The Twilight Saga 3: Eclipse Chapter 25. MIRROR

I FORCED MYEYES – FROZEN WIDE OPEN WITH SHOCK – to move, so that I could not examine too closely the oval object wrapped in tendrils of shivering, fiery hair. Edward was in motion again. Swift and coolly businesslike, he dismembered the headless corpse. I could not go to him – I could not make my feet respond; they were bolted to the stone beneath them. But I scrutinized his every action minutely, looking for any evidence that he had been harmed. My heart slowed to a healthier rhythm when I found nothing. He was lithe and graceful as ever. I couldn't even see a tear in his clothes. He did not look at me – where I stood frozen to the cliff wall, horrified – while he piled the quivering, twitching limbs and then covered them with dry pine needles. He still did not meet my shocked gaze as he darted into the forest after Seth. I didn't have time to recover before both he and Seth were back, Edward with his arms full of Riley. Seth was carrying a large chunk – the torso – in his mouth. They added their burden to the pile, and Edward pulled a silver rectangle from his pocket. He flipped open the butane lighter and held the flame to the dry tinder. It caught at once; long tongues of orange fire licked rapidly across the pyre. â€Å"Get every piece,† Edward said in a low aside to Seth. Together, the vampire and the werewolf scoured the campsite, occasionally tossing small lumps of white stone into the blaze. Seth handled the pieces with his teeth. My brain wasn't working well enough for me to understand why he didn't change back to a form with hands. Edward kept his eyes on his work. And then they were done, and the raging fire was sending a pillar of choking purple toward the sky. The thick smoke curled up slowly, looking more solid than it should; it smelled like burning incense, and the scent was uncomfortable. It was heavy, too strong. Seth made that snickering sound again, deep in his chest. A smile flickered across Edward's tense face. Edward stretched out his arm, his hand curled into a fist. Seth grinned, revealing the long row of dagger teeth, and bumped his nose against Edward's hand. â€Å"Nice teamwork,† Edward murmured. Seth coughed a laugh. Then Edward took a deep breath, and turned slowly to face me. I did not understand his expression. His eyes were as wary as if I were another enemy – more than wary, they were afraid. Yet he'd shown no fear at all when he'd faced Victoria and Riley. . . . My mind was stuck, stunned and useless as my body. I stared at him, bewildered. â€Å"Bella, love,† he said in his softest tone, walking toward me with exaggerated slowness, his hands held up, palms forward. Dazed as I was, it reminded me oddly of a suspect approaching a policeman, showing that he wasn't armed. . . . â€Å"Bella, can you drop the rock, please? Carefully. Don't hurt yourself.† I'd forgotten all about my crude weapon, though I realized now that I was grasping it so hard that my knuckle was screaming in protest. Was it rebroken? Carlisle would put me in a cast for sure this time. Edward hesitated a few feet from me, his hands still in the air, his eyes still fearful. It took me a few long seconds to remember how to move my fingers. Then the rock clattered to the ground, while my hand stayed frozen in the same position. Edward relaxed slightly when my hands were empty, but came no closer. â€Å"You don't have to be afraid, Bella,† Edward murmured. â€Å"You're safe. I won't hurt you.† The mystifying promise only confused me further. I stared at him like an imbecile, trying to understand. â€Å"It's going to be all right, Bella. I know you're frightened now, but it's over. No one is going to hurt you. I won't touch you. I won't hurt you,† he said again. My eyes blinked furiously, and I found my voice. â€Å"Why do you keep saying that?† I took an unsteady step toward him, and he leaned away from my advance. â€Å"What's wrong?† I whispered. â€Å"What do you mean?† â€Å"Are you . . .† His golden eyes were suddenly as confused as I felt. â€Å"Aren't you afraid of me?† â€Å"Afraid of you? Why?† I staggered forward another step, and then tripped over something – my own feet probably. Edward caught me, and I buried my face in his chest and started to sob. â€Å"Bella, Bella, I'm so sorry. It's over, it's over.† â€Å"I'm fine,† I gasped. â€Å"I'm okay. I'm just. Freaking out. Give me. A minute.† His arms tightened around me. â€Å"I'm so sorry,† he murmured again and again. I clung to him until I could breathe, and then I was kissing him – his chest, his shoulder, his neck – every part of him that I could reach. Slowly, my brain started to work again. â€Å"Are you okay?† I demanded between kisses. â€Å"Did she hurt you at all?† â€Å"I am absolutely fine,† he promised, burying his face in my hair. â€Å"Seth?† Edward chuckled. â€Å"More than fine. Very pleased with himself, in fact.† â€Å"The others? Alice, Esme? The wolves? â€Å"All fine. It's over there, too. It went just as smoothly as I promised. We got the worst of it here.† I let myself absorb that for a moment, let it sink in and settle in my head. My family and my friends were safe. Victoria was never coming after me again. It was over. We were all going to be fine. But I couldn't completely take in the good news while I was still so confused. â€Å"Tell me why,† I insisted. â€Å"Why did you think I would be afraid of you?† â€Å"I'm sorry,† he said, apologizing yet again – for what? I had no idea. â€Å"So sorry. I didn't want you to see that. See me like that. I know I must have terrified you.† I had to think about that for another minute, about the hesitant way he'd approached me, his hands in the air. Like I was going to run if he moved too fast. . . . â€Å"Seriously?† I finally asked. â€Å"You . . . what? Thought you'd scared me off?† I snorted. Snorting was good; a voice couldn't tremble or break during a snort. It sounded impressively offhand. He put his hand under my chin and tilted my head back to read my face. â€Å"Bella, I just† – he hesitated and then forced the words out – â€Å"I just beheaded and dismembered a sentient creature not twenty yards from you. That doesn't bother you?† He frowned at me. I shrugged. Shrugging was good, too. Very blas. â€Å"Not really. I was only afraid that you and Seth were going to get hurt. I wanted to help, but there's only so much I can do. . . .† His suddenly livid expression made my voice fade out. â€Å"Yes,† he said, his tone clipped. â€Å"Your little stunt with the rock. You know that you nearly gave me a heart attack? Not the easiest thing to do, that.† His furious glower made it hard to answer. â€Å"I wanted to help . . . Seth was hurt. . . .† â€Å"Seth was only feigning that he was hurt, Bella. It was a trick. And then you . . . !† He shook his head, unable to finish. â€Å"Seth couldn't see what you were doing, so I had to step in. Seth's a bit disgruntled that he can't claim a single-handed defeat now.† â€Å"Seth was . . . faking?† Edward nodded sternly. â€Å"Oh.† We both looked at Seth, who was studiously ignoring us, watching the flames. Smugness radiated from every hair in his fur. â€Å"Well, I didn't know that,† I said, on the offense now. â€Å"And it's not easy being the only helpless person around. Just you wait till I'm a vampire! I'm not going to be sitting on the sidelines next time.† A dozen emotions flitted across his face before he settled on being amused. â€Å"Next time? Did you anticipate another war soon?† â€Å"With my luck? Who knows?† He rolled his eyes, but I could see that he was flying – the relief was making us both lightheaded. It was over. Or . . . was it? â€Å"Hold on. Didn't you say something before – ?† I flinched, remembering what exactly it had been before – what was I going to say to Jacob? My splintered heart throbbed out a painful, aching beat. It was hard to believe, almost impossible, but the hardest part of this day was not behind me – and then I soldiered on. â€Å"About a complication? And Alice, needing to nail down the schedule for Sam. You said it was going to be close. What was going to be close?† Edward's eyes flickered back to Seth, and they exchanged a loaded glance. â€Å"Well?† I asked. â€Å"It's nothing, really,† Edward said quickly. â€Å"But we do need to be on our way. . . .† He started to pull me into place on his back, but I stiffened and drew away. â€Å"Define nothing.† Edward took my face between his palms. â€Å"We only have a minute, so don't panic, all right? I told you that you had no reason to be afraid. Trust me on that, please?† I nodded, trying to hide the sudden terror – how much more could I handle before I collapsed? â€Å"No reason to be afraid. Got it.† He pursed his lips for a second, deciding what to say. And then he glanced abruptly at Seth, as if the wolf had called him. â€Å"What's she doing?† Edward asked. Seth whined; it was an anxious, uneasy sound. It made the hair on the back of my neck rise. Everything was dead silent for one endless second. And then Edward gasped, â€Å"No!† and one of his hands flew out as if to grab something that I couldn't see. â€Å"Don't -!† A spasm rocked through Seth's body, and a howl, blistering with agony, ripped from his lungs. Edward fell to his knees at the exact same moment, gripping the sides of his head with two hands, his face furrowed in pain. I screamed once in bewildered terror, and dropped to my knees beside him. Stupidly, I tried to pull his hands from his face; my palms, clammy with sweat, slid off his marble skin. â€Å"Edward! Edward!† His eyes focused on me; with obvious effort, he pulled his clenched teeth apart. â€Å"It's okay. We're going to be fine. It's -† He broke off, and winced again. â€Å"What's happening?† I cried out while Seth howled in anguish. â€Å"We're fine. We're going to be okay,† Edward gasped. â€Å"Sam – help him -â€Å" And I realized in that instant, when he said Sam's name, that he was not speaking of himself and Seth. No unseen force was attacking them. This time, the crisis was not here. He was using the pack plural. I'd burned through all my adrenaline. My body had nothing left. I sagged, and Edward caught me before I could hit the rocks. He sprang to his feet, me in his arms. â€Å"Seth!† Edward shouted. Seth was crouched, still tensed in agony, looking as if he meant to launch himself into the forest. â€Å"No!† Edward ordered. â€Å"You go straight home. Now. As fast as you can!† Seth whimpered, shaking his great head from side to side. â€Å"Seth. Trust me.† The huge wolf stared into Edward's agonized eyes for one long second, and then he straightened up and flew into the trees, disappearing like a ghost. Edward cradled me tightly against his chest, and then we were also hurtling through the shadowy forest, taking a different path than the wolf. â€Å"Edward.† I fought to force the words through my constricted throat. â€Å"What happened, Edward? What happened to Sam? Where are we going? What's happening?† â€Å"We have to go back to the clearing,† he told me in a low voice. â€Å"We knew there was a good probability of this happening. Earlier this morning, Alice saw it and passed it through Sam to Seth. The Volturi decided it was time to intercede.† The Volturi. Too much. My mind refused to make sense of the words, pretended it couldn't understand. The trees jolted past us. He was running downhill so fast that it felt as if we were plummeting, falling out of control. â€Å"Don't panic. They aren't coming for us. It's just the normal contingent of the guard that usually cleans up this kind of mess. Nothing momentous, they're merely doing their job. Of course, they seem to have timed their arrival very carefully. Which leads me to believe that no one in Italy would mourn if these newborns had reduced the size of the Cullen family.† The words came through his teeth, hard and bleak. â€Å"I'll know for sure what they were thinking when they get to the clearing.† â€Å"Is that why we're going back?† I whispered. Could I handle this? Images of flowing black robes crept into my unwilling mind, and I flinched away from them. I was close to a breaking point. â€Å"It's part of the reason. Mostly, it will be safer for us to present a united front at this point. They have no reason to harass us, but . . . Jane's with them. If she thought we were alone somewhere away from the others, it might tempt her. Like Victoria, Jane will probably guess that I'm with you. Demetri, of course, is with her. He could find me, if Jane asked him to.† I didn't want to think that name. I didn't want to see that blindingly exquisite, childlike face in my head. A strange sound came out of my throat. â€Å"Shh, Bella, shh. It's all going to be fine. Alice can see that.† Alice could see? But . . . then where were the wolves? Where was the pack? â€Å"The pack?† â€Å"They had to leave quickly. The Volturi do not honor truces with werewolves.† I could hear my breathing get faster, but I couldn't control it. I started to gasp. â€Å"I swear they will be fine,† Edward promised me. â€Å"The Volturi won't recognize the scent – they won't realize the wolves are here; this isn't a species they are familiar with. The pack will be fine.† I couldn't process his explanation. My concentration was ripped to shreds by my fears. We're going to be fine, he had said before . . . and Seth, howling in agony . . . Edward had avoided my first question, distracted me with the Volturi. . . . I was very close to the edge – just clinging by my fingertips. The trees were a racing blur that flowed around him like jade waters. â€Å"What happened?† I whispered again. â€Å"Before. When Seth was howling? When you were hurt?† Edward hesitated. â€Å"Edward! Tell me!† â€Å"It was all over,† he whispered. I could barely hear him over the wind his speed created. â€Å"The wolves didn't count their half . . . they thought they had them all. Of course, Alice couldn't see. . . .† â€Å"What happened?!† â€Å"One of the newborns was hiding. . . . Leah found him – she was being stupid, cocky, trying to prove something. She engaged him alone. . . .† â€Å"Leah,† I repeated, and I was too weak to feel shame for the relief that flooded through me. â€Å"Is she going to be okay?† â€Å"Leah wasn't hurt,† Edward mumbled. I stared at him for a long second. Sam – help him – Edward had gasped. Him, not her. â€Å"We're almost there,† Edward said, and he stared at a fixed point in the sky. Automatically, my eyes followed his. There was a dark purple cloud hanging low over the trees. A cloud? But it was so abnormally sunny. . . . No, not a cloud – I recognized the thick column of smoke, just like the one at our campsite. â€Å"Edward,† I said, my voice nearly inaudible. â€Å"Edward, someone got hurt.† I'd heard Seth's agony, seen the torture in Edward's face. â€Å"Yes,† he whispered. â€Å"Who?† I asked, though, of course, I already knew the answer. Of course I did. Of course. The trees were slowing around us as we came to our destination. It took him a long moment to answer me. â€Å"Jacob,† he said. I was able to nod once. â€Å"Of course,† I whispered. And then I slipped off the edge I was clinging to inside my head. Everything went black. I was first aware of the cool hands touching me. More than one pair of hands. Arms holding me, a palm curved to fit my cheek, fingers stroking my forehead, and more fingers pressed lightly into my wrist. Then I was aware of the voices. They were just ahumming at first, and then they grew in volume and clarity like someone was turning up a radio. â€Å"Carlisle – it's been five minutes.† Edward's voice, anxious. â€Å"She'll come around when she's ready, Edward.† Carlisle's voice, always calm and sure. â€Å"She's had too much to deal with today. Let her mind protect itself.† But my mind was not protected. It was trapped in the knowledge that had not left me, even in unconsciousness – the pain that was part of the blackness. I felt totally disconnected from my body. Like I was caged in some small corner of my head, no longer at the controls. But I couldn't do anything about it. I couldn't think. The agony was too strong for that. There was no escape from it. Jacob. Jacob. No, no, no, no, no . . . â€Å"Alice, how long do we have?† Edward demanded, his voice still tense; Carlisle's soothing words had not helped. From farther away, Alice's voice. It was brightly chipper. â€Å"Another five minutes. And Bella will open her eyes in thirty-seven seconds. I wouldn't doubt that she can hear us now.† â€Å"Bella, honey?† This was Esme's soft, comforting voice. â€Å"Can you hear me? You're safe now, dear.† Yes, I was safe. Did that really matter? Then cool lips were at my ear, and Edward was speaking the words that allowed me to escape from the torture that had me caged inside my own head. â€Å"He's going to live, Bella. Jacob Black is healing as I speak. He'll be fine.