other one winked at her as his grin widened. He can still wink, I thought furiously. That annoying, stupid, condescending wink! But then, why wouldn't he? We'd all heard about the accident he'd had this year, an accident that had cost him an eye. He'd still survived with one good one, but somehow, in my mind, I'd thought the loss of an eye would stop that infuriating winking. ‘Little Zoe! Look at you, all grown up,' he said fondly. I'm not a violent person, not by any means, but I suddenly wanted to hit him for looking at my sister that way. She managed a smile for him, clearly relieved to see a familiar face here. When Keith turned toward me, however, all that charm and friendliness vanished. The feeling was mutual. The burning, black hatred building up inside of me was so overwhelming that it took me a moment to formulate any sort of response. ‘Hello, Keith,' I said stiffly. Keith didn't even attempt to match my forced civility. He immediately turned toward the senior Alchemists. ‘What is she doing here?' ‘We know you requested Zoe,' said Stanton levelly, ‘but after consideration, we decided it would be best if Sydney fulfill this role. Her experience dwarfs any concerns about her past actions.' ‘No,' said Keith swiftly, turning that steely blue gaze back on me. ‘There is no way she can come, no way I'm trusting some twisted vamp lover to screw this up for all of us. We're taking her sister.'

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Summary and response Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Summary and response - Research Paper Example In deciding on a child’s future, Newman illustrates that parents acknowledge a picture of a university life that contrasts the one depicted by him. They recognize the margin between Newman’s ideal and the imperfect realities. Instead, they endorse that the margin does not represent a decline. Currently, modern universities enjoy resources that are higher than those enjoyed by Newman’s university are. For instance, they have good lecture halls, concert halls, booking lending facilities, and places of recreation hence influencing parent’s choice. A middle class father invests a lot of money in meeting the tuition fees of 40, 000 dollars and lodging costs for his daughter. However, after four years the daughter emerges with a degree in Women’s Studies. Therefore, it results in a significant waste of a third of a million dollars. It portrays that daughter has ended the university with the same ignorance she had at the start. Currently, many students graduate in soft subjects, which require ideological conformity rather than intellectual growth. Newman explains that most students spend their leisure hours in ways that their parents would not approve. They defend it as the natural result of academic freedom. Newman shows that individuals have the scope, freedom, and habit of association, which enable them to achieve their goals regardless of the established institutions. It is evident in the homeschooling that allow students to work from home. Therefore, it will prevent the heavy expenses incurred by most parents in the education of the children. The author, Roger Scruton, has proficiently written the text that has enhanced my personal understanding of the idea with utmost ease. Scruton provides the background information of who Newman is. For instance, he portrays Cardinal John Henry Newman as a scholar,

Has the Global Financial Crisis lead to fundamental change in the Essay - 1

Has the Global Financial Crisis lead to fundamental change in the relationship between government and business - Essay Example Business is one segment in which governments made some policy changes in order to strengthen the business activities in a controlled manner. In some sectors governments imposed more restrictions whereas in some other sectors government liberalized the rules and assisted the business people to come out from the recession. For example, governments put more control on the activities of financial institutions like banks whereas they assisted other business entities like the automobile sectors in order to save that sector from total destruction. In other words, the relationship between the government and different business entities has undergone contrasting changes because of recession. This paper analyses the extent of changes happened in relationships between the governments and the business because of recession. The relationship between government and business is important both for the government and the business groups. Governments are primarily operating for safeguarding the interests of the people whereas business always works on making profits. Business always tries to exploit the public resources injudiciously to increase their profits. In other words, the interests of public and business are often contradictory and may not go hand in hand. Governments are fixing the boundaries or the norms in order to reach a compromise between the interests of the people and the interests of business. Government need to protect the interests of both. In order to grow economically, business activities should be increased and for that purpose, more liberalized rules are essential. At the same time, these liberalized rules should never affect the public interest negatively. Thus governments are acting as a bridge between the people and business ensuring that either the people or the business taking any undue advantages. According to the renowned economist John Maynard Keynes, a purely free market system would tend to

Influences Affecting Consumers - Evaluating Basic Marketing Techniques Essay

Influences Affecting Consumers - Evaluating Basic Marketing Techniques - Essay Example The marketers use the trade mark James bond theme so that the people can actually identify the ads from the theme music itself. Stimulus generalization refers to the ability of the individuals to generalize the stimuli. This is mainly used by the smaller brands that mainly deal with â€Å"me too† products. This helps the marketers of the smaller brands to create association with the major brands leading to brand recall and awareness (Brown, 2009). Co-branding is being used by the marketers increasingly now days to develop awareness and stimulate sales. At the most basic level the businesses used this approach to suggest enhancement of the present product lines and on a more complex and sophisticated level co-branding also used to create and position a launch a new product. One of the prime examples could be Adidas and Polar Electro. Both Adidas and Polar Electro created project fusion that integrates heart rate, distance and speed monitoring product into the sports apparel. Apple and Nike developed Sports kit which is a wireless system that allows shows to talk to an iPod. One of the most important changes in the world of marketing has been the proliferation of the brand extensions. Managers mainly use brand extension under the assumption that the brand association such as the quality, ability, status and reliability would affect the extension. One of the major advantages of brand extension is the reduction of new product launch. By launching a new product under the brand name of an established brand helps the marketers as the product due to the established brand name would already have high degree of association. One of the major examples of brand extension is of Bisleri. Originally Bisleri used to be delivered in one little bottle, but recently Bisleri has shown a wave of innovations through extensions. The example above shows how Bisleri was able to add new product by using the concept of product line variation and brand extension. In this

