Dumping Of Steel Essays - Trade Policy, International Trade

Dumping Of Steel INTRODUCTION Foreign steel producers plague the U.S. steel industry with unfair competitive practices. This practice is referred to as dumping. Dumping of foreign steel has been a problem throughout the history of the U.S. steel industry. In the 1990s dumping has become more of a problem, due to the breakdown of the Russian economy and its transition from Capitalism to a free-market economy. According to Microsoft Encarta 98 (1998), Free-Market Economy, is an economic system in which individuals, rather than government, make the majority of decisions regarding economic activities and transactions. In addition, the Asian financial crisis has led to another round of dumping into the U.S. markets by many Asian countries. The effects of dumping have a positive as well as a negative impact on the health of the overall U.S. economy. On the positive side, steel-using industries enjoy lower prices for steel used in the manufacture of their products. Turning to the negative side, the U.S. steel industry has suffered tremendously through layoffs and a collapse of a number of steel makers. Should the U.S. Government provide protection against dumping? The debate on protectionism has gone on for years. Protection of one industry by the U.S. Government has come at the cost of another including the U.S. consumer. BREIF HISTORY OF THE STEEL INDUSTRY The steel industry grew out of the need for stronger and more easily produced metals. During the last half of the 19th century, many technological advances in steelmaking played an important role in creating modern economies. These economies depended on the steel industry to supply rails, autos, girders, bridges, and many other steel products. Iron making can be traced as far back as 3,500 b.c. in Armenia. The Bessemer process, created independently by Henry Bessemer in England and William Kelly in the United States during the 1850s, allowed the mass production of low-cost steel; the open hearth process, first introduced in the United States in 1888, made it easier to use domestic iron ores. By the 1880s, the growing demand for steel rails made the United States the world's largest producer. The open-hearth process dominated the steel industry between 1910 and 1960, when it converted to the oxygen process, which produces steel faster, and the electric furnace process, which makes it easier to produce alloys such as stainless steel. After World War II, the U.S. steel industry faced increased competition from Japanese and European producers, who rebuilt and modernized their industries. Later, many Third World countries such as Brazil built their own steel industries and large U.S. steelmakers faced increased competition from smaller, nonunion mills. The U.S. produced about half of the world's steel in 1945; by 1991 it was the third largest producer, with only 11% of the world market, behind the former Soviet Union and Japan. Since the 1970s, growing competition and the increasing availability of alternative materials, such as plastic, slowed steel industry growth; employment in the United States steel industry dropped from 2.5 million in 1974 to 1.6 million in 1991. Global production stood at 736 million tons in1991, down from 786million tons in 1988 (The Columbia Encyclopedia, 1993). DUMPING Columbia Encyclopedia, (1993) defined dumping as the selling of goods at less than normal price, usually as exports in international trade. It may be done by a producer, a group of producers, or a nation. However, dumping is usually done to drive competitors off the market and secure a monopoly, and/or to hinder foreign competition. Nations, in an effort to counterbalance international dumping, often resorted to flexible tariffs. International trade through acute competition from foreign producers often leads to dumping infractions of law. A policy regarding dumping, depends on its effectiveness in maintaining separate domestic and foreign markets, the monopolistic mechanism that influences the stability of high prices in the home market, on export bounties, or on low import duties in the foreign market help maintain economic balance. Dumping disturbs those markets that receive dumped goods and it may drive local producers out of business. Governments may condone, even sponsor, dumpi ng in other markets for political reasons and/or to achieve more favorable balance of payments. In the late 19th century, dumping became part of the trade policy of great European cartels, especially German cartels. Britain, France,