† As the pain and dread eased, I found my way back to my body. My eyelids fluttered. â€Å"Oh, Bella,† Edward sighed in relief, and his lips touched mine. â€Å"Edward,† I whispered. â€Å"Yes, I'm here.† I got my lids to open, and I stared into warm gold. â€Å"Jacob is okay?† I asked. â€Å"Yes,† he promised. I watched his eyes carefully for some sign that he was placating me, but they were perfectly clear. â€Å"I examined him myself,† Carlisle said then; I turned my head to find his face, only a few feet away. Carlisle's expression was serious and reassuring at the same time. It was impossible to doubt him. â€Å"His life is not in any danger. He was healing at an incredible rate, though his injuries were extensive enough that it will still be a few days before he is back to normal, even if the rate of repair holds steady. As soon as we're done here, I will do what I can to help him. Sam is trying to get him to phase back to his human form. That will make treating him easier.† Carlisle smiled slightly. â€Å"I've never been to veterinarian school.† â€Å"What happened to him?† I whispered. â€Å"How bad are his injuries?† Carlisle's face was serious again. â€Å"Another wolf was in trouble -â€Å" â€Å"Leah,† I breathed. â€Å"Yes. He knocked her out of the way, but he didn't have time to defend himself. The newborn got his arms around him. Most of the bones on the right half of his body were shattered.† I flinched. â€Å"Sam and Paul got there in time. He was already improving when they took him back to La Push.† â€Å"He'll be back to normal?† I asked. â€Å"Yes, Bella. He won't have any permanent damage.† I took a deep breath. â€Å"Three minutes,† Alice said quietly. I struggled, trying to get vertical. Edward realized what I was doing and helped me to my feet. I stared at the scene in front of me. The Cullens stood in a loose semicircle around the bonfire. There were hardly any flames visible, just the thick, purple-black smoke, hovering like a disease against the bright grass. Jasper stood closest to the solid- seeming haze, in its shadow so that his skin did not glitter brilliantly in the sun the way the others did. He had his back to me, his shoulders tense, his arms slightly extended. There was something there, in his shadow. Something he crouched over with wary intensity. . . . I was too numb to feel more than a mild shock when I realized what it was. There were eight vampires in the clearing. The girl was curled into a small ball beside the flames, her arms wrapped around her legs. She was very young. Younger than me – she looked maybe fifteen, dark-haired and slight. Her eyes were focused on me, and the irises were a shocking, brilliant red. Much brighter than Riley's, almost glowing. They wheeled wildly, out of control. Edward saw my bewildered expression. â€Å"She surrendered,† he told me quietly. â€Å"That's one I've never seen before. Only Carlisle would think of offering. Jasper doesn't approve.† I couldn't tear my gaze away from the scene beside the fire. Jasper was rubbing absently at his left forearm. â€Å"Is Jasper all right?† I whispered. â€Å"He's fine. The venom stings.† â€Å"He was bitten?† I asked, horrified. â€Å"He was trying to be everywhere at once. Trying to make sure Alice had nothing to do, actually.† Edward shook his head. â€Å"Alice doesn't need anyone's help.† Alice grimaced toward her true love. â€Å"Overprotective fool.† The young female suddenly threw her head back like an animal and wailed shrilly. Jasper growled at her and she cringed back, but her fingers dug into the ground like claws and her head whipped back and forth in anguish. Jasper took a step toward her, slipping deeper into his crouch. Edward moved with overdone casualness, turning our bodies so that he was between the girl and me. I peeked around his arm to watch the thrashing girl and Jasper. Carlisle was at Jasper's side in an instant. He put a restraining hand on his most recent son's arm. â€Å"Have you changed your mind, young one?† Carlisle asked, calm as ever. â€Å"We don't want to destroy you, but we will if you can't control yourself.† â€Å"How can you stand it?† the girl groaned in a high, clear voice. â€Å"I want her.† Her bright crimson irises focused on Edward, through him, beyond him to me, and her nails ripped through the hard soil again. â€Å"You must stand it,† Carlisle told her gravely. â€Å"You must exercise control. It is possible, and it is the only thing that will save you now.† The girl clutched her dirt-encrusted hands around her head, yowling quietly. â€Å"Shouldn't we move away from her?† I whispered, tugging on Edward's arm. The girl's lips pulled back over her teeth when she heard my voice, her expression one of torment. â€Å"We have to stay here,† Edward murmured. â€Å"They are coming to the north end of the clearing now.† My heart burst into a sprint as I scanned the clearing, but I couldn't see anything past the thick pall of smoke. After a second of fruitless searching, my gaze crept back to the young female vampire. She was still watching me, her eyes half-mad. I met the girl's stare for a long moment. Chin-length dark hair framed her face, which was alabaster pale. It was hard to tell if her features were beautiful, twisted as they were by rage and thirst. The feral red eyes were dominant – hard to look away from. She glared at me viciously, shuddering and writhing every few seconds. I stared at her, mesmerized, wondering if I were looking into a mirror of my future. Then Carlisle and Jasper began to back toward the rest of us. Emmett, Rosalie, and Esme all converged hastily around where Edward stood with Alice and me. A united front, as Edward had said, with me at the heart, in the safest place. I tore my attention away from the wild girl to search for the approaching monsters. There was stillnothing to see. I glanced at Edward, and his eyes were locked straight ahead. I tried to follow his gaze, but there was only the smoke – dense, oily smoke twisting low to the ground, rising lazily, undulating against the grass. It billowed forward, darker in the middle. â€Å"Hmm,† a dead voice murmured from the mist. I recognized the apathy at once. â€Å"Welcome, Jane.† Edward's tone was coolly courteous. The dark shapes came closer, separating themselves from the haze, solidifying. I knew it would be Jane in the front – the darkest cloak, almost black, and the smallest figure by more than two feet. I could just barely make out Jane's angelic features in the shade of the cowl. The four gray-shrouded figures hulking behind her were also somewhat familiar. I was sure I recognized the biggest one, and while I stared, trying to confirm my suspicion, Felix looked up. He let his hood fall back slightly so that I could see him wink at me and smile. Edward was very still at my side, tightly in control. Jane's gaze moved slowly across the luminous faces of the Cullens and then touched on the newborn girl beside the fire; the newborn had her head in her hands again. â€Å"I don't understand.† Jane's voice was toneless, but not quite as uninterested as before. â€Å"She has surrendered,† Edward explained, answering the confusion in her mind. Jane's dark eyes flashed to his face. â€Å"Surrendered?† Felix and another shadow exchanged a quick glance. Edward shrugged. â€Å"Carlisle gave her the option.† â€Å"There are no options for those who break the rules,† Jane said flatly. Carlisle spoke then, his voice mild. â€Å"That's in your hands. As long as she was willing to halt her attack on us, I saw no need to destroy her. She was never taught.† â€Å"That is irrelevant,† Jane insisted. â€Å"As you wish.† Jane stared at Carlisle in consternation. She shook her head infinitesimally, and then composed her features. â€Å"Aro hoped that we would get far enough west to see you, Carlisle. He sends his regards.† Carlisle nodded. â€Å"I would appreciate it if you would convey mine to him.† â€Å"Of course.† Jane smiled. Her face was almost too lovely when it was animated. She looked back toward the smoke. â€Å"It appears that you've done our work for us today . . . for the most part.† Her eyes flickered to the hostage. â€Å"Just out of professional curiosity, how many were there? They left quite a wake of destruction in Seattle.† â€Å"Eighteen, including this one,† Carlisle answered. Jane's eyes widened, and she looked at the fire again, seeming to reassess the size of it. Felix and the other shadow exchanged a longer glance. â€Å"Eighteen?† she repeated, her voice sounding unsure for the first time. â€Å"All brand-new,† Carlisle said dismissively. â€Å"They were unskilled.† â€Å"All?† Her voice turned sharp. â€Å"Then who was their creator?† â€Å"Her name was Victoria,† Edward answered, no emotion in his voice. â€Å"Was?† Jane asked. Edward inclined his head toward the eastern forest. Jane's eyes snapped up and focused on something far in the distance. The other pillar of smoke? I didn't look away to check. Jane stared to the east for a long moment, and then examined the closer bonfire again. â€Å"This Victoria – she was in addition to the eighteen here?† â€Å"Yes. She had only one other with her. He was not as young as this one here, but no older than a year.† â€Å"Twenty,† Jane breathed. â€Å"Who dealt with the creator?† â€Å"I did,† Edward told her. Jane's eyes narrowed, and she turned to the girl beside the fire. â€Å"You there,† she said, her dead voice harsher than before. â€Å"Your name.† The newborn shot a baleful glare at Jane, her lips pressed tightly together. Jane smiled back angelically. The newborn girl's answering scream was ear-piercing; her body arched stiffly into a distorted, unnatural position. I looked away, fighting the urge to cover my ears. I gritted my teeth, hoping to control my stomach. The screaming intensified. I tried to concentrate on Edward's face, smooth and unemotional, but that made me remember when it had been Edward under Jane's torturing gaze, and I felt sicker. I looked at Alice instead, and Esme next to her. Their faces were as empty as his. Finally, it was quiet. â€Å"Your name,† Jane said again, her voice inflectionless. â€Å"Bree,† the girl gasped. Jane smiled, and the girl shrieked again. I held my breath until the sound of her agony stopped. â€Å"She'll tell you anything you want to know,† Edward said through his teeth. â€Å"You don't have to do that.† Jane looked up, sudden humor in her usually dead eyes. â€Å"Oh, I know,† she said to Edward, grinning at him before she turned back to the young vampire, Bree. â€Å"Bree,† Jane said, her voice cold again. â€Å"Is his story true? Were there twenty of you?† The girl lay panting, the side of her face pressed against the earth. She spoke quickly. â€Å"Nineteen or twenty, maybe more, I don't know!† She cringed, terrified that her ignorance might bring on another round of torture. â€Å"Sara and the one whose name I don't know got in a fight on the way. . . .† â€Å"And this Victoria – did she create you?† â€Å"I don't know,† she said, flinching again. â€Å"Riley never said her name. I didn't see that night . . . it was so dark, and it hurt. . . .† Bree shuddered. â€Å"He didn't want us to be able to think of her. He said that our thoughts weren't safe. . . .† Jane's eyes flickered to Edward, and then back to the girl. Victoria had planned this well. If she hadn't followed Edward, there would have been no way to know for certain that she was involved. . . . â€Å"Tell me about Riley,† Jane said. â€Å"Why did he bring you here?† â€Å"Riley told us that we had to destroy the strange yellow-eyes here,† Bree babbled quickly and willingly. â€Å"He said it would be easy. He said that the city was theirs, and they were coming to get us. He said once they were gone, all the blood would be ours. He gave us her scent.† Bree lifted one hand and stabbed a finger in my direction. â€Å"He said we would know that we had the right coven, because she would be with them. He said whoever got to her first could have her.† I heard Edward's jaw flex beside me. â€Å"It looks like Riley was wrong about the easy part,† Jane noted. Bree nodded, seeming relieved that the conversation had taken this non-painful course. She sat up carefully. â€Å"I don't know what happened. We split up, but the others never came. And Riley left us, and he didn't come to help like he promised. And then it was so confusing, and everybody was in pieces.† She shuddered again. â€Å"I was afraid. I wanted to run away. That one† – she looked at Carlisle – â€Å"said they wouldn't hurt me if I stopped fighting.† â€Å"Ah, but that wasn't his gift to offer, young one,† Jane murmured, her voice oddly gentle now. â€Å"Broken rules demand a consequence.† Bree stared at her, not comprehending. Jane looked at Carlisle. â€Å"Are you sure you got all of them? The other half that split off?† Carlisle's face was very smooth as he nodded. â€Å"We split up, too.† Jane half-smiled. â€Å"I can't deny that I'm impressed.† The big shadows behind her murmured in agreement. â€Å"I've never seen a coven escape this magnitude of offensive intact. Do you know what was behind it? It seems like extreme behavior, considering the way you live here. And why was the girl the key?† Her eyes rested unwilling on me for one short second. I shivered. â€Å"Victoria held a grudge against Bella,† Edward told her, his voice impassive. Jane laughed – the sound was golden, the bubbling laugh of a happy child. â€Å"This one seems to bring out bizarrely strong reactions in our kind,† she observed, smiling directly at me, her face beatific. Edward stiffened. I looked at him in time to see his face turning away, back to Jane. â€Å"Would you please not do that?† he asked in a tight voice. Jane laughed again lightly. â€Å"Just checking. No harm done, apparently.† I shivered, deeply grateful that the strange glitch in my system – which had protected me from Jane the last time we'd met – was still in effect. Edward's arm tightened around me. â€Å"Well, it appears that there's not much left for us to do. Odd,† Jane said, apathy creeping back into her voice. â€Å"We're not used to being rendered unnecessary. It's too bad we missed the fight. It sounds like it would have been entertaining to watch.† â€Å"Yes,† Edward answered her quickly, his voice sharp. â€Å"And you were so close. It's a shame you didn't arrive just a half hour earlier. Perhaps then you could have fulfilled your purpose here.† Jane met Edward's glare with unwavering eyes. â€Å"Yes. Quite a pity how things turned out, isn't it?† Edward nodded once to himself, his suspicions confirmed. Jane turned to look at the newborn Bree again, her face completely bored. â€Å"Felix?† she drawled. â€Å"Wait,† Edward interjected. Jane raised one eyebrow, but Edward was staring at Carlisle while he spoke in an urgent voice. â€Å"We could explain the rules to the young one. She doesn't seem unwilling to learn. She didn't know what she was doing.† â€Å"Of course,† Carlisle answered. â€Å"We would certainly be prepared to take responsibility for Bree.† Jane's expression was torn between amusement and disbelief. â€Å"We don't make exceptions,† she said. â€Å"And we don't give second chances. It's bad for our reputation. Which reminds me . . .† Suddenly, her eyes were on me again, and her cherubic face dimpled. â€Å"Caius will be so interested to hear that you're still human, Bella. Perhaps he'll decide to visit.† â€Å"The date is set,† Alice told Jane, speaking for the first time. â€Å"Perhaps we'll come to visit you in a few months.† Jane's smile faded, and she shrugged indifferently, never looking at Alice. She turned to face Carlisle. â€Å"It was nice to meet you, Carlisle – I'd thought Aro was exaggerating. Well, until we meet again . . .† Carlisle nodded, his expression pained. â€Å"Take care of that, Felix,† Jane said, nodding toward Bree, her voice dripping boredom. â€Å"I want to go home.† â€Å"Don't watch,† Edward whispered in my ear. I was only too eager to follow his instruction. I'd seen more than enough for one day – more than enough for one lifetime. I squeezed my eyes tightly together and turned my face into Edward's chest. But I could still hear. There was a deep, rumbling growl, and then a high-pitched keen that was horribly familiar. That sound cut off quickly, and then the only sound was a sickening crunching and snapping. Edward's hand rubbed anxiously against my shoulders. â€Å"Come,† Jane said, and I looked up in time to see the backs of the tall gray cloaks drifting away toward the curling smoke. The incense smell was strong again – fresh. The gray cloaks disappeared into the thick mist.

