15 News Writing Rules for Beginning Journalism Students

15 News Writing Rules for Beginning Journalism Students Gathering information for a news article is vitally important, of course, but so is writing the story. The best information, put together in an overly intricate construction using SAT words and dense writing, can be difficult to digest for readers looking for a quick news fix. There are rules for news writing that result in a clear, direct presentation, providing information efficiently and accessibly to a variety of readers. Some of these rules conflict with what you might have learned in English Lit. Heres a list of 15 rules for beginning news writers, based on the problems that crop most frequently: Tips for News Writing Generally speaking, the lede, or introduction to the story, should be a single sentence of 35 to 45 words that summarizes the main points of the story, not a seven-sentence monstrosity that looks like its out of a Jane Austen novel.The lede should summarize the story from start to finish. So if youre writing about a fire that destroyed a building and left 18 people homeless, that must be in the lede. Writing something like A fire started in a building last night doesnt have enough vital information.Paragraphs in news stories should generally be no more than one or two sentences each, not the seven or eight sentences you probably wrote for freshman English. Short paragraphs are easier to cut when editors are working on a tight deadline, and they look less imposing on the page.Sentences should be kept relatively short, and whenever possible use the subject-verb-object formula. Backward constructions are harder to read.Always cut unnecessary words. For example, Firefighters arrived at t he blaze and were able to put it out within about 30 minutes can be shortened to Firefighters doused the blaze in 30 minutes. Dont use complicated: We arrested the suspect, Detective John Jones said. (Note the placement of the comma.)News stories are generally written in the past tense.Avoid the use of too many adjectives. Theres no need to write the white-hot blaze or the brutal murder. We know fire is hot and that killing someone is generally pretty brutal. Those adjectives are unnecessary.Dont use phrases such as thankfully, everyone escaped the fire unhurt. Obviously, its good that people werent hurt. Your readers can figure that out for themselves.Never inject your opinions into a hard-news story. Save your thoughts for a review or editorial.When you first refer to someone in a story, use the full name and job title if applicable. On all subsequent references, use just the last name. So it would be Lt. Jane Jones when you first mention her in your story, but after that, it would simply be Jones. The only exception is if two people with the same last name are in your story, in which case you could use t heir full names. Reporters generally dont use honorifics such as Mr. or Mrs. in AP style. (A notable exception is The New York Times.) Dont repeat information.Dont summarize the story at the end by repeating whats already been said. Try to find information for the conclusion that advances the story.

The Importance of Jade in Precolumbian America

The Importance of Jade in Precolumbian America Jade occurs naturally in very few places in the world, although the term jade has been often used to describe a variety of minerals used since ancient times to produce luxury items in many different regions of the world, such as China, Korea, Japan, New Zealand, Neolithic Europe, and Mesoamerica. The term jade should be properly applied to only two minerals: nephrite and jadeite. Nephrite is a calcium and magnesium silicate  and can be found in a variety of colors, from translucent white, to yellow, and all shades of green. Nephrite doesn’t occur naturally in Mesoamerica. Jadeite, a sodium and aluminum silicate, is a hard and highly translucent stone whose color ranges from blue-green to apple green. Sources of Jade in Mesoamerica The only source of jadeite known so far in Mesoamerica is the Motagua River valley in Guatemala. Mesoamericanists debate over whether the Motagua river was the only source  or ancient peoples of Mesoamerica used multiple sources of the precious stone. Possible sources under study are the Rio Balsas basin in Mexico  and the Santa Elena region in Costa Rica. Pre-Columbian archaeologists working on jade, distinguish between â€Å"geological† and â€Å"social† jade. The first term indicates the actual jadeite, whereas â€Å"social† jade indicates other, similar greenstones, such as quartz and serpentine which were not as rare as jadeite but were similar in color and therefore fulfilled the same social function. Cultural Importance of Jade Jade was especially appreciated by Mesoamerican and Lower Central American people because of its green color. This stone was associated with water, and vegetation, especially young, maturing corn. For this reason, it was also related to life and death. Olmec, Maya, Aztec and Costa Rican elites particularly appreciated jade carvings and artifacts and commissioned elegant pieces from skillful artisans. Jade was traded and exchanged among elite members as a luxury item all over the pre-Hispanic American world. It was replaced by gold very late in time in Mesoamerica, and around 500 AD in Costa Rica and Lower Central America. In these locations, frequent contacts with South America made gold more easily available. Jade artifacts are often found in elite burial contexts, as personal adornments or accompanying objects. Sometimes a jade bead was placed within the mouth of the deceased. Jade objects are also found in dedicatory offerings for the construction or ritual termination of public buildings, as well as in more private residential contexts. Ancient Jade Artifacts In the Formative period, the Olmec of the Gulf Coast were among the first Mesoamerican people to shape jade into votive celts, axes, and bloodletting tools around 1200-1000 BC. The Maya achieved master levels of jade carving. Maya artisans used drawing cords, harder minerals, and water as abrasive tools to work the stone. Holes were made in jade objects with bone and wood drills, and finer incisions were often added at the end. Jade objects varied in size and shapes and included necklaces, pendants, pectorals, ear ornaments, beads, mosaic masks, vessels, rings, and statues. Among the most famous jade artifacts from the Maya region, we can include funeral masks and vessels from Tikal, and Pakal’s funeral mask and jewels from the Temple of the Inscriptions at Palenque. Other burial offerings and dedication caches have been found at major Maya sites, such as Copan, Cerros, and Calakmul. During the Postclassic period, the use of jade dropped dramatically in the Maya area. Jade carvings are rare, with the notable exception of the pieces dredged out of the Sacred Cenote at Chichà ©n Itz. Among Aztec nobility, jade jewelry was the most valuable luxury: partly because of its rarity, since it had to be imported from the tropical lowlands, and partly because of its symbolism linked to water, fertility, ​and preciousness. For this reason, jade was one of the most valuable tribute item collected by the Aztec Triple Alliance. Jade in Southeastern Mesoamerica and Lower Central America