Electrophoresis Definition and Explanation

Electrophoresis Definition and Explanation Electrophoresis is the term used to describe the motion of particles in a gel or fluid within a relatively uniform electric field. Electrophoresis may be used to separate molecules based on charge,  size, and binding affinity. The technique  is mainly applied to separate and analyze biomolecules, such as DNA, RNA, proteins, nucleic acids, plasmids, and  fragments of these macromolecules. Electrophoresis is one of the techniques used to identify source DNA, as in paternity testing and forensic science. Electrophoresis of anions or negatively charged particles is called anaphoresis. Electrophoresis of cations or positively charged particles is called cataphoresis. Electrophoresis was first observed in 1807 by Ferdinand Frederic Reuss of Moscow State University, who noticed clay particles migrated in water subjected to a continuous electric field. Key Takeaways: Electrophoresis Electrophoresis is a technique used to separate molecules in a gel or fluid using an electric field.The rate and direction of particle movement in the electric field depends on the molecules size and electric charge.Usually electrophoresis is used to separate macromolecules, such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. How Electrophoresis Works In electrophoresis, there are two primary factors that control how quickly a particle can move and in what direction. First, the charge on the sample matters. Negatively charged species are attracted to the positive pole of an electric field, while positively charged species are attracted to the negative end. A neutral species may be ionized if the field is strong enough. Otherwise, it doesnt tend to be affected. The other factor is particle size. Small ions and molecules can move through a gel or liquid much more quickly than larger ones. While a charged particle is attracted to an opposite charge in an electric field, there are other forces that affect how a molecule moves. Friction and the electrostatic retardation force slow the progress of particles through the fluid or gel. In the case of gel electrophoresis, the concentration of the gel can be controlled to determine the pore size of the gel matrix, which influences mobility. A liquid buffer is also present, which controls the pH of the environment. As molecules are pulled through a liquid or gel, the medium heats up. This can denature the molecules as well as affect the rate of movement. The voltage is controlled to try to minimize the time required to separate molecules, while maintaining a good separation and keeping the chemical species intact. Sometimes electrophoresis is performed in a refrigerator to help compensate for the heat. Types of Electrophoresis Electrophoresis encompasses several related analytical techniques. Examples include: affinity electrophoresis - Affinity electrophoresis is a type of electrophoresis in which particles are separated based on complex formation or biospecific interactioncapillary electrophoresis - Capillary electrophoresis is a  type of electrophoresis used to separate ions depending mainly on the atomic radius, charge, and viscosity. As the name suggests, this technique is commonly performed in a glass tube. It yields quick results and a high resolution separation.gel electrophoresis - Gel electrophoresis is a  widely used type of electrophoresis in which molecules are separated by movement through a porous gel under the influence of an electrical field. The two main gel materials are agarose and polyacrylamide. Gel electrophoresis is used to separate nucleic acids (DNA and RNA), nucleic acid fragments, and proteins.immunoelectrophoresis - Immunoelectrophoresis is the general name given to a variety of electrophoretic techniques used to characterize and separate proteins based on their reaction to antibodies. electroblotting - Electroblotting is a technique used to recover nucleic acids or proteins following electrophoresis by transferring them onto a membrane. The polymers polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) or nitrocellulose are commonly used. Once the specimen has been recovered, it can be further analyzed using stains or probes. A western blot is one form of electroblotting used to detect specific proteins using artificial antibodies.pulsed-field gel electrophoresis - Pulsed-field electrophoresis is used to separate macromolecules, such as DNA, by periodically changing the direction of the electric field applied to a gel matrix. The reason the electric field is changed is because traditional gel electrophoresis is unable to efficiently separate very large molecules that all tend to migrate together. Changing the direction of the electric field gives the molecules additional directions to travel, so they have a path through the gel. The voltage is generally switched between three directions : one running along the axis of the gel and two at 60 degrees to either side. Although the process takes longer than traditional gel electrophoresis, its better at separating large pieces of DNA. isoelectric focusing - Isoelectric focusing (IEF or electrofocusing) is a form of electrophoresis that separates molecules based on different isoelectric points. IEF is most often performed on proteins because their electrical charge depends on pH.

Cars History Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Cars History - Research Proposal Example Although work on developing steam engines began in the 17th century, the idea to incorporate it into a road vehicle gained momentum only in the next century. In the course of the 18th century, many futile attempts were made to produce what was yet to be called the ‘car’. To be fair, engineers had indeed developed a few designs for steam-powered road vehicles, but they lacked the popularity and acceptance accorded to steam power in ships and railways. This was primarily because the steam based engine was too heavy for a practical road vehicle. Yet, the 19th century was called the Age of Steam. Harsh legislation was one great bane, at least in a few countries, with virtually strangling speed limits, at 5Â  mph in towns and cities, and 10Â  mph in the country. Laws went as far as directing a man bearing a red flag to precede every vehicle. In addition, tiime curfews applied to all vehicles except street trams. Electric Vehicles were among the earliest ones to be accorded the status of ‘automobiles’. They produce no exhaust fumes and are practically silent. Acceleration exceeds that of conventional vehicles. Sometime in the 1830s Robert Anderson of Scotland supposedly invented the first electric carriage while Professor Sibrandus Stratingh of the Netherlands, designed the small-scale electric car. Electricity as a means for transport propulsion found greater success in the field of public transport such as tramways and streetcars, where a constant supply of electricity was possible by means of overhead power lines. Historically, Electric Vehicles lagged in popularity primarily due to issues with high battery costs, low distance interval between successive recharges, long charging time, and low battery lifespan, etc. But these vehicles are generally cheaper to make and maintain than internal combustion engine vehicles because they have fewer parts. However, around 1900, electric land vehicles in America outsold all other