Ignorance Is Happiness

Ignorance is happiness Think about communication now, how do people talk to each other? Think about entertainment, how do people have fun? Or how about knowledge, how do people share information? How do people find out about history? People today use cell phones, the Internet, and the television. But until about a century ago, no one had any of that. No one had Phones or flat screen TV’s. No one had Facebook or Twitter accounts. So how did people back then live and work? The answer is with writing, with books. People still read today, but what if people lost all interest in books?What if people turned on books? Would mass book burnings start? Would books be outlawed and become illegal? What would society be like then? This is exactly what Ray Bradbury’s novel is about. In this book, the author describes a society where books have been banned by the government, and because of that, ignorant is all that the people there are. In Ray Bradbury’s novel, Fahrenheit 451, he utilizes the setting, conflict, and point of view to enhance this theme. In literature, the setting is the time and place a story takes place.Ray Bradbury used the futuristic setting to show what a world where television and sea shell radios are the most important things in a person’s life would be like. He’s created a society sometime after 1990, in a place called Elm City. It is a place where every one is equally ignorant, where the government tries to brainwash everyone to not question anything. Beatty quoted, â€Å"The home environment can undo a lot you try to do at school. That’s why we’ve lowered the kindergarten age year after year until now we’re almost snatching them from the cradle† (Bradbury 60).In order to make sure people grow up the way they want, the government has made sure children are taught from a very young age what they should believe in. Kids like Clarisse McClellan are thought of as outcasts because she questions everything around her. The citizens then do not like to think independently either. Faber said, â€Å"Off-hours, yes. But time to think†¦ rushes you on so quickly to its own conclusions your mind hasn’t time to protest, ‘what nonsense! ’ (Bradbury 84). The quotes, â€Å"patience, Montag. Let the war turn off the ‘families. Our civilization is flinging itself to pieces. Stand back from the centrifuge† (Bradbury 87), and, â€Å" In again out again Finnegan† (Bradbury 94), shows that people who they should care about are not important. Husbands are off at war, and their wives do not care at all. The setting contributes a lot to the theme, without the futuristic setting, the impact would not have been as great. Characterization also plays a part in the story. Characterization is when the writer reveals the personality of or describes a character.This helps by letting the readers gain more understanding of the people of that time. Mrs. Phelps stated, â€Å" He (her husband) said, if I get killed off, you just go right ahead and don’t cry, but get married again, and don’t think of me† (Bradbury 95). This quote shows that relationships are not significant anymore; people do not take the time to keep healthy relationships and communicate. Mildred quoted, â€Å"It’s only two thousand dollars. And I think you should consider me sometimes. † (Bradbury 20).Even though Guy Montag said that in order to have the fourth wall put in, he’d have to pay a third of his yearly pay, Mildred does not seem to care. All she wants is her entertainment. Not all people then are like Mildred and Mrs. Phelps though, there are people like Clarisse McClellan. She said, â€Å"I rarely watch the ‘parlor walls’ or go to races or Fun Parks. So I’ve lots of time for crazy thoughts, I guess† (Bradbury 9). Clarisse does not spend her time driving around at insane speeds running over ped estrians. She likes to take walks, enjoy nature.She likes to taste the rain and smell the flowers. But because of this she was thought of as weird and crazy. There is definitely something wrong with a society like that if someone like Clarisse became an outcast. The last thing that Ray Bradbury in cooperated into his novel was the conflicts. Conflicts are struggles between two forces. There were both external and internal conflicts in the story. One conflict is and internal conflict when Montag burned the woman, and starts to see that everything he had been doing his whole life was wrong, and starts wondering what books have to say. There must be something in books, things we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing† (Bradbury 51). Another conflict is between him and Mildred. â€Å"Books are not people. You read and I look all around, but there isn’t anybody! † (Bradbury 73). T his shows how ignorant and shallow people like Mildred can be. She spends all day watching the television, completely immersed with her parlor ‘families’. The last conflict is between Montag and Beatty, or the society he lives in. Beatty said, â€Å" serenity, Montag.Peace, Montag. Take your fight outside. Better yet, into the incinerator†¦burn all burn everything. Fire is bright and fire is clean† (Bradbury 59-60). Beatty said that he too, was once curious about books, so he read them, laws or no laws. But he did not want to think about the meanings behind the words in books, and he turned against them. Beatty does not burn books because he is told to, but he actually believes in burning books. He believes that books cause confusion, contradictions, and disorder. But the one thing that he does not realize is that, that is what literature is for.There are many important messages that Fahrenheit 451 portrays. In order to help us understand them, Ray Bradburyà ¢â‚¬â„¢s novel, Fahrenheit 451 uses the setting, characterization, and conflict to help underline these themes. The setting that was created was a futuristic society. This helped the readers imagine what a world without books or knowledge would be like. The characterization of the people showed that everyone was happy without knowledge, and the people who were not were outcasts. Lastly the conflicts between the characters demonstrate the ignorance of the people.