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design Essay

Conflict, Decision Making, and Organizational Design - Essay Example On the other hand, professional differences, which entail approach to assignments, skills and knowledge, also lead to conflicts, especially when an assignment is handled by a team. In the current world, various technological developments have led to more efficiency in the conduction of various assignments. As such, when two people conduct the same assignment using varying technologies, conflicts usually arise. Moreover, as businesses develop, there is usually the necessity of mergers or recruitment of new professionals, which may lead to the rise of conflicts. Despite the presence of such conflicts, many people usually find themselves in unhealthy conflicts, which usually poison the work environment. As such, it is necessary for employees, and management to understand the best way to solve such conflicts when they arise. This paper seeks to give an in-depth evaluation of the negotiation strategies used to address various workplace conflicts. Additionally, how evidence-based managemen t could be applied to the work environment, blocks, stages, and methods of creative decision making to determine the best approach T-Mobile should follow when making managerial decisions, and the environmental and strategic factors that affect the organizational design of T-Mobile will be evaluated. How I could apply negotiation strategies to address potential conflicts in the workplace. Negotiations are very essential in coming up with the best solution for different engagements in the workplace. In most cases, negotiations are unavoidable and thus being knowledgeable on the best negotiation strategies is essential. Negotiation involves various stages, which include preparation, dialogue, clarification of goals, negotiating towards a win-win situation, agreement and implementing the solution realized. Since conflicts also occur in my workplace as a customer service professional for T-Mobile, a clear understanding of how to handle conflicts as they arise and avoid poisoning of the w ork environment is necessary. Therefore, an understanding of factors such as technological developments, culture, age, personality, professional differences among others will help in taking the best approach in handling conflicts by making good negotiations. In this case, getting a clear overview of the underpinning factors leading to such differences is essential. In most cases, when conflicts arise, people usually make personal judgments, which in some cases do not solve the conflicts as anticipated. As such, having been well informed on how conflicts arise, I will always withhold judgment and use efficient problem solving techniques to ensure that the problem is solved completely, and that future occurrences of such conflicts are effectively handled. I will never ignore any conflict that arises as they usually arise out of something. In this regard, I will always utilize the structures implemented by T-Mobile to effectively handle the conflicts. Additionally, I will be very obser vant on how I handle every person or situations to avoid being at the centre of any conflicts. This is because, despite an act being minute, it can have adverse effects, which are beyond the expectations of many. Thus being extra cautious will help a great deal in avoiding occurrences of conflicts in future. Sharpening my negotiation skills and conflict management skills will be very effective in handling confl

Murphy Brewery Ireland, Limited (case study) Case Study

Murphy Brewery Ireland, Limited ( ) - Case Study Example As discussed in the case, Alcohol consumption was falling coz of increased health concerns. Murphy share was already less in the market as compared to that of its competitor so the company should come up with a focused strategy rather than a general one. For e.g. is Ireland Murphy developed growth thorough exporting and making such packaging design that targeted the take-home market. Another cause of the problem is that when we analyse Murphy’s competitor, it can be noted that they invest a lot on advertising. Guinness 12 million pounds investment in advertising called the Big Pint and extensive billboard advertising that represented the strength of the brand was a big success for it. Similarly Murphy’s sales could improve if they spend more budget on advertising. They need to come up as a big brand in order to establish a strong market share and to compete with Guinness and other leading brands. Murphy should work on the promotion of their brand. In order to sustain in the market they need to get big. They need to invest more in their advertising budget so that they can achieve a larger market share. The problem with this is that as they increase their market share they will also have to increase their capacity and will have to invest in that too. Another alternative to this is to remain a niche brand but that has its own pros and cons. Murphy has to see that if it is a premium brand then it should design its marketing mix according to that too. It is a good option as US consumers have high living standard and they represent a major market worldwide. At the same time they should consider that high end consumers have their own choices. So before becoming a premium brand a through market analysis should be carried out that identifies customer preferences and then a strategy shall be designed accordingly. The best thing that Murphy to do will be to work on increasing its market share. If they will not do it

Dante's Inferno Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dante's Inferno - Essay Example Along the way, Virgil also corrects many of Dante's errors and mistakes, showing himself to be a true mentor figure. Overall, Virgil is understanding and accepting of Dante's errors. Dante is halfway through his life, and walking through a dark forest, when he comes to the entrance of hell. He is an imperfect man, who has made mistakes in life. He is bereft of his beloved, Beatrice, and wishes only to see her again. Such is the background to his quest through hell, purgatory, and heaven to find Beatrice, led much of the way by Virgil. Because these spectral places differ so much from the real world which Dante is used to, it is not surprising that he makes mistakes along the way. Dante, after all, is much like we are: he is thrown into a world he does not understand. One of Dante's biggest errors of judgement is not understanding the seriousness of what he sees. He is sympathetic to some of the sinners. In this he is naive about the order of the Inferno and the way of the world. Virg il is there to sort him out and show him the true seriousness of the sins committed by people such as the magicians and other sinners in latter circles of hell. When encountering the demons, Dante does not seem to be aware of how much danger they are in; not until, Virgil puts him on his back and takes him to safety does he understand. It makes sense that Dante has trouble comprehending the significance of the Inferno. He has just been dropped into a fantastical world and he has trouble accepting or understanding its consequence and the way it is ordered. To him, it must appear like a dream. Virgil is there to show him that he is mistake to believe this is simply an allegory or dream. It is very real. What happens in real life has consequences in the afterlife, Virgil is showing Dante. On those occasions when Dante cannot believe his eyes, Virgil is there to tell him, â€Å"Yes, son, what you see is real.† Their journey together is one of discovery and one of education. If Vi rgil did not correct Dante every once and awhile, the two figures would never get out of the Inferno. One of the severest rebukes that Dante receives from Virgil is in Canto XX. Dante again falls prey to pity for the magicians and fortune-tellers who claimed they could see they future. He sees them with their heads reversed, their bodies horribly mutilated. This is their punishment for violating the natural order of things: now they can only see backwards, where they have come from rather than where they are going. Virgil sharply rebukes Dante for his pity, saying that it is a sign of great pride to pity those who have been condemned by heaven's decree (Dante, 180). Not for the first time, does Dante learn to watch his mouth around Virgil. This error of judgement on the part of Dante is further explicated by the critic John Timpane: Pity dies at the gates of Inferno. Nor is this a failure of the Divine, a limit to the reach of God. This is the keeping of a promise, the fulfilment of damnation. Instead of LASCIATE OGNE SPERANZA, VOI CH’INTRATE, the lintel above the entrance could well read SEE WHAT HAPPENS? What happens is Judgement, and Judgement is equal to Justice. If you landed in Inferno, that’s because you should land there (Timpane). There times, such as when Virgil is tricked by Malaconda, that he too makes errors of judgement (Dante, 99). Still, perhaps it underlines the fact that Virgil is not a god, he was once a man like Dante too. They have more in common than might at first be evidence. Indeed, in some

