Undergrad research (Sonicator) Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Undergrad (Sonicator) - Research Paper Example The production of methanol was done through the distillation of wood. Methanol today is industrially synthesized from a nonstoichiometric mixture of carbon monoxide, hydrogen and carbon dioxide over Cu/ZnO/AL203 catalysts. Methanol is an industrial chemical used as raw material in the manufacture of solvents such as formaldehyde and producing acids, for example, acetic acid through hydroformylation. Synthesis of methanol is crucial due to wide usage of methanol in industries. Sonicator (Ultrasonic) is one method used to manufacture methanol (Eta, Valerie, 71). Ultrasonic is a phenomenon used in reactive chemical whereby ultrasound energy of approximate 20 kHz is used to agitate the reactants. This method is efficient because necessary temperature and energy are generated by ultrasonic machine. Methanol is a short chain alcohol that is immiscible. The use of the sonicator or ultrasonic is to synthesize methanol in a reaction entitled as transesterification. Catalytic functional group in methanol is methoxide (CH3O-) which is formed when methanol reacts with a strong base or when metals like potassium react with anhydrous methanol (Arutyunov, Vladimir, 95). Mechanism of ultrasonic effect on esterification was illustrated experimentally using bubble- dynamic model where ultrasound energy and micro bubbles in the reactor increased the interface formed between the triglyceride and methanol emulsion, thus considered a physical reaction and not a chemical reaction (Eta, Valerie, 103). There seems to be the best use of the sonicator and why it is mainly used for the production of methanol. The use of Sonification is good as it has led to the production of more methanol and carbon while using less energy. The use of Sonification makes it possible for synthesis of methanol via the use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which leads to the water-gas shift formation and surface morphology effects. However, because the use of carbon dioxide and hydrogen is a two-way step,

Credit Assessment and Consulting in Rating Agencies Research Paper

Credit Assessment and Consulting in Rating Agencies - Research Paper Example nsulting services whereby debt issuers request rating agencies to direct them on the manner to structure their debt issues with the aim of securing a favorable rating (Crockett, Harris, Mishkin & White, 2004). In such circumstances, the credit-rating agencies are in effect auditing their own work. Moreover, credit-rating agencies may deliver favorable ratings so as acquire extra clients for the ancillary consulting business. Much of the challenges associated with Credit Assessment and Consulting in Rating Agencies relate to the reliability and integrity of ratings. Investors utilize credit ratings that mirror the probability of default to ascertain the creditworthiness of certain debt securities (Langohr & Langohr, 2008). Conflict of interest can yield a decrease in the flow of reliable information centering on either concealment of the information, or dissemination of misleading information (Brooks & Dunn, 2010). This has dire consequences on the value of stakeholder’s benefits. The markets can in some instances ameliorate the impacts of conflicts of interest within financial services firms and cannot always contain the incentives to exploit conflicts of interest. Some of the approaches to remedying conflict of interest encompass: â€Å"leaving it to the market† or letting market forces resolve the conflict by penalizing financial firms that exploit conflict of interest and instituting new institutional means to contain conflict of interest (Brooks & Dunn, 2010). The other approaches encompass regulating for transparency through mandatory disclosure and supervisory oversight. Additional approaches towards remedying conflicts of interest within credit rating agencies encompass separation of functions and socialization of information production. In conclusion, there is a need to enhance accountability of Credit Rating Agencies so as to negate the pitfalls associated with conflict of interest (Werther & Chandler, 2006). Reputation remains one of the key

History of Table Tennis Essay Example for Free

History of Table Tennis Essay The sport got its start in England towards the end of the 19th century when, after dinner, some upper-middle class Victorians decided to turn their dining room tables into miniature versions of the traditional lawn tennis playing field. Several different every-day objects were employed in constructing the sport. They used a line of books as the net. Rackets were lids from empty cigar boxes, and a little later, parchment paper stretched around a frame. The ball would be either a ball of string, or perhaps more commonly, a champagne cork or rubber ball. Before â€Å"Table Tennis.