Vpn with Ipsec

1. Abstract The goal of VPNs is to provide a cost-effective and secure way to connect business to one another and remote workers to office networks. Network Security Protocols encompasses the basis for safe & reliable data transfer. These security devices should be able to provide accountability, access control, confidentiality, integrity, while all the time being cost effective. This provides us with different security protocols related to the transfer of data through a network.With a prevalent system of networks the frontier for world data communication, it is absolutely critical to be able to have these protocols provide the most secure service possible. In this report technical review IPSec protocol involved with Network Security. Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) It is a suite of protocol for securing IP communications by authentication and encryption of each IP packet of a communication session. IPSec also includes protocols for establishing mutual authentication between agent s at the beginning of the session and negotiating cryptography keys which is to be used during the session.IPSec is an end to end security scheme operating in the Layer of Internet of the IP suite. It can be used in protecting data flows between a pair of hosts, between a pair of security gateways, or between a security gateway and a host. 2. Introduction to VPN A VPN is a virtual private network, which is built on top of existing physical network that can provide a secure communication mechanism for data and other information transmitted between networks. Because VPN can be used over existing networks, such as the Internet, it can facilitate the secure transfer of sensitive data across public networks.This is often less expensive than alternatives such as dedicated private telecommunications lines between organizations or branch offices. VPNs can also provide flexible solutions, such as securing communications between remote telecommuters and the organization’s servers, rega rdless of where the telecommuters are located. A VPN can even be established within a single network to protect particularly sensitive communications from other parties on the same network. It is important to understand that VPNs do not remove all risk from networking.While VPNs can greatly reduce risk, particularly for communications that occur over public networks, they cannot remove all risk for such communications. One problem is the strength of the implementation. For example, flaws in an encryption algorithm or the software implementing the algorithm could allow attackers to decrypt intercepted traffic; random number generators that do not produce sufficiently random values could provide additional attack possibilities. Another issue is encryption key disclosure; an attacker who discovers a key could not only decrypt traffic but potentially also poses as a legitimate user.Another area of risk involves availability. A common model for information assurance is based on the conce pts of confidential, integrity, and availability. Although VPNs are designed to support confidentiality and integrity, they generally do not improve availability, the ability for authorized users to access systems as needed. In fact, many VPN implementations actually tend to decrease availability somewhat, because they add more components and services to the existing network infrastructure. This is highly dependent upon the chosen VPN architecture model and the details of the implementation. 3. 1 VPN TechnologiesThe Internet is a shared public network of networks with open transmission protocols. Therefore, VPNs must include measures for packet encapsulation (tunneling), encryption, and authentication to ensure that sensitive data reaches its destination without modifying by unauthorized parties. Fig: IP Packet 2. 2 Tunnels The thing that makes a Virtual Private Network â€Å"virtually private† is known as tunnel. Even though you access your network via Internet, you’r e not really â€Å"on† the Internet, you are actually â€Å"on† your company network. Although the term â€Å"tunnel† feels like it’s describing a fixed path through the Internet, this is not the case.As with any Internet traffic, VPN tunnel packets may take different paths between the two endpoints. 2. 3 Encryption Encryption is a technique for scrambling and unscrambling information. The information which is unscrambled is called clear-text, and the information which is scrambled is called cipher-text. At either end of your VPN tunnel sits a VPN gateway in hardware of software form. The gateway at sending location encrypts the information into cipher text before sending the encrypted information through the tunnel over the Internet. The VPN gateway at receiving location decrypts the information back into clear-text. . 4 Keys A key is the secret code that the encryption algorithm uses to create a unique version of cipher-text. To put it in simpler terms, two people might go to the hardware store and buy the same lock off the shelf, but their combinations are different. In VPN encryption, the method may be the same (like the lock), but our keys are different (like the combination). Of course, VPN locks have a lot more than three numbers on the dial combination. As a matter of fact, transmission security strength depends on the length of the keys which you use. Here’s the formula: 8-bit keys = 256 combinations or two to the eighth power (28) †¢ 16-bit keys = 65,536 combinations or two to the 16th power (216) †¢ 56-bit keys = 72,057,594,037,927,900 or two to the 56th power (256) †¢ And so on†¦ In other words, if you used a 16-bit key, a fake attacker might have to make 65,536 attempts at cracking your combination. Obviously, this would be a quick and simple task for computers. That’s why a lot of VPN products on the market today are using 168-bit keys, creating 374,144, 419,156,711,000,000,000,000,000 ,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Possible combinations.There are some enterprises out there going even higher. Even the fastest computers today would need extended time to crack a code that is complex. You might be tempted to make a policy of always using the highest-bit encryption method available, but keep in mind that processing such complicated cipher-text will require significant, dedicated CPU processing power. There are other ways to use keys to the outmost security to fit your needs. For example, it does, indeed, take time to crack the higher-bit keys. If you establish a policy of periodically changing your keys, the trespassers won’t be able to keep up. . 4. 1 Symmetrical Keys Symmetrical keys means the same key is used at each end of the tunnel to encrypt and decrypt information. Because a symmetrical key is being shared by both parties, there must be an understanding between the two to take appropriate steps to keep the key secret, which is why symmetrical keys are oft en referred to as â€Å"shared secrets. † These keys become more difficult to distribute, since they must be kept confidential. A technique called â€Å"key splitting† may be employed to reduce the potential of key disclosure during transit.This allows participants to use public channels such as the Internet. More commonly, however, distribution of symmetrical keys is more of a manual operation using paper, removable media, or hardware docking. 2. 4. 2 Asymmetrical Keys Asymmetrical keys are slightly more complicated, but, logistically, much easier to manage. Asymmetrical keys allow information to be encrypted with one key and decrypted with a different key. The two keys used in this scenario are referred to as private and public keys, or the ones you keep to yourself and the ones you distribute to your remote users.Consider this example: Let’s call our business FQT and HIQT. FQT has a set of two keys, a public key and a private key. His public key has been prog rammed to encrypt data so that only his own private key can decipher it. In order to communicate securely, FQT hands his public key to HIQT and tells him to encrypt anything he sends with that code. Using this asymmetrical keying method, both are assured that only FQT will be able to read those transmissions because he retains the private decoder key. If the communication is to be bi-directional, HIQT would share his public key with FQT in the same manner. . 5 Key Management Configuring pre-shared secrets in smaller VPNs does not necessarily require software automation or large infrastructure investments. However, larger networks might benefit from deploying a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) to create, distribute, and track digital certificates on individual-user basis. You can use pre-shared keys or digital signatures if your equipment supports these authentication alternatives. However, if you decide to use certificates, there are options. For example, you may use third-party Cert ificate Authority services.Or, you may build your own Certificate Authority using software from Entrust, Xcert, or Baltimore Technologies. Either option will help you establish a comprehensive PKI, which is especially useful in large organizations needed to extend secure, limited network access beyond their own internal users to business partners and customers. 2. 6 Authentication The last bit of housekeeping involved in VPN transmission is authentication. At this step, recipients of data can determine if the sender is really who he says he is (User/System Authentication) and if the data was redirected or corrupted enroute (Data Authentication). . 6. 1 User/System Authentication Consider, again, our two business named FQT and HIQT. When FQT receives a message signed from HIQT, FQT picks a random number and encrypts it using a key which only HIQT should be able to decode. HIQT then decrypts the random number and re-encrypts it using a key only QT should be able to decode. When FQT ge ts his number back, he can be assured it is really IQT on the other end. 2. 6. 2 Data Authentication In order to verify that data packets have arrived unaltered, VPN systems often use a technique involving â€Å"hash functions. A hash function creates a sort of fingerprint of the original data. It calculates a unique number, called a hash, based on fixed or variable length values of unique bit strings. The sender attaches the number to the data packet before the encryption step. When the recipient receives the data and decrypts it, he can calculate his own hash independently. The output of his calculation is compared to the stored value appended by the sender. If the two hashes do not match, the recipient can be able to assume the data has been altered. 3.VPN Protocols used for tunneling 3. 1 IPSec IPSec is a standard for secure encrypted communication that provides two security methods: Authenticated Headers (AH) and Encapsulating Security Payload (ESP). AH is used to authenticate packets, whereas ESP encrypts the data portion of packets. It can work in two different modes: transport mode and tunnel mode. IPSec is commonly combined with IKE as a means of using public key cryptography to encrypt data between LANs or between a client and a LAN. IKE provides for the exchange of public and private keys. 3. 2 PPPIn networking, the Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) is commonly used in establishing a direct connection between two networking nodes. It can provide connection authentication, transmission encryption, and compression. 3. 3 L2TP Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is an extension of the long protocol used to establish dial-up connections on the Internet, Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP). L2TP uses IPSec rather than MPPE to encrypt data sent over PPP. 3. 4 PPTP Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) is commonly used by remote users who need to connect to a network using a dial-in connection of modem.PPTP uses Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPPE) to encrypt data that passes between the remote computer and the remote access server. 3 Technical Review of IPSec over VPN 4. 1 IPSec IPSec is the Internet standard protocol for tunneling, encryption, and authentication. It was designed to protect network traffic by addressing basic usage issues including:- †¢ Access control †¢ Connection integrity †¢ Authentication of data origin †¢ Protection against replays †¢ Traffic flow confidentiality The IPSec protocol allows two operational modes.In Transport mode, everything behind the packet and not including the IP header is protected. In Tunnel mode, everything behind and including the header is protected, requiring a new pseudo IP header. While the IPSec protocol was under development, two other protocols — L2TP and PPTP used as temporary solutions. L2TP (Layer 2 Tunneling Protocol) encloses non-Internet protocols such as IPX, SNA, and AppleTalk inside an IP envelope. However, L2TP has to rely on other protocols f or encryption functions. PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) is a proprietary Microsoft encryption and authentication protocol.Although originally developed as a temporary solution, Microsoft continues to deploy L2TP as its tunneling protocol instead of IPSec tunneling. When comparing the three, IPSec is, the most widely used protocol, and the only one that addresses future VPN environments (such as new IP protocols). 4. 1. 2 IPSec Architecture The architecture of the IPSec implementation refers to the selection of device and software to provide IPSec services and the placement of IPSec endpoints within the existing network infrastructure.These two considerations are often closely tied together; For example, a decision could be made to use the existing Internet firewall as the IPSec gateway. This section will explore three particular aspects of IPSec architecture:- gateway placement, IPSec client software for hosts, and host address space management. Fig: Gateway-to-Gateway VPN for Remote Office Connectivity 4. 1. 