Improving science literacy with hypermedia Essay Example for Free

Improving science literacy with hypermedia Essay Methods Learning Design Architecture The four cornerstones of this Science learning and teaching design are goal-based and constructivist learning, simulation, computer-based creative learning environment, computer-based creative assessment, as well as the traditional lectures and tutorials. In the present research, the Discovery Channel â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day† site was used as the hypermedia environment for investigating the science topic of Plate Tectonic Theory, first, and the impact of natural processes on human history (Pompeii), second. A few words need to be said about the structure of this hypermedia resource and its value for the current research. It is organized as the complex system of thematic hypermedia audio/video-packages accompanied by informational texts in written form. The structure of the site appears to be complex, so far as on the macrolevel it consists of the hypermedia sections: â€Å"What Happened Here? ,† the â€Å"Virtual Volcano† simulation, Pompeii Quiz, and Eruption Videos. Each macrounit, meanwhile, is designed as another macroentity. For example, the section â€Å"What Happened Here? † provides learners with different types of information on the theme of volcanic activity having erased ancient cities from the earth surface. The â€Å"Step Back in Time† slide-show is organized as a series (7 parts or pages) of the typed texts (â€Å"The Long, Deathly Silence,† â€Å"Herculaneum,† â€Å"Two Days in August,† â€Å"The Story of Lupercus,† â€Å"Pompeii: Part I,† â€Å"Pompeii: Part II,† and â€Å"The Story of Caius Julius Polybius† by Rossella Lorenzi). The â€Å"Ongoing Excavations,† or â€Å"Ongoing Archaeology† slide-show comprising 6 parts or pages (â€Å"Uncovering Pompeii,† â€Å"Bringing the Oldest Pompeii to Light,† â€Å"A Unique Glimpse,† â€Å"Herculaneums Lost Papyri,† â€Å"Lost Plays of Sophocles,† and â€Å"Multi-Spectral Imaging†) is analogous in structure to the â€Å"Step Back in Time† macrounit. Besides, within the same â€Å"What Happened Here? † macrosection, there is a â€Å"Pompeiis Eyewitness Account† web documentary. The students listen to the text and watch the video accounting for Pliny the Younger’s story about the ancient Pompeii devastation. Whereas the aforedescribed macrounit explores the issues of human history in relating to natural catastrophes, the other macrosections concentrate on Plate Tectonics theory and scientific description of volcanoes as natural pressure valves. Under the umbrella of Volcanology, there are the hypermedia macrounits â€Å"Virtual Volcano† and of â€Å"Eruption Video. † The section â€Å"Virtual Volcano† consists in its turn of the Overview and the â€Å"Virtual volcano† simulation sections. The theme of the section is â€Å"Tectonic Plates and Volcanoes. † The Overview dwells on the Earth’s tectonic structure, volcano types (three subsections) and structure. The information is presented through both visual and textual form (typed text). In the macrounits of â€Å"Global Perspective† and â€Å"Virtual volcano† a specific type of hypermedia symbolic simulation or microworld – introduces students to the details of tectonic structure and volcanic activity. Simulation is â€Å"a computer-based simulation of a work or decision-making environment† as a system (Sauer, Wastell, Hockey, 2000, p. 46, qtd. in Gredler, 2004, p. 577). Whereas a â€Å"Global Perspective† is a genuine symbolic simulation of Earth with delineated plate boundaries and active volcanoes, the â€Å"Virtual volcano† section is an experiential simulation. This is an alliance of hypermedia and video images â€Å"to create a virtual experience for students who are fulfilling roles as researchers† (ibid. ). The macrounit seems to be designed to improve students’ comprehension of the theme by projecting the concepts from short-term to long-term memory, training topical vocabulary and operating knowledge in the goal-based settings. Six informational video packages within the section of â€Å"Eruption Video† train audition as well as visual comprehension. It also broadens students’ vocabulary with useful terms and present visual information on useful concepts (e. g. pyroclastic flow, lava flow, underwater volcano, etc. ). The informational section â€Å"Volcano news† provides learners with interesting facts on ancient and modern volcanic activity (as well as other scientific facts; there are 13 news pieces, 2 of which are corrupted). The hypermedia assessment tool is given in the form of the Pompeii Quiz. This is an interactive multiple-choice test â€Å"Would you survive after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius?. † To accomplish the test, a student must use knowledge having been gained during the research of the site. The Discovery Channel â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day† site seems to be a useful hypermedia environment for investigating the topics of Plate Tectonic Theory and its impact on human history. First, students pick up useful concepts related to several branches of science (tectonics, Volcanology, history, archeology, etc. ). Second, they learn important vocabulary on the topics in the flow of constructivist and creative learning process. Due to the fact that the hypermedia environment is used for achieving the learning goals, the body of information is presented through various media (typed text, oral speech, graphics, videoimages, photographs, simulations) and organized flexibly. A learner is free to step from one macrounit to another being led by his/her personal background and motivation, return to the sections which are of most interest for him/her essentially and train comprehension skills in the Quiz as many times as (s)he needs. Finally, it refines students’ ICT skills while they use the World Wide Web to reach the site and proceed from page to page. Instruments To evaluate the effect of the hypermedia learning environment on students’ comprehension of Science (Plate Tectonics, Volcanology, History, Archeology), the researcher investigated each of the four â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day† sections for the most significant scientific concepts to be utilized by students in the learning process. The search was done by qualitative linguistic analysis of the informational texts. The concepts were grouped into three main sections: geographical names, personal names and scientific terms and concepts (see Table 1 for the list). The students were assumed to learn those terms in the constructivist educational process through the hypermedia tools to incorporate them into their evaluation assignments as the evidence for their improved science reading and visual comprehension. Second, an end-of the week questionnaire was administered to the eight-graders in the Science Hypermedia class to find out feedback on their learning experience from using the hypermedia learning environment including time spent on independent research in the hypermedia environment (â€Å"Pompeii: The Last Day†) (see Tables 3, 4 and Figure 1). Third, Power Point presentations were used as creative evaluation instrument to check the learning outcomes of students’ comprehension. All the students were trained to create computer-based presentations by the given program. In an effort to guide and improve the learning of science concepts in the realms of Geology, History and Archeology with eight-graders in the middle school, a week study of the Topic â€Å"Plate Tectonic Theory and the Impact of Volcanic Activity on Human History† was designed as an action research experiment. From the point of view of settings and partly qualitative assessment of the outcomes of research on specific stages (e. g. students’ feedbacks), this study may also be called a case study, since only one science topic was investigated in regard to students’ comprehension and motivation. Two classes of eight-graders relatively equal in achievements and learning potential were invited to participate in educational experiment. However, there was no internal sampling conducted within each of the classes. All the students participated voluntarily and for no reward in grades or other. The goals of the present research were clarified to all the participants (N = 40). The total number of participants (N = 40) was invited to study the topic of Plate Tectonics and its impact on human history through different learning resources. The students of experiment group (n = 20) studied the topic in the hypermedia environment (a school computer laboratory equipped with Windows-based microcomputers and, optionally, at home), whereas the other group of students (control group, n = 20) did not use any hypermedia resources learning solely from printed textbooks and handouts as well as teacher’s oral instructions. To comment, the student of the experiment group received small portions of a teacher’s instruction while researching the hypermedia context. They were also assisted by a teacher in proceeding from one structural part of the site to the other in order to investigate the topic on each other’s individual pace. However, the general framework of scientific topic was introduced to a group of students. Thus, both group and individual types of instruction tool place in the research. One more thing to note, the studies in both the experiment and the control groups were conducted by one and the same teacher of a teaching style being familiar to the students from previous experience. After a week of studies, the students from both the groups designed Power Point presentations on the topic within the Hypermedia Evaluation Project in lieu of a formal examination. The assessment comprised: 45% on the subject comprehension (major concepts and direct conceptual links), 45% on utilizing Power Point hypermedia resources, and 10% on creativity. All the students (n = 40) were trained in using the Power Point program. Presentations were evaluated by three examiners. The point of degree between the evaluators was high (r = . 088).

