Thursday, January 30, 2020

The Statistical indicators of DSL Subscribers Essay Example for Free

The Statistical indicators of DSL Subscribers Essay The repeating sentences: 2nd repeat: United States and Japan are losing export market shares and new actors are emerging such as Hungary, Finland and Czech Republic. Page 3. Change to Due to the fact that United States and Japan are losing a number of their export market shares, their Balassa index has subsequently decreased. In addition to this, Hungary, Finland, and Czech Republic, as new actors, has much potential with regard to their Balassa index. The RCA index presents information about a country’s comparative advantage in ICT exports of goods and table below makes obvious each country’s gain or lost comparative advantage in ICT export through changes of RCA. RCA equivalent 1 indicates an identical export structure; RCA above 1 indicates relative specialization, while RCA below 1 means a countrys de-specialization. Page 4: kindly delete this paragraph because the term â€Å"RCA† has already been explained and there is no need to introduce this again. Price is consistently a very important issue. Nowadays the supply side hat vast influence of price and it is one of the largest barriers to purchase of broadband service. The Statistical Indicators: In this section, descriptive statistics will be used to describe the characteristics of the data set regarding the DSL subscribers. Different statistical measures will be used and will be introduced in the following sections. Measures of Central Tendency: The value for the mean of the data set is equal to 3251010.03. This means that on the average, there are about 3251010.03 DSL subscribers in the OECD countries. The Median of DSL Subscribers is equal to 1136709.50. This is the middle of the data set which means that half of the OECD countries have DSL subscribers above 1136709.50 and the other half has less than 1136709.50 DSL subscribers. The computed value for the Mode of DSL Subscribers is equal to 60024.00. This means that a number of OECD countries has this much DSL subscribers, more specifically the countries of . Measures of Variability: The standard deviation describes the degree of spread in the data set. If the data lies close to the mean, then the standard deviation is small. The standard deviation for the number of DSL Subscribers is 4645295.15. It shows the amount of deviation from the mean (3251010.03). Apparently, the value of the standard deviation is far from the mean and this shows that the data set has a high degree of spread. The largest number of DSL Subscribers is 19031154.00, which is in the United States, and the smallest number of DSL Subscribers is 60024.00, which is in Luxembourg. Computing for the range, which is the difference between the largest and the smallest value, the result is 18971130.00. This also indicates the degree of spread in the data set since the largest value and the smallest value is far from each other as indicated by the big difference in their range. The value for the Skewness of the data set is 2.08. It means that the distribution of the number of DSL Subscribers is referred to an asymmetric tail extending out to the right or skewed to the right. Correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Monthly Charge In order to find the correlation between the Monthly Charge and the number of DSL Subscribers, the Pearson’s correlation is used.   The results show that the Pearson’s coefficient has a value of -0.355 for these two variables. It shows that the relation between Monthly Charge and the number of DSL Subscribers is negative and it implies inverse association. P-value is equal to 0.027. The P-value is smaller than 5%, which means that there is a correlation between the two factors but with the coefficient less than 0.5, the correlation is said to be weak. The graph below shows the negative relation between the number of DSL subscribers and the Monthly charge. It means that countries with lower Monthly charge have more DSL subscribers. The distribution of countries in the graph is expansive and far from the correlation line. It reaffirms the previous conclusion that the correlation is not strong. Correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Speed of Connection The Pearsons correlation is used to find a correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Speed of Connection. The Pearson’s coefficient is equal to 0.5. With the said value, it can be concluded that there is a positive correlation between the variables Speed of connection and the number DSL Subscribers and it implies direct association. The computed P-value is equal 0.002. Because this value is between 0 and 0.5, it means that there is a direct relation between the two factors where countries with higher connection speed have more DSL subscribers. The graph below shows that there is direct relationship between the number of DSL subscribers and the Speed of Connection. It shows that in countries where the Speed of connection is higher, there are more DSL Subscribers. Correlation between the number of DSL Subscribers and the Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection The possible value for Regression’s coefficient is between 0 and 1. If it is 0, then there is no correlation between factors of regression. If it is equal to 1, then the correlation is perfect. Also, the result of the analysis regression’s coefficient near 1 shows strong correlation. The regression coefficient for measuring the correlation between two variables will be computed. These variables are the Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection as the independent variables and the dependent variable which is the DSL subscribers. The result shows that the regression coefficient value is equal to 0.574. It shows that there is a correlation between Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection with the number of DSL subscribers and this relation is . There is another Index that will be used which is the R2. It is between 0% and 100%. It shows the percentage of change in the independent variables (Monthly charge and Speed of Connection) in relation to the change in dependent variable (number of DSL subscribers). It determines the influence that the independent variables (Charge and Speed) have over the