† When the game first started it was called by a number of different names. â€Å"Whif whaf,† â€Å"gossamer,† and â€Å"flim flam† were commonly used to describe it. The words, as can be assumed, were derived from the sound that the ball made when hit back and forth on the table. In 1901 though, English manufacturer J. Jaques Son Ltd registered one of the more popular names, Ping-Pong, as a copyright. He later sold the trademark to the Parker Brothers in the United States. Then in the 1920s the name and the sport were revived in Europe as table tennis. Evolution The turn of the century brought many other refinements to the sport. Players started using celluloid balls after the English man James Gibb discovered them during a trip to the United States in 1901 and proved them to be perfect for Ping-Pong. In 1903, E.C Goode replaced parchment paper and cigar box lids with pimpled rubber on light wooden â€Å"blades† as rackets. And after the world championships in Prague in 1936, where two defensive players took over an hour to contest one point, the net was lowered to make the pace of the game-play faster. (In another effort to make the game more fast paced and entertaining, rules were again changed in 2001- see Rules). It Spreads Also around this time, the sport spread to other European countries and to the United States. Asian countries like China, Korea and Japan are understood to have learnt about it from British Army officers who held posts in those places. There was an unofficial world championship held in 1901, but the first official world championship was held in London in 1927 by the International Table Tennis Federation. The ITTF was founded in Berlin in 1926 by England, Sweden, Hungary, India, Denmark, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Austria, and Wales. Asian Factor Although it may seem today that the sport, in the professional realm, is dominated by Asian countries like China and Korea, it wasn’t always that way. Before the late 1950’s and early 60’s, European players from Hungary especially, but also from France and Sweden seemed without competition. But in 1952, Japanese player Horoi Satoh introduced the foam rubber paddle. The paddle made the game faster and spinning the ball became an even greater factor. Japan became the main winner in the world competitions in 1960, and by the mid 1960’s China took over the reigns through to the early 1980’s. Their absolute domination of the sport was finally subdued with the entering of table tennis into the Olympic Games in 1988 and the participation of players from Korea and Sweden. Table Tennis and the Cold War On April 6th, 1971, the US table tennis team was invited on an all-expenses-paid trip to play in China. Four days later, nine players, four officials and two spouses crossed the bridge from Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland. They were the first group of Americans to be allowed into the country since the communist take-over in 1949. One of the first signs during the Cold war of improved relations between the United States and China, Time magazine called it â€Å"the pong heard throughout the world.† It was shortly followed with a visit to China by President Nixon. Facilities and Equipment The Table The playing surface, should be rectangular, 2.74m long and 1.525m wide, and shall lie in a horizontal plane 76cm above the floor .The playing surface should not include the vertical sides of the tabletop. The playing surface should yield a uniform bounce of about 23cm when a standard ball is dropped on to it from a height of 30cm. The playing surface shall be uniformly dark colored and matt, but with a white side line, 2cm wide, along each 2.74m edge and a white end line, 2cm wide, along each 1.525m edge. The playing surface shall be divided into 2 equal courts by a vertical net running parallel with the end lines, and shall be continuous over the whole area of each court. For doubles, each court shall be divided into 2 equal half-courts by a white center line, 3mm wide, running parallel with the side lines; the center line shall be regarded as part of each right half-court. The Net Assembly The net shall be suspended by a cord attached at each end to an upright post 15.25cm high, the outside limits of the post being 15.25cm outside the side line. The top of the net, along its whole length, shall be 15.25cm above the playing surface. The Ball The ball shall be spherical, with a diameter of 40mm.and weigh 2.7g. The ball shall be made of celluloid or similar plastics material and shall be white or orange, and matt. The Racket The racket may be of any size, shape or weight but the blade (wooden face) shall be flat and rigid. The covering material (rubber sheets) shall extend up to but not beyond the limits of the blade, except that the part nearest the handle and gripped by the fingers may be left uncovered or covered with any material. The surface of the covering material on a side of the blade, or of a side of the blade if it is left uncovered, shall be matt, bright red on one side and black on the other. Slight deviations from continuity of surface or uniformity of color due to accidental damage or wear may be allowed provided that they do not significantly change the characteristics of the surface. Rules of the game Serving The server shall project the ball near vertically upwards, without imparting spin, so that it rises at least 16cm and then falls without touching anything before being struck. The ball shall not be hidden from the receiver by any part of the body or clothing of the server or his doubles partner and as soon as the ball has been projected, the server’s free arm shall be removed from the space between the server’s body and the net. If the umpire is doubtful of the legality of a service he may, on the first occasion in a match, declare a let (see below) and warn the server. Any subsequent service of doubtful legality of that player or his doubles partner will result in a point to the receiver. Whenever there is a clear failure to comply with the requirements for a good service, no warning shall be given and the receiver shall score a point.