Steganography Using Lsb Insertion Technique Computer Science Essay

Steganography Using Lsb Insertion Technique Computer Science Essay Steganography is a method used for hiding a message by fixing in a carrier data. There are two types of data. They are internal data and external data .The external information contains visible part or audible part of data which is not useful for data owner and the internal information contains embedded data. The techniques used in Steganography makes hard to detect hidden message within an image file. By this technique we are not only sending a message but also we are hiding the message. Steganography system is designed to encode and decode a secret file embedded in image file with a random Least Significant Bit (LSB) insertion technique. By using this technique the secret data are spread out among the image data in a random manner with the help of a secret key. The key generates pseudorandom numbers and identifies where and in which order hidden message is laid out. Steganography includes cryptography which is an advantage for Steganography .In cryptography, diffusion is applied to secret message.   INTRODUCTION: The Data transmitted comes in many forms and it is used for more than one application. Communications should be done secretly. Secret communication varies from bank transfers, corporate communications and credit card purchase. Steganography is an art of embedding a secret message into a normal message. Steganography is used in watermarking for protecting data copyrights .Unsurprisingly, methods of Steganography change because innocuous spam contents are growing frequently by embedded texts Cryptography is technique used to make secret message scribbled for third party and are normally used in internet. The encrypted message is targeted by attackers in cryptography because it hides the message content. An another data hiding technique known as watermarking used for embedding and hiding, some symbol data or digital manifest in the digital valuable data like photo picture, digital movie, musical sound etc. Watermarking purpose is mainly used to protect ownership or copyrights of the data. In this technique, hardness of embedded evidence and hidden evidence are very small and is important. In this technique the important information is present in external information which is visible or audible. In the Steganography technique, confidential information is made invisible to a human eye by embedding it as a dummy data such as a speech sound and a digital image. Steganography contains another research topic called as steganalysis which is used to find a stego file from the available files. Steganalysis is used in detecting suspicious image file. The suspicious image files are embedded with the crime associated information All traditional Steganography techniques have limited information-hiding capacity. These techniques can hide 10% or less than 10% data of a carrier data. The principle of these techniques is to replace frequency components of carrier or to replace LSB bits of multivalued image with secret information. Steganography uses image as a carrier data and it embeds secret information in bit planes .We can replace all noise like regions in the bit planes without disturbing the quality of image and is termed as B.P.C.S Steganography .BPCS Steganography is known as Bit plane complexity segmentation Steganography. BACKGROUND HISTORY: Steganography is derived from a Greek word which means as a covered writing or hidden writing. In Steganography stegos means cover and grafia means writing. THEORY: Steganography is used to hide confidential information from human eyes by embedding it in a carrier data such as digital image or speech sound. A carrier data is a color image having RGB color components in a multi-bit data structure. The embedded information is extracted using special extracting program and key .The techniques of Steganography are different from file camouflage or file deception technique. File deception is a technique used for hiding secret data in computer file and it almost looks like a Steganography. But, it is an trick to disguise a secret-data file as a normal file and is possible in files which have dont care option. For example, Word file or JPEG image OR MPEG will allow for adding an extra data (extension) at the end of a regular file. Even an extra data (which can be encrypted) are added, the JPEG image, word file or MPEG looks like the original image and original sound, or document on the computer. People may think this is due to Steganography. The lengthy files are easily detected by engineers. So, file deception and Steganography are different. The Steganography softwares that are available in the market are based on file deception. In Steganography, if output file size is increased by embedding the information then the program is called as File deception. A secret data can be made unreadable by encrypting the data. The secret data should be encrypted to make it unreadable for third party. With the help of data encryption, secret data can be safe. Data encryption is based on data scrambling and it uses a secret key. Data encryption can create a doubt to the people that owner of the data is hiding something in an image. In data encryption we can find easily that he is hiding something in a image. Therefore encryption of data is not enough. Steganography is the solution for data encryption. There are two types of data in Steganography .they are secret data and carrier data. Secret data is very valuable when compared to the carrier data. Carrier data is a type of dummy data which is not so important but it is needed. The data which is embedded is called as stego data.If we want to recover the secret data , we can extract that data from stego data.We need a special program or a key for data extraction.. The carrier is image data which has color components of red green and blue colors in 24 bit pixel structure. The figure below shows an example of carrier image and stego image. The secret data is embedded in stego image. Steganography is a method of hiding the secret data by fixing it in media data .For example in the figure a secret data is embedded but we cant find in which place the secret data is embedded. The Embedded data will be very safe in the Steganography because it will hide content of the message and location of hidden image. There are many methods to embed the data .but; it is very hard to find about the method used in embedding the message.. Steganography can co-operate with cryptography to embed the encrypted data safely. In Steganography , Stego data will not have any evidence about the embedded data. The Steganography user should discard the original carrier data after embedding such that it will not allow comparison of stego and original data. Embedded capacity should be larger. BPCS method is the method available method for image Steganography. If anyone detect the Steganography image, it is very difficult for him to retrieve the hidden image. There are three basic ways to hide a message in image. They are Injection, substitution and generation. Using Injection method we can find in which place data to be inserted and using substitution we can find least significant bits for hiding the message. Using generation method we can create a new file based on the hidden information. Method of implementation: Least significant bit insertion is one of the important methods of implementation. In this method, the LSB bits of byte are altered so that it form bit string and represents an embedded file. By changing the LSB bits, it will cause some small differences in color which are not noticeable to human eye. After that an image is compressed and a text message is hidden in image .In LSB method, LSB bits of the covered image is altered such that they form embedded information. Embedding a message into cover image will result a stego image. For normal vision, stego image looks identical as cover image; this is because of only small changes of pixel values. Therefore there is no significant