change in the number of DSL Subscribers. The R2 for the current variables is 0.330. It means that 33% of change in the number of DSL Subscribers can be attributed to Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection and rest is from other variables. In addition to this, it is necessary to compute for the Beta Index. This Index determines the influence of each of the two independent variables, Monthly Charge and Speed of Connection. The value of Beta for Monthly charge is negative, which is -0.286. The value of Beta for Speed of Connection is 0.457. Upon a comparison of the value of Beta for the two independent variables, it could be said that the influence of Speed on the number of DSL Subscribers is more significant than the influence of Monthly Charge on the number of DSL Subscribers. In addition, the negative Beta Index of Monthly charge on DSL Subscribers means that as the Monthly Charge decreases, the number of DSL Subscribers increases. The graph below shows this regression. Correlation between number of DSL Subscribers and the Monthly Charge in Middle East The rate of Broadband penetration in Iran and Middle East is insignificant. The table below shows the Broadband penetration in Middle East. -Correlation between the number of Broadband Subscribers and ICT Export in Middle East The data on hand shows that the Pearson’s coefficient value of the number of Broadband Subscribers and ICT Export is equal to .939. It shows that the correlation between number of Broadband subscribers and ICT export is very strong. P-value is equal to 0.000, which means that there is a correlation between Broadband subscribers and ICT export. The Regression’s Coefficient is 0.993 which means that the correlation of the two variables is strong since the value of 0.993 is close to 1. In addition to this, the R2 value is equal to 0.98. It means 98% of the change in the number of Broadband Subscribers in Middle East is related to ICT Export. The graph below shows this regression.    The result can be considered for countries with available data. Due to the fact that there are not many countries with Broadband subscribers, the result cannot hold true for all Middle East countries. -Correlation between number of DSL Subscribers and ICT Export in OECD The variables number of DSL Subscribers and ICT Export in OCED countries is also subjected to the computation for Pearson’s correlation. The P-value is equal to 0.153, which is greater than 5%. It means that there is no correlation between DSL subscribers and ICT export in OECD countries. The value for the Regression’s Coefficient is 0.267 which means that there is a correlation but it is not too strong. The R2 value for the variables is equal to 0.072. It means only 3% of the change in the number of Broadband Subscribers in OECD countries is related to ICT Export. It supports the idea that there is no correlation between DSL subscribers and ICT export. The graph below shows this regression. Iran is the second largest oil producer among the Oil Producing and Exporting Countries (OPEC). Furthermore, it has the worlds second largest reserves of natural gas. This chapter analyses the ICT situation in Iran and it will evaluate the Internet and Mobile penetration in the Middle East region. The research tries to identify the obstacles for development of ICT in Iran and to serve as a basis in the proposal of new policies. There are many active companies competing in the DSL arena in Iran. The major companies and their activities are listed below: Almost all of the governments of Middle Eastern countries control the communication and information media services. Internet access is especially subjected to many restrictions. Some of the most important restrictions are (a) Religious restrictions, (b) Political restrictions, (c) Language restrictions, (d) Speed limitations, (e) Cost of service, (f) Technical problems (disruptions in connectivity). The reasons for most of these problems are the incompatible infrastructures, lack of skill for supporting services, scarcity of local websites, insufficiency for applied economy and life. There are some other local obstacles in each country that complicates the infiltration of Internet access. The table below shows the population and internet users. Moreover, the percentage of the total population with internet access will also be shown. Figure below presents the number of internet users. Iran has the most number of internet users and Bahrain and Iraq have the least number of internet users. The comparison between internet penetration in 2000 and 2005 in this region shows that the growth of all countries is notable. The total growth of Internet users in Middle East from 2000 to the latest data available is 491.4%.   Each country showed an increase in their rate of access to Internet by at least 100%. The figure below displays the percentage of population with access to Internet. The internet user share of population in Israel is the highest while the corresponding shares in Iraq and Yemen remained to be very low. As Figure 2 shows, 51% of Israel’s population have access to internet. United Arab Emirate with 36%, Qatar with 27%, Kuwait with 25%, and Bahrain with 21% followed Israel in the list. Other countries do not enjoy the same privileges where only a low percentage of the total population have access to the internet. The share of Internet users in each country to the aggregate sum of Internet users in Middle East is calculated in the table below. Internet penetration and population of each country can influence the share of Internet users to the sum of Internet users in the Middle East. However, the table below demonstrates the level of interest of each country to communicate with other countries in economic and cultural aspects. The results show that in 2005, Iran has almost 39% of Internet user in Middle East. Israel with 19%, Saudi Arabia with 13%, and United Arab Emirates with 7% has more contributions to assemble total Internet users in Middle East. Figure below displays the share of each country in total Internet users of Middle East. The figure below shows correlation between Mobile population coverage and GDP per capita. The Pearsons correlation is used to find a correlation between GDP and Internet user, GDP and Mobile user, GDP and Fixed telephone. The value of Pearson’s coefficients and the value of P-values show no relationship between GDP and three factors. The GDP does not have any influence in the penetration of Internet, Mobile, and Fixed telephone in the Middle East. The graph below shows a negative relation between the number of DSL subscribers and Monthly charge. It means that countries with lower Monthly charge have more DSL subscribers. The distribution of countries in the graph is very wide and far from the correlation line, which means that correlation is weak.   