Detection and Classification of Leukaemia Cells

Detection and Classification of Leukaemia Cells Leukemia is one of the many types of cancers. Leukemia is caused in the white blood cells near the bone marrow region of our body. In this the WBCs which get infected turns blue. Like any other cancer in this also the cell divides itself at the faster pace. Most human cancers are characterized by the aberrant expression of normal and/or mutated genes, and natural selection acts on cancer cells to cause a loss of growth control, angiogenesis, invasion, and metastasis. Even when it is not required they multiply causing a tumor. Detected and treated at an early stage of leukemia saves a lot of lives. The aim of this research is to automate the detection of leukemia cells. In the scientific language, the leukemia cells are known as the blast cells. There are two types of acute leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). This thesis focuses on Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Generally, the process of detection and classification is done manually taki ng up to five days. The motivation behind this research is to improve the diagnostic process by automating it and reducing its time span to five days to few hours. Nowadays, medical imaging is one of the fastest growing fields in medicine, clinical settings and research and development (RD). Image processing in medical field is becoming a subject of prime focus due to its tremendous potential for the public health sector and the scientific community in general. In particular, imaging applications are emerging as a new opportunity as an innovation at the meeting point between medicine and the computer science. Many software and research groups focus on the development of image processing applications for medical images, for example to improve low resolution photographic images and produce effective high quality images. There is no terrifying disease than cancer nowadays. It is often seen as untreatable, un curable and a very painful disease. Leukemia detection helps in detecting blood cancer using two basic modules of image processing i.e. Image segmentation and feature extraction. After these two modules, we use two techniques of neural network i.e. feed forward network and RBFNN for the detection purposes. We compare the accuracy percentage in both of them. The technique with best accuracy percentage is recorded as the more efficient technique. More than 310,000 Americans are living with leukemia. Every day 143 Americansare detectedwith leukemia and 66 lose the fight. [23] A brief overview of leukemia and a conceptual analysis of the main methods used for the detection and classification of leukemia cells facilitating Artificial Intelligence, Cellular Automata and Neural Networks are discussed below. Cancer has become a data-intensive range of investigation, with growing amount of changes in data collection technologies and methodologies. In 1895, Wilhelm Roentgen discovered that X-ray tubes, utilized widely for imaging bones and then for giving a variety of circumstances. The technicians who ran the radiograph machines and many exposed patients were found with skin tumors and leukemia. Accurate diagnosis and sorting of blast cells is an tremendously valuable necessity for the detailed diagnosis of leukemia and has a optimistic impact on treatment and prognosis. BLOOD Blood is important part of human life. An average human body is around 70 liters of liquid from which five liters is blood. Biologically, blood is vital for preserving homeostasis that is keeping the body’s position stable. This discusses to hydration, temperature regulation and ion concentration. a) Transfer of nutrients from the digestive system to wholly parts of the body. b) Transportation of oxygen from the lungs to all parts of a body. c) Transportation of carbon dioxide from all parts of the body to the lungs. d) Transportation of waste products from cells to the external environment, especially via the kidneys. e) Keeping an ongoing discussion of it is mechanisms with tissue fluids and keeping electrolyte balance. f) Defending the body against attack from foreign viruses through the white blood cells and antibodies. g) Shielding the body against injury or illness using the provocative response. h) Preventing serious hemorrhage by the clotting process. Blood has four main fundamentals to ensure it fulfills its functions, shown in Table 1.1 Table 1.1 (a): Major elements of Blood (Red blood cells, White blood cells, Platelets). Table 1.1(b): Major elements of Blood (Plasma). 