Southeastern Mesoamerica and Lower Central America were other important regions of the distribution of jade artifacts. In the Costa Rican regions of Guanacaste-Nicoya jade artifacts were mainly widespread between AD 200 and 600. Although no local source of jadeite has been identified so far, Costa Rica and Honduras developed their own jade-working tradition. In Honduras, non-Maya areas show a preference for using jade in building dedication offerings more than burials. In Costa Rica, by contrast, the majority of jade artifacts have been recovered from burials. The use of jade in Costa Rica seems to come to an end around A.D. 500-600  when there was a shift towards gold as the luxury raw material; that technology originated in Colombia and Panama. Jade Study Problems Unfortunately, jade artifacts are hard to date, even if found in relatively clear chronological contexts, since this particularly precious and hard-to-find material was often passed down from one generation to another as heirlooms. Finally, because of their value, jade objects are often looted from archaeological sites and sold to private collectors. For this reason, a huge number of published items are from unknown provenience, missing, therefore, an important piece of information. Sources Lange, Frederick W., 1993, Precolumbian Jade: New Geological and Cultural Interpretations. University of Utah Press. Seitz, R., G.E. Harlow, V.B. Sisson, and K.A. Taube, 2001, Olmec Blue and Formative Jade Sources: New Discoveries in Guatemala, Antiquity, 75: 687-688

Innovation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Innovation - Essay Example The main difference between technology driven and innovative driven companies is that technology driven companies use new and faster technology to operate their organizations. On the other hand, innovative, driven organizations come up with newly innovated products to attract customers. For instance, banks using automated teller to serve their customers is a technology driven move. On the other hand, companies like Apple strive to come up with new and better innovation so that they can offer their customers better products. Additionally, the other difference between organizations that are technology driven and innovative driven is that technology driven organization tries to come up with better means to serve their customers (Daft, &Marcic, 2004). This does not mean they keep changing their products, but they insist on using technology that enables them to be faster and efficient. Therefore, innovative companies’ main objective is to come up with better products for their cust omers. They always come up with better products, and that is how they attract consumers. Moreover, innovative driven organizations are normally organizations that deal with customers indirectly since most of the time they are

Laputa, Castle In The Sky Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Laputa, Castle In The Sky - Essay Example â€Å"Laputa- Castle in the Sky† was enthused by â€Å"Gulliver's Travels† by Jonathan Swift. The film is the first one that came from Japanese animation thrust Studio Ghibli. It was also the third major film produced by its master Hayao Miyazaki. Young Pazu lives in a charming mountain town. He is a worker in a coal mine that is located in the mountain. One day as he carried on with his daily activities, an unconscious girl fell from the sky and landed on his arms, to his amazement. Sheeta was being chased by several people who wanted her for interrogation thinking that she was connected to the secret of Laputa, castle in the sky. These people comprised of a group of military, pirates and some government officials. They followed her because of the blue crystal that was tied on her neck. This crystal made her almost weightless and allowed her to fly in to the sky without much effort (Books, Macias & Aoyama, 2003). Pazu carried her into his house. They did not take long before they became acquainted. However, their stay at Pazu’s house was short-lived because after a short time, the bad people who were in search of her showed up at Pazu's doorstep wanting to arrest Sheeta and take the crystal that was tied around her neck. Pazu could not allow them take Sheeta and the crystal. Therefore, he helps her escape with him. The people who wanted to capture Sheeta did not give up. They chased them across the mountains, through the mines and into the air. The escape helps the audience understand the flying castle of Laputa and the fact that Sheeta knows more information about it than she reveals. Laputa follows Pazu and Sheeta who fly in a floating castle in the sky. On the other hand, the family of pirates and the military personnel follow them using an aircraft that flies through a steam-powered engine (Beck, 2005). Hayao Miyazaki tells the story through the beauty of the animation. He uses a design that is phenomenal and constructs mechanical cont raptions that fly. The landscapes where the chase occurs have been developed with a magical touch that gives the film beautiful environments where the action occurs. The scenes are painted using deep earthly colors that fill up the large spaces that follow the action. The action happens without stopping from the very beginning through the whole film to its final stages. Despite the fact that the film features a lot of action that constantly occupies the screen, Laputa, castle in the sky, features quieter moments that have strong characterization and diverse humor. This is achieved through the use of fully fleshed-out back stories and motives that are created from the adventurous ways of the characters. For instance, the family of pirates is handled in a way that depicts them as simple caricatures. Their domineering mother is given best dramatic scenes that bring out her character as a pantomime villain that, in turn, develops into a full-fledged protagonist (Cavallaro, 2006). As the story develops, the audience is led to a switch that occurs between opposites. It happens in a rather fulfilling manner. At one time, the audience is led to scenes where Pazu and Sheeta find themselves as partners in an unlikely situation characterized by a shady bunch. Pazu takes the duty of ensuring that the enemies do not get them by surprise by constantly paying attention to what happens in the crow’

Claytronics Case Essay Example for Free