The Pearsons correlation is used to find a correlation between the variables Population and Internet Users. The Pearson’s coefficient is equal 0.784. It shows that the relationship between Population and Internet users is positive and it implies direct association. P-value is equal to 0.001 and the value is between 0 and 0.5. It means there is a direct relation between two factors. The graph below shows that there is a direct relationship between Population and Internet users. It shows that countries with more population tend to have more Internet users. The Graph below shows this regression. The Regression’s Coefficient is 0.784 and R2 is equal 0.614. It means 61% of the change in the number of Internet Users in Middle East countries is related to population. The graph below shows the relation between all variables. Relationship of each variable in the distribution’s Matrix is determined with other variables in Matrix through the row and column.

Wednesday, January 22, 2020

Neo Nazis :: essays research papers fc

â€Å"Two Neo-Nazis have been convicted of murdering Black teenager Benjamin Hermansen. A third defendant has been convicted of being an accessory to the attack. The killing of 15-year-old Benjamin Hermansen while he was meeting a friend near his home in Oslo sparked outrage. Tens of thousands of Norwegians took to the streets a few days after the death to protest against racism and violence. Oslo City Court convicted Joe Erling Jahr, 20, and Ole Nicolai (Kvisler), 22, both linked to the Boot Boys neo-Nazi group, of murder. Jahr was sentenced to 16 years in prison and (Nicolai) Kvisler 15 years. Veronica Andreassen, 18, was convicted as an accessory to the assault and jailed for three years. The court said the murder was planned, racially motivated and committed by members of a Neo-Nazi group partly to spread fear. It also found that Jahr and (Nicolai) Kvisler had each stabbed Hermansen with different knives. "Benjamin Hermansen would not have been attacked if his skin had been the same colour as the defendants," the court's ruling said. The court said Jahr and (Nicolai) Kvisler had gone out that night with the intention of "getting a foreigner" and had brought knives. It said that while Andreassen did not participate in the attack, she went with them despite knowing they planned violence. Hermansen, who was active in his school and sports, was born and raised in Norway. He also had spoken out against racism on national television a few months before his death after he was assaulted by neo-Nazi youths during a soccer tournament in Denmark. â€Å" (fare.net) That was a news article I found on a Norwegian anti-racist website. It happened only a few days ago on January 21st in Norway. This shows the prevalence of racism still going on today. The group responsible for the murder belonged to an organization that calls themselves the Neo-Nazis. One of the questions I’ve always asked in my history classes, is â€Å"Why do we need to know about all this stuff that happened so long ago?† Last year, my history teacher, Mr. Slater, gave me an answer. He said we need to learn about history, or we will be doomed to repeat our past mistakes. With that said, I’ll talk about how Nazism started. In the beginning, there was Adolf Hitler. He lived a somewhat uninteresting life as a child. His father was a customs official at the border separating Austria and Germany. Neo Nazis :: essays research papers fc â€Å"Two Neo-Nazis have been convicted of murdering Black teenager Benjamin Hermansen. A third defendant has been convicted of being an accessory to the attack. The killing of 15-year-old Benjamin Hermansen while he was meeting a friend near his home in Oslo sparked outrage. Tens of thousands of Norwegians took to the streets a few days after the death to protest against racism and violence. Oslo City Court convicted Joe Erling Jahr, 20, and Ole Nicolai (Kvisler), 22, both linked to the Boot Boys neo-Nazi group, of murder. Jahr was sentenced to 16 years in prison and (Nicolai) Kvisler 15 years. Veronica Andreassen, 18, was convicted as an accessory to the assault and jailed for three years. The court said the murder was planned, racially motivated and committed by members of a Neo-Nazi group partly to spread fear. It also found that Jahr and (Nicolai) Kvisler had each stabbed Hermansen with different knives. "Benjamin Hermansen would not have been attacked if his skin had been the same colour as the defendants," the court's ruling said. The court said Jahr and (Nicolai) Kvisler had gone out that night with the intention of "getting a foreigner" and had brought knives. It said that while Andreassen did not participate in the attack, she went with them despite knowing they planned violence. Hermansen, who was active in his school and sports, was born and raised in Norway. He also had spoken out against racism on national television a few months before his death after he was assaulted by neo-Nazi youths during a soccer tournament in Denmark. â€Å" (fare.net) That was a news article I found on a Norwegian anti-racist website. It happened only a few days ago on January 21st in Norway. This shows the prevalence of racism still going on today. The group responsible for the murder belonged to an organization that calls themselves the Neo-Nazis. One of the questions I’ve always asked in my history classes, is â€Å"Why do we need to know about all this stuff that happened so long ago?† Last year, my history teacher, Mr. Slater, gave me an answer. He said we need to learn about history, or we will be doomed to repeat our past mistakes. With that said, I’ll talk about how Nazism started. In the beginning, there was Adolf Hitler. He lived a somewhat uninteresting life as a child. His father was a customs official at the border separating Austria and Germany.