1.1.2 WHITE BLOOD CELLS A white blood cell is superior to a red blood cell. White blood cell arrangement and concentration in the blood gives appreciated information and plays a crucial role in the diagnosis of different diseases. White blood cells fall into five categories: Neutrophil, Eosinophil, Basophil, Monocyte and Lymphocyte, shown in the Table 1.2. These cells afford the greatest defense against infections, and their discrete concentrations can help authorities to distinguish between the presences or not of severe pathologies. Types of blood cells are discussed in the following table Table 1.2 : White Blood Cells (Neutrophil, Eosinophil, Basophil, monocyte, lymphocyte) 1.1.3 TYPES OF LEUKEMIA Leukemia is a sickness of unidentified cause where the bone marrow produces huge numbers of irregular cells white blood cells that stop increasing before maturity. There are four main types of leukemia, namely Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), which is used as a case study in the thesis, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Most commonly, acute leukemia patients are discussed to specialist units for evaluation. Treatment is based on chemotherapy through the veins, lasting four to six months, which also kills normal body cells. Leukemia can be identified by blood tests while a bone marrow test assists to choose on the best choice of treatment. Table 1.3 includes the types of main leukemia. Table 1.3 : Types of Leukemia Table below shows the UK Leukemia case statistics for males and females in 2007, revealing that the survival rate has increased from 2001 to 2006. The diagnosis and the medical treatment have improved significantly as shown in Figure 2.1. Automated detecting can contribute to the early diagnosis of patients and survival rates are expected to increase in the future. Table 1.4: Leukemia cases in UK for 2007 Figure 1.1: Leukemia 10-year relative survival rates 1.1.4 FLOW CHART OF THE PEOPLE ADMITTED IN THE HOSPITAL Figure 1.2 shows the steps that are essential to be taken by a hematologist in order to identify a patient with acute leukemia. Table 1.5 provides a more thorough explanation of the individual steps in Figure 1.2 NO YES NOYES Table 1.5 : Analytical description of each step in Figure 1.2

Essay --

In the early 1800’s the United States began to split, but as mid-century came around, the union started to separate drastically. During the period of 1850, until 1861 the union was clearly divided between the north and the sounth. Although the Constitution was not the only factor leading to sectional tension in America, there are many strong points in the North and South favoring the statement, â€Å"By the 1850’s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created.† When the Constitution was framed in 1787, the founding fathers were concerned about leaving Britain and becoming a Union, as opposed to the issue of slavery that would later prevail. Henry Clay created the Compromise of 1850, which helped solve the problem of slavery in the new territories (Document A). This was not included in the Constitution. When the Missouri Compromise was ruled unconstitutional under the Dred Scott decision. It is evident that although the Constitution is t...

Essay --

Jacob bowler Ms. Miller English 12 26 October, 2013 How the Nazi regime changed the world Hail Hitler this was the phrase of the most feared group at the time the Nazi regime. They were one of the most powerful groups in the world even after losing one war they start up another one. Fighting and for the most part concurring and ruling lots of lands. They tricked everyone with their claim of just trying to reclaim the previously lost lands. Now while the nazi party did ultimately fail in their attempt to take over control of the world, they did succeed in creating great amounts of fear making many technological advancements and destroying millions of the Jewish race. One of two greatest motivators of people is fear, or fear of something. This was a great motivator of the Nazi regime their powerful tactics and ideas did not just cause fear for the time period of theirs but also to the present we still fear many things that had happened back then. One small thing that they did that still is here today is the fear of the police, with the secret police there was great fear of them and what they could do to you. With that fear people were less likely to disobey Hitler’s laws and methods. How that method still lasts today is that lots of people still fear cops and generally distrust the police and those associated with them. That means everyone that dose any illegal activity is very afraid of cops and any form of punishment that they could deal out. Then there is the undercover cops just like the secret police, cops that could infiltrate groups doing illegal activities. This also makes the groups very distrustful of most people, just like the pe ople that helped the Jews during the holocaust. So after all the pain and destruction of th... ... They came up with most the terror tactics showing that there can be many different ways of controlling specific groups through through many different tactis. So thought this it shows that the past and what happened there can have a great effect on us that it caused us to learn from the mistakes from the past. It shows that we have done many stupid things but also a lot of great things came out of the nazi party that they created. Showing that the best of things along with the worst of things can come out of the same thing. Horrors and miericals, bad and good everything can have two sides and different effects so this is how the Nazi party while failing to be able to control the world they did succeed in generating great amounts of fear, making many technological advancements and then greatly diminishing the populations of the Jews through murderous activities .