Claytronics Case Essay Claytronics is an emerging field of engineering concerning reconfigurable nanoscale robots designed to form much larger scale machines or mechanisms. Also known as programmable matter, the catoms will be sub-millimeter computers that will eventually have the ability to move around, communicate with each others, change color, and electrostatically connect to other catoms to form different shapes. The forms made up of catoms could morph into nearly any object, even replicas of human beings for virtual meetings. . Likely spherical in shape, a catom would have no moving parts. Rather, it would be covered with electromagnets to attach itself to other catoms; it would move by using the electromagnets to roll itself over other catoms. The catoms surfaces would have light-emitting diodes to allow them to change color and photo cells to sense light, allowing the collective robot to see. Each would contain a fairly powerful, Pentium-class computer . According to Carnegie Mellons Synthetic Reality Project personnel, claytronics are described as An ensemble of material that contains sufficient localcomputation, actuation, storage, energy, sensing, and communication which can be programmed to form interesting dynamic shapes and configurations. The idea is not to transport objects nor is it to recreate an objects chemicalcomposition, but rather to create a physical artefact,that will mimic the shape, movement, visual appearance,sound, and tactile qualities of the original object INTRODUCTION: Programmable matter one day could transform itself into all kinds of look-alikes The day when doctors routinely made house calls may be past, but that doesnt mean that someday you wont routinely see your doctor in your home with emphasis on see. That is to say, your doctor could physically work out of her office. But a three-dimensional lookalike, assembled from perhaps a billion tiny, BB-like robots, could be her stand-in in your home. She could talk with you, touch you, look at you, all under the control of the real, if distant, doc. After the examination, she could be disassembled, leaving behind a big pile of beads. Or the beads might reassemble into a piece of moving sculpture, or turn into a chair. Not a single such robot yet exists; building the one-millimeter diameter robots that Goldstein envisions is beyond current technology. And he acknowledges it could be decades before a synthetic doctor is possible, much less affordable.But its not too soon to start thinking about it. Its a little like putting a man on the moon, said Todd Mowry.Its not just a problem of building tiny robots, but figuring out how to power them, to get them to stick together and to coordinate and control millions or billions of them. No ones even sure what to call it. Claytronics, synthetic reality and programmable matter have been proposed. Dynamic physical rendering is the label Intel uses. Each of the individual robots comprising these people or shapes would be a claytronic atom, or catom. Likely spherical in shape, a catom would have no moving parts. Rather, it would be covered with electromagnets to attach itself to other catoms; it would move by using the electromagnets to roll itself over other catoms. *The catoms surfaces would have light-emitting diodes to allow them to change color and photo cells to sense light, allowing the collective robot to see. Each would contain a fairly powerful, Pentium-class computer. CLAYTRONICS, A SYNTHETIC REALITY [pic][pic] The big advantage of designing on a computer is the ease of changing things, like color and shape. But, especially for 3D objects, it has some disadvantages. You don’t really get a feel for the object: What does it look like when I walk around it? How does it feel when I hold it in my hands? With Claytronics technology this problem could be solved. What is Claytronics? Claytronics is an emerging field of engineering concerning reconfigurable nanoscale robots (claytronic atoms, or catoms) which can interact with each other to form tangible 3-D objects that a user can interact with.They are designed to form much larger scale machines or mechanisms. Also known as programmable matter, the catoms will be sub-millimeter computers that will eventually have the ability to move around, communicate with each others, change color, and electrostatically connect to other catoms to form different shapes. The forms made up of catoms could morph into nearly any object, even replicas of human beings for virtual meetings. Claytronics technology is currently being researched by Professor Seth Goldstein and Professor Todd C. Mowry at Carnegie Mellon University, which is where the term was coined. . The Carnegie Mellon University together with Intel are currently researching this technology. Though it might seem somewhat futuristic, they are confident that it can be realized and they’ve got Moore’s Law( describes a long-term trend in the history of computing hardware, in which the number of transistors that can be placed inexpensively on an integrated circuit has doubled approximately every two years) to back it up. According to Carnegie Mellons Synthetic Reality Project personnel, claytronics are described as An ensemble of material that contains sufficient local computation, actuation, storage, energy, sensing, and communication which can be programmed to form interesting dynamic shapes and configurations. Claytronics has the potential to greatly affect many areas of daily life, such as telecommunication, human-computer interfaces, and entertainment In other words, programmable matter will allow us to take a (big) step beyond virtual reality, to synthetic reality, an environment in which all the objects in a user’s environment are physically realized. Note that the idea is not to transport objects nor is it to recreate an objects chemical composition, but rather to create a physical artefact that will mimic the shape, movement, visual appearance,sound, and tactile qualities of the original object Claytronics though based upon on concepts of physics and electronics in schoolbooks (and a neat trick), its a technology of 2040 and 2050 due to the technical challenge scientific and engineering community live with. Challenge is to develop and control this material on the scale of nanometers (100 times thinner then human hair, 1 nanometer = 10 -9 meters). Claytronics doesnt end with working together philosophy or networked computing alone. Catoms, basic blocks of claytronics can morph their physical and chemical properties, meaning same material can be of different mechanical, thermal properties, can have different shape or size, different color, fluorescent material can be converted to super reflecting mirror. These highlights and long wait till Year 2040/50. . Our goal is that the system be usable now and scalablefor the future. Thus, the guiding design principle,behind both the hardware and the software, is SCALABILITY.Hardware mechanisms need to scale towards micronsized catoms and million-catom ensembles. Software mechanisms need to be scale invariant. Claytronics will be a test-bed for solving some of the most challenging problems we face today: how to build complex, massively distributed dynamic systems. It is also a step towards truly integrating computers into our lives—by having them integrated into the very artifactsaround us and allowing them to interact with the world. Catoms Programmable matter consists of a collection of individual components, which we call claytronic atoms or catoms. Catoms can †¢ move in three dimensions in relation to other catoms, †¢ adhere to other catoms to main ­tain a 3D shape, communicate with other catoms in an ensemble, and compute state information with possible assistance from other catoms in the ensemble. Each catom is a unit with a CPU, a network device, a single-pixel display, one or more sensors, a means of locomotion, and a mechanism for adhering to other catoms. Although this sounds like a microrobot, we believe that imple ­menting a completely autonomous microrobot is unnecessarily complex. Instead, we take a cue from cellular reconfigurable robotics research to simplify the individual robot modules so that they are easier to manufacture