Monday, January 13, 2020

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Five

His eyes widened in shock, lips parting. Even though I knew this wasn't a silver stake, it might as well have been. To run it through his heart, I had had to act as decisively as I would have if delivering a killing blow. I'd had to finally accept my Dimitri's death. This one was a Strigoi. There was no future with him. I would not join him. That still didn't make some part of me want to stop and lie down beside him, though, or at the very least see what happened next. After that initial surprise, his features and breathing had gone still, giving the illusion of death. That's all it was, however-an illusion. I'd seen it before. I probably had five minutes at most before he healed up and shook this off. I had no time to mourn for what was and what might have been. I had to act now. No hesitation. I ran my hands over him, searching his clothes for anything that might be of use. I found a set of keys and some cash. I pocketed the keys and started to leave the cash but realized I might actually need it on the off chance I escaped this place. My own money had been taken when I arrived. I also swept up some of the jewelry on the table. Finding buyers for that kind of thing in big Russian cities wasn't too difficult. If I made it to said city. I stood up off the bed and gave Dimitri one last pained look. A few of the tears I'd hidden from him earlier now ran down my face. That was all I could allow myself. If I had a later, I'd mourn then. Before leaving, my gaze lingered on the stake. I wanted to take it with me; it was my only weapon. Pulling it out would mean he'd wake up in about a minute. I needed the extra time. With a sigh, I turned my back on him, hoping I'd find a weapon elsewhere. I sprinted over to the suite's door and punched in the code again. It unlocked, and I stepped into the corridor. Before going to the next door, I examined the one I'd just stepped through. To get into the suite, there was another keypad. Entry also required a code. Backing up a little, I struck and kicked the keypad as hard as I could. I did it twice more, until the tiny red light on it went out. I didn't know if that would affect the lock on the inside of the suite, but in the movies, damaging electronic locks always seemed to work. Turning my attention to the next lock, I tried to remember the numbers Inna had told me. They weren't etched as strongly in my head as the first. I punched in seven numbers. The little light stayed red. â€Å"Damn.† It was possible she'd lied about this set, but somehow, I suspected my memory was the culprit here. I tried again, knowing the clock was ticking on how long I had until Dimitri came after me. The red light flashed again. What were those numbers? I tried to visualize them in my head and finally decided I wasn't entirely sure about the last two. I reversed their order the next time I put in the code. The light flashed green, and the door unlocked. Of course, there was a security system of a different sort outside. A Strigoi. And not just any Strigoi: It was Marlen. The one I'd tortured in the alley. The one who hated me because I'd disgraced him in front of Galina. He was clearly on guard duty and looked as though he'd expected a boring night. Me coming out the door was a shock. That gave me, oh, about a millisecond of surprise. My first thought was to just run at him with as much brute strength as I could. I knew he would do the same to me. In fact†¦ that was exactly what he'd do. I stayed where I was, standing so that I could keep the door propped open. He came at me to stop my escape, and I stepped aside, pulling the door open wider. Now, I was neither skilled enough nor was he inept enough to simply get lured in. He stopped in the doorway, trying to get hold of me. This gave me the difficult task of trying to both fend him off and drag him into the corridor behind the door. I stepped back into the doorway, hoping he'd follow. All the while, I had to keep the door open. It was all complicated, and I would have no time to punch in the code again. We fought in the confined space. The biggest thing I had going for me was that Marlen appeared to be a young Strigoi, which made sense. Galina would want to keep around henchmen she could control. Of course, Strigoi strength and speed compensated for a lack of experience. The fact that he had been a Moroi once also meant he probably had very little training. That also was a bonus for me. Dimitri was a badass Strigoi because he'd trained as a fighter before being turned. This guy had not. So, Marlen got a couple punches in on me, one coming dangerously close to my eye. The other caught me in the stomach, knocking the air out of me for half a second. But most of the time, I was able to dodge him pretty well. This seemed to infuriate him. Getting beat up by a teenage girl didn't really score you cool points when you were a Strigoi. At one point, I even faked him out in one direction and came at him