A Game of Thrones Chapter Thirty-five

Eddard He found Littlefinger in the brothel's common room, chatting amiably with a tall, elegant woman who wore a feathered gown over skin as black as ink. By the hearth, Heward and a buxom wench were playing at forfeits. From the look of it, he'd lost his belt, his cloak, his mail shirt, and his right boot so far, while the girl had been forced to unbutton her shift to the waist. Jory Cassel stood beside a rain-streaked window with a wry smile on his face, watching Heward turn over tiles and enjoying the view. Ned paused at the foot of the stair and pulled on his gloves. â€Å"It's time we took our leave. My business here is done.† Heward lurched to his feet, hurriedly gathering up his things. â€Å"As you will, my lord,† Jory said. â€Å"I'll help Wyl bring round the horses.† He strode to the door. Littlefinger took his time saying his farewells. He kissed the black woman's hand, whispered some joke that made her laugh aloud, and sauntered over to Ned. â€Å"Your business,† he said lightly, â€Å"or Robert's? They say the Hand dreams the king's dreams, speaks with the king's voice, and rules with the king's sword. Does that also mean you fuck with the king's—† â€Å"Lord Baelish,† Ned interrupted, â€Å"you presume too much. I am not ungrateful for your help. It might have taken us years to find this brothel without you. That does not mean I intend to endure your mockery. And I am no longer the King's Hand.† â€Å"The direwolf must be a prickly beast,† said Littlefinger with a sharp twist of his mouth. A warm rain was pelting down from a starless black sky as they walked to the stables. Ned drew up the hood of his cloak. Jory brought out his horse. Young Wyl came right behind him, leading Littlefinger's mare with one hand while the other fumbled with his belt and the lacings of his trousers. A barefoot whore leaned out of the stable door, giggling at him. â€Å"Will we be going back to the castle now, my lord?† Jory asked. Ned nodded and swung into the saddle. Littlefinger mounted up beside him. Jory and the others followed. â€Å"Chataya runs a choice establishment,† Littlefinger said as they rode. â€Å"I've half a mind to buy it. Brothels are a much sounder investment than ships, I've found. Whores seldom sink, and when they are boarded by pirates, why, the pirates pay good coin like everyone else.† Lord Petyr chuckled at his own wit. Ned let him prattle on. After a time, he quieted and they rode in silence. The streets of King's Landing were dark and deserted. The rain had driven everyone under their roofs. It beat down on Ned's head, warm as blood and relentless as old guilts. Fat drops of water ran down his face. â€Å"Robert will never keep to one bed,† Lyanna had told him at Winterfell, on the night long ago when their father had promised her hand to the young Lord of Storm's End. â€Å"I hear he has gotten a child on some girl in the Vale.† Ned had held the babe in his arms; he could scarcely deny her, nor would he lie to his sister, but he had assured her that what Robert did before their betrothal was of no matter, that he was a good man and true who would love her with all his heart. Lyanna had only smiled. â€Å"Love is sweet, dearest Ned, but it cannot change a man's nature.† The girl had been so young Ned had not dared to ask her age. No doubt she'd been a virgin; the better brothels could always find a virgin, if the purse was fat enough. She had light red hair and a powdering of freckles across the bridge of her nose, and when she slipped free a breast to give her nipple to the babe, he saw that her bosom was freckled as well. â€Å"I named her Barra,† she said as the child nursed. â€Å"She looks so like him, does she not, milord? She has his nose, and his hair . . . â€Å" â€Å"She does.† Eddard Stark had touched the baby's fine, dark hair. It flowed through his fingers like black silk. Robert's firstborn had had the same fine hair, he seemed to recall. â€Å"Tell him that when you see him, milord, as it . . . as it please you. Tell him how beautiful she is.† â€Å"I will,† Ned had promised her. That was his curse. Robert would swear undying love and forget them before evenfall, but Ned Stark kept his vows. He thought of the promises he'd made Lyanna as she lay dying, and the price he'd paid to keep them. â€Å"And tell him I've not been with no one else. I swear it, milord, by the old gods and new. Chataya said I could have half a year, for the baby, and for hoping he'd come back. So you'll tell him I'm waiting, won't you? I don't want no jewels or nothing, just him. He was always good to me, truly.