using high-volume methods. Ensemble principle: Realizing this vision requires new ways of thinking about massive num ­bers of cooperating millimeter-scale units. Most importantly, it demands simplifying and redesigning the soft ­ware and hardware used in each catom to reduce complexity and manufactur ­ing cost and increase robustness and reliability. For example, each catom must work cooperatively with others in the ensemble to move, communi ­cate, and obtain power. Consequently, our designs strictly adhere to the ensemble principle: A robot module should include only enough functionality to contribute to the ensemble’s desired functionality. Three early results of our research each highlight a key aspect of the ensemble principle: easy manufacturability, powering million-robot ensem ­bles, and surface contour control with ­out global motion planning. High-Volume Manufacturability Some catom designs will be easier to produce in mass quantity than others. Our present exploration into the design space investigates modules without moving parts, which we see as an inter ­mediate stage to designing catoms suit ­able for high-volume manufacturing. In our present macroscale (44-mm diameter), cylindrical prototypes, shown in Figure 1, each catom is equipped with 24 electromagnets arranged in a pair of stacked rings. To move, a pair of catoms must ï ¬ rst be in contact with another pair. Then, they must appropriately energize the next set of magnets along each of their circumferences. . The current prototypes can only overcome the frictional forces opposing their own horizontal movement, but downscaling will improve the force budget substantially. The resulting force from two similarly energized magnet coils varies roughly with the inverse cube of distance, whereas the ï ¬â€šux due to a given coil varies with the square of the scale factor. Hence, the potential force generated between two catoms varies linearly with scale. Meanwhile, mass varies with the cube of scale. Powering Microbot Ensembles:. Some energy requirements, such as effort to move versus gravity, scale with size. Others, such as communi ­cation and computation, don’t. As microrobots (catoms) are scaled down, the onboard battery’s weight and volume exceed those of the robots themselves. To provide sufï ¬ cient energy to each catom without incurring such a weight and volume penalty, we’re developing methods for routing energy from an external source to all catoms in an ensemble. For example, an ensemble could tap an environmental power source, such as a special table with pos ­itive and negative electrodes, and route that power internally using catom-to ­catom connections. To simplify manufacturing and accelerate movement, we believe it’s necessary to avoid using intercatom connectors that can carry both supply and ground via separate conductors within the connector assembly. Such complex connectors can signiï ¬ cantly increase reconï ¬ guration time. For example, in previously con ­structed modular robotic systems such as the Palo Alto Research Center’s PolyBot and the Dartmouth Robotics Lab’s Molecule it can take tens of seconds or even minutes for a robot module to uncouple from its neighbor, move to another module, and couple with that newly proximal module. In contrast, our present unary-con ­nector-based prototypes can â€Å"dock† in less than 100 ms because no special connector alignment procedure is required. This speed advantage isn’t free, however: A genderless unary con ­nector imposes additional operational complexity in that each catom must obtain a connection to supply from one neighbor and to ground from a dif ­ferent neighbor. Several members of the Claytronic team have recently developed power distribution algorithms that satisfy these criteria. These algorithms require no knowledge of the ensemble conï ¬ g ­uration—lattice spacing, ensemble size, or shape—or power-supply loca ­tion. Further, they require no on-catom power storage. Shape Control Without Global Motion Planning: Classical approaches to creating an arbitrary shape from a group of mod ­ular robots involve motion planning through high-dimensional search or gradient descent methods. However, in the case of a million-robot ensemble, global search is unlikely to be tractable. Even if a method could globally plan for the entire ensemble, the communi ­cations overhead required to transmit individualized directions to each mod ­ule would be very high. In addition, a global plan would break down in the face of individual unit failure. To address these concerns, we’re developing algorithms that can control shape without requiring extensive planning or communication. This approach focuses on the motion of holes rather than that of robots per se. Given a uniform hexag ­onal-packed plane of catoms, a hole is a circular void due to the absence of seven catoms. Such a seven-catom hole can migrate through the ensemble by appropriate local motion of the adja ­cent catoms. Holes migrate through the ensemble as if moving on a frictionless plane, and bounce back at the ensemble’s edges. Just as bouncing gas molecules exert pressure at the edges of a balloon, bouncing holes interact frequently with each edge of the ensemble without the need for global control. As Figure 2 illustrates, edges can contract by con ­suming a hole or expand by creating a hole, purely under local control. We initiate shape formation by â€Å"ï ¬ ll ­ing† the ensemble with holes. Each hole receives an independent, random veloc ­ity and begins to move around. A shape goal speciï ¬ es the amount each edge region must either contract or expand to match a desired target shape. A hole that hits a contracting edge is consumed. In effect, the empty space that constitutes the hole moves to the outside of the ensemble, pulling in the surface at that location. Similarly, expanding edges create holes and inject them into the ensemble, pushing its contour out in the c orresponding local region. [pic] Importantly, all edge contouring and hole motion can be accomplished using local rules, and the overall shape of an ensemble can be programmed purely by communicating with the catoms at the edges. Hence, we use probabilistic methods to achieve a deterministic result. Our initial analyses of the cor ­responding 3D case suggest surface contour control will be possible via a similar algorithm. Ping-Pong to marble size A large, moving shape such as a human replica might contain a billion catoms. A system with a billion computer nodes, he added, is something on the scale of the entire Internet. . . . Unlike the real Internet, our thing is moving. This will require new schemes for quickly organizing and reorganizing such a large computer network. A moving shape will necessarily force catoms to constantly and quickly change positions, breaking connections with one set of catoms and establishing new connections with others. The idea behind self-reconfigurable robots is that a robot could change shape depending on a task perhaps operating as a snake-like robot to wiggle through tight spaces, while taking the form of a spider or a humanoid for other types of exploration. Identifying each catom by a number, like each computer on the Internet, isnt likely to work. Rather, catoms may identify themselves based on function or position