with a surprise kick -easier to do than I'd expected in that damned dress-that knocked him back a few steps. I just barely managed to keep my hand in the door when I did it, but that was all I needed. His stumble gave me a few seconds to slip out the door and into the main hall. Unfortunately, when I tried to close it, he was already trying to come through. With my hands, I tried to pull the door shut while kicking him back inside. We struggled this way for a while, and thanks to whatever luck I had left, I got the door closed enough so that only his arm was sticking through. Bracing myself, I pulled the door toward me in one huge, forceful movement. It slammed into Marlen's wrist. I half expected to see his hand detach and pop into the hall, but he'd jerked it back. Even Strigoi had certain instincts to avoid pain. Gasping-my physical strength still wasn't all it could be-I backed up. If he knew the code, this had been for nothing. A moment later, the door's handle shook but didn't open. I heard a scream of rage, and then his fists beat on the door. Score one for me. No, score one for luck. If he'd known the code, I would have been Thud. Marlen was still beating on the door, and I saw the tiniest dent appear on the metallic surface. â€Å"Oh, crap,† I said. I didn't stick around to see how many hits it'd take him to break it down. I also realized that even if I'd disabled the first lock, Dimitri would just be able to break that one down too. Dimitri†¦ No. I absolutely couldn't think of him now. As I ran down the hall, heading toward the stairs Dimitri and I traveled before, an unexpected memory suddenly popped into my head. When Dimitri had last threatened Nathan, he'd mentioned getting my stake out of a vault. What vault was that exactly? Was it here on the premises? If so, I certainly didn't have time to look. When weighing the option to search a four-story house full of vampires or run off into the countryside before they found you†¦ well, the choice was clear. And it was in the midst of that thought process that I ran into a human at the top of the stairs. He was older than Inna and carrying a stack of linens that he dropped when we collided. With almost no pause, I grabbed hold of him and swung him against the wall. I had no weapon to threaten him with and wondered how I'd assert my will now. Yet as soon as I had him pinned, he threw up his hands in a defensive gesture and began whimpering in Russian. There'd be no attacks on me here. Of course, now I had the problem of communicating what I needed. Marlen was still beating on the door, and Dimitri would be up in a couple of minutes. I glared at the human, hoping I looked terrifying. From his expression, I did. I attempted the caveman talk I had with Inna†¦ only this time the message was a little harder. â€Å"Stick,† I said in Russian. I had no clue what the word for stake was. I pointed at the silver ring I wore and made a slashing motion. â€Å"Stick. Where?† He stared at me in utter confusion and then asked, in perfect English, â€Å"Why are you talking like that?† â€Å"Oh for God's sake,† I exclaimed. â€Å"Where is the vault?† â€Å"Vault?† â€Å"A place they keep weapons?† He continued staring. â€Å"I'm looking for a silver stake.† â€Å"Oh,† he said. â€Å"That.† Uneasily, he cast his eyes in the direction of the pounding. I pushed him harder against the wall. My heart felt like it would burst out of my chest, but I tried to hide it. I wanted this guy to think I was invincible. â€Å"Ignore him. Take me to the vault. Now!† With a frightened yelp, he nodded eagerly and beckoned me down the stairs. We descended to the second floor and made a sharp turn. The halls here were as twisty as the hedge maze Dimitri had shown me, all decorated in that gold and chandelier style, and I wondered if I'd even be able to get out of the house. Attempting this detour was a risk, but I wasn't sure if I could get outside without being followed. If I was, there'd be a confrontation. I'd need to defend myself. The human led me down another hall and yet another. Finally, we reached a door that looked like any other. He stopped and peered at me expectantly. â€Å"Open it,† I said. He shook his head. â€Å"I don't have the key.† â€Å"Well, I certainly don't-wait.† I reached into my pocket and pulled out the keys I'd lifted from Dimitri. There were five keys on the ring. I tried them one at a time, and on the third one, I got a hit. The door opened. Meanwhile, my guide was casting hasty glances behind him and looked ready to bolt. â€Å"Don't even think about it,† I warned. He blanched and stayed put. The room before us wasn't very big, and while its plush white carpet and silver framed paintings made it look elegant, the room was†¦ well, basically, it looked like a junkyard. Boxes and weird objects-a lot of personal items like watches and rings in particular-lay around in no order. â€Å"What is this?† â€Å"Magic,† he said, still obviously scared out of his mind. â€Å"Magic items kept here to fade or be destroyed.