† Good to you, Ned thought hollowly. â€Å"I will tell him, child, and I promise you, Barra shall not go wanting.† She had smiled then, a smile so tremulous and sweet that it cut the heart out of him. Riding through the rainy night, Ned saw Jon Snow's face in front of him, so like a younger version of his own. If the gods frowned so on bastards, he thought dully, why did they fill men with such lusts? â€Å"Lord Baelish, what do you know of Robert's bastards?† â€Å"Well, he has more than you, for a start.† â€Å"How many?† Littlefinger shrugged. Rivulets of moisture twisted down the back of his cloak. â€Å"Does it matter? If you bed enough women, some will give you presents, and His Grace has never been shy on that count. I know he's acknowledged that boy at Storm's End, the one he fathered the night Lord Stannis wed. He could hardly do otherwise. The mother was a Florent, niece to the Lady Selyse, one of her bedmaids. Renly says that Robert carried the girl upstairs during the feast, and broke in the wedding bed while Stannis and his bride were still dancing. Lord Stannis seemed to think that was a blot on the honor of his wife's House, so when the boy was born, he shipped him off to Renly.† He gave Ned a sideways glance. â€Å"I've also heard whispers that Robert got a pair of twins on a serving wench at Casterly Rock, three years ago when he went west for Lord Tywin's tourney. Cersei had the babes killed, and sold the mother to a passing slaver. Too much an affront to Lannister pride, that close to home.† Ned Stark grimaced. Ugly tales like that were told of every great lord in the realm. He could believe it of Cersei Lannister readily enough . . . but would the king stand by and let it happen? The Robert he had known would not have, but the Robert he had known had never been so practiced at shutting his eyes to things he did not wish to see. â€Å"Why would Jon Arryn take a sudden interest in the king's baseborn children?† The short man gave a sodden shrug. â€Å"He was the King's Hand. Doubtless Robert asked him to see that they were provided for.† Ned was soaked through to the bone, and his soul had grown cold. â€Å"It had to be more than that, or why kill him?† Littlefinger shook the rain from his hair and laughed. â€Å"Now I see. Lord Arryn learned that His Grace had filled the bellies of some whores and fishwives, and for that he had to be silenced. Small wonder. Allow a man like that to live, and next he's like to blurt out that the sun rises in the east.† There was no answer Ned Stark could give to that but a frown. For the first time in years, he found himself remembering Rhaegar Targaryen. He wondered if Rhaegar had frequented brothels; somehow he thought not. The rain was falling harder now, stinging the eyes and drumming against the ground. Rivers of black water were running down the hill when Jory called out, â€Å"My lord,† his voice hoarse with alarm. And in an instant, the street was full of soldiers. Ned glimpsed ringmail over leather, gauntlets and greaves, steel helms with golden lions on the crests. Their cloaks clung to their backs, sodden with rain. He had no time to count, but there were ten at least, a line of them, on foot, blocking the street, with longswords and iron-tipped spears. â€Å"Behind!† he heard Wyl cry, and when he turned his horse, there were more in back of them, cutting off their retreat. Jory's sword came singing from its scabbard. â€Å"Make way or die!† â€Å"The wolves are howling,† their leader said. Ned could see rain running down his face. â€Å"Such a small pack, though.† Littlefinger walked his horse forward, step by careful step. â€Å"What is the meaning of this? This is the Hand of the King.† â€Å"He was the Hand of the King.† The mud muffled the hooves of the blood bay stallion. The line parted before him. On a golden breastplate, the lion of Lannister roared its defiance. â€Å"Now, if truth be told, I'm not sure what he is.† â€Å"Lannister, this is madness,† Littlefinger said. â€Å"Let us pass. We are expected back at the castle. What do you think you're doing?† â€Å"He knows what he's doing,† Ned said calmly. Jaime Lannister smiled. â€Å"Quite true. I'm looking for my brother. You remember my brother, don't you, Lord Stark? He was with us at Winterfell. Fair-haired, mismatched eyes, sharp of tongue. A short man.† â€Å"I remember him well,† Ned replied. â€Å"It would seem he has met some trouble on the road. My lord father is quite vexed. You would not perchance have any notion of who might have wished my brother ill, would you?