a catom replicating a human would need to know if it was part of a pinky finger, or a mouth, or an eye. Power also has been a concern. As we shrink thingswe find that weight and bulk is primarily in the battery.The idea is to eliminate the battery. Instead, the catoms will automatically form themselves into electrical circuits, so delivering power to one catom effectively delivers power to all of the catoms. As the shape moves and the catoms rearrange themselves, connections will be repeatedly made and broken, interupting power. So the catoms will be designed with a capacitor or small battery to hold just enough charge to compensate for the momentary disconnections. The system also will be engineered to maintain its shape even when powered off. proposes covering the sides of the catoms with manmade fibers similar to the microscopic foot hairs of the gecko, a tropical lizard.The millions of hairs on a geckos toes allow it to cling to almost any surface. The hairs arent sticky, but rely on weak electrodynamic forces known as the van der Waals force. If the synthetic hairs can be fashioned out of the microscopic fibers known as carbon nanotubes, the hairs could conduct electricity and might serve as the electrical connections between catoms.. Even if claytronics doesnt immediately yield 3-D motion, it might be useful for producing 3-D shapes in the computer-aided design process, Goldstein said. Claytronics antennas could change shape to improve reception of different radio frequencies. A Claytronics cell phone might grow a full-size keyboard, or expand its video display as needed. [pic] The Concept and the trick Catoms, of which claytronics machines will built upon are kind of rich quantum dot. Quantum dot is basically a semiconducting crystal (material used in ICs for almost any electronic or computing device) on a nanoscale, so we can call it semiconducting nanocrystal. Quantum dots unlike normal semiconducting crystal caters to single or more electrons on a scale small enough that they can be called as artificial atoms without their own nucleus. To make this understand better Quantum dots controls can control almost single electron in its own territory. These territories have different levels, in scientific term called discrete energy levels on the order of De-Broglies wavelength. Trick is really simple in theory; every substance on a atomic level is identified based upon its atomic number and atomic mass number. Atom has three basic atomic particles (no of basic particles discovered is high as of now) electron, proton and neutron. In a balanced atom no of electrons and protons are same, so no of electrons indicates atomic number as well. Here in Quantum dots we can manipulate no of electrons trapped by adjusting the voltage to the metal. Creating lots of such artificial atoms in metal like semiconductor can alter lots of its chemical and electronic properties to make a non transparent metal behave like a transparent mirror maybe. A Modular Robotic System Using Magnetic Force Effectors One of the primary impediments to building ensembles of modular robots is the complexity and number of mechanical mechanisms used to construct the individual modules. As part of the Claytronics project—which aims to build very large ensembles of modular robots— investigation is done on how to simplify each module by eliminating moving parts and reducing the number of mechanical mechanisms on each robot by using force-at-a-distance actuators. Additionally, also investigating the feasibility of using these unary actuators to improve docking performance, implement intermodule adhesion, power transfer, communication, and sensing. Three magnetic 45mm planar catoms. I. Introduction Advances in manufacturing and electronics open up new possibilities for designing modular robotic systems. As the robots become smaller, it becomes possible to use force-at-adistance actuators—e.g., actuators which cause one module to move relative to another via magnetic or electric fields external to the modules themselves. Furthermore, as the cost and power consumption of electronics continue to decrease, it becomes increasingly attractive to use complex electronics rather than complex mechanical systems. In this paper, we explore how a single device that exploits magnetic forces can be harnessed to unify actuation, adhesion, power transfer, communication, and sensing. By combining a single coil with the appropriate electronics we can simplify the robot— reducing both its weigt and size—while increasing its capabilities. Furthermore ,since we are interested in the ensemble as a whole, we do not require that individual units be self-sufficientAs long as individual units can contribute to the overall motion of the ensemble, they do not need the ability to move independently within the greater environment. We call this design principle the ensemble axiom: each unit contains only the minimum abilities necessary to contribute to the aggregate functionality of the ensemble. Choosing the right mechanism for locomotion is a key design decision. In addition to scalability, the size of the unit must also be taken into account. At the macroscale,complex mechanisms such as motors are effective. However, as units scale down in size other approaches become viable, taking advantage of increasing surface-to-volume ratio and decreasing of inertial moments. Our current robots, which we call planar catoms1, are small enough that we can explore a mechanism designed around magnetic field forceat- a-distance actuators. As the units decrease further in size, actuators based upon electric field forces become viable and are appealing because they use less current, produce less heat, and weigh less than magnetic actuators. Even smaller units could harness surface forces such as surface tension or Van der Waals’ forces. The size scale also affects power transfer and storage: because electrical resistance increases as contact size decreases, direct electrical connections between robots become increasingly impractical. II. Related Work Of the many research efforts the most relevant to our work is Fracta Fracta is a two dimensional modular robot which uses a combination of permanent magnets and electromagnets for locomotion and adhesion. As in our planar catoms, to move a module requires communication between the moving module and its neighbors. The two main differences between Fracta and planar catoms are due to changes in underlying technology and the use of permanent magnets. Fracta modules are constrained to be in a hex-lattice whereas the planar catoms have additional actuators and can be arranged in a cubic or hex lattice. Significant advances in VLSI enable us to create smaller, lighter units which do not use permanent magnets. We also harness the magnets for more than locomotion and adhesion, i.e., the magnets also serve as the main mechanism for power transfer, sensing, and communications. Planar catoms are our first step along the path towards realizing three dimensional claytronics. The robots rely on the external forces and move stochastically, adhering to each other under control of the program running on the robot. The ensemble principle is carried even further in the latter project; robots are unpowered until they adhere to a powered robot.