† Magic†¦ ah. These were items charmed by Moroi magic. Charms always had some kind of effect on Strigoi-usually unpleasant-with stakes being the worst, since they used all four physical elements. It made sense that Strigoi would want to isolate harmful objects and get rid of â€Å"My stake!† I ran forward and picked it up, nearly dropping it because my hands were so sweaty. The stake was lying on top of a box with a length of cloth and some weird stones. Studying it, I realized it wasn't actually my stake-not that it made a difference for killing Strigoi. This stake was almost identical, save for a small geometric pattern running around its base. It was something guardians did from time to time if they felt particularly attached to their stake: have a design or initials etched into it. Holding this stake, I felt a momentary pang of sadness. This had belonged to someone who'd wielded it proudly once, someone who was now most likely dead. God only knew how many other dozens of stakes were in here, seized from other unfortunate prisoners, but I had no time to search or mourn those who had died. â€Å"Okay, now I want you to take me to†¦Ã¢â‚¬  I hesitated. Even with a stake, it'd be a lot better for me if I didn't face any more Strigoi. I had to assume there'd still be a guard at the front door. â€Å"†¦ Some room on this floor with a window that actually opens. And is far from the stairs.† The guy thought for a moment and then gave a quick nod. â€Å"This way.† I followed him through another maze of twisting corridors. â€Å"What's your name?† â€Å"Oleg.† â€Å"You know,† I said. â€Å"I'm getting out of here†¦ if you want†¦ if you want, I could take you with me.† Having someone else-a human, particularly -would definitely slow me down. Yet, my conscience wouldn't let me leave anyone behind in this place. He gave me an incredulous glance. â€Å"Why would I want to do that?† Sydney had definitely been right about humans making great sacrifices for immortality. Oleg and Inna were living proof. We rounded a corner and came face-to-face with an elaborate set of French doors. Through the etched glass, I could see book-lined shelves, stretching all the way up the walls. A library-a huge one that extended on and on, out of my sight. Better yet, I saw a large bay window opposite me, framed in heavy satin curtains the color of blood. â€Å"Perfect,† I said, pushing open the doors. That was when the nausea hit me. We weren't alone in the room. Galina sprang up from a chair near the fireplace on the far side of the room. A book dropped from her lap. I had no time to dwell on the oddity of a Strigoi having a fireside read, because she was coming right toward me. I almost might have thought Oleg had set me up, but he was cowering in a corner, his face mirroring the shock I felt. Despite the library's enormous size, she reached me in seconds. I dodged her initial attack-or tried to, at least. She was fast. Aside from Dimitri, the other Strigoi in this house were clearly the B-team, and I had forgotten just how badass a truly skilled Strigoi was. She caught me by my arm and swung me toward her, mouth open and fangs going straight for my neck. I had the stake in my hand and tried awkwardly to at least scratch her with it, but she was holding me too tightly. At last, I managed to duck a little and move my throat out of her range, but all this did was give her the opportunity to grab hold of my hair. She jerked me upright, and I screamed in pain. How she managed to hold onto my hair without ripping it right out was remarkable. Still gripping it, she shoved me into a wall. When I'd first fought with Dimitri upon my arrival, he'd been rough but hadn't wanted to kill me. Galina did. She'd taken it on faith from Dimitri that I'd be an asset, but it was obvious now that I was a real pain in the ass. Her amnesty had ended, and she was intent on killing me. I at least had the comfort of knowing she probably wouldn't turn me into a Strigoi. I'd be lunch. A shout suddenly drew my attention to the door. Dimitri stood there, face blazing with anger. Whatever illusions I'd harbored about him being his former self disappeared. That fury radiated around him, his eyes narrowed and fangs showing. The pale skin and red eyes contrasted sharply against each other. He was like a demon sent straight from hell to destroy me. He strode toward us, and the immediate thought in my head was: Well, at least this'll end things that much faster. Except†¦ it wasn't me he attacked. It was Galina. I'm not sure which of us was more surprised, but in that moment, I was totally forgotten. The Strigoi raced toward each other, and I froze, stunned at the terrible beauty of their fight. There was almost a gracefulness to the way they moved, the way they struck out and skillfully dodged each other. I stared a bit longer and then mentally slapped myself into action. This was my chance to get out of here. I couldn't get distracted. I turned to the bay window, searching frantically for a means to open it. There was none. â€Å"Son of a bitch!