difference. The embedded message is sequentially embedded in covered image so that it is easy for a third party to recover the message by retrieving the pixels sequentially starting from the first pixel of the image. Steganography uses a key which as a better security. It is difficult to recover the embedde d image without valid key. LEAST SIGNIFICANT BIT INSERTION Least significant bit insertion is the common technique used in Steganography. In LSB method, an image is used. An image is more than strings and string of bytes. Each byte in an image represents different colors. The last few bits in a color byte do not hold much significance as the first few bits. Therefore only two bits differ in last few bits that represent a color which is undistinguishable to human eyes. In LSB method, least significant bits of a cover image are altered such that we can embed information. The example shows how letter A is hidden in first 8 bytes of 3 pixels in a 24 bit image. Since the 8 bit letter A requires only 8 bytes to hide it, ninth byte of the 3 pixels used to hide the next character of the hidden message. Example shows that in a 24 bit image, letter A can be hidden in first 8 bytes of 3 pixels Pixels: (00100111 11101001 11001000) (00100111 11001000 11101001) (11001000 00100111 11101001) A: 01000010 Result: (00100110  11101001 11001000) (00100110  11001000 11101000) (11001001  00100110  11101001) The five underlined bits are the 5 bits which were altered. With LSB insertion technique, on an average half of the bits of an image are changed. A is a 8 bit letter and requires 8 bytes for hiding. The ninth byte of 3 pixels is used for hiding next character of secret message. The slight variations of this technique allows a message to embed into two or more least significant bits per bytes, and increases the information hidden capacity of the cover object .but cover object is degraded and easily detectable.LSB insertion is easy to implement and is also easily attacked if the modifications are done wrongly. Improper modifications in color palette and simple image calculations will destroy hidden message. Image resizing and image cropping are some examples of image manipulations. Applications of Steganography: Steganography is applicable the following areas. 1).Private communication and secret data storing. 2).Security of data. 3).Accessing the control system for distributing the digital content 4).Media data base systems. The application area of Steganography differs based on the features utilized in a system. 1).Private communication and secret data storing: The secrecy of embedded data is important in this area. Steganography provides capacity for hiding the existence of secret data and Steganography makes very hard to detect the embedded data in a image and Steganography strengthens the encrypted data. In Steganography, select a carrier data according to the size of embedded data. Carrier data should not be effective. Now embed the secret data using an embedding program with the help of a key. To recover the embedded data, an extracting program is used with a key. Before starting the communication in this case, Key negotiation is used 2).Security for a data: Steganography is used in military applications for maintaining the secret data .In military secret information should be very secure to avoid sudden attacks on them from enemies. Steganography can hide the existence of contents of data but it cannot hide the presence of data. Data should not be larger than carrier image .Steganography strengthens the secrecy of the data. Fragility of the embedded data is advantage for this application area. Embedded data can be rather fragile than robust. But embedded data is fragile in most of the Steganography programs. No one can change or tampered the data .If anyone changes or tampers the data, and then it can be easily detected by the extraction program. 3). Accessing the control system for distributing the digital content : In this application, embedded data is explained to publicize the content. Here embedded data is hidden data. Digital contents are being commonly distributed by internet. Some music companies release the music for free in some web sites and in some sites it charges for the music downloads. Digital contents are equally distributed to user who accesses the web pages. Even it is possible to send digital content to e-mail messages it takes more time. We can to upload any content on the web page; we can issue a special access key to extract the content. In Steganography a prototype of an access control system is developed for distributing the digital content through internet. This can be explained by following steps. 1).The content owner will classify his digital content in a folder and embeds the folder according to Steganography method by accessing the folder access key and uploads embedded content on web page. 2).On the web page, owner will explains the contents clearly and publicises it worldwide and gives his contact information on web page. 3).The owner will receive access request from the customer who visited that web page. Then owner creates an access key and provides it to the customer for free or charge. 4).Media database systems: In this type of application secrecy of data is not important, converting two types of data into one data is important. Photos, Pictures, movies and music will come under media data. For example the media data for a photograph will contain about the title of the photo and date and time of a photo and it also contain about the camera used to take that photograph. à £Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€š ¬ Data hiding in .bmp images: There are several formats exists for an digital image. .BMP, JPG, GIF are some formats .Each format is associated with advantage and disadvantages. Because of its simplicity, windows BMP file offers more advantages. It has an advantage of widely spreader and the information contained is minimum .Bmp file is a binary file.bmp file is divided into four sections such as file header, image header, color table and pixel data. The file header is used to know about size of the image and to learn where actual image data is located within the file. The Image header gives information about the image and its data format such as width and height of the image. Image header also gives information such as how many bits are used per pixel and checks whether the image data is compressed data or uncompressed data. Depending on the image data, color table will be present. When color table is not present, a set of bit masks are used to extract the color information from the image data. When dealing with 24-bit image, color table is not present. When dealing with 8-bit image, color table consists of 256 entries. Each entry consists of four bytes of data. In these four bytes of data, first three bytes are blue, green and red colors values .The fourth byte must be equal to zero because it is not used. In 8-bit format, each pixel is represented by single byte of the data which is index in to color table. In 24-bit format, each pixel I represented by RGB component values .The pixel data holds entire hidden data and there are changes by one pixel value either positive or negative. MATLAB: The MATLAB is a language for technical computing. MATLAB integrates computation, visualization and programming in a easy way in which problems and solutions are expresses in mathematical notation. Typical uses include Math and computation Data acquisition Algorithm development Modelling, simulation and protyping Data analysis, exploration and visualization Application development MATLAB is a system whose data element is an array without dimensions. It allows in solving computing programs such as Matrix and vectors formulations. It writes program in a scalar language such as FORTRAN within a fraction of seconds. MATLAB can be abbreviated as a matrix laboratory. MATLAB was developed to access matrix software. The matrix software was developed by linpack and eispack projectsdeveloped .MATLAB engine incorporates LAPACK and BLAS libraries by embedding the state of art in software for matrix computation. Matlab has evolved over a period of years with input from many users. MATLAB has become a standard tool for advanced courses such as engineering, maths, and sciences .MATLAB is like a tool for high research productivity, analysis and development. MATLAB SYSTEM: MATLAB system consists of five main parts: 1).desktop tools and development environment 2).MATLAB Mathematical functions library 3).MATLAB language 4).graphics 5).MATLAB application program interface 1).Desktop tools and development environment: MATLAB is a set of tools and facilities that helps to use and to become more productive with MATLAB function and files. In MATLAB most of the tools are graphical user interfaces and includes MATLAB desktop, command window, editor and debugger, code analyzer and browser for viewing help, workspace and folders. 