Pickering & Chatto :: Pickering & Chatto

Pickering & Chatto Every Romanticist is heavily indebted to Pickering & Chatto for their publication of a series of valuable sets of Romantic texts. From the Works of Mary Wollstonecraft (published in 1989), to the Novels and Selected Works of Mary Shelley (published in May 1996), and continuing with forthcoming editions of Hazlitt's and De Quincey's Selected Works, Pickering & Chatto continues to foster the study of Romantic writers with excellent scholarly editions. Under the general editorship of John Mullan, Pickering & Chatto offers us a new collection in their series of Romantic studies publications: Lives of the Great Romantic Poets . This three-volume set contains facsimile reproductions of biographical accounts of three major poets of the Romantic period: Shelley, Byron and Wordsworth. Each volume contains a clearly-written introduction which presents an overall picture of the poet's career and popularity during his lifetime. Though unfortunately limited by space considerations, the editors have succeeded in compiling intelligent accounts of the poets. A selected, and rather brief, bibliography of useful secondary works and a brief chronology are also to be found. Each extract of biographical writing is preceded by a short editor's introduction containing details about the author, the work from which the extract is taken, and the relationship between the author and the poet referred to. These introductions are straightforward, with enough details to improve the reading of the extracts without overwhelming the reader with too many facts. I have to stress the fact that this edition is a facsimile reproduction of extracts from Romantic texts and not a scholarly edition of these texts. Thus, although one finds a few notes, one should be aware that the interest of these volumes lies mainly in the texts they make newly available to the public. In this, this edition echoes the Revolution and Romanticism series of facsimile of Romantic texts chosen by Jonathan Wordsworth and published by Woodstock Books. The first volume is devoted to Shelley and edited by John Mullan. Mullan's introduction presents an accurate description of the difficult question of the reception of Shelley during the nineteenth century, and then during the twentieth century. Mullan rightly points out how tempting it is to equate Shelley's poetry with his own life, and how, to a certain extent, Shelley himself invited his readers to do so. This is obviously a question that Shelleyan scholars have dealt with for over a century.

Financial Performance and Bank Efficiency: Comparison Between Conventional Banks and Sharia Banks Essay

This study aims to compare the financial performance and bank efficiency between conventional banks and sharia banks in Indonesia in the period of 2008-2011 by using financial ratios to measure the financial performance, as well as SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) to the measure bank efficiency. Financial ratios that are used are consisted of CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, and LDR. Meanwhile variables that are used to measure the efficiency are receivables, placements with Bank Indonesia and other banks, third-party funds, and issued capital and fully paid capital. The samples consist of 11 conventional banks and 11 sharia banks. T-test is conducted to determine whether there is any significant difference in financial performance between sharia Banks and conventional Banks. The results of hypothesis testing and multiple regression analysis indicate that there are significant differences of CAR, ROA, ROE, profit efficiency between conventional banks and sharia banks. Keywords: financial perfor mance, bank efficiency, SFA, conventional banks, sharia bank. ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melakukan perbandingan kinerja keuangan serta efisiensi Bank Umum Konvensional dan Bank Umum Sharia di Indonesia pada periode 2008-2011 dengan menggunakan rasio keuangan untuk mengukur kinerja keuangan, serta SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) untuk mengukur efisiensi bank. Rasio keuangan yang digunakan terdiri dari CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, dan LDR. Sedangkan variable untuk mengukur efisiensi laba diantaranya Pembiayaan yang diberikan, Penempatan pada Bank Indonesia dan bank lainnya, Dana pihak ketiga, dan Modal yang disetor dan dibayar penuh. Sampel yang digunakan adalah 11 Bank Konvensional dan 11 Bank Sharia. Uji t dilakukan untuk mengetahu apakah terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan kinerja keuangan antara Bank Konvensional dan Bank Sharia. Hasil dari uji hipotesis dan regresi berganda tesebut menunjukkan bahwa terdapat perbedaan yang signifikan CAR, ROA, ROE, efisiensi laba diantara Bank Konvensional dan Bank Sharia. Kata kunci: kinerja keuangan, efisiensi bank, SFA, bank konvensional, bank syariah. INTRODUCTION It has been almost a quarter of century since the first sharia bank was established. Sharia banks not only have big expansion in Muslim countries, but also in Non-Muslim countries. Some people choose sharia banks because of the differences between conventional banks and sharia banks. Actually there are not many differences between them but, the main reason why people choose sharia banks is because there is no riba system like in conventional banks. In the discussion of banking in Indonesia, it is important to analyze the performance. Performance represents the condition of the bank, it represents whether the management of the bank can run the operational well or not. It is important for banks to measure their performance in order to be able to improve its service to satisfy the customers. There are several ways to assess bank’s performance. Performance evaluation is an important tool to assess the success of any business including sharia financial institution. In the performance evaluation, setting the bench mark is vital in order to make comparison between the desired and the actual performance. In 1979, the use of the CAMEL factors in evaluating a bank’s financial health has become well known among regulators. Piyu (1992) stated that financial ratios are often used to measure the overall financial sound of a bank and the quality of its management. Bank regulators, for example, use financial ratios to evaluate a bank’s performance as a part of the CAMELS system. CAMELS system consists of Capital adequacy, Asset quality, Management, Earnings, Liquidity, and Sensitivity to market risk. An overall composite CAMELS rating, which is ranging from one to five is then developed from this evaluation. As a whole, the CAMELS rating, which is determined after an on-site examination, provides a means to categorize banks based on their overall