3 IPSec Functions Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) has emerged as the most commonly used network layer security control for protecting communications. IPSec is a framework of open standards for ensuring private communications over IP networks.Depending on how IPSec is implemented and configured, it can provide any combination of the following types of protection: Confidentiality. IPSec can ensure that data cannot be read by unknown parties. This is accomplished by encrypting data using a cryptographic algorithm and a secret key. A value known only to the two parties exchanging data. The data can only be decrypted by someone who has the secret key. Integrity. IPSec can determine if data has been changed (intentionally or unintentionally) during transit. The integrity of data can be assured by enerating a message authentication code (MAC) value, which is a cryptographic checking sum of the data. If the data is altered and the MAC is recalculated , the old and new MACs will be different. Peer Authentication. Each IPSec endpoint confirms the identity of the other IPSec endpoint with which it wishes to communicate, ensuring that the network traffic and data is being sent from the expected host. Replay Protection. The same data is not delivered multiple times, and data is not delivered grossly out of order. However, IPSec does not ensure that data is delivered in the exact order in which it is sent.Traffic Analysis and Protection. A person monitoring network traffic does not know which parties are communicating, how often communications are occurring, or how much data is being exchanged. However, the number of packets being exchanged can be counted. Access Control. IPSec endpoints can perform filtering to ensure that only authorized IPSec users can access particular network resources. IPSec endpoints can also allow or block certain types of network traffic, such as allowing Web server access but denying file sharing. 4. 1. 4 IP Sec FundamentalsIPSec is a collection of protocols that assist in protecting communications over IP networks. IPSec protocols work together in various combinations to provide protection for communications. The three primary components of the IPSec protocol that provides the protections for the communication are ESP, AH and IKE. Encapsulating security Payload (ESP) ESP is the second core IPSec security protocol. In the initial version of IPSec, ESP provided only encryption for packet payload data. It can perform authentication to provide integrity protection, although not for the outermost IP header.Also, ESP. s encryption can be disabled through the Null ESP Encryption Algorithm. Therefore, in all but the oldest IPSec implementations, ESP can be used to provide only encryption; encryption and integrity protection; or only integrity protection Authentication Header (AH) AH, one of the IPSec security protocols provides integrity protection for packet headers and data, as well as user authentication. It can optionally provide replay protection and access protection. AH cannot encrypt any portion of packets.In the initial version of IPSec, the ESP protocol could provide only encryption, not authentication, so AH and ESP were often used together to provide both confidentiality and integrity protection for communications. Because authentication capabilities were added to ESP in the second version of IPSec AH has become less significant; in fact, some IPSec software no longer supports AH. However, AH is still valuable because AH can authenticate portions of packets that ESP cannot. Internet Key Exchange (IKE) The purpose of the Internet Key Exchange (IKE) protocol is to negotiate, create, and manage security associations.Security association is a generic term for a set of values that define the IPSec features and protections applied to a connection. It can also be manually created, using values agreed upon in advance by both parties, but these security associations c annot be updated; this method does not scale for a real-life large-scale VPNs. In IPSec, IKE is used to provide a secure mechanism for establishing IPSec-protected connections. 4. 1. 5 IPSec Protocol Basics Transport mode is used to provide secure communications between hosts over any range of IP addresses.Tunnel mode is used to create secure links between two private networks. Tunnel mode is the obvious choice for VPNs; however, there are some concerns about using tunnel mode in a client-to-site VPN because the IPSec protocol by itself does not provide for user authentication. However, when combined with an authentication system like Kerberos, IPSec can authenticate users. 4. 1. 6 Cryptography Used in IPSec Sessions Cryptography policy involves choosing encryption and integrity protection algorithms and key lengths. Most IPSec implementations offer the HMAC-MD5 and HMAC-SHA-1 hashing algorithms.Neither of these algorithms is computationally intensive. Although both plain MD5 and pl ain SHA-1 have known weaknesses, both are still considered sufficiently secure in their HMAC versions. In some implementations of IPSec, the cryptography policy settings are not immediately apparent to admin. The default settings for encryption and integrity protection, as well as the details of each setting, are often located down several levels of menus or are split among multiple locations. It is also challenging with some implementations to alter the settings once they have been located. . 1. 7 Authentication Used for Identifying IPSec IPSec implementations typically support two authentication methods: pre-shared keys and digital signatures. To use pre-shared keys, the IPSec admin creates a key or password string, which is then configured in each IPSec device. Pre-shared keys are the simplest authentication method to implement, but key management is challenging. Because of scalability and security concerns, pre-shared key authentication is generally an acceptable solution only f or small-scale implementations with known IP addresses or small IP address ranges.In the digital signature method, a certificate identifies each device, and each device is configured to use certificates. Two IPSec endpoints will trust each other if a Certification Authority (CA) that they both trust has signed their certificates. Many organizations are currently implementing public key infrastructures (PKI) for managing certificates for IPSec VPNs and other applications such as secure e-mail and Web access. 5. Conclusion VPNs allow users or corporations to connect to remote servers, branch offices, or to other companies over internetwork of public, while maintaining secure communications.In all of these cases, the secure connection appears to the user as a private network communication—despite the fact that this communication occurs over internetwork of public. VPN technology is designed to address issues surrounding the current business trend toward increased telecommuting a nd widely distributed global operations, where workers must be able to connect to central resources and communicate with each other. This paper provides an overview of VPN, VPN over IPSec and describes the basic requirements of useful VPN technologies: user authentication, address management, data encryption, key management, nd multiprotocol support. 6. Reference 1. S. Farnkel, K. Kent, R. Lewkowski. (December 2005). Guide to IPSec VPN. Available: http://csrc. nist. gov/publications/nistpubs/800-77/sp800-77. pdf. Last accessed January 20 2011. 2. Tom Olzak. (Jan22, 2007). SSTP: Microsoft VPN. Available: http://www. techrepublic. com/blog/security/sstp-microsofts-vpn/149. Last accessed 25 January 2011. 3. Open VPN. (2011). Open VPN cryptographic layer. Available: http://openvpn. net/index. php/open-source/documentation/security-overview. html. Last accessed 28 January 2011. 4. Erik Rodrigues-Types of VPN [online]. Resources as well as Images) Available from: http://www. skullbox. net /vpn. php[Accessed on: Feb 12 2011] 5. Internet Protocol Security [online]. Available from: http://www. interpeak. com/files/ipsec. pdf[Accessed on: Feb 4 2011] 6. SSL VPN VS. IPSec VPN [online]. Available from: http://www. arraynetworks. net/ufiles/File/SSLVPNvsIPSecWhitePaper021006. pdf[Accessed on: January 29 2011] 7. Available from: http://www. windowsecurity. com/articles/VPN-Options. html[Accessed on: Feb 14 2011 ] 8. Download the Green Bow IPSec VPN client [online]. Available from: www. thegreenbow. com/vpn/vpn_down. html [Accessed on: Feb 2012] . YouTube video of using the Green Bow software Available from: http://www. youtube. com/watch? v=m6fu6saaNhQ [Accessed on: Jan 29 2008] 7. Appendix The step by step setup of â€Å"The Green Bow IPSec VPN client† is described below. Running the setup file. Language screen appears and click OK. Fig: Choose language screen. Welcome screen appears and click next. Fig: Setup Welcome screen. License and information regarding license s then click I Agree. Fig: License and information screen. Install location screen appears and click next. Fig: Installation location screen. Choosing start menu folder screen appears and click Install.Fig: start menu folder screen. Installing screen appears. Fig: Installing setup screen. Windows Security screen appears and click install. Fig: Windows Security screen. Setup Complete screen appears and click finish Fig: Completing Setup screen. How to use This Software System Tray Icon VPN Configuration Three step Configuration Wizard Step 1 of 3: Choice of remote equipment You must specify the type of the equipment at the end of the tunnel: VPN gateway. Step 2 of 3: VPN tunnel parameters You must specify the following information: the public (network side) address of the remote gateway he preshared key you will use for this tunnel (this preshared key must be the same as key in the Gateway) the IP address of your company LAN (e. g. specify 192. 168. 1. 0) Step 3 of 3: Summary The thi rd step summaries your new VPN configuration. Other parameters may be further configured directly via the ‘Configuration Panel' (e. g. Certificates, virtual IP address, etc). VPN Tunnel Configuration How to create a VPN Tunnel? To create a VPN tunnel from the Configuration Panel (without using the Configuration Wizard), you must follow the following steps: 1. Right-click on ‘Configuration' in the list window and select ‘New Phase 1' 2.Configure Authentication Phase (Phase 1) 3. Right-click on the ‘new Phase 1' in the tree control and select ‘Add Phase 2' 4. Configure IPSec Phase (Phase 2) 5. Once the parameters are set, click on ‘Save ; Apply' to take into account the new configuration. That way the IKE service will run with the new parameters 6. Click on ‘Open Tunnel' for establishing the IPSec VPN tunnel (only in â€Å"IPSec Configuration† window) VPN Configuration Please refer to Phase 1 and Phase 2 for settings descriptions. Authe ntication or Phase 1 What is Phase 1? ‘Authentication' or ‘Phase 1' window will concern settings for Authentication Phase or Phase 1.It is also called IKE Negotiation Phase. Phase 1's purpose is to negotiate IKE policy sets, authenticate the peers, and set up a secure channel between the peers. As part of Phase 1, each end system must identify and authenticate itself to the other. Interface Network interface IP address of the computer, through which VPN connection is established. Remote Gateway IP address or DNS address of the remote gateway (in our example: gateway. domain. com). This field is necessary. Pre-shared key Password or shared key with the remote gateway. IKE Encryption algorithm used during Authentication phase (DES, 3DES, AES, AES128, AES192, AES256).Authentication algorithm used during Authentication phase (MD5, SHA-1, SHA-256). Key group is key length. Phase1 Advanced Settings Description Config-Mode If it is checked, the VPN Client will activate Config-M ode for this tunnel. Config- Mode allows VPN Client to fetch some VPN Configuration information from the VPN gateway. If Config-Mode is enabled, and provided that the remote Gateway supports, the following Parameters will be negotiated between the VPN Client and the remote Gateway during the IKE exchanges (Phase 1): Virtual IP address of the VPN Client DNS server address (optional)WINS server address (optional) Aggressive Mode If checked, the VPN Client will used aggressive mode as negotiation mode with the remote gateway. IPSec Configuration or Phase 2 What is Phase 2? ‘IPSec Configuration' or ‘Phase 2' window will concern settings for Phase 2. The purpose of Phase 2 is to negotiate the IPSec security parameters that are applied to the traffic going through tunnels negotiate during Phase 1. Phase 2 Settings Description VPN Client address Virtual IP address used by the VPN Client inside the remote LAN: The computer will appear in the LAN with this IP address.It is import ant this IP address should not belong to the remote LAN (e. g. , in the example, you should avoid an IP address like 192. 168. 1. 10). Address type The remote endpoint may be a LAN or a single computer, In case the remote endpoint is a LAN, choose â€Å"Subnet address† or â€Å"IP Range†. When choosing â€Å"Subnet address†, the two fields â€Å"Remote LAN address† and â€Å"Subnet mask† become available. When choosing â€Å"IP Range†, the two fields â€Å"Start address† and â€Å"End address† become available, enabling TheGreenBow IPSec VPN Client to establish a tunnel only within a range of a predefined IP addresses.The range of IP addresses can be one IP address. Incase the remote end point is a single computer, choose â€Å"Single Address†. When choosing â€Å"Single address†, only â€Å"Remote host address† is available. Remote address This field is â€Å"Remote LAN address† depending of the add ress type. It is the remote IP address or LAN network address of the gateway that opens the VPN tunnel. Phase2 Advanced Settings Script configuration Scripts or applications can be enabled for each step of a VPN tunnel opening and closing process: Before tunnel is opened Right after the tunnel is opened Before tunnel closes Right after tunnel is closedRemote Sharing Global Parameters Lifetime (sec. ) Default lifetime for IKE rekeying. Minimal lifetime for IKE rekeying. Maximal lifetime for IKE rekeying. Default lifetime for IPSec rekeying. Maximal lifetime for IPSec rekeying. Minimal lifetime for IPSec rekeying. Dead Peer Detection (DPD) Check interval (sec. ) Interval between DPD messages. Max number of retries Number of DPD messages sent. Delay between retries (sec. ) Interval between DPD messages when no reply from remote gateway. Miscellaneous Retransmissions How many times a message should be retransmitted before giving up. USB Mode Step 1 Step2 Step3 Step4