2). MATLAB Mathematical functions library MATLAB is a huge collection of computational algorithms ranging from elementary functions such as sum, sine, cosine and complex arithmetic to more sophisticated functions like matrix inverse, matrix Eigen values, Bessel functions and fast Fourier transforms 3). MATLAB language MATLAB language is an high level matrix language with control flow statements, functions, data structures, and object-oriented programming features. It allows small and large programming .In programming in large is to create complete large and complex application programs and programming in small is to create quick and dirty throw away programs. 4). GRAPHICS:- MATLAB is having extensive facilities to display vectors and matrices as graphs. It includes high level functions for two dimensional and three dimensional data visualization, image processing, and presentation graphics .MATLAB also includes low-level functions and allows in customizing appearance of graphics to build complete graphical user interfaces on MATLAB application. 5).MATLAB Application program interface (API):- It is a library which allows us to write C and FORTRAN programs to interact with MATLAB .It also includes facilities such as calling routines from MATLAB, calling MATLAB as a computational engine and for reading and writing MATA FILES. MATLAB working environment: MATLAB DESKTOP:- It is the main application window in MATLAB. This window consists of five sub windows such as current directory, command history, workspace browser, command window, and a figure which is shown while displaying a graphic. The User types commands in command window and expressions at the prompt. The output of these commands is displayed. In MATLAB, workspace is defined as a set of variables created by user in work session. These variables are shown in workspace browser. The workspace browser launches array editor by clicking on a variable. In array editor, we can edit properties of a variable and we can also get information about the variables. In MATLAB, the current directory tab is above the workspace tab. The Current directory tab shows contents of current directory and its path is shown in current directory window. In windows operating system, the path c:MATLABwork indicates work as a subdirectory and MATLAB as a main directory and is installed in c drive. In current directory window, click on an arrow button to see recently used paths. To change a current directory, click on a button on right side of a window. To find M-files and other MATLAB files, MATLAB uses a search path that is organized in system files. The files that are to be runned in MATLAB should locate in the current directory or in directories available on search path .Math work related tools and files that are supplied by MATLAB are already exist in search path. On desktop from file menu select set path to modify or to add search path or to see which directories are existing on search path. To avoid repeated changing, the current directory adds a commonly used search paths to directory. In MATLAB, the commands used by the user in current and earlier sessions are recorded in command history window. Using right click on command history window, we can select and re-execute previously entered MATLAB then it launches a menu. For execution of the commands select the options from menu. We can select various options from menu for execution of the commands which are useful in implementation of various commands. MATLAB EDITOR TO CREATE M-FILES: The MATLAB editor is used for creating M-files. The graphical window will appear in a separate window or a sub window. The M-files are represented as extension .m on desktop. MATLAB editor is having some options to debug a file and saving a file and to view the file. In differentiating various codes MATLAB editor will perform some simple checkings. In MATLAB, text editor is used to write and to edit M-functions. To edit a text in MATLAB, type as EDIT at prompt then it an M-file is opened with a filename. Therefore it is ready for editing. The files should be in a search path or in a current directory. How to get help in MATLAB: Use the MATLAB help browser for any help in the MATLAB. The help browser will be opened in a separate window when we click on symbol (?) on desktop toolbar or in command window type as help. The Browser Help is displayed separately as a HTML document .HELP browser is incorporated into MATLAB desktop .HELP pane and DISPLAY pane are the two panes that are available in HELP browser. HELP pane is used in finding the information and display pane is used for viewing the information. To perform a search, Navigator pane is used. CONCLUSIONS: This project explains techniques for embedding a data in an color image and also some features are added which include file types excluding bitmap images and Steganography methods. Data extracted from cover image depends on pixel values of an image CODING : %I=imread(sravs.bmp); %%read an image I=uigetfile(.bmp,select the iamge); I=imread(I); b=1; disp(orginal text to be embedded); %txt= textread(message.txt, %c, whitespace , ); fid = fopen(message.txt); A=fread(fid,schar); fclose(fid); A1=char(A); disp(embedding text); txt=A1; txt N = 8*numel(txt); %%%%%%% to find out the total no of elements for the text S = numel(I); %%%% total no of elements for the image if N > S warning( Text truncated to be within size of image );%%%%%%if text size is more than the image size %%%%%% process block segmentation txt = txt(1:floor(S/8));%%%%%% dividing into 8*8 blocks for the text N = 8*numel(txt); end %%%%% initializing the total no of bits for the text and the image p = 2^b; h = 2^(b-1); I1 = reshape(I,1,S);%%%%% resize the elemnts for the new image size %figure ,imshow(I1,truesize); addl = S-N;%%%%%%%take the difference of the elments for the imagfe and the text dim = size(I); I2 = round(abs(I1(1:N)));%%%%%%take the complexity of each block si = sign(I1(1:N)); for k = 1:N if si(k) == 0%%%%%%%replace ment of the bits for the complexity blocks si(k) = 1; end I2(k) = round(I2(k)); if mod((I2(k)),p) >= h I2(k) = I2(k) h; end end bt = dec2bin(txt,8);%%%%%% bint = reshape(bt,1,N); d = h*48; bi = (h*bint) d; %%%%%%remove the complexity blocks of the image and replace with the non complexity blocksof image I3 = double(I2) + bi; binadd = [bi zeros(1,addl)]; I4 = double(si).*double(I3); I5 = [I4 I1(N+1:S)]; intl = reshape(I5,dim);%%%%%%resize the image and display the stego cotents figure,imshow(intl);title(stegnograph image); %return figure,imshow(I);title(original image); I=im2bw(I); %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%decoding%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% siz=length(txt); bsiz = 8*siz; n = numel(intl); if bsiz > n error(Size of text given exceeds the maximum that can be embedded in the image) return end dim = size(intl); addl = n-bsiz; I1 = reshape(intl,1,n); I2 = round(abs(I1(1:bsiz))); p = 2^b; h = 2^(b-1); rb = zeros(1,bsiz); for k = 1:bsiz I2(k) = round(I2(k)); r = rem(I2(k),p); if r >= h rb(k) = 1; end end rbi = (dec2bin(rb,1)); rbin = reshape(rbi,siz,8); rectxt = (bin2dec(rbin)); disp(retrived text from the steg image); rextxt=char(rectxt) return