health, financial status, and management. Another important aspect in measuring performance and competition in banking industries is efficiency. Efficiency is improved by reducing cost in production process or by increasing revenue. If there is a rapid change of financial structure, we have to identify the fund efficiency and revenue. Banks which is more efficient is hoped to be able to derive maximum profit and give better service quality for costumer. One of the ways to measure the efficiency of a bank is by using parametric approach with Stochastic Frontier Approach (SFA) through alternative profit efficiency. SFA has an advantage, which is it is able to compare other measurement methods that involve disturbance term. Disturbance term is representing disturbances, measurement error and exogenous shocks beyond the control, environment variables which are easily treated, possibility to conduct hypothesis testing by using statistical test, and ease in identifying the outliers. SFA efficiency value range is between 0 and 1. If the value of SFA equals to 1, it means that the bank’s performance is efficient. Meanwhile, if the value of SFA equals to 0, it means that the bank’s performance is inefficient. Banks’ efficiency is also needed as an important indicator to analyze bank’s performance and as a tool to improve the effectiveness of monetary policy. Generally, there are 3 basic concepts of efficiency model in banking sector. They are cost efficiency, standard profit efficiency, and alternative profit efficiency. PREVIOUS RESEARCH Islamic Banks Sole (2007) on his journal entitled Introducing Islamic Banks into Conventional Banking System. From his journal, can be concluded that over the last decade, Islamic banking has experienced global growth rates of 10-15 percent per annum. It has been moving into an increasing number of conventional financial systems at such a rapid pace that Islamic financial institutions are present today in over 51 countries. Despite this consistent growth, many supervisory authorities and finance practitioners remain unfamiliar with the process by which Islamic banks are introduced into a conventional system. Banks Performance Wirnkar (2008) on his journal entitled CAMELs and Banks Performance Evaluation: The Way Forward, said that the findings revealed the inability of each factor in CAMEL to capture the wholistic performance of a bank. Also revealed, was the relative weight of importance of the factors in CAMEL which resulted to a call for a change in the acronym of CAMEL to CLEAM. In addition, the best ratios in each of the factors in CAMEL were identified. For example, the best ratio for Capital Adequacy was found to be the ratio of total shareholders’ fund to total risk weighted assets. The paper concluded that no one factor in CAMEL suffices to depict the overall performance of a bank. Among other recommendations, banks’ regulators are called upon to revert to the best identified ratios in CAMEL when evaluating banks performance. Banks Efficiency Majid (2010) in his journal entitled Efficiency in Islamic and Conventional Banking: An International Comparison, can be concluded that he was with Saal and Battisti investigated the efficiency of a sample of Islamic and conventional banks in 10 countries that operate Islamic banking for the period 1996-2002, using an output distance function approach. They obtain measures of efficiency after allowing for environmental influences such as country macroeconomic conditions, accessibility of banking services and bank type. While these factors are assumed to directly influence the shape of the technology, we assume that country dummies and bank size directly influence technical inefficiency. The parameter estimates highlight that during the sample period, Islamic banking appears to be associated with higher input usage. Correlation between banks performance and banks efficiency Kosmidou (2008) on his journal entitled Measurement of Bank Performance in Greece can be conclu ded that banks have been forced to be more competitive and to implement bank rating systems to evaluate their financial risks. The present study evaluates the performance and efficiency of the commercial and cooperative banks in Greece for the period 2003-2004. The results obtained indicate that commercial banks are tending to increase their accounts, to attract more customers and ameliorate their financial indices, thereby becoming more competitive and maximizing their profits. Concerning the cooperative banks in Greece, the conclusions are not so uniform, since there are banks that are enjoying considerably increased profits and market shares, and others whose financial indices seem to be deteriorating. RESEARCH METHOD Type of Study This research use secondary data which gathered from several sources such as website of Bank Indonesia, website of each banks and contain all information needed. Then, the data analyzed by using SPSS. Population and Sample The populations in this research are conventional banks and sharia banks. Meanwhile, the samples are the banks (11 conventional banks and 11 sharia banks) listed in Bank Indonesia which have been published their financial report from 2008-2011. Research Variables In this study, the dependent variable is SFA (Stochastic Frontier Approach) while the independent variables are CAR, ROA, ROE, NPL, LDR, receivables, third party fund, placement in Bank Indonesia and other banks, and issued capital & fully paid capital. ANALYSIS Classical Assumption Test Multicollinearity Test: The result showed that all of the independent variables used in this research have tolerance value greater than 0.10 and VIF less than 10. Thus, , independent variables are free from multicollinearity symptoms or there is no multicollinearity among the independent variables. Autocorrelation Test: Based on the result of Durbin Watson test, it is known that Durbin Watson value is 1.368 which is between -2 to 2. It means that there is no autocorrelation in the regression model. Heteroscedasticity Test: The graph scatter plot shown that that there is no clear pattern and the points spread above or below the number 0. Then, it can be stated that there is no heterocedasticity. The result of T-Test The independent t-test result obtained for CAR is -2.329, with the probability of 0.022 which less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the first hypothesis in this study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in CAR between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for NPL is 1.494, with the probability of 0.139 which is greater than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the second hypothesis in the study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in NPL between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is