Business Plan Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

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Financial Accounting Concepts Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Financial Accounting Concepts - Essay Example The intangible assets lumped in one account is also listed under the non-current assets. This account may represent the patents, trademarks, reputation, skilled management or well-trained labor force of the company. It should be noted that some accountants are averse to record this type of assets unless they can be promptly valued (Brealey, Myers & Marcus, 1995). The liability section of the balance sheet, along with the shareholders' equity, shows the financial resources utilized for the procurement of assets (Brealey, Myers & Marcus, 1995). Similar to assets, liabilities are also classified into current and non-current liabilities, obligations which are due in the short-term and long-term, respectively. Non-current liability accounts of WMT in the balance sheet include long-term debt and other non-current liabilities, which represent the WMT's loans from banks and investors which are not immediately due. Furthermore, deferred income tax is accounted for in the balance sheet. As the name suggests, this is the outstanding income tax due which will have to be paid to the government. This section also includes the account for minority interest which is the liability of the company to investors with non-controlling stake or interest over the company. On WMT's balance sheet as at end-2004 shown in MSN Money, only the commo

To what extent can we as humans be objective in our understanding of Essay

To what extent can we as humans be objective in our understanding of human behaviour - Essay Example al’s psychic sphere, etc., there has always been a question: to what extend can a human being remain objective while explaining the reasons for another human’s behaviour? After all, being humans, not only we are prone to mistakes, but we also have our own subjective experience, and which is more personality peculiarities, which may – and actually do – influence the way we perceive things and interpret the motives for another people’s actions and other people’s thoughts. People do not perceive the world as it is; their own mind creates a certain picture of the world that differs from the reality, and every person has the picture of his or her own. This was discovered long ago by a Polish engineer Alfred Korzibsky at the beginning of the 20th century. A most interesting saying belongs to him that says ‘The map is not the territory’ (Korzibsky 1933, np); under ‘the map’ our perception of the world is meant, and ‘the territory’ is the objective world itself. Fairly the same concept is reflected in the works of the sophists in the Ancient Greece who were constantly trying to find an answer to the question if it is possible to comprehend the truth, and if anything exists in the human mind apart from opinions? They were the adherents of Phenomenalism: the theory that stated that we only can perceive those ideas that find themselves in our minds, not the real objects of the world as they are all outside of our minds, and therefore it is incorrect and even useless to even try evaluating anybody or anything that is outside our minds. Conceptual biases: the way we as a group collectively organize our mental views, beliefs and perceptions about life and the universe, which influences what we notice, what we seek to learn, and how we interpret phenomena. Personal biases: the individual experiences and personality that form our personal interests, likes and dislikes, characteristics, etc., which influence what and how each of us seeks to learn and