Identified Entities And Their Attributes Information Technology Essay

Identified Entities And Their Attributes Information Technology Essay Late Travel has inaugurated a new travelling business between the airport and the lost town. The travelling options they offer can either their own chauffeured car or a coach service. A database is designed to assist the administration of this new service. The database contains the information pertaining to staff information, customer information, car or couch availability, customer journey and payment details etc. An E-R model is developed based on the above case study and it is normalised into 3NF. A relational database based on the normalised E-R model is produced which demonstrate that your database stores the required data and relationship between different entities. Table of Contents Table of Figures ER Model: conceptual model and logical models Entity relationship model is a database modelling method used to represent the conceptual data. Conceptual data model is prepared when an information system is based on a database, which at the later stage is mapped to logical data model such as relational model which is in turn mapped to the physical model. Identified Entities and their Attributes An entity has a distinct existence which is uniquely identified. An entity can be a house, employee or a car. Entities are described by a set of properties called attributes. Each entity must have the values for its attributes which is uniquely identifiable from other entities in a particular entity set. Following are the entities and its attributes for the Late Travel (LT). Below are the Entities (customer, employee and booking) and there attributes. Attributes of an employee are shown in the figure below. Here Employee_id is a primary key which is used to uniquely identify each employee. Employee Employee_id Employee_address_id Employee_name Employee_phone Other_employee_details Figure : Entity (Employee) and its attributes Attributes of the customers are shown in the figure below. Here Customer_id is a primary key which is used to uniquely identify each customer. Customer customer_id payment_id customer_name Customer_address Sex customer_phone Date_of_birth Date_became_customer Figure : Entity (Customer) and its attributes Attributes of a booking is shown in the figure. Here booking_id is a primary key which is used to uniquely identify each booking by the customer. Customer_id is a foreign key which is mapped to Entity (customer) and outcome_code will provide information whether the booking is cancelled or not. Status_code field will give information whether status is confirmed or waiting, for the customer for particular booking. Booking booking_id customer_id Outcome_code Status_code date_of_booking Car_id Journey_code Booking_details Figure : Entity (booking) and its attributes Identified Relationships between Entities A relationship is an association among the entities. Relational database model represents the set of relationship of same type. Figure 4 shows the order relationship between a customer and booking. Customer customer_id payment_id customer_name Customer_address Sex customer_phone Date_of_birth Date_became_customer Booking booking_id customer_id Outcome_code Status_code date_of_booking Car_id Journey_code Booking_details order Figure : Relationship set of customer and booking Figure 4 represents the idea that a customer orders a booking for hiring a car or equivalently, a booking is ordered by the customer. Here the another question comes which is whether a customer can order more than one booking or whether booking can be ordered by more than one customer. The question raised is that of cardinality. In fact the example above depicts that customer can order zero or more booking and likewise, a booking may be ordered by zero or more customer. An arrow is used to connect the entities when one-to-one or one-to-many relationship is modelled. Below figure depicts how arrows are used to represent cardinality: One Many One One Many Many Figure : Cardinality In the previous example it is reasonable to expect that a customer can exist without having order a single booking, and conversely, that booking exist even though none have been ordered yet. Therefore none of the entities in an entity set may participate in a particular relationship is partial participation. In contrast to this, an entity set may participation in a relationship. Diagrammatically, this is represented by connecting the entity set to the relationship set with a double line. Figure 6 shows the relationship of an agent to a Late Travel agency which combines both cardinality and participation. It is clearly stated that Late Travel agency can employs zero or more agents, and that an agent must be employed by only Late Travel agency. Late Travel agency Employs Agent Figure : Cardinality and participation constraint Conceptual model A conceptual model is a modelling of concepts and relationship. This term is used from a long time in a database design. It is independent of DBMS and allows easy communication between end users and the developers. Below is the conceptual model of Late Travel showing the entities, attributes and there relationship. Customer customer_id payment_id Customer_name Customer_phone Customer_address Date_of_birth Sex Date_bacame_customer Booking booking_id customer_id car_id outcome_code status_code journey_code date_of_booking booking_detail Payment Payment_id booking_id payment_amount payment_date other_details Ref_booking_status Status_code Status_description (eg: confirmed/waiting) Ref_booking_outcome outcome_code outcome_description (eg: cancelled/ok) Car_details Car_id Driver_id Seats_avail Car_no Driver_details Driver_id Driver_name Driver_address Driver_phone Journey_details Journey_code Customer_id Place_name Renting_rate Other_details Order Goes for Makes has consist of has Consist of Figure : Conceptual model Above figure shows the conceptual model of Late Travel. The primary objective of the conceptual model is to establish a base understanding of the objects in the system. However it is necessary to create an association among different entities and select their multiplicity. Logical model Logical model represents the abstract structure of information. It is used to display the business process that seeks to capture the importance things usually in the form of a diagram. Some of the benefit of using the logical model is to improve the business process, facilitates reuse of data, gather functional information and decrease the system design cost and time. Figure 7 is already logical as it shows the attributes and relationship among the different entities. All attributes are appearing in a data store. Above diagram is showing the business entities, their inter-relationships, and the cardinality i.e. each customer can order one or more booking of a car for their journey and same way a booking can be ordered by one or more customers-these relationships can be viewed from both ends. Is database is storing the required data? In order to identify whether the database is storing the necessary data, following are the tasks that are needed to be performed in an iterative manner. Identify the entity type. Identify the attributes of the entity. Application of naming convention. Identify relationship among entities. Data model patterns need to be applied. Assign keys such as primary, unique and foreign key. To reduce data redundancy it should be normalized. All these tasks are being performed on this case study Late Travel (LT). Therefore required data is being stored in the database. And as it is already stated that above tasks are needed to be performed in an iterative manner, therefore it is a continuous process. Normalized E-R Model to 3NF Normalization is the way of ensuring that a relational database structure is free from insertion, update and deletion anomalies that might lead to loss of integrity of data. In 1970s E.F. Codd and his team at IBM introduced the concept of relational databases, proposed normalization through several normal forms. Below tables are assigned with the keys. Customer customer_id (PK) payment_id (FK) Customer_name Customer_phone Customer_address Date_of_birth Sex Date_bacame_customer Booking booking_id (PK) customer_id (FK) car_id (FK) outcome_code (FK) status_code (FK) journey_code (FK) date_of_booking booking_detail Payment Payment_id (PK) booking_id (FK) payment_amount payment_date other_details Ref_booking_status Status_code (PK) Status_description (eg: confirmed/waiting) Ref_booking_outcome outcome_code (PK) outcome_description (eg: cancelled/ok) Car_details Car_id (PK) Driver_id (FK) Seats_avail Car_no Driver_details Driver_id (PK) Driver_name Driver_address Driver_phone Journey_details Journey_code (PK) Customer_id (FK) Place_name Renting_rate Other_details Order Goes for Makes has consist of has Consist of Figure : Tables of Late Travel First Normal Form (1NF) A relational table X is in 1NF (First Normal form), if it meets certain set of criteria. This criterion ensures that each attribute is single-valued with atomic values. In other words table is free from repeating groups. Now if we check whether the logical model discussed above is in 1NF or not. Lets discuss the employee and customer table. Employee employee_id (PK) employee_address_id (FK) employee_name employee_phone other_employee_details Customer customer_id (PK) payment_id (FK) Customer_name Customer_phone Customer_address Date_of_birth Sex Date_became_customer Driver_details Driver_id (PK) Driver_name Driver_address Driver_phone Figure : Employee and customer table As 1NF says that there should be no repeating group but in this case phone number of employee or customer can be more than one. Therefore this relational table is not in first normal form e.g. Employee_id Employee_add_id Employee_name Employee_phone Other_emp_details 1 100 John 98787787, 8898987988 none 2 101 Steve 89898987,98989898 3 102 Mark 98989898898 Here, column employee_phone doesnt contains the atomic value therefore in order to make it 1NF separate entity such as customer_phone_num and employee_phone_num is needed to be defined. Employee employee_id (PK) employee_address_id (FK) employee_name other_employee_details Customer customer_id (PK) payment_id (FK) Customer_name Customer_address Date_of_birth Sex Date_became_customer Employee_phone employee_id (PK) phone_num Customer_phone customer_id (PK) phone_num Driver_details Driver_id (PK) Driver_name Driver_address Driver_phone Driver_phone driver_id (PK) phone_num Figure : Employee, customer and driver table Now all the tables are in First Normal Form as all the columns are having the atomic values. Second Normal Form (2NF) A relational table X is in Second Normal Form when table is in 1NF. A table that is in 1NF must meet the criteria to qualify for the second normal form. This criterion ensures that set of attributes X is functionally dependent on set of attributes Y. For instance, lets look at the booking table: Employee_id Employee_add_id Employee_name Employee_phone Other_emp_details 1 100 John 98787787, 8898987988 none 2 101 Steve 89898987,98989898 3 102 Mark 98989898898 Booking booking_id (PK) customer_id (FK) car_id (FK) outcome_code (FK) status_code (FK) journey_code (FK) date_of_booking booking_detail Figure : Booking table Booking_id Customer_id Car_id Outcome_code Status_code Journey_code Date_of_booking Booking_details 1 1001 100 1 3 2 24-Mar-10 2 1002 101 2 4 3 25-Mar-10 Here as we can see that, none of its non prime attributes are functionally dependent on a subset of a candidate key. Therefore the tables are already in second normal form. Following are the tables that are designed to store the information regarding customer, employees, car, journey and booking. These tables meet the criteria to be second normal form. Hence there is no need to alter the tables. Third Normal Form (3NF) A relation table X is in second normal form when every non prime attribute R is non-transitively dependent on every key of R. In other words a relationship database is in 3NF if it is in 2NF and no non-primary attribute is functionally dependent on another non primary key. Lets look at one of the table journey_details of Late Travel. Journey_details Journey_code (PK) Customer_id (FK) Place_name Renting_rate Other_details Figure : Journey table Journey_code Customer_id Place_name Renting_rate Other_details 001 331 Airport 500 002 332 Airport 500 Here as we can see that renting rate depends upon the place, therefore this table is not in third normal form. In order to make it in third normal form two separate tables or entities would be created- One containing the journey code, customer_id, place_id and other_details and the other containing the place_id, place_name and renting_rate. Below figure is showing the two tables: Journey_details Journey_code (PK) Customer_id (FK) Place_id (FK) Other_details Place_details Place_id (PK) Place_name Renting_rate Figure : Journey and place table Now the E-R model is normalized into third normal form (3NF). Now all the tables contain the atomic values and non primary attributes are functionally dependent on primary key. And lastly no non-primary key attribute is functionally dependent on another non-primary key. SQL Queries Below are the different SQL queries which will be mostly used during the management of Late Travel database. Query result is displayed and explained below: Select customer_name, customer_address, date_of_birth, sex, date_became_active from Customer WHERE Date_became_customer > 2010-01-01 Description: This query will display all the active customers since 1st Jan 2010. Why Needed: This query is important because it displays the list of new customers added from a particular date. Output: Expected Output is: customer_name customer_address date_of_birth sex date_became_active John 35, paris road 1988-09-06 male 2010-02-02 Smith 78, dahiya bhavan 1978-07-08 male 2010-03-04 David 109, green park 1980-08-08 male 2010-01-09 Select emp.employee_id ID, emp.employee_name Name, addr.address Address from Employee emp, emp_Address addr WHERE emp.employee_id = addr.employee_id Description: This query will display all the employees with their details. Why Needed: This query is important because it displays the list of all employees. It might possible that at any instance of time it is required to get the information about the employees working in Late Travel. Output: Expected Output is: ID Name Address 1 John 32 James park 2 Mark 45 green avenue 3 Steve 14 Vikas puri Select car.car_id ID, car.car_no Car No., driver.driver_name Driver Name, driver.driver_address Driver Address, FROM Car_details car, Driver_details driver WHERE car.driver_id = driver.driver_id Description: This query will display the information about the particular car like who is the driver, car number etc. Why Needed: This query is important because it is required to get the information about the particular car and the driver who is responsible of handling it. Output: Expected Output is: ID Car No Driver Name Driver Address 1 HGH 7678 Austin 23, Qutub Enclave 2 HKK 101 Preety 44, Hilton 3 NMN 420 Lisa 88, oberios Select * FROM Booking RIGHT JOIN Journey On Booking.customer_id =Journey.customer_id WHERE date_of_booking = 2010-03-24 Description: This query will display all the booking for 24 Mar 2010 with details of journey. Why Needed: This query is the basic one as it shows the booking for a particular date. It will display all the information related to booking for whether car is available or not or booking is confirmed or pending. Output: Expected Output is: Booking_id Customer_id Car_id Outcome_code Status_code Journey_code Date_of_booking Booking_details Journey_code Place_name Other_details 1 1001 100 1 3 2 24-Mar-10 001 Airport 2 1002 101 2 4 3 24-Mar-10 002 Airport Critical Reflection Whether we use a file or relational database, depends on the nature of the data and how we conceptualize it. There are some major problems and issues arise during the development of the database majorly of data integrity, performance and flexibility. Normally many of the people result into development of database which contains redundant data or insertion, deletion and modification anomalies. In order to understand the normal form, four terms that must be understood are: Dependency Key Domain and Restriction Designing of database plays an important role in integrity and reliability of the data, therefore it is necessary to carefully inspect the database structure, entities and their relationship. Conclusion A database is designed for Late Travel (LT) which is used to store the information related to employee, customer, journey, payment, car and driver details. A conceptual and E-R diagram is developed based on the above case study, showing the relationship among different entities. All the tables are normalized into the third normal form and then the set of queries are fired to show the retrieval of information from database.