not supported. The independent t-test results obtained for ROA is 2.278 with a probability of 0.025 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the third hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in ROA between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for ROE is 4.040 with the probability of 0.000 which less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the fourth hypothesis in the study which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in ROE between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. The independent t-test results obtained for LDR is -1.275 with the probability of 0.206 which is greater than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the fifth hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is significant difference in LDR between conventional and sharia banks in Indonesia† is not supported. The independent t-test results obtained for efficiency ratio (SFA) is 4.345 with the probability of 0.000 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. Thus, the sixth research hypothesis which states that â€Å"There is efficiency difference between conventional banks and sharia banks in Indonesia† is supported. Multiple Regression analysis result The equation is as follows: SFA = 0,368 – 0,001CAR + 0,071NPL + 0,022ROA + 0,008ROE + 0,001LDR + 0,002REC + 0,00018PBI + 0,00004TPF + 0,002ISSUED + ÃŽ µ The the relationship between bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency is indicated by the multiple correlation coefficient (R) which is equal to 0.674. This means that there is a strong relation ship between the bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency. To clarify whether the relationship between the independent variables and dependent variables are significant or not, it can be tested with the F test. The test showed that F value is 7.213 with the probability 0.000 which is less than ÃŽ ±=0.05. This shows that the Sig F is smaller than the 0.05 value thus, the performance of banks as measured by CAR, NPL, ROA, ROE, LDR, receivable, placement with Bank Indonesia and other banks, third parties fund, and issued capital and fully paid capital are simultaneously related to the efficiency of banks. Thus, the seventh hypothesis which stated that â€Å"There is influence between bank’s performance and bank’s efficiency† is supported. CLOSING Conclusion Based on the result of data processing, there are some conclusions: 1. There is significant difference between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of CAR. This study finds that sharia banks’ CAR is greater than conventional banks. 2. There is no significant difference of financial performance between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of the NPL ratio. This means that NPL in sharia banks are equal to conventional banks, which all banks have NPLs below 5%. 3. There is significant difference between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of ROA. The difference that occur shows that the conventional banks’ ROA is higher than sharia banks which means that the ability of conventional banks in earning profit based on the owned asset is higher than sharia banks’. 4. There is significant difference between the profitability performances of sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of ROE. The difference that occurs shows that conventional banks’ ROE is higher than sharia banks. It means tha t the ability of conventional banks in earning profit based on the owned equity is higher than sharia banks. 5. There is no significant difference in the performance of banks on LDR (Loan to Deposit Ratio). This means the liquidity of sharia banks and conventional banks are equal. 6. There is significant difference in bank efficiency between sharia banks and conventional banks in terms of SFA. In this case, conventional banks are more efficient compare to sharia banks because their SFA value is higher compare to sharia banks’. 7. Banks’ performance has influence on banks’ efficiency. This means that the higher performance of the bank, the more efficient the bank in conducting its operations. Among all of the performance ratios, they are NPL and ROE that have significant influence on efficiency. Meanwhile for the CAR, ROA, LDR, Receivable, Placement with Bank Indonesia and other Banks, Third Parties Fund, and Capital Issued does not have significant influence on bank’s efficiency. Research Limitation This research focused on comparing conventional bank and sharia bank on the basis of financial performance by using CAEL only, because the data used is just financial ratio and effectiveness using SFA. The financial performance and effectiveness can be assessed by analyzing the annual report published by Bank Indonesia. This research uses annual reports from 2008 to 2011 and quarterly data, taken from 11 sharia Banks and 11 well known conventional banks. Recommendations Some suggestions for the future research on this topic based on the limitation that researcher found are mentioned as follows: 1. For Sharia Banks, this research found that sharia banks have lower profitability ratio and efficiency compare to conventional banks. Thus, the researcher would like to recommend sharia banks to increase those ratios by minimizing bank’s operational costs, improving the market to get more customer through innovative sharia products. 2. For Conventional Banks, this research found that conventional banks have lower capital aspect compare to sharia banks. Thus, they need to reduce credit risk by improving credit management in order to reduce the value of risk-weighted assets (RWA). 3. For Banks in general, to improve the efficiency of the bank’s performance, banks should improve the overall performance, both from the capital, assets, management, earnings and liquidity 4. For the Future Researchers, this study uses only five ratios in measuring the bank’s financial performance, the future researchers should use more ratios to measure performance. REFERENCES Abustan. (2009). Analisa Perbandingan Kinerja Keuangan Perbankan Sharia dengan Perbankan Konvensional, Retrieved December 24, 2012, from : http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:_eUXttjW3VgJ:www.gunadara.ac.id/librar y/articles/graduate/economy/2009 Alphonsius, W. & Tanko, M. (June 24, 2008). CAMELs and Banks Performance Evaluation: The Way Forward. Social Science Research Network. Retrieved April 15, 2012, from http://ssrn.com/abstract=1150968 Endang Sumachdar and Hariandy Hasbi. (2010). Financial Performance Analysis for Islamic Rural Bank to Third Party Funds and The Comparation with Conventional Rural Bank in Indonesia. International Conference on Business and Economics Research. Retrieved April 18, 2012, from http://www.ipedr.com/vol1/67G00011.pdf Mohd, I., Mazlina, N.,