Role of tracheotomy in ventilator Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Role of tracheotomy in ventilator - Article Example Tracheotomy is commonly performed for critically ill, ventilator-dependent patients to provide long-term airway access. The benefits commonly ascribed to tracheotomy, compared to prolonged translaryngeal intubation, include improved patient comfort, more effective airway suctioning, decreased airway resistance, enhanced patient mobility, increased opportunities for articulated speech, ability to eat orally, and a more secure airway. Conceptually, these advantages might result in fewer ventilator complications (eg, ventilator-associated pneumonia), accelerated weaning from mechanical ventilation, and the ability to transfer ventilator-dependent patients from the ICU. Concern, however, exists about the risks associated with the procedure and the costs involved. The impact of tracheotomy on the duration of mechanical ventilation and on ICU outcomes in general has been examined by several different study designs, none of them ideal. Most studies are retrospective, although a few prospect ive studies have been performed. A serious problem is that many studies assigned patients to treatment groups on the basis of physician practice patterns rather than random assignment. Those studies that used random assignment frequently used quasi-randomization methods (eg, every other patient, every other day, hospital record number, or odd-even days). Studies have compared patients undergoing tracheotomy vs those not undergoing tracheotomy, and patients undergoing early tracheotomy vs those undergoing late tracheotomy.... decreased airway resistance, enhanced patient mobility, increased opportunities for articulated speech, ability to eat orally, and a more secure airway. Conceptually, these advantages might result in fewer ventilator complications (eg, ventilator-associated pneumonia), accelerated weaning from mechanical ventilation, and the ability to transfer ventilator-dependent patients from the ICU. Concern, however, exists about the risks associated with the procedure and the costs involved. The impact of tracheotomy on the duration of mechanical ventilation and on ICU outcomes in general has been examined by several different study designs, none of them ideal. Most studies are retrospective, although a few prospective studies have been performed. A serious problem is that many studies assigned patients to treatment groups on the basis of physician practice patterns rather than random assignment. Those studies that used random assignment frequently used quasi-randomization methods (eg, every other patient, every other day, hospital record number, or odd-even days). Studies have compared patients undergoing tracheotomy vs those not undergoing tracheotomy, and patients undergoing early tracheotomy vs those undergoing late tracheotomy. The definition of early vs late tracheotomy varies between studies. "Early" may be defined as a period as short as 2 days after the start of mechanical ventilation to as late as 10 days after the start. Patient populations included in studies also vary widely between investigations and include general surgical and medical patients in some studies and specific patient groups (eg, trauma patients or head-injured patients) in other studies. Most studies have design flaws in the collection and analysis of data, foremost of which

Organizational Technology Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Organizational Technology Plan - Essay Example As the population grows and their needs grow even faster, the natural resources are being depleted at the speed of light. Moreover, all other societal and environmental factors are being exhausted very quickly as well. In such a situation, there is a huge responsibility on the shoulders of businesses operating in our environment. (Total Attorny/Scanlan, 2010). They cannot simply leverage the society and its resources without giving anything back in return like old times. This calls for a well-renowned business activity of our times, i.e. Corporate Social Responsibility. Simply put, corporate social responsibility is nothing but a corporation’s or a business’s way of paying back to the society and/or the environment for what it takes in order to keep itself up and running, although it can never actually repay 100%. (Werther, Chandler, 2010). There are several types of social responsibilities that apply to the present-day businesses. Some major responsibilities would incl ude helping the backward segments of the society move up the ladder by providing educational and professional opportunities, generation of employment, promoting culture, protecting and revitalizing the environment, promote research and development, induce recreational activities, etc. (Epicor, 2010).

Outsourcing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Outsourcing - Assignment Example Outsourcing has revolutionized processes in the workplace, provided tools and valuable data and information, and has done many things of great importance to businesses and organisations. Literature Review This essay will focus on human resource outsourcing (HRO) which is becoming a trend particularly in the public sector. Human resource outsourcing affects performance of the staff. Human resource functions that are handled by an outsourcer provider are functions that some employees are used to performing. Businesses find outsourcing as an easy way to produce their products at low cost. Functions that can be outsourced include human resources, financial transaction processing (for accounts payable), procurement, distribution and logistics, and clinical data management. One of the drawbacks for outsourcing is that it can reduce product quality. This usually happens if a company outsources without careful study and planning. It can also reduce innovation. Firms must select areas in whic h they can concentrate their resources. Reduced innovation means lost creativity. Firms that outsource core competencies do not see the importance of focusing on employees’ capability and knowledge considering that there is a relation between contented employees and contented customers. Satisfied employees not just turn their attention on their organisation out of gratitude but provide good and faithful service to customers as payback to their organisation. (Cooke et al., 2005) Organisations should not rush into outsourcing. The firm must first analyse the business situation and conduct feasibility analysis, define the parameters of the contract, and build a strong relationship with the outsourcing company. There are several steps to be undertaken before deciding to make outsourcing a part of the company’s functions. It is like initiating an intensive project management. There are four screens to follow in conducting the feasibility: core competency screen, cost of con trol screen, goals screen, and scope screen. The feasibility study should clearly define the core competency screen, i.e. what are core competencies and what are critical in the organisation? Core activities refer to what a firm can do best and are crucial to the firm’s advantage while noncore activities refer to those which have lower impact on the firm. A detailed analysis of the requirements has to be done. When the costs exceed the benefits, outsourcing should not push through. Planning can proceed if the screens are beneficial to the organization. In the evaluation, the executive team should be identified. The team will include those who will handle the analysis, the leader and the decision-maker. The outsourcing team should be composed of technical and managerial people, and representatives from user areas whose services will be directly affected by the outsourcing. The people who will be responsible for oversight and management of the outsourcing arrangement and vendor (supplier) relations must be properly identified and involved in drafting the contract. Technical and management issues must be properly stipulated in the contract. (Cooke et al., 2005) The supplier and buyer should have close coordination and communication, and a team must monitor the progress of the relationship. The monitoring team will conclude if the provisions of the contract are being followed. This has to be evaluated time and again to see if the

Eastman kodak Essay Example for Free

Eastman kodak Essay Evaluating the financial condition of Eastman Kodak can be troublesome. Per my evaluation of their quarterly report which was found at http://www. kodak. com, some red flags have appeared that the auditors should be aware of. These stand out and should have special focus on. This quarterly report is based on the companies’ business activities as well as their subsidiary companies between the reporting periods of January 1, through December 31, 2011. It has been speculated that some of the previous reports have not been dealing on actual performance data basis (Avery, 2012). While many believe this to be impossible and untrue, however, there seems to be that there were no exceptions reported or noticed on prior reports. Once again, while analyzing this report there seems to be correspondence in regards to data exclusion from the outsourced operations and data for leased facilities were indicated. The cash flow analysis of Kodak has always been cause for concern. The Kodak companies the past several years have had many issues as seem by the financial statements. â€Å"The internal cash flows are negative indicating that this company has a financial problem (Arnold, 2012). Items such as the operating costs, investing, and the use of the cash and its outflow when it has cash are what we consider internal cash flows. Kodak company is aimed its focus on funding numerous functions and operations. This funding was to make sure that the IP licensing strategy would a hit. For this to be applicable, the company would have to sell its assets. â€Å"Thus in order to be successful in the IP portfolio strategy EASTKOD 3 Eastman Kodak set there sites aimed at getting funds of over $200 million and then to have licensing transactions to generate between #250 and $350 million dollars (Anderson, 2012). Some of the red flags that they should be aware of can be economic factors, earning problems, excessive debt. With these factors in mind it is clearly visible that Kodak focused on clearing their work on the idea of sustainability that they had place in process within the 2011 fiscal year. For Kodak to stay competitive they had to initiate new programs to generate business in the areas in which they operate. These programs would boost business. â€Å"After the 2011 quarterly report, Kodak was more sustainable and looked to prosper and take advantage of their customer’s economic, environmental, and social performance in order to maintain and attain a profitable , sustainable, and digital company (Anderson, 2011). With these red flags mentioned, Kodak and its position economically, either would attract or not attract investors. This is due to the fact that the economic factors such as the earnings of an organization give an idea of what its profits, and the shareholders value to be. The public willingness to invest and to get companies to fall in line with them, Eastman Kodak is not an attractive company. This is true due to its low profits the company makes based on its last quarterly report. Kodaks last quarterly report and its last 3 previous years indicate that the company if financially falling. During the audit procedure they should be alerted that Eastman Kodak has adjusted its financial statements making its return on capital and its economic stability unreliable. Eastman Kodaks free cash flow is well below par. Their strategy has failed, and this will not attract new investors. The financial statement show that the cash flow has reduced and this is partly contributed to the board and the lack there of on their fiduciary duties.