† Maybe Oleg had set me up after all. Or maybe there was just some mechanism that wasn't apparent to me. Regardless, I felt pretty confident there was one way to get it open. I ran to the side of the room where Galina had sat and grabbed an ornate wooden chair. It was obvious this window wasn't made of the hard-core glass that had been in my room. This stuff was similar to the library's French doors, delicate and engraved with fanciful designs, even though darkly tinted. It couldn't require that much force to break. After all that fruitless beating in my room, I took a kind of smug satisfaction in slamming the chair into it with as much force as possible. The impact made a huge hole in one side of the window, glass spraying everywhere. A few shards hit my face, but it was nothing to concern me now. Behind me, the sounds of battle raged on. There were grunts and muffled cries as they fought, as well as the occasional sound of some piece of broken furniture. I yearned to turn around and see what was going on, but I couldn't. I took the chair and swung again, breaking the other half of the window. There was now a huge hole, perfect for me to get out of. â€Å"Rose!† Dimitri's voice triggered some instinctive response in me. I glanced back and saw him still grappling with Galina. They were both exhausted, but it was clear he was getting the worst of it. But in their fighting, he kept trying to restrain her in a way that exposed her chest to me. His eyes met mine. Back when he'd been a dhampir, we'd rarely needed words to convey our thoughts. This was one of those times. I knew what he wanted me to do. He wanted me to stake her. I knew I shouldn't. I needed to hop out that window right now. I needed to let them keep fighting, even though it seemed obvious Galina was about to win. And yet†¦ despite my misgivings, some force drew me across the room, stake poised and ready. Maybe it was because I would never fully lose my pull to Dimitri, no matter what kind of monster he'd become. Maybe it was an unconscious sense of duty, since I knew he'd just saved my life. Or maybe it was because I knew one Strigoi was going to die tonight, and she was the more dangerous. But she wasn't easy to get hold of. She was fast and strong, and he was having a hard time with her. She kept wriggling around, trying to renew her attack. All she'd need to do was incapacitate him as I had; then it'd just require decapitation or burning to finish him off. I had no doubt she could arrange either. He managed to turn her slightly, giving me the best view of her chest I'd had. I moved forward-and then Dimitri slammed into me. I was addled for a moment, wondering why he'd attack me after saving me, until I realized he'd been pushed-by Nathan. Nathan had just entered the library, along with Marlen. It distracted Dimitri but not me. I still had the opening he'd given me on Galina, and I plunged my stake into her chest. It didn't go in as deeply as I would have liked, and she still managed to fight me, bucking hard. I grimaced and pushed forward, knowing the silver had to be affecting her. A moment later, I saw the pain twist her face. She faltered, and I pushed my advantage, shoving the stake in all the way. It took several seconds, but she eventually stopped moving, her body crumpling to the ground. If the other Strigoi noticed her death, they didn't pay attention. Nathan and Marlen were fixated on Dimitri. Another Strigoi-a female I didn't recognize-soon joined the face-off. I jerked my stake out of Galina and slowly began backing toward the window, hoping I wouldn't attract too much attention. My heart went out to Dimitri. He was outnumbered. I could possibly lend my strength and help him fight†¦ Of course, my strength was fading. I was still suffering from days of vampire bites and blood loss. I'd fought two Strigoi tonight and killed a powerful one. That had been my good deed, removing her from the world. The next best thing I could do would be to leave and let these Strigoi finish off Dimitri. The surviving ones would be leaderless and less of a threat. Dimitri would be free of this evil state, his soul finally able to move on to better places. And I would live (hopefully), having helped the world by killing more Strigoi. I bumped against the windowsill and looked out. Nighttime-not good. The sheer side of the manor was not ideal for climbing, either. It could be done, but it would be time consuming. I didn't have any more time. Directly below the window was a thickly leafed bush of some sort. I couldn't see it clearly and only hoped it wasn't a rosebush or something equally sharp. A second floor drop wouldn't kill me, though. Probably wouldn't even hurt-much. I climbed over the ledge, briefly meeting Dimitri's gaze as the other Strigoi moved in on him. The words came to me again: Don't hesitate. Dimitri's important lesson. But it hadn't been his first one. His first had been about what to do if I was outnumbered and out of options: Run. Time for me to run. I leapt out the window.