† â€Å"Your brother has been taken at my command, to answer for his crimes,† Ned Stark said. Littlefinger groaned in dismay. â€Å"My lords—† Ser Jaime ripped his longsword from its sheath and urged his stallion forward. â€Å"Show me your steel, Lord Eddard. I'll butcher you like Aerys if I must, but I'd sooner you died with a blade in your hand.† He gave Littlefinger a cool, contemptuous glance. â€Å"Lord Baelish, I'd leave here in some haste if I did not care to get bloodstains on my costly clothing.† Littlefinger did not need to be urged. â€Å"I will bring the City Watch,† he promised Ned. The Lannister line parted to let him through, and closed behind him. Littlefinger put his heels to his mare and vanished around a corner. Ned's men had drawn their swords, but they were three against twenty. Eyes watched from nearby windows and doors, but no one was about to intervene. His party was mounted, the Lannisters on foot save for Jaime himself. A charge might win them free, but it seemed to Eddard Stark that they had a surer, safer tactic. â€Å"Kill me,† he warned the Kingslayer, â€Å"and Catelyn will most certainly slay Tyrion.† Jaime Lannister poked at Ned's chest with the gilded sword that had sipped the blood of the last of the Dragonkings. â€Å"Would she? The noble Catelyn Tully of Riverrun murder a hostage? I think . . . not.† He sighed. â€Å"But I am not willing to chance my brother's life on a woman's honor.† Jaime slid the golden sword into its sheath. â€Å"So I suppose I'll let you run back to Robert to tell him how I frightened you. I wonder if he'll care.† Jaime pushed his wet hair back with his fingers and wheeled his horse around. When he was beyond the line of swordsmen, he glanced back at his captain. â€Å"Tregar, see that no harm comes to Lord Stark.† â€Å"As you say, m'lord.† â€Å"Still . . . we wouldn't want him to leave here entirely unchastened, so†Ã¢â‚¬â€through the night and the rain, he glimpsed the white of Jaime's smile—†kill his men.† â€Å"No!† Ned Stark screamed, clawing for his sword. Jaime was already cantering off down the street as he heard Wyl shout. Men closed from both sides. Ned rode one down, cutting at phantoms in red cloaks who gave way before him. Jory Cassel put his heels into his mount and charged. A steel-shod hoof caught a Lannister guardsman in the face with a sickening crunch. A second man reeled away and for an instant Jory was free. Wyl cursed as they pulled him off his dying horse, swords slashing in the rain. Ned galloped to him, bringing his longsword down on Tregar's helm. The jolt of impact made him grit his teeth. Tregar stumbled to his knees, his lion crest sheared in half, blood running down his face. Heward was hacking at the hands that had seized his bridle when a spear caught him in the belly. Suddenly Jory was back among them, a red rain flying from his sword. â€Å"No!† Ned shouted. â€Å"Jory, away!† Ned's horse slipped under him and came crashing down in th e mud. There was a moment of blinding pain and the taste of blood in his mouth. He saw them cut the legs from Jory's mount and drag him to the earth, swords rising and failing as they closed in around him. When Ned's horse lurched back to its feet, he tried to rise, only to fall again, choking on his scream. He could see the splintered bone poking through his calf. It was the last thing he saw for a time. The rain came down and down and down. When he opened his eyes again, Lord Eddard Stark was alone with his dead. His horse moved closer, caught the rank scent of blood, and galloped away. Ned began to drag himself through the mud, gritting his teeth at the agony in his leg. It seemed to take years. Faces watched from candlelit windows, and people began to emerge from alleys and doors, but no one moved to help. Littlefinger and the City Watch found him there in the street, cradling Jory Cassel's body in his arms. Somewhere the gold cloaks found a litter, but the trip back to the castle was a blur of agony, and Ned lost consciousness more than once. He remembered seeing the Red Keep looming ahead of him in the first grey light of dawn. The rain had darkened the pale pink stone of the massive walls to the color of blood. Then Grand Maester Pycelle was looming over him, holding a cup, whispering, â€Å"Drink, my lord. Here. The milk of the poppy, for your pain.† He remembered swallowing, and Pycelle was telling someone to heat the wine to boiling and fetch him clean silk, and that was the last he knew.