Nutritional Supplements As Effective As Full Ward Diet Nursing Essay

Nutritional Supplements As Effective As Full Ward Diet Nursing Essay Pressure ulceration has become a common health issue in hospitalized patients and elderly patients living in a long-term care facility. It can be contributed by various factors such as aging, poor nutrition, immobility, and cognitive impairment. A literature review was conducted based on five published research articles. The aim was to investigate the therapeutic relationship between nutritional support and pressure sores healing. The result indicated significant improvement in pressure ulcer healing. Background Aim of the paper The aim of this study is to critically review current literature in order to evaluate the effectiveness of oral nutritional supplement (ONS) in addition to regular food intake in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. Purpose of the paper The purpose of the study is to evaluate whether nutritional supplement helps cure pressure sores or not. Scope of the paper The study is based on research of a variety of existing research articles, journals, surveys, and clinical trials related to pressure ulcer throughout the global. It mainly focuses on individuals aged 65 and over from different continents. Literature Search Strategy The literature review was designed to assess published studies only. The initial search terms included pressure ulcer, nutrition, elderly, protein, arginine, zinc, vitamin C. The time period of the search covered articles published from 2000 to 2011 in English. The major databases used are CINAHL, Pubmed, and Cochrane Collaboration. An assignment marking guide was used to evaluate methodological quality of selected studies and gather useful information at the same time. Research design, description of intervention, outcome measures, results and author conclusions were included in the marking guide. 2.0 Evaluation of the Literature 2.1 Introduction Pressure ulcers, also referred to as pressure sores, decubitus ulcers or bedsores, are defined as an area of localised damage to the skin and underlying tissue caused by pressure, shear force, friction, moisture, and/or a combination of these factors. (Crowe and Brockbank 2009) It commonly occurs in hospitalized patients and elderly adults living in aged care facilities due to impaired mobility, paralysis and malnutrition. This study only focused on the relationship between malnutrition and pressure ulceration. For elderly people specifically, factors contributing to malnutrition include poor appetite, impaired cognition, depression, dependence on assistance with eating, and medications that cause gastrointestinal upset. (Heyman et al. 2008) Therefore, strategies and nursing interventions for adequate nutritional intake have become essential proportion of care for the elderly not only for pressure ulcer management, but also for their overall well-being. Supplying adequate nutritional supplements have been acknowledged to be beneficial in addition to repositioning and wound dressing since they can provide extra nutrients to strengthen tissue resistance and promote tissue repair. (Posthauer 2006) This review evaluated the clinical evidence supporting the use of ONS is beneficial for the elderly with existing pressure sores as part of their management. Five related article consisted of both clinical trials and literature reviews were selected presenting various perspectives. One of these studies provided Level I evidence while other four provided evidence between Level II and level IV. 2.2 Critical Review Level 1 evidence was provided by a systematic review by Holm, Mesch, and Ove (2007) This study conducted 16 peerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœreviewed articles published between 1995 and 2005, with a combination of qualitative and quantitative analysis of information. General speaking, the reviewer pointed out that pressure ulcer healing for patients aged 65 and over is strongly associated with individuals nutritional status as well as strategies and nursing interventions implemented by healthcare workers when handling pressure ulcers. First of all, it revealed the significance of nutrition for elderly patients with pressure sores in promoting wound healing and preventing deterioration. Meanwhile, it indicated that the use of pressure relieving mattresses and repositioning were the most commonly used measures for pressure area care. It also reported potential factors such as weight loss, dysphagia, catheters and connection to different kinds of monitoring equipment, which might result in prolong ed ulceration. Moreover, the financial impact on the patient and family related to costly treatment was also discussed in this review. When selecting the articles, the reviewer excluded studies that did not comply with the aim of the review or studies contained subjective opinions. It is reasonable to consider this study to be comprehensive and convincing since it provided logical arguments supported with figures and data collected from those 16 published research articles. The limitation of this study was that the articles selected were published from 1995 to 2005, so that the information gathered might not be up-to-date. Although the study demonstrated the connection between nutrition and pressure ulcer healing, it did not involve the role of protein, arginine, vitamin C and zinc in specific. The results of this study were consistent with the setting of this academic paper because they both focused on patients aged 65 and over. In addition, this article is relevant to the PICO que stion since it talked about the importance of nutrition among elderly patients and its relationship with pressure sores management. The goal of the research paper by Heyman et al. (2008), which provides level III evidence, was to examine the effects of oral nutritional supplements enriched with protein, arginine, vitamin C and zinc in dietary management of pressure ulcers and chronic wounds. This open multicentre trial was conducted among 61 institutional care facilities in Belgium and Luxembourg for a nine-week period and 245 participants, with a mean age of 80, were selected randomly with no exclusion criteria. Each patient received three servings of ONS per day accompanied with standard pressure area care. The result was a 60% reduction in pressure ulcer area after nine weeks. The primary limitation of this study was that it neither attempted to blind nor carry out randomized controlled trials. Hence, factors affecting pressure ulcer healing other than malnutrition had not been eliminated which reduced the reliability of the result. Another limitation was that the exudate levels were not measured objectively, and ruler was used to measure the size of the wound instead of planimetry. All these factors might lead to inaccurate outcomes. Nevertheless, the result of this study was supported by three other studies. These studies indicated that ONS enriched with arginine, zinc and antioxidant vitamins helps accelerate pressure ulcer healing rates. (Benati et al. 2001; Desneves et al. 2005; Soriano et al. 2004) The study by Cereda et al. (2009) aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a disease-specific nutritional treatment enriched in protein, arginine, zinc, and vitamin C compared to full ward diet for enhancing the rate of pressure ulcer healing. It was a twelve-week randomized controlled trial which provided level I evidence. It involved 28 elderly subjects with Stage II, III, and IV pressure ulcers of recent onset from four residential care facilities in Italy. Participants were divided into two groups and both groups received exactly same amount of daily nutritional support. However, one of the groups was provided with standard full ward diet while the other group was administered a 400-mL oral supplement or specific enteral formula enriched with protein, arginine, zinc, and vitamin C in addition to the standard diet. The result reflected that there was a 72% decrease in pressure ulcer area after 12 weeks of receiving ONS. This study concluded that disease-specific nutritional support is feasible and beneficial in promoting the healing of pressure ulcers. Furthermore, a secondary research article written by Crowe and Brockbank (2009) investigated the role of nutrition in the prevention and treatment of pressure ulcers. The function and mechanisms of protein, arginine, and micronutrients in wound healing process had been discussed respectively in this study. It also cited a variety of existing studies to support its arguments. The study concluded that high-protein oral nutritional supplements played an essential role in minimizing the incidence of pressure ulcers in susceptible elderly patients. The role of arginine, vitamin C and zinc in pressure ulcer healing, on the other hand, was not very clear stated by Crowe and Brockbank due to limitation in sample size and heterogenous study design of current studies. Although some studies reported that arginine, Vitamin C and zinc can promote muscle and collagen synthesis which increase the strength of the wound and help the body maintain a healthy immune system (Fleishman 2005), confirmatory studies are needed to support current clinical evidence. The major down side of this study was absence of critical analysis of information gathered from clinical trials used. Nevertheless, nutritional support was considered to be beneficial and effective in enhancing pressure ulcer healing after all. In addition, the conclusion that nutritional supplement rich in protein speeded up pressure ulcer healing rate was consistent with another study by Breslow et al. (1993) Breslow et al. (1993), another level III evidence, investigated 28 malnourished elderly patients living in residential care facility with existing pressure sores for eight weeks. It aimed to evaluate the impact of dietary protein on healing of pressure ulcers in malnourished patients. The result indicated that participants who received supplemental nutritional formulas containing 24% protein displayed a faster rate of wound healing in contrast to those received formulas containing 14% protein. Therefore, it was reasonable to believe that supplemental protein aided in pressure ulcer healing process. However, because of the time of this study being conducted, the novelty and reliability of the information provided might be doubted. Based on the findings of this review, additional nutritional supplement enriched with protein, arginine, vitamin C and zinc had been proved to be effective in promoting pressure ulcer healing. The implementation of specialised nutritional support was recommended for elderly patients suffering from chronic pressure ulcers. Moreover, patients having difficulty swallowing, cognitive impairment are at risk of malnourishment so nutritional supplement should be considered despite of no existing pressure ulcer. (Cereda et al.2009) Besides, although nutritional supplementation aided the wound to heal, it was not an entire part of pressure ulcer management. In order to prevent and treat pressure sores quickly and effectively, it is essential to combine nutritional support with wound management, use of pressure-relieving devices as well as repositioning techniques. (Heyman et al. 2008) 3.0 Evaluation of the Main Research Article 3.1 The study overview The study, Benefi ts of an oral nutritional supplement on pressure ulcer healing in long-term care residents, by Heyman et al. (2008) aimed to investigate the effects of combine oral nutritional supplement high in protein, arginine, vitamin C and zinc with standard care on the healing of pressure ulcers in nursing home residents compare to standard care solely. This nine-week trial was conducted in Luxembourg and Belgium and 245 patients with grade II-IV pressure ulcers were involved. During the study, participants were provided with the ONS daily for nine weeks, in addition to their normal diet or enteral feed. Standard pressure care was provided to each patient. Pressure ulcer area (mm2) and condition were assessed after three and nine weeks. (Heyman et al. 2008) Patients received 200ml ONS per daily which contained 46g protein,6.9g arginine, 575mg vitamin C, 87mg vitamin E and 21mg zinc. The result indicated that there was a remarkable decrease in pressure ulcer area, with 53%, at the end of the trial. Complete wound closure occurred after three and nine weeks in 7% and 20% of the pressure ulcers respectively. 3.2 Type of article and level of evidence This article is a quantitative primary research article because all the data was collected by the authors themselves by performing a clinical trial. It is a case control study rather than a randomized controlled trial since it involved large number of subjects so that the randomness and suitability of participants selected diminished. Nevertheless, the study demonstrated comparison by monitoring changes of conditions and improvements of the wound. The pressure ulcer area was measured three times throughout the trial: at the beginning, after three weeks, and at the end. Therefore, this study provided level III evidence. (The Royal Melbourne Hospital 2009) 3.3 The study design This was an open multicenter case-control study, in which 245 patients with different grades of pressure ulcers participated. Three servings of oral nutritional supplements were provided for every patient and wound healing process was monitored and assessed by measuring pressure ulcer area using rulers. Patient medical history and characteristics of existing wounds were gathered to be baseline information at the beginning of the trial. All measurements were performed by a single practitioner at each center in order to minimize subjectivity of data collected. (Heyman et al. 2008) 3.4 Statistical analysis Data are expressed as mean  ± standard deviation. Data were statistically analysed using ANOVA. Pressure ulcer data were log-transformed using a mixed-effects model to compare changes in pressure ulcer area over time. SGS Life Science Services Clinical Research (Bierges-Wavre, Belgium) performed the data entry, verification and statistical analysis. (Heyman et al. 2008) 3.5 Outcomes/Results for Nurse and Patient During the study period, the average intake of the ONS recorded was 2.3  ± 0.56 servings per day. After three weeks, the mean pressure ulcer area decreased from 1580  ± 3743mm2 to 1103  ± 2999mm2 and further reduction displayed to 743  ± 1809mm2 at the end of the trial, a 53% decrease compared to baseline. Additionally, Complete wound closure occurred after three and nine weeks in 16 (7%) and 49 (20%) of the pressure ulcers respectively. There was also a remarkable decline in exudates levels. At baseline, they were reported as mild, moderate and severe in 54 (33%), 61 (25%) and 32 (13%) of the pressure ulcers respectively, while after nine weeks this had reduced to 81 (22%), 34 (14%) and 10 (4%) respectively.(Heyman et al. 2008) Also, the oral nutritional supplements were accepted by most of participants. Eight out of ten patients did not complain about being given three servings per day and roughly 80% of the patients drank more than half of the ONS at each serving. On the o ther hand, in ten health practitioners involved in this study, nine of them expressed that they would use ONS as part of their pressure ulcer management regimen. (Heyman et al. 2008) 3.6 Limitations and Gaps Although the study involved large number of participants which roughly reflect the nursing-home population of Luxembourg and Belgium, there was no excluded criteria when selecting the participants. As a consequence, various factors such as medical history of diabetes or peripheral vascular disease can prolong wound healing and influence the outcome of the study. 3.7 Recommendations for Further Research The essentiality of conducting further studies has been pointed out to evaluate whether the implementation of oral nutritional supplements is cost-effective and suitable for all patients with pressure ulcers. 4.0 Conclusion Based on the findings from studies provided above, it is reasonable to consider the use of oral nutritional supplements enriched with protein, arginine, vitamin C and zinc as an effective and beneficial intervention in pressure ulcer management. Nevertheless, it is important to administer the ONS combined with other interventions including appropriate wound management and regular repositioning to promote pressure ulcer healing.