Sunday, January 5, 2020

Hominin Diet - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 873 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/02/15 Category Health Essay Level High school Tags: Diet Essay Did you like this example? Although websites might advertise this extremely healthy â€Å"paleo diet† that involves only â€Å"natural† agricultural foods and pounds of red meat, but do not be fooled. This is not the true paleo diet. There is actually no one â€Å"true† paleo diet, but many variable Paleolithic diets that depend on what is locally available to the hominine (Warinner 2013). The items that provided our ancient relatives nutrients might be labeled as inedible in our cultures today, for example, the practice of entomophagy. Hominines would eat anything that would provide sustenance, including a large range of insects (Lesnick 10/24). Many people believe the misconception that we as humans, as well as our prehistoric hominine relatives, are these meat-eating beings. We are not. Our bodies are not anatomically or genetically adapted to meat consumption. All animals require vitamin C, which is a true vitamin in humans, meaning that it is only acquired by consuming a plant containing it. Carnivores that are adapted to regularly consume meat can make their own vitamin C, while, we as a species, need to eat vegetation to obtain it. A plant diet is supported by our much longer guts, which hold food for longer to gain more nutrients from fibrous materials. Our large molars support the shredding of highly fibrous vegetation, while we lack the carnassial teeth that are seen in carnivores (Warinner 2013). A prehistoric hominine would have consumed any number of available food sources in their environment, many of which we can identify through varying analyses. Anthropologists use stable isotope analysis to figure out the ty pes of signature of isotopes a hominine have and therefore the types of food they are consuming. Using comparative anatomy, along with archeological and ecological records available would give an anthropologist a relatively clear story of what a hominine is eating near the time of death. All of these techniques need to be taken into consideration because a C4 conundrum could occur. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Hominin Diet" essay for you Create order The C4 conundrum refers to a situation where the morphology of the skeleton shows one type of diet, while the isotope analysis shows a completely different food consumption pattern. For example, Paranthropus boisei or â€Å"The Nutcracker Man† has the anatomy that supports the consumption of hard diet of mainly nuts, though their isotope reading and ecological data shows a high C4 intake. The Nutcracker Man was eating foods such as wheat, corn and tubers as their main food source, while their thick enameled teeth were better suited for the fall back food of nuts when their main C4 vegetation was not available (Loudon 10/8). Anthropologists can also look at fossilized dental plaque found on ancient skeletons called dental calculus. The plaque obtained from an individual can give a unique signature of microfossils of plants and other remains that the hominine would have eaten throughout their life. When analyzing the dental calculus of Paleolithic hominines, researchers are seeing an abundance of plant remnants such as barley, legumes and tubers (Warinner 2013). An anthropologist can also looks at the dental microware as a method to determine the mechanical properties of the food a prehistoric person was eating. For example, a person who consumed a large amount of tough, fibrous foods would have long parallel striations on the occlusal surface of their tooth, while a person that constantly eats a diet of hard, brittle foods like nuts would have pits on their teeth (Howells 11/12). An animal needs regular protein in their diet to survive. Little proteins are found in vegetation, therefore Paleolithic hominines need to supplement their diet with regular protein intake. Most early and middle hominines were not actively hunting, but scavenging the high protein bone marrow from the already picked over bones of carnivores (Howells 11/7). When high protein food was scarce, or the seasons were not supportive of hunting, many Paleolithic individuals would practice entomophagy, the consumption of insects, to supplement their protein intake. Dr. Julie Lesnick mentions that chimpanzees and some tropical populations practice entomophagy to increase their protein intake regularly. She mentions specifically that pregnant hominines, who need more protein in order to support fetus brain development, would use entomophagy as a quick and sure way of obtaining their needed nutrients. Although insect consumption is a more ecologically friendly due to its decreased pollution, water waste and methane release, very little current populations practice entomophagy. Dr. Lesnick mentions some key viewpoints of why she believes insect consumption is not widely practiced or studied to this day. She claims that due to the practice of entomophagy being a predominantly female exercise, it was overlooked when western societies reported on them (Lesnick 10/24). Diet is very important for understanding a species of individuals. It is extremely difficult to know for sure what a Paleolithic individual ate, though there are techniques to determine their common diet pattern (Warinner 2013). Moreover, the fact that entomophagy is efficient to obtain and more ecologically friendly is an interesting concept to think about when you look at all the starving individuals in the world today. The environmental impacts are low while the protein obtained is high and a good supplement for individuals with currently low protein diets. Meanwhile, there is no true Paleolithic diet that can be obtained today, though we might be able to become closer to our Paleolithic counterparts by partaking in entomophagy (Lesnick 10/24).