Cultural Conflict between the UK workforce versus Japanese Workforce

Cultural Conflict between the UK workforce versus Japanese Workforce Free Online Research Papers Wilson Ltd, a UK-based engineering firm in producing motorcycles realised that its business strategy needed to be revamped as it had loss market shares predominantly to the Japanese because of their far superior technology. Hence, change-management was much needed at Wilson in order for the company to ensure its survival and stay relevant as well as competitive to the market. As a result, Wilson Ltd had adopted the strategic alliances approach where international joint venture (IJV) was established in 2004 with Japanese counterpart, Akita International –a specialist motorcycle engineering firm in Japan, inaugurating Akita Motor Cycle Company. The new business strategy in the UK was to capitalise on the European niche market by producing and marketing highly engineered, small numbers of prestige-status motorcycles to be sold at premium prices. Even though newly formed joint venture Akita Motor Cycle created a separate legal entity to the business, the management was dominated largely by the Anglo-Saxon minded business thinking. It was evidently clear from the case study that the top management visvis family-led oriented type business managed by Mr. Steven Wilson, Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of Wilson’s Ltd; followed by his son, Mr. Christopher as the Marketing Director and Vice President of IJV and Mr. Kyoto, Managing Director of Akita International – the only representative of Japanese firm. This eventually led to a greater control by Mr. Christopher as compared to their Japanese counterparts. As the company grew, management faced series of problems involving cultural differences between predominantly Japanese employees and also from the typical West Midlands workforce. The mono-cultural style practised by Mr. Sendai, a highly experienced and well respected Japanese team leader was resisted by the British work colleagues. On the other hand, the Japanese workforce were also demoralised by the style of management, particularly Mr. Christopher, in handling their concerns over work conflicts in the company. This is because the management had condoned British co-workers for leaving home after five o’clock p.m. sharp while Japanese employees were still working past the hour. On one occasion, Mr. Sendai’s portrait was put on a showroom slide show causing tremendous embarrassment and being regarded as a moral attack on Mr. Sendai’s character. One problem after another, lead to a high level of tension and frustration between aggrieved workers including Mr. Chr istopher, Mr. Sendai, Ms. Fiona. In the end, work situation had worsened and need to be rectified expeditiously to avoid further failure. Question 1: Drawing on ideas and frameworks from the course, how would you analyse and evaluate the problems in the Akita Motorcycle joint venture? In today’s business environment, organisations are likely to be operating at extremely complex and dynamic in nature due to globalisation facet. More and more businesses are largely conducted in foreign countries as opposed to the traditional ways of doing business. As a result, organisations may often faced with challenges in managing culturally diverse workforce or managing cultural differences per se. Akita Motorcycle Company, a joint venture between U.K motorcycle led firm and Japanese Engineering firm is not an exception either. Schneider and Barsoux (1997) clearly states that ‘in every cross-boarder alliance, there are seeds of potential cultural conflict and misunderstanding’ . Hence, cultural conflict and/or cultural misunderstanding need to be surfaced, diagnosed and effectively managed. In order to manage the ‘conflict’, it is eminent to understand what culture is and how does cultural difference usually have an impact on business performance. Culture by definition refers to ‘systems of meaning – values, beliefs, expectation, and goals – shared by a particular group of people distinguishing them from members of other groups’ (Gooderham and Nordhaug 2003 pg 131; Schneider and Barsoux 2003, cited in Martin G. 2006). Furthermore, undermining the cultural difference can have a detrimental outcome on business performance i.e. lower sales growth or sales volume, lower return on investment / profits (financial performance), high level of dissatisfaction index among workers and customers, impact on competitive advantage index, total failure of cross boarder alliance and etc. This is supported by a study instigated by Marcoulides and Heck (1993). ‘The authors proposed a model in which organizational culture was measured using several latent variables (organizational structure, organizational values, task organization, climate, and individual values and beliefs) and organizational performance were measured using capital, market and financial indicators. The results of this study showed that all of the latent variables used to measure organizational culture had some effect on performance with workers attitudes and task organization activities being the most significant variables ’ (Marcoulides and Heck 1993 cited in Ilie L. and Gavrea C.).Therefore, there is sufficient evidence to illustrate that culture has a correlation, either positive or negative, with organisational performance. In Akita Motorcycle Company, the two predominant cultures are generally of the Japanese and Anglo-Saxon (the typical West Midlands). In a more popular term, culture is defined by ‘how we do things around here’. Since the Japanese usually has its own way of doing things around here and so does the Anglo-Saxon, cultural difference, conflict and variations ought to exist. This is for the reason that both coming from very distinctive cultures bring with them different set of expectations, value assumptions, interaction scripts, leadership styles, verbal and nonverbal habits that influence the conflict process (Toomey). Sequentially, to recognise, understand, evaluate and diagnose the problems in Akita Motorcycle Company, it is rather vital to probe to the root of the problem itself why cultural variation and/or exist and how successfully the management deal with the issues. In an attempt to answer this question, theories and framework on culture need to be addressed. In the last four decades, extensive research effort had been carried out to systematically describing cultural differences. For instance, studies of cultural differences were conducted by Kluckhohn and Strodbeck (1961), Hall (1977), Hofstede (1980), Trompenaars (1993), Schwartz (1995) Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner (1997). Among those, the most widely accepted theoretical framework is the Hofstede’s (1980) four-cultural dimensions model (Thomas, 2008) namely ‘power distance, individualism vs. collectivism, uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-feminity’ . Hofstede’s cultural dimension theory and framework with supported by other research scholars’ cultural dimension will be used widely to evaluate problems in Akita Motorcycle Company. Figure 1 as shown below is outlined from the country rankings (Japan versus U.K denotes by the Great Britain) according to Hofstede’s values. The excerpt however is taken from the table outline in Managing People and Organizations in Changing Contexts (Martin, 2006) . This table will compare the cultural dimensions between Japan and the U.K, helping to understand the existence of cultural differences conflict Akita Motorcycle Company is facing. Country comparison Cultural Dimension Power Distance Individualism Uncertainty Avoidance Masculinity Japan 54 46 92 95 Great Britain 35 89 35 66 Figure 1: Cultural dimension between Japan and Great Britain according to Hofstede’s study. Power Distance by definition indicates the extent to which society accepts the unequal distribution of power in institution or organisation (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997) . In terms of power distance, Japan scores higher, 54, in the cultural dimension index as compared to Great Britain at 35. This illustrates that Japanese culture would tend to be more respectful and value hierarchical status and power of a leader. This is true in the Akita case study whereby the Japanese workers have had high level of respect and support of Mr. Sendai for his leadership, authority and experience. U.K workforces, however, are on the contrary note whereby they would tend to value equality more than other factors. Therefore, U.K workers would treat their Japanese co-workers equally including Mr. Sendai according to their cultural values and beliefs. This in turn creates cultural conflict among the Japanese workers and U.K workers because Mr. Sendai’s position as a leader is now being under valu ed. For instance, the UK workforces tend to question Mr. Sendai’s management style for having work past five o’clock p.m to meet production quotas. Individualism dimension is defined in contrast to collectivism and refers to the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups (Martin, 2006) . On the other hand, Thomas (2008) describes individualism-collectivism dimension as to the ‘extent to which one self-identity is defined according to individual characteristics or by the characteristics of the group to which individual belongs on a permanent basis, and the extent to which individual or group interests dominate.’ From the Hofstede’s cultural dimension, UK scores extremely high on individualism index with 89 meanwhile Japanese counterparts only score 46. Hence, UK has embedded individualistic culture while Japan is more of a collectivist in nature. In the Akita case study, this point is clearly demonstrated. The Japanese workers always praise for group work effort and group task achievement. Furthermore, they enjoyed long working hours, start their work routine with group morning exercise and ended the day with ceremonial work song. Meanwhile, UK workforces on the other hand are highly regarded as individualistic, high initiative on individual accomplishment or achievement and enjoy autonomy. In short, Japanese foster the concept of family and sense of togetherness while their counterpart prefers the right to private life. Cultural conflict in Akita highly to occur in the individualistic versus collectivist dimension because being in a manufacturing motorcycle industry, work are largely organised on group to meet production quota. At the production line, individual work could have been completed but the overall group production quota has not been met. The UK workers are ready to go home while the Japanese workers are still struggling to meet the quota. Uncertainty avoidance in Hofstede’s own words ‘the extent to which people in a society feel threatened by uncertain and ambiguous situations and the extent to which they try to avoid these situations by providing greater career stability, establishing more formal rules, rejecting deviant ideas and behavior, and accepting the possibility of absolute truths and the attainments of expertise’ (Hofstede, 1980) . Japan tend to exhibit a high level of uncertainty avoidance with a score of 92 as opposed to UK with low level of uncertainty avoidance at 35. In the business context, Japanese managers are always seeking support or approval from the top management when it comes to decision making as they are trying to avoid risk taking and be blamed for the mistakes. Meanwhile, the UK managers tend to be more risk taking when making decision making. This can be tied back to the Akita case study as Mr. Sendai brought up the Japanese workers’ grievances over production conflict to the attention of Mr. Wilson asking for his wisdom and clear guidance hoping that the matter could be resolved. Masculinity dimension reveals the ‘bias towards either ‘masculine’ values of assertiveness, competitiveness, and materialism or towards ‘feminine’ values of nurturing and the quality of life and relationship (Schneider and Barsoux, 1997) ’. From the masculinity dimension, Japan exhibits element of strong masculinity with a score of 95 and UK on the other hand is moderately masculine with a score of 66. In business context, country with higher masculinity index tends to have a task accomplishment management style as contrary to quality of life for instance. In the Akita case study, this notion is true as the Japanese are more concern over working long hours in order to accomplish their task. UK counterparts on the other hand, value their personal quality time over material elements. The other cultural model that is useful to evaluate Akita’s problem is the Trompenaar’s and Hampden-Turner Dimension study which was conducted in 1997 (Martin, 2006) . Both researchers draw their ideas from sociologist and anthhropologist point of view and construct on the work of Kluckhohn and Strodbeck (1961), Parsons and Shils (1951) cited in Thomas (2008) . There are seven cultural dimensions namely universalism versus particularism; communitariarism versus individualism; neutral versus emotional; diffuse versus specific; achievement versus ascription; time orientation and environment. It is also essential to note that communitariarism versus individualism and achievement versus ascription is similar to the Hostede’s cultural dimension study namely individualism dimension and power distance dimension respectively (Martin, 2006) . Universalism versus particularism: Universalism is a belief that what is good and can be discovered and universally applied to all context (Trompenaars and Turner, 1997) . In simplest term it means ‘there is one best way of doing things’. On the other hand, particularism stresses on the obligation of relationship. Mr. Christopher, the Vice President of Akita Motorcycle company, strongly demonstrated universalism principle. American education and American attitudes embedded from his stay in the USA highly influence his leadership style. Mr. Sendai on the other hand fosters close and family tie relationship with his subordinates. Neutral versus emotional: In neutral culture, emotional need to be hold back and need not to be expressed freely. Breach to this rule would be seen as intolerable (Martin, 2006). On the other hand, emotional culture emphasis on this notion emotions can be expressed freely and openly in business environment and that is right to do so. Mr. Christopher illustrates an emotional embedded culture as he punctuated his anger at Ms. Fiona’s over the showroom dispute issue. From Hofstede’s Cultural Dimension and Trompenaar’s and Hampden-Turner Dimension study, Akita Motorcycle company’s problems can be surfaced and identified as follows: ? cultural variation / conflict problems and; ? leadership / management problems. Therefore, these problems need to be mended and well managed to keep Akita’s survival, stay viable and continue to prosper. Question 2 How could the joint venture have been led and managed effectively? You should focus on the roles and leadership styles of the principal figures in this case study, including the British and Japanese managers and workers, especially the key people mentioned in the case. It is a widely belief principle, in order for any nation or organisation to progress, the right person need to lead. However, to get the right person for the job is rather difficult unless in an ideal state. Moreover, the term ‘right person’ for the ‘right job’ is still much in debate today. What could jeopardize a great nation or organisation to progress is to have the right people for the wrong job or the right job for a wrong people. Akita Motorcycle company is no exception. Mr. Christoper’s Wilson is the son of Mr. Steve Wilson, the Chairman of the Board and Managing Director of the British joint venture. Mr. Christopher then was appointed as the Director of Marketing and Vice President of the Akita Motorcycle Company either through ‘family-linked’ business oriented system or because of his qualification in the USA with some working experience in the States. Being educated abroad, he had learned the typical American ways of doing business and more ‘Americanized’ in nature – being straightforward in his attitudes, highly individualistic, stereotype and quite provincial in his attitudes towards the Japanese, his IJV counterpart. The question worth to ponder is whether he is the right man for the job? Mr. Christopher also demonstrated a ‘laissez-fair’ leadership style. In a loose term, laissez-fair can be defined as ‘to allow events to take their own course or to let people do what they choose’ . It is evidently clear that, Mr. Wilson delegated his work through respective divisional managers i.e. Production is managed by Mr. Sendai, Ms. Fiona on Language matters while Ms. Janice incharge of the showroom. By exercising laissez-fair leadership model, maximum freedom was given to the group while the leader desires minimum control and leadership. Moreover, this kind of leadership would only give help if requested. Mr. Christopher highly exhibits this trait. In the case study discussion always commenced when issues were raised and need further discussion i.e. frustration of Japanese worker towards their U.K counterpart on working hour issues and the showroom episode involving Mr. Sendai’s slide show. On the other hand, another key figure that is highly respected by the Japanese workers is Mr. Sendai. In general, by judging to his personal traits and characteristics, he tends to be ‘happy-go-lucky, highly qualified and experienced chief engineer, serene, Buddha-like disposition, steadfast traditional values, and sizeable physical strength. Japanese culture also regards Mr. Sendai as wise because of his age. Thirty-minute exercise routine led by Mr. Sendai normally commences before typical work-day starts, and ends the day with ceremonial work song. In general this demonstrates that he foster group-work, family oriented, father figure character. Hence, he tends to display paternalism leadership style. Thomas (2008) has described paternalistic leadership as a ‘hierarchical relationship between the leader and follower, like a parent, provides direction in both the professional and private lives of subordinates in exchange for loyalty and deference’ Being promoted to a Production Manager due to his experience, expertise and wisdom, Mr. Sendai had practiced mono-cultural Japanese management techniques in the Production factory which had largely created friction between the two cultures. The UK coworkers of which on the hourly wage scheme saw their job as per nine to five basis. Japanese workers on the other hand, tend to work beyond their normal working hours as it is embedded in their working culture. In addition, the Japanese workers are on a monthly salary basis. Being a paternalistic in nature, and coming from a highly collectivist and uncertainty avoidance culture, Mr. Sendai had escalated the problem to Mr. Christopher for guidance. The clash of leadership styles and cultural variation in nature between Mr. Sendai and Mr. Christopher left the problem unsolved, hence demoralised the Japanese workforce. Furthermore, it is likely that when two distinctive cultures meet, cultural diversity emerges. Therefore potential culture clash might occur. This is true in the Akita case study when the two predominant cultures meet – the West Midlanders culture versus Japanese culture. Schneider and Barsoux (1997) proposed that: ‘†¦not only behavior, values and beliefs are different across cultures, but also that their importance to those cultures should not be underestimated. What people in one culture value or perceive as sacred (seniority or tea) maybe considered irrelevant in another culture. The trouble is that, it is difficult to recognize just what matters (and how much) to another culture-especially when we find it so hard to recognize what is important in our own’ Ms. Fiona on the other hand was hired by the management in 2005 as the Chief Language Instructor when the communication between the two cultures became difficult. She plays her part as an interpreter’s role and acts analogically as a glue to bond between the two cultures. The management of Wilson Ltd., Mr. Christopher’s exorbitant leadership, cultural conflicts, human resource issues largely had its drawbacks. Shortcomings and recommendations to best reflect these drawbacks are as follows: ? When Wilson Ltd. and Akita International determined to embark on International Joint Venture (IJV) as a strategy to add competitive advantage and value-added to Wilson Ltd. per se, the management of Wilson Ltd. had not done extensive research about their counterparts well enough. For instance, a research background on the culture, people, organisation structure, human interaction, leadership style, work norms and etc. could have given valuable information and helpful insight about the future IJV. From analysis, Wilson Ltd. expeditiously opt for IJV because the company was panicked losing their market share predominantly to the Japanese due to superior engineering technology. Hence, on board IJV seems to be the best option or strategy at that point of time. Arguably however, managing IJV successfully is often complicated and challenging. Thus, many ultimately bound to fail. Schuler et al (2004) accounts failure rate of IJV is up to 70% . For instance, Wal-Mart, a giant retailer tha t has been successfully dominated the USA market, on the other hand, failed in its attempt to penetrate Germany’s market. The illustration of the case study on Wal-Mart and overseas expansion is well discussed in the Managing People and Organizations in Changing Contexts (Martin 2006) ? Management also had failed to see the bigger picture visvis helicopter view and only identify language is the key to solve cultural differences issue. Language by all means is merely a small piece of a jigsaw puzzle in a bigger context. An analogy for understanding cultural differences has been pictured as ‘peeling an onion’ . The first and obvious layer is the outer layer where languages, foods, buildings, monuments. This visible layer is known as artifacts. The second layer entails espoused values such as strategies, goals, philosophies and etc. Finally, the deepest root of culture denotes by the inner most layer is the basic underlying assumptions, whereby this layer is invincible and unconscious to human perception. Feelings, thoughts and perceptions fall under this category. Therefore, in order to understand cultural difference as a whole, the management need to examine and analyse all three layers and not only visible to the eyes. ? As IJV has been successful for Wilson Ltd. and Akita International, a new identity and separate legal entity was formed namely, Akita Motorcyle Company. This was merely a new beginning and more challenges await. As the company started to grew, British marketing, public relations and financial accounting staff along sales force made up both British and Japanese nationals were brought into the company. The integration of these workers into the company were difficult since human resources issues were poorly managed. In fact, Human Resource Division was not once mentioned in the Akita’s case study. By establishing Human Resource Division, employees particularly would not be ‘left in the dark’ as clear guidance and formal policies on all Human Resource (HR) matters would be in-placed and implemented. Schuler (2004) commented further on the Managing Human Resources in IJV by stating that: ‘For individuals as well as teams, the importance of learning, sharing and transferring knowledge has implications for the competencies (knowledge, skills, abilities, personality, and habits) to perform their organizational roles. Ineffective HR policies and practices may produce a workforce that is incompetent and unmotivated, poorly matched with job requirements, inadequate socialized ad uncommitted to the IJV itself, and/or unable to manage their dual loyalties to the IJV and its parents’ ? With the establishment of HR division within the Akita Motorcycle Company, gap on cultural barriers/cultural conflicts or variations can be lessened via cultural training programs, job rotation among UK and Japanese workers. Such practices can foster biculturals learning experience and enriching cultural understanding and exposure. Thomas (2008) clearly defined bicultural as an ability for workers to have dual pattern of identification towards culture, apart of their own culture, and at the same time have a tendency to ‘experience more cognitive complex cultural representations than do mono-culturals’ (Benet-Martinez, Lee et al 2006 cited in Thomas 2008) . Moreover, HR can also relook into Ms. Fiona’s roles, towards more culturally liason, so that it can be more an enriching experience for her rather solely being an interpreter. ? On the other hand, any grievances pertaining to employee relations issues such as working hour’s policy, reward system can be smoothly handled as grievances could possibly be channeled properly. Communication feedbacks on grievances must also be built to help ease the parties concerned. ? Mr. Christopher also highly need to change his views towards the Japanese, thus harnessing the understanding of different culture by way of recognizing, respecting, and continuously reconciling cultural differences. Recognizing and respecting phase occasionally tend lead towards identification of potential threats and opportunities that the culture can offer. ‘Reconciliation on cultural differences’ was the idea introduced by Trompenaars F. and Woolliams P (2006) whereby both researchers suggest that: ‘It helped to identify and define behaviors and actions that vary across the world and across companies but which all integrate differences to a higher level ~ much more significantly than compromise solutions. The approach informs managers how to guide the people side of reconciling any kind of values. It has a logic that integrates differences. It is a series of behaviors that enables effective interaction with those of contrasting value systems. It reveals a propensity to share understanding of other’s position in the expectation of reciprocity’ ? In addition, Mr. Christopher’s ‘silo minded thinking’ (denotes by I-type-thinking) also need to be changed, whereby universalism principle upheld by his values likely not to be practical anymore. Instead, Mr. Christopher needs to exhibit openness and develop a broader thinking style (T-type-thinking). Mr. Christopher also needs to embrace the cultural diversity that Akita Motorcycle Company enjoys. Rather than seeing culture as a problem, cultural diversity needs to be viewed as a source of competitive advantage. In short, in making a change management program in Akita Motorcycle company a success, the leaders need to reflect and be ready to experience first hand change within self via the notion ‘led by example’ or ‘walk the talk’ .i.e. changing mindsets and attitudes. On the other hand, Human Resource Division also needs to play its part in order to close gap on people’s problem. Question 3 Suggest a strategy for change to take the company forward. As pointed out earlier, businesses and organisations are becoming more diverse and complex as a result of globalisation. Hence, organisations being multicultural in nature, must deal with the impact of cultural difference, and possibly problems that could arise from it. Slightest variation in behaviour in a culture could create conflict thus could give impact on the workforce motivation and productivity . Lower productivity and motivation largely could have a direct impact on business performance. Therefore, a strategy for change needs to be implemented successfully to solve the root of the problem – cultural conflict. For instance, Akita Motorcycle Company is facing with such conflict. In order to move forward, an appropriate change strategy is needed to effectively attempt at the problem. Martin (2006) suggests two generic models that can be used to analyse and guide the strategic change management particularly deals with cultural change . The two change models are as follo ws: ? the Intervention Strategy Model (ISM) developed by Paton, R. and McCalman, J. (2006) and; ? the Strategic Change Process Model developed by Martin, G. and Beaumont, P. (2001) The ISM model is a system driven and also based on a socio-technical platform (Paton McCalman 2008) . Fundamental components of the system are the integration between the System Intervention Strategy (SIS), developed by the Open Business School (Mayon-White, 1986) and Total Project Management (TPM), a product of Glasgow Business School (Paton and Southern, 1990) . The ISM model was subdivided into three phase namely problem initialization or identification phase; evaluation and design phase; and the implementation phase. Martin (2006) further break-up the three phase models into smaller elements that associated at different stage . The segregation model of the ISM as follows: ? Stage 1: Problem definition a) clarifying the objectives of the change b) capturing data and performance indicators c) diagnosing the system’s properties ? Stage 2: The evaluation and design phase d) analysing the system e) determining options or solutions f) evaluating options or solutions ? Stage 3: The implementation phase g) implementing the chosen option or solution h) appraisal and monitoring During the problem definition stage, Akita Motorcycle Company must identify problems arising from the cultural conflict observed by both cultures. Then the problems with a brief background of the event could be stated for further discussion. Both cultures would then view the problems in their own perspectives and agree on the problems. The shared perception on the problems could give advantage to both culture and leads to work for a solution. The whole process to some extent is believed to be motivated by the work of Jourard S (1964), a concept on the Johari Window, working on the notion of ‘how I see things / I don’t see things’ versus ‘how they see things / they don’t see things’ (Jourard S 1964 cited in Schneider and Barsoux 1997) . Performance indicators are also need to be set up allowing the data on the problems to be collected for further analysis and evaluation. At the evaluation and design stage, the data collected earlier can then be analysed by the organizational change specialist and perhaps come up with a possible solutions to the problems . Cultivating bi-cultural learning, cultural training program, working towards one corporate cuture (united organisation) or even engaging in conflict resolution are some examples of possible solutions that Akita can consider. These possible solutions will then be evaluated to see whether they are viable and reliable. Some useful techniques recommended by Martin (2006) to evaluate the solutions are of the scenario writing / planning; forecasting and scenario planning. Best possible solution would then be implemented via suitable implementation strategies to achieve the goal of the organisation. These implementation strategies include pilot testing, parallel running and big bang (Paton and McCalman, 2008) . It is important to note however that not every change strategy is a success. In the Akita case for instance, the goal is to strive in resolving cultural difference and working towards achieving cultural integration. Appraisal and monitoring program also need to be built in for future review and reference. 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The difference in vegetation density in burnt and unburnt Assignment

The difference in vegetation density in burnt and unburnt - Assignment Example In this case, the mean ranks were compared but not the medians. The above table indicate the group with the highest density of plantation, overall; the group with the highest rank. In this regard, the un-burnt area is observed to have the highest density of plantation Basing on the data above, it can be concluded that plantation density in the un-burnt area was not statistically significantly higher than the burnt area(U=2,p=0.4).This implies that further studies need to be done to determine the repeatability of the results in order to confirm if the results are valid. According to literature it is clearly evident that frequent fires might have an impact on the young plants including higher size class (Trollope et al., 1998). The frequency of fire usually determines the length of time the plant is required to recover before the next fire occurs. The slower the rate of recovery, the more likely it is that the composition and structure of the vegetation will be changed, specifically where fires occurs often. Trollope W.S.W., Trollope L.A., Biggs H.C., Piennar D. and Potgieter A.L.F Longterm changes in the woody vegetation of the Kruger National Park, with special reference to the effects of elephants and fire, Koedoe, 41, pp103112.

Journals Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 1

Journals - Essay Example The Seattle man stands at 48 feet and weighs 26,000 pounds, each hammering man has a unique number instead of a name like most artistic work, for example, the man is Seattle is numbered #3277164. The typical hammering man statue is made up of hollow fabricated steel, and mechanized arm made from aluminum and operated by an electric motor, the whole contraption is covered in black automotive paint. The most striking aspect of the hammering man is that unlike other works of art that remain static throughout, the aluminum arm, hammers four times every minute as its run by a 3-hp electric motor set on automatic timing to keep the movement steady. The fact that it is huge and painted black also sets it apart from the rest of the surrounding environment since most are brightly colored and I found its apparent intrusion into the landscape making it even more compelling. The hammering man’s primary significance is its representation of the worker, according to the artist; it celebrate s the every worker whether it is a village craftsman, a South African coal miner computer tech in DC or any other individual engaged in work effort. After observing it for a few minutes, I felt that, aside from representing the workers, it also holds a profound philosophical meaning as it helps individuals contemplate on the meanings of their lives. Through the sculpture, people can reflect on their own lives based on their interpretation and how they can relate it with various aspects of their lives (Borofsky). Furthermore, the hammering man despite being fundamentally a machine also attempts to humanize labor by only hammering till evening and taking breaks on Labor Day every year. At the end of the day, while the sculpture/s are crude in comparison to other more traditional forms of art, it there is no doubt that it carries a deep meaning and is very significant both as an artist and humanist symbol. The Rotary Tumble Muharrem Yildirim has a degree in computer science and much of his work is geared towards the enhancement of human and machine interaction, his media for generating art is computer graphics through which he creates interactive works. David Tinapple is an artist and engineer and his work is focused on the creation of tools to gather and analyze media real time media and interactive video environment. They goal of his work is to illuminate those forces that are constantly in action around the human environment and explore assumption humans make in their consideration of the world. These two talented individual pooled their complementary tools to come up with the Rotary Tumble; the main objective was to create a digital object which would be both interactive and physically tangible and to this end, they focused on the physical spinning or tumbling of an object. They contemplated the impact of making the computer aware of the position and motion of a spinning or tumbling body, they assumed that if it is aware of the objects exact projection and mo tion in real time, it can be accurately mapped in spins. As such, they created what can be termed as a DIY (do it yourself) optical rotary encoder which is made up of black and white strips printed in a radial pattern and carry a digital encoding of the angle of rotation. Through an 8 bit a

Alternative Methods of Lactic Acid Production

Alternative Methods of Lactic Acid Production Lactic acid is a hydroxycarboxylic acid, which is widely used in food, pharmaceutical, leather, cosmetic and textile industries. It can be polymerized to biodegradable and biocompatible plastic, i.e. polylactic acid, which has environment-friendly and great potential for replacing petrochemical plastic. Industrially, it can be produced by either chemical synthesis or microbial fermentation. Presently, approximately 90% of lactic acid was produced by lactic acid bacteria fermentation. Fermentative production has the advantage that by choosing a strain of LA bacteria producing only one of the isomer and optically pure product. The widely used substrates for lactic acid production are pure sugar, which are expensive. It is also possible to use lignocellulosic biomass, especially by product or waste materials from agriculture and industrial waste as substrates for fermentation. Therefore, the use of alternative substrates, low-cost and raw materials become thus of special interest for la ctic acid production. The present study the utilization of industrial wastes and lignocellulosic as an alternative substrate for lactic acid production. Lactic acid Lactic acid (2-hydroxy propionic acid) is a chemical compound that a role in several biochemical processes. It is a carboxylic acid with a chemical formula of C3H6O3. Lactic acid is chiral and has two optical isomers as shown in figure 1. Lactic acid is organic solvent that can dissolve in water but insoluble in other organic solvents. Other properties of lactic acid are presented in Table 1. Table 1. Physical properties of lactic acid. Parameter Chemical formula C3H6O3 Molecular weight 90.08 Acidity (pKa) 3.85 Melting point L : 53  °C D : 53  °C D/L : 16.8  °C Boiling point 82  °C at 0.5 mm Hg 122  °C at 14 mm Hg Dissociation constant, Ka at 25  ° C 1.37 x 10-4 Heat of combustion, Hc 1361 KJ/mole Specific Heat, Cp at 20  ° C 190 J/mole/  °C Source: Vickroy (1985) Lactic acid can be produced by chemical synthesis or microbial fermentation. The chemical synthesis produced a racemic mixture of D, L lactic acid. Presently, about 90% of lactic acid made by LAB fermentation and the remainder is produced synthetically by the hydrolysis of lactonitrile. The advantage of fermentation technologies is possible to use renewable resources as substrates, such as starch and cellulose in fermentative production. In figure 2 described the diagram of commercial uses and applications of lactic acid. Food applications reported for approximately 85% of the total lactic acid, while the nonfood industrial applications reported for only 15% of the demand. Alternative substrate for lactic acid production In fermentation process, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) need carbon source, essentially simple sugars and nitrogen source, as vital nutrients for their growths. The widely used substrates for lactic acid production are refined sugar, which are expensive. Therefore, attention has turned towards lignocellulosic biomass and industrial wastes to provide a source of carbohydrate for lactic acid production. Lignocellulosic Lignocellulosic resources are generally considered to represent an interesting and inexpensive raw material for microbial fermentation of lactic acid production, as they are renewable and cheap. A schematic diagram of the procedures for the preparation of lignocellulosic hydrolyzates is provided in figure 3. Wee and Ryu (2009) reported the production of lactic acid from lignocellulosic, glucose and lignocellulosic hydrolyzates were used as the carbon source. The concentration of lactic acid decreases with increases in the dilution rate. Generally, the cell concentration obtained from lignocellulosic hydrolyzates media was approximately 10-15% lower than observed with glucose media. The lactic acid yields were provided at more than 0.90 gg-1 the result are shown in table 2. The lignocellulosic hydrolyzates have to be detoxified in order to reduce these inhibitory effects prior to fermentation, as some of the by-products released during the pretreatment (Mussatto and Roberto, 2004). Ruengruglikit and Hang (2003), reported the lactic acid production from lignocellulosic materials by R. oryzae. After an enzymatic hydrolysis and 48-h fermentation, lactic acid yields of 0.3 gg-1. Food wastes Food wastes, which are supplied at lower costs, high in moisture and rich in carbohydrates. They could be suitable alternative substrate for lactic acid production. The food wastes contain polysaccharides as well as various oligosaccharides. Ohkouchi and Inoue (2005) reported the production of lactic acid from food wastes. The composition of food wastes is shown in Table 3. The optimum pH for L (+)-lactic acid production by L. manihotivorans LMG 18011 was 5.0 and under these condition the L (+)-lactic acid was 19.5 g produced from 200 g food wastes Kim et al. (2003) determined lactic acid production from food wastes by simultaneous saccharification fermentation technical. The effect of food wastes concentration on lactic acid production as shown in figure 4. In figure 4, the highest yield was obtained from 65 g/L of food waste with a final lactic acid concentration of 44.3 g/L, while the highest lactic acid concentration of 79.7 g/L was obtained from 145 g/L of food waste. Pineapple waste Most of the work using starch, beet molasses and sugar cane as the fermentation media for lactic acid production. Recently, Uno (2003) used grape invertase to attractive the production of lactic acid utilizing pineapple syrup as substrate. The efficiency of lactic acid production has been an affect from various aspect and ability to use fruit waste. Idris and Suzana (2005) reported the liquid pineapple waste, it is feasible to use produce lactic acid by immobilized L. delbrueckii. The maximum lactic acid can be obtained when parameters initial pH of 6.5, temperature of 37  ° C and sodium alginate concentration at 2% with a bead diameter of 1 mm in diameter. The highest values of kinetic parameters are obtained at 37  ° C and initial pH 6.5 (Table 4 and Table 5). Recycled paper sludge Recycled paper sludge is an industrial waste has high polysaccharides (mainly cellulose) content. The conversion of polysaccharides on sludge to be broken down into the monomers and released sugars to be fermented to lactic acid. The methods for conversion of a polysaccharide into the monomer consist of enzymatic and acid hydrolysis. Marques et al. (2008) studied the utilization of recycled paper sludge as an alternative substrate for lactic acid product. The maximum production of lactic acid was produced 73 g/L of lactic acid, maximum productivity of 2.9 g/L/h, with 0.97 g LA per g of carbohydrates on initial substrate. The fermentative parameters concerned the lactic acid production of all the cultivations in this work are presented in table 6. Conclusions The widely used substrates for lactic acid production are refined sugar, which are expensive. It is also possible to use lignocellulosic biomass, especially by product or waste materials from agriculture and industrial waste as substrates for fermentation. Therefore, the use of alternative, low-cost and raw materials become thus of special interest for lactic acid production. The ability to utilize this industrial wastes and lignocellulosic as alternative carbon sources for lactic acid production will help reduce of environmental pollution problem and also reduce production costs. LITERATURE CITED Idris, A. and W. Suzana. 2006. Effect of sodium alginate concentration, bead diameter, initial pH and temperature on lactic acid production from pineapple waste using immobilized Lactobacillus delbrueckii. Process Biochem. 41: 1117-1123. Kim, K.I. , W.K. Kim, D.K. Seo, I.S. Yoo, E.K. Kim and H.H. Yoon. Production of lactic acid from food wastes Appl. Biochem. Biothnol. 101-108: 637-647. Marques, S. , J.A.L. Santos, F.M. Gà rio and J.C. Roseiro. 2008. Lactic acid production from recycled paper sludge by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation. Biochem. Eng. 41: 210-216. Mussatto, S.I. and I.C. Roberto. 2004. Alternatives for detoxification of diluted-acid lignocellulosic hydrolyzates for use in fermentative processes. Bioresour. Technol. 1-10. Nexant. 2008. Biotech Route to Lactic Acid/ Polylactic Acid. Available Source:  http://nexant.ecnext.com/coms2/summary_0255-130_ITM Ohkouchi, Y. and Y. Inoue. 2006. Direct production of L(+)-lactic acid from starch and food wastes using Lactobacillus manihotivorans LMG18011. Bioresour. Technol. 97: 1554-1562. Ruengruglikit, C. and Y.D. Hang. 2003. L(+) lactic acid production from corncobs by Rhizopus oryzae NRRL-395. Lebensm. Wiss. Technol. 36: 573-575. Uno, T., Y. Ozawa, M. Ishikawa, K. Nakanishi and T. Kimura. 2003. Lactic acid production using two food processing wastes, canned pineapple syrup and grape invertase as substrate and enzyme. Biotechnol. Lett. 25: 573-577. VickRoy, T.B. 1985. Lactic acid, pp. 761-776. In: Blanch, H.W., S. Drew and D.I.C. Wang eds. Comprehensive Biotechnol. Vol. 3. Pergamon Press, Oxford. Wee, Y.J., J.N. Kim and H.W. Ryu. 2006. Biotechnological production of lactic acid  and its recent applications. Food Technol. Biotechnol. 44(2): 163-172. Wee, Y.J. and H.W. Ryu. 2009. Lactic acid production by Lactobacillus sp. RKY2 in a cell-recycle continuous fermentation using lignocellulosic hydrolyzates as inexpensive raw materials. Bioresource Technol. 100: 4262-4270.

Mary Magdalen of Dostoevskys Notes from Underground Essay -- Notes Fr

Not for this I was born and then raised up. Unacquainted was I with such need. I once prayed to God, I was faithful. I once had a soul that knew peace. -from "Fallen," a Russian brothel song (Bernstein, 169) Prostitutes, women who sell their bodies for money, have been frowned upon since antiquity by most members of society. However, from as early as Rahab, the Whore of Jericho in the Old Testament who helped Joshua and his men regain the Promised Land, prostitutes have been portrayed as not only as sinners with the possibility of redemption, but women who lead men to salvation as well. This trend was particularly taken up in nineteenth-century Russian literature: "Elevated into powerful literary symbols by authors like Dostoevsky, Tolstoy..., prostitutes became female archetypes who either disillusioned the men with whom they associated or raised them to a higher plane of being" (11). Dostoevsky uses this idea of a "saintly prostitute" repeatedly in his works. The archetype that Bernstein claims he creates in based on the image of Mary Magdalen from the New Testament, the celebrated reformed prostitute who devotes her life to Christ. Crime and Punishment's Sonya Marmeladova, of whom "No tes from Underground's Liza is a prototype, performs the role of the penitent sinner who leads the way to salvation: the saintly prostitute Mary Magdalen. Despite common belief, Mary Magdalen is never referred to as a reformed prostitute in the four Gospels of the New Testament, though her actual role is just as pertinent to Dostoevsky's writing. In spite of the Gospels' tendencies to conflict with each other, they agree on four aspects of the Magdalen's life. First of all, she is one of Jesus Christ's female followers who is present at ... ...r one's sins and the perpetual chance of salvation. Works Cited Bernstein, Laurie. Sonia's Daughter's: Prostitutes and Their Regulation in Imperial Russia. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1995. Conradi, Peter. Modern Novelists: Fyodor Dostoevsky. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1988. Dostoevsky, Fyodor M. Crime and Punishment. Trans. Jessie Coulson. Ed. George Gibian. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1989. Dostoevsky, Fyodor M. "Notes from Underground." Trans. Andrew R. MacAndrew. New York: Penguin Books, 1961. Haskins, Susan. Mary Magdalen: Myth and Metaphor. London: Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993. Malvern, Marjorie M. Venus in Sackcloth: The Magdalen's Origins and Metamorphoses. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1975. Wasiolek, Edward. Dostoevsky: The Major Fiction. Cambridge, MA: The M.I.T. Press, 1964.

The Da Vinci Code Chapter 1-3

CHAPTER 1 Robert Langdon awoke slowly. A telephone was ringing in the darkness – a tinny, unfamiliar ring. He fumbled for the bedside lamp and turned it on. Squinting at his surroundings he saw a plush Renaissance bedroom with Louis XVI furniture, hand-frescoed walls, and a colossal mahogany four-poster bed. Where the hell am I? The jacquard bathrobe hanging on his bedpost bore the monogram: HOTEL RITZ PARIS. Slowly, the fog began to lift. Langdon picked up the receiver. â€Å"Hello?† â€Å"Monsieur Langdon?† a man's voice said. â€Å"I hope I have not awoken you?† Dazed, Langdon looked at the bedside clock. It was 12:32 A. M. He had been asleep only an hour, but he felt like the dead. â€Å"This is the concierge, monsieur. I apologize for this intrusion, but you have a visitor. He insists it is urgent.† Langdon still felt fuzzy. A visitor? His eyes focused now on a crumpled flyer on his bedside table. THE AMERICAN UNIVERSITY OF PARIS proudly presents AN EVENING WITH ROBERT LANGDON PROFESSOR OF RELIGIOUS SYMBOLOGY, HARVARD UNIVERSITY Langdon groaned. Tonight's lecture – a slide show about pagan symbolism hidden in the stones of Chartres Cathedral – had probably ruffled some conservative feathers in the audience. Most likely, some religious scholar had trailed him home to pick a fight. â€Å"I'm sorry,† Langdon said, â€Å"but I'm very tired and – † â€Å"Mais, monsieur,†the concierge pressed, lowering his voice to an urgent whisper. â€Å"Your guest is an important man.† Langdon had little doubt. His books on religious paintings and cult symbology had made him a reluctant celebrity in the art world, and last year Langdon's visibility had increased a hundred fold after his involvement in a widely publicized incident at the Vatican. Since then, the stream of self- important historians and art buffs arriving at his door had seemed never-ending. â€Å"If you would be so kind,† Langdon said, doing his best to remain polite,† could you take the man's name and number, and tell him I'll try to call him before I leave Paris on Tuesday? Thank you.† He hung up before the concierge could protest. Sitting up now, Langdon frowned at his bedside Guest Relations Handbook, whose cover boasted: SLEEP LIKE A BABY IN THE CITY OF LIGHTS. SLUMBER AT THE PARIS RITZ. He turned and gazed tiredly into the full-length mirror across the room. The man staring back at him was a stranger – tousled and weary. You need a vacation, Robert. The past year had taken a heavy toll on him, but he didn't appreciate seeing proof in the mirror. His usually sharp blue eyes looked hazy and drawn tonight. A dark stubble was shrouding his strong jaw and dimpled chin. Around his temples, the gray highlights were advancing, making their way deeper into his thicket of coarse black hair. Although his female colleagues insisted the gray only accentuated his bookish appeal, Langdon knew better. If Boston Magazine could see me now. Last month, much to Langdon's embarrassment, Boston Magazine had listed him as one of that city's top ten most intriguing people – a dubious honor that made him the brunt of endless ribbing by his Harvard colleagues. Tonight, three thousand miles from home, the accolade had resurfaced to haunt him at the lecture he had given. â€Å"Ladies and gentlemen†¦Ã¢â‚¬  the hostess had announced to a full house at the American University of Paris's Pavilion Dauphine,† Our guest tonight needs no introduction. He is the author of numerous books: The Symbology of Secret Sects, The An of the Illuminati, The Lost Language of Ideograms, and when I say he wrote the book on Religious Iconology, I mean that quite literally. Many of you use his textbooks in class.† The students in the crowd nodded enthusiastically. â€Å"I had planned to introduce him tonight by sharing his impressive curriculum vitae. However†¦Ã¢â‚¬  She glanced playfully at Langdon, who was seated onstage. â€Å"An audience member has just handed me a far more, shall we say†¦ intriguing introduction.† She held up a copy of Boston Magazine. Langdon cringed. Where the hell did she get that? The hostess began reading choice excerpts from the inane article, and Langdon felt himself sinking lower and lower in his chair. Thirty seconds later, the crowd was grinning, and the woman showed no signs of letting up. â€Å"And Mr. Langdon's refusal to speak publicly about his unusual role in last year's Vatican conclave certainly wins him points on our intrigue-o-meter.† The hostess goaded the crowd. â€Å"Would you like to hear more?† The crowd applauded. Somebody stop her, Langdon pleaded as she dove into the article again. â€Å"Although Professor Langdon might not be considered hunk-handsome like some of our younger awardees, this forty-something academic has more than his share of scholarly allure. His captivating presence is punctuated by an unusually low, baritone speaking voice, which his female students describe as ‘chocolate for the ears.' The hall erupted in laughter. Langdon forced an awkward smile. He knew what came next – some ridiculous line about† Harrison Ford in Harris tweed† – and because this evening he had figured it was finally safe again to wear his Harris tweed and Burberry turtleneck, he decided to take action. â€Å"Thank you, Monique,† Langdon said, standing prematurely and edging her away from the podium. â€Å"Boston Magazine clearly has a gift for fiction.† He turned to the audience with an embarrassed sigh. â€Å"And if I find which one of you provided that article, I'll have the consulate deport you.† The crowd laughed. â€Å"Well, folks, as you all know, I'm here tonight to talk about the power of symbols †¦Ã¢â‚¬  The ringing of Langdon's hotel phone once again broke the silence. Groaning in disbelief, he picked up. â€Å"Yes?† As expected, it was the concierge. â€Å"Mr. Langdon, again my apologies. I am calling to inform you that your guest is now en route to your room. I thought I should alert you.† Langdon was wide awake now. â€Å"You sent someone to my room?† â€Å"I apologize, monsieur, but a man like this†¦ I cannot presume the authority to stop him.† â€Å"Who exactly is he?† But the concierge was gone. Almost immediately, a heavy fist pounded on Langdon's door. Uncertain, Langdon slid off the bed, feeling his toes sink deep into the savonniere carpet. He donned the hotel bathrobe and moved toward the door. â€Å"Who is it?† â€Å"Mr. Langdon? I need to speak with you.† The man's English was accented – a sharp, authoritative bark. â€Å"My name is Lieutenant Jerome Collet. Direction Centrale Police Judiciaire.† Langdon paused. The Judicial Police? The DCPJ was the rough equivalent of the U. S. FBI. Leaving the security chain in place, Langdon opened the door a few inches. The face staring back at him was thin and washed out. The man was exceptionally lean, dressed in an official-looking blue uniform. â€Å"May I come in?† the agent asked. Langdon hesitated, feeling uncertain as the stranger's sallow eyes studied him. â€Å"What is this all about?† â€Å"My capitaine requires your expertise in a private matter.† â€Å"Now?† Langdon managed. â€Å"It's after midnight.† â€Å"Am I correct that you were scheduled to meet with the curator of the Louvre this evening?† Langdon felt a sudden surge of uneasiness. He and the revered curator Jacques Sauniere had been slated to meet for drinks after Langdon's lecture tonight, but Sauniere had never shown up. â€Å"Yes. How did you know that?† â€Å"We found your name in his daily planner.† â€Å"I trust nothing is wrong?† The agent gave a dire sigh and slid a Polaroid snapshot through the narrow opening in the door. When Langdon saw the photo, his entire body went rigid.† This photo was taken less than an hour ago. Inside the Louvre.† As Langdon stared at the bizarre image, his initial revulsion and shock gave way to a sudden upwelling of anger. â€Å"Who would do this!† â€Å"We had hoped that you might help us answer that very question, considering your knowledge in symbology and your plans to meet with him.† Langdon stared at the picture, his horror now laced with fear. The image was gruesome and profoundly strange, bringing with it an unsettling sense of deja vu. A little over a year ago, Langdon had received a photograph of a corpse and a similar request for help. Twenty-four hours later, he had almost lost his life inside Vatican City. This photo was entirely different, and yet something about the scenario felt disquietingly familiar. The agent checked his watch. â€Å"My capitaine is waiting, sir.† Langdon barely heard him. His eyes were still riveted on the picture. â€Å"This symbol here, and the way his body is so oddly†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Positioned?† the agent offered. Langdon nodded, feeling a chill as he looked up. â€Å"I can't imagine who would do this to someone.† The agent looked grim. â€Å"You don't understand, Mr. Langdon. What you see in this photograph†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He paused. â€Å"Monsieur Sauniere did that to himself.† CHAPTER 2 One mile away, the hulking albino named Silas limped through the front gate of the luxurious brownstone residence on Rue La Bruyere. The spiked cilice belt that he wore around his thigh cut into his flesh, and yet his soul sang with satisfaction of service to the Lord. Pain is good. His red eyes scanned the lobby as he entered the residence. Empty. He climbed the stairs quietly, not wanting to awaken any of his fellow numeraries. His bedroom door was open; locks were forbidden here. He entered, closing the door behind him. The room was spartan – hardwood floors, a pine dresser, a canvas mat in the corner that served as his bed. He was a visitor here this week, and yet for many years he had been blessed with a similar sanctuary in New York City. The Lord has provided me shelter and purpose in my life. Tonight, at last, Silas felt he had begun to repay his debt. Hurrying to the dresser, he found the cell phone hidden in his bottom drawer and placed a call. â€Å"Yes?† a male voice answered. â€Å"Teacher, I have returned.† â€Å"Speak,† the voice commanded, sounding pleased to hear from him. â€Å"All four are gone. The three senechaux†¦and the Grand Master himself.† There was a momentary pause, as if for prayer. â€Å"Then I assume you have the information?† â€Å"All four concurred. Independently.† â€Å"And you believed them?† â€Å"Their agreement was too great for coincidence.† An excited breath. â€Å"Excellent. I had feared the brotherhood's reputation for secrecy might prevail.† â€Å"The prospect of death is strong motivation.† â€Å"So, my pupil, tell me what I must know.† Silas knew the information he had gleaned from his victims would come as a shock. â€Å"Teacher, all four confirmed the existence of the clef de voute†¦the legendary keystone.† He heard a quick intake of breath over the phone and could feel the Teacher's excitement. â€Å"The keystone.Exactly as we suspected.† According to lore, the brotherhood had created a map of stone – a clef de voute†¦or keystone – an engraved tablet that revealed the final resting place of the brotherhood's greatest secret†¦ information so powerful that its protection was the reason for the brotherhood's very existence. â€Å"When we possess the keystone,† the Teacher said,† we will be only one step away.† â€Å"We are closer than you think. The keystone is here in Paris.† â€Å"Paris? Incredible. It is almost too easy.† Silas relayed the earlier events of the evening†¦ how all four of his victims, moments before death, had desperately tried to buy back their godless lives by telling their secret. Each had told Silas the exact same thing – that the keystone was ingeniously hidden at a precise location inside one of Paris's ancient churches – the Eglise de Saint-Sulpice. â€Å"Inside a house of the Lord,† the Teacher exclaimed. â€Å"How they mock us!† â€Å"As they have for centuries.† The Teacher fell silent, as if letting the triumph of this moment settle over him. Finally, he spoke. â€Å"You have done a great service to God. We have waited centuries for this. You must retrieve the stone for me. Immediately. Tonight. You understand the stakes.† Silas knew the stakes were incalculable, and yet what the Teacher was now commanding seemed impossible. â€Å"But the church, it is a fortress. Especially at night. How will I enter?† With the confident tone of a man of enormous influence, the Teacher explained what was to be done. When Silas hung up the phone, his skin tingled with anticipation. One hour, he told himself, grateful that the Teacher had given him time to carry out the necessary penance before entering a house of God. I must purge my soul of today's sins.The sins committed today had been holy in purpose. Acts of war against the enemies of God had been committed for centuries. Forgiveness was assured. Even so, Silas knew, absolution required sacrifice. Pulling his shades, he stripped naked and knelt in the center of his room. Looking down, he examined the spiked cilice belt clamped around his thigh. All true followers of The Way wore this device – a leather strap, studded with sharp metal barbs that cut into the flesh as a perpetual reminder of Christ's suffering. The pain caused by the device also helped counteract the desires of the flesh. Although Silas already had worn his cilice today longer than the requisite two hours, he knew today was no ordinary day. Grasping the buckle, he cinched it one notch tighter, wincing as the barbs dug deeper into his flesh. Exhaling slowly, he savored the cleansing ritual of his pain. Pain is good, Silas whispered, repeating the sacred mantra of Father Josemaria Escriva – the Teacher of all Teachers. Although Escriva had died in 1975, his wisdom lived on, his words still whispered by thousands of faithful servants around the globe as they knelt on the floor and performed the sacred practice known as† corporal mortification.† Silas turned his attention now to a heavy knotted rope coiled neatly on the floor beside him. TheDiscipline. The knots were caked with dried blood. Eager for the purifying effects of his own agony, Silas said a quick prayer. Then, gripping one end of the rope, he closed his eyes and swung it hard over his shoulder, feeling the knots slap against his back. He whipped it over his shoulder again, slashing at his flesh. Again and again, he lashed. Castigo corpus meum. Finally, he felt the blood begin to flow. CHAPTER 3 The crisp April air whipped through the open window of the Citroen ZX as it skimmed south past the Opera House and crossed Place Vend;me. In the passenger seat, Robert Langdon felt the city tear past him as he tried to clear his thoughts. His quick shower and shave had left him looking reasonably presentable but had done little to ease his anxiety. The frightening image of the curator's body remained locked in his mind. Jacques Sauniere is dead. Langdon could not help but feel a deep sense of loss at the curator's death. Despite Sauniere's reputation for being reclusive, his recognition for dedication to the arts made him an easy man to revere. His books on the secret codes hidden in the paintings of Poussin and Teniers were some of Langdon's favorite classroom texts. Tonight's meeting had been one Langdon was very much looking forward to, and he was disappointed when the curator had not shown. Again the image of the curator's body flashed in his mind. Jacques Sauniere did that to himself?Langdon turned and looked out the window, forcing the picture from his mind. Outside, the city was just now winding down – street vendors wheeling carts of candied amandes, waiters carrying bags of garbage to the curb, a pair of late night lovers cuddling to stay warm in a breeze scented with jasmine blossom. The Citroen navigated the chaos with authority, its dissonant two-tone siren parting the traffic like a knife. â€Å"Le capitaine was pleased to discover you were still in Paris tonight,† the agent said, speaking for the first time since they'd left the hotel. â€Å"A fortunate coincidence.† Langdon was feeling anything but fortunate, and coincidence was a concept he did not entirely trust. As someone who had spent his life exploring the hidden interconnectivity of disparate emblems and ideologies, Langdon viewed the world as a web of profoundly intertwined histories and events. The connections may be invisible, he often preached to his symbology classes at Harvard, but they are always there, buried just beneath the surface. â€Å"I assume,† Langdon said,† that the American University of Paris told you where I was staying?† The driver shook his head. â€Å"Interpol.† Interpol, Langdon thought. Of course.He had forgotten that the seemingly innocuous request of all European hotels to see a passport at check-in was more than a quaint formality – it was the law. On any given night, all across Europe, Interpol officials could pinpoint exactly who was sleeping where. Finding Langdon at the Ritz had probably taken all of five seconds. As the Citroen accelerated southward across the city, the illuminated profile of the Eiffel Tower appeared, shooting skyward in the distance to the right. Seeing it, Langdon thought of Vittoria, recalling their playful promise a year ago that every six months they would meet again at a different romantic spot on the globe. The Eiffel Tower, Langdon suspected, would have made their list. Sadly, he last kissed Vittoria in a noisy airport in Rome more than a year ago. â€Å"Did you mount her?† the agent asked, looking over. Langdon glanced up, certain he had misunderstood. â€Å"I beg your pardon?† â€Å"She is lovely, no?† The agent motioned through the windshield toward the Eiffel Tower. â€Å"Have you mounted her?† Langdon rolled his eyes. â€Å"No, I haven't climbed the tower.† â€Å"She is the symbol of France. I think she is perfect.† Langdon nodded absently. Symbologists often remarked that France – a country renowned for machismo, womanizing, and diminutive insecure leaders like Napoleon and Pepin the Short – could not have chosen a more apt national emblem than a thousand-foot phallus. When they reached the intersection at Rue de Rivoli, the traffic light was red, but the Citroen didn't slow. The agent gunned the sedan across the junction and sped onto a wooded section of Rue Castiglione, which served as the northern entrance to the famed Tuileries Gardens – Paris's own version of Central Park. Most tourists mistranslated Jardins des Tuileries as relating to the thousands of tulips that bloomed here, but Tuileries was actually a literal reference to something far less romantic. This park had once been an enormous, polluted excavation pit from which Parisian contractors mined clay to manufacture the city's famous red roofing tiles – or tuiles. As they entered the deserted park, the agent reached under the dash and turned off the blaring siren. Langdon exhaled, savoring the sudden quiet. Outside the car, the pale wash of halogen headlights skimmed over the crushed gravel parkway, the rugged whir of the tires intoning a hypnotic rhythm. Langdon had always considered the Tuileries to be sacred ground. These were the gardens in which Claude Monet had experimented with form and color, and literally inspired the birth of the Impressionist movement. Tonight, however, this place held a strange aura of foreboding. The Citroen swerved left now, angling west down the park's central boulevard. Curling around a circular pond, the driver cut across a desolate avenue out into a wide quadrangle beyond. Langdon could now see the end of the Tuileries Gardens, marked by a giant stone archway. Arc du Carrousel. Despite the orgiastic rituals once held at the Arc du Carrousel, art aficionados revered this place for another reason entirely. From the esplanade at the end of the Tuileries, four of the finest art museums in the world could be seen†¦ one at each point of the compass. Out the right-hand window, south across the Seine and Quai Voltaire, Langdon could see the dramatically lit facade of the old train station – now the esteemed Musee d'Orsay. Glancing left, he could make out the top of the ultramodern Pompidou Center, which housed the Museum of Modern Art. Behind him to the west, Langdon knew the ancient obelisk of Ramses rose above the trees, marking the Musee du Jeu de Paume. But it was straight ahead, to the east, through the archway, that Langdon could now see the monolithic Renaissance palace that had become the most famous art museum in the world. Musee du Louvre. Langdon felt a familiar tinge of wonder as his eyes made a futile attempt to absorb the entire mass of the edifice. Across a staggeringly expansive plaza, the imposing facade of the Louvre rose like a citadel against the Paris sky. Shaped like an enormous horseshoe, the Louvre was the longest building in Europe, stretching farther than three Eiffel Towers laid end to end. Not even the million square feet of open plaza between the museum wings could challenge the majesty of the facade's breadth. Langdon had once walked the Louvre's entire perimeter, an astonishing three-mile journey. Despite the estimated five days it would take a visitor to properly appreciate the 65, 300 pieces of art in this building, most tourists chose an abbreviated experience Langdon referred to as â€Å"Louvre Lite† – a full sprint through the museum to see the three most famous objects: the Mona Lisa, Venus de Milo, and Winged Victory.Art Buchwald had once boasted he'd seen all three masterpieces in five minutes and fifty-six seconds. The driver pulled out a handheld walkie-talkie and spoke in rapid-fire French. â€Å"Monsieur Langdonest arrive.Deux minutes.† An indecipherable confirmation came crackling back. The agent stowed the device, turning now to Langdon. â€Å"You will meet the capitaine at the main entrance.† The driver ignored the signs prohibiting auto traffic on the plaza, revved the engine, and gunned the Citroen up over the curb. The Louvre's main entrance was visible now, rising boldly in the distance, encircled by seven triangular pools from which spouted illuminated fountains. La Pyramide. The new entrance to the Paris Louvre had become almost as famous as the museum itself. The controversial, neomodern glass pyramid designed by Chinese-born American architect I. M. Peistill evoked scorn from traditionalists who felt it destroyed the dignity of the Renaissance courtyard. Goethe had described architecture as frozen music, and Pei's critics described this pyramid as fingernails on a chalkboard. Progressive admirers, though, hailed Pei's seventy-one-foot-tall transparent pyramid as a dazzling synergy of ancient structure and modern method – a symbolic link between the old and new – helping usher the Louvre into the next millennium. â€Å"Do you like our pyramid?† the agent asked. Langdon frowned. The French, it seemed, loved to ask Americans this. It was a loaded question, of course. Admitting you liked the pyramid made you a tasteless American, and expressing dislike was an insult to the French. â€Å"Mitterrand was a bold man,† Langdon replied, splitting the difference. The late French president who had commissioned the pyramid was said to have suffered from a† Pharaoh complex.† Singlehandedly responsible for filling Paris with Egyptian obelisks, art, and artifacts. Franà §ois Mitterrand had an affinity for Egyptian culture that was so all-consuming that the French still referred to him as the Sphinx. â€Å"What is the captain's name?† Langdon asked, changing topics. â€Å"Bezu Fache,† the driver said, approaching the pyramid's main entrance. â€Å"We call him le Taureau.† Langdon glanced over at him, wondering if every Frenchman had a mysterious animal epithet. â€Å"You call your captain the Bull?† The man arched his eyebrows. â€Å"Your French is better than you admit, Monsieur Langdon.† My French stinks, Langdon thought, but my zodiac iconography is pretty good.Taurus was always the bull. Astrology was a symbolic constant all over the world. The agent pulled the car to a stop and pointed between two fountains to a large door in the side of the pyramid. â€Å"There is the entrance. Good luck, monsieur.† â€Å"You're not coming?† â€Å"My orders are to leave you here. I have other business to attend to.† Langdon heaved a sigh and climbed out. It's your circus. The agent revved his engine and sped off. As Langdon stood alone and watched the departing taillights, he realized he could easily reconsider, exit the courtyard, grab a taxi, and head home to bed. Something told him it was probably a lousy idea. As he moved toward the mist of the fountains, Langdon had the uneasy sense he was crossing an imaginary threshold into another world. The dreamlike quality of the evening was settling around him again. Twenty minutes ago he had been asleep in his hotel room. Now he was standing in front of a transparent pyramid built by the Sphinx, waiting for a policeman they called the Bull. I'm trapped in a Salvador Dali painting, he thought. Langdon strode to the main entrance – an enormous revolving door. The foyer beyond was dimly lit and deserted. Do I knock? Langdon wondered if any of Harvard's revered Egyptologists had ever knocked on the front door of a pyramid and expected an answer. He raised his hand to bang on the glass, but out of the darkness below, a figure appeared, striding up the curving staircase. The man was stocky and dark, almost Neanderthal, dressed in a dark double-breasted suit that strained to cover his wide shoulders. He advanced with unmistakable authority on squat, powerful legs. He was speaking on his cell phone but finished the call as he arrived. He motioned for Langdon to enter. â€Å"I am Bezu Fache,† he announced as Langdon pushed through the revolving door. â€Å"Captain of the Central Directorate Judicial Police.† His tone was fitting – a guttural rumble†¦ like a gathering storm. Langdon held out his hand to shake. â€Å"Robert Langdon.† Fache's enormous palm wrapped around Langdon's with crushing force. â€Å"I saw the photo,† Langdon said. â€Å"Your agent said Jacques Sauniere himself did – â€Å" â€Å"Mr. Langdon,† Fache's ebony eyes locked on. â€Å"What you see in the photo is only the beginning of what Sauniere did.†

Palladium Facts - Periodic Table of the Elements

Palladium  is a silvery-white metallic element with atomic number 46 and element symbol Pd. In daily life, its most often found in jewelry, dentistry, and catalytic converters for automobiles. Here is a collection of useful and interesting palladium facts: Essential Palladium Facts Atomic Number: 46 Symbol: Pd Atomic Weight: 106.42 Discovery: William Hyde Wollaston 1802 (England) Wollaston noted his discovery of the metal in 1802 and offered the purified element for sale in 1803, although there was some controversy regarding the discovery. Richard Chenevix believed Wollastons palladium to be a platinum-mercury alloy. Chenevixs palladium experiments earned him the 1803 Copley Medal, but its clear Wollaston did at least partially purify the element. He dissolved platinum order from South America in aqua regia, neutralized it with sodium hydroxide and precipitated out the platinum. Reacting the remaining material with mercuric cyanide formed palladium(II) cyanide, which was heated to yield the purified element. Electron Configuration: [Kr] 4d10 Word Origin: Palladium was named for the asteroid Pallas, which was discovered approximately the same time (1803). Pallas was the Greek goddess of wisdom. Properties: Palladium has a melting point of 1554 °C, boiling point of 2970 °C, specific gravity of 12.02 (20 °C), and valence of 2, 3, or 4. It is a steel-white metal which does not tarnish in air. Palladium has the lowest melting point and density of the platinum metals. Annealed palladium is soft and ductile, but it becomes much stronger and harder through coldworking. Palladium is attacked by nitric acid and sulfuric acid. At room temperature, the metal can absorb up to 900 times its own volume of hydrogen. Palladium can be beaten into leaf as thin as 1/250,000 of an inch. Uses: Hydrogen readily diffuses through heated palladium, so this method is often used to purify the gas. Finely divided palladium is used as a catalyst for hydrogenation and dehydrogenation reactions. Palladium is used as an alloying agent and for making jewelry and in dentistry. White gold is an alloy of gold which has been decolorized by the addition of palladium. The metal is also used to make surgical instruments, electrical contacts, professional transverse flutes, and watches. In photography, palladium is an alternative to silver, used in the platinotype printing process. Sources: Palladium is found with other metals of the platinum group and with nickel-copper deposits. The primary commercial sources are the Norilsk-Talnakh deposits in Siberia and the nickel-copper deposits of the Sudbury Basic in Ontario, Canada. Russia is the primary producer. It may be produced in a nuclear fission reactor from spent nuclear fuel. Health Effects: Palladium, like the other platinum group metals, is mostly inert in the body as a bulk metal. However, there are reports of contact dermatitis, particularly in persons allergic to nickel. This causes problems when palladium is used in jewelry or dentistry. In addition to these uses, environmental exposure to palladium comes from release by automotive catalytic converters, food, and workplace exposure. Soluble compounds of palladium are excreted from the body within 3 days (99 percent). In mice, the median lethal dose of soluble palladium compounds (e.g., palladium chloride) is 200 mg/kg orally and 5 mg/kg intraveneously. Palladium is poorly absorbed and its toxicity is considered low, but it may be carcinogenic. Most plants tolerate it when it is present in low concentrations, although it is lethal to water hyacinth. Palladium serves no known biological role. Currency: Palladium, gold, silver, and platinum are the only metals that have ISO currency codes. The codes for palladium are XPD and 964. Cost: The price for palladium continues to rise. In 2016, palladium cost about $614 per ounce. In 2018, it reached $1100 per ounce. Element Classification: Transition Metal PalladiumPhysical Data Density (g/cc): 12.02 Melting Point (K): 1825 Boiling Point (K): 3413 Appearance: silvery-white, soft, malleable and ductile metal Atomic Radius (pm): 137 Atomic Volume (cc/mol): 8.9 Covalent Radius (pm): 128 Ionic Radius: 65 (4e) 80 (2e) Specific Heat (20 °C J/g mol): 0.244 Fusion Heat (kJ/mol): 17.24 Evaporation Heat (kJ/mol): 372.4 Debye Temperature (K): 275.00 Pauling Negativity Number: 2.20 First Ionizing Energy (kJ/mol): 803.5 Oxidation States: 4, 2, 0 Lattice Structure: Face-Centered Cubic Lattice Constant (Ã…): 3.890 Return to the Periodic Table References Hammond, C. R. (2004). The Elements. Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (81st ed.). CRC press. ISBN 0-8493-0485-7.Meija, J.; et al. (2016). Atomic weights of the elements 2013 (IUPAC Technical Report). Pure and Applied Chemistry. 88 (3): 265–91. doi:10.1515/pac-2015-0305Wollaston, W. H. (1805). On the Discovery of Palladium; With Observations on Other Substances Found with Platina. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. 95: 316–330. doi:10.1098/rstl.1805.0024Weast, Robert (1984). CRC, Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Boca Raton, Florida: Chemical Rubber Company Publishing